Every single year big name players go through goal slumps and fans start to call that player out for their poor play. In reality no player in the league is immune from going through these dry spells. It is the nature of hockey. These criticisms are magnified when it happens in the small sample size also known as the NHL playoffs.
A great example of this would be New York Rangers winger Rick Nash. Last playoff season Nash was heavily criticized because of his low goal totals during the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup Final. What was lost on a lot of people was the fact he was playing fine, the shots just weren’t going in. He finished with 2 goals on 65 shots in 25 playoff games. He was never going to stay that snake bitten. Fast forward to this year and in the same sample size (25 games) he now has 13 goals on 64 shots. All the following numbers are taken from even strength play:
Rick Nash
You could make the argument that Nash was playing better hockey in the playoffs than he has so far this regular season. The big difference in perception is the huge jump in shooting percentage. Neither shooting percentage is going to be sustainable for Nash. He is still the same player. One sample size he was cold, the other he is hot. It could have been just as easily been flip flopped. His true value is smack dab in the middle. When Rick Nash’s shooting percentage dips a little bit as the season wears on will fans blame his decreasing production on his play? Or will fans accept the fact that there is natural variance in the game of hockey?
I bring up Rick Nash because Sidney Crosby was also similarly criticized during the Penguins playoff run last year.
Sidney Crosby
We all know in hindsight that Sidney Crosby had a wrist injury which limited his shooting ability in the playoffs, but it did not stop him from playing solid hockey. He was still the same Sidney Crosby who consistently drives play towards the offensive end.
Right now Crosby only has 2 goals in the past 10 games and you can almost start to hear the concern from people wondering when he will start scoring again. Don’t worry, he will. He is still playing great hockey, there are things outside of his control right now just like in the playoffs. During the playoffs it was the wrist injury and currently it is the fact he has wingers like Nick Spaling playing with him. Crosby’s even strength shooting percentage for his career is 14.8%. He is below that right now. When the Penguins start to get some healthy bodies I fully expect that percentage to rise back up and the goals to start coming on a more regular basis.
The lesson to learn here is to focus on the process, not the end results. Over time if the process of the players is good, the results will eventually come. Both Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby have proven this over time. Overreacting to the natural ebbs and flows of variance is what often leads to bad roster management decisions.
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