One number I've been looking at closely since the Devils' season came to an abrupt halt is scoring chance numbers.
They're not the be all and end all, but typically the more scoring chances a player is on for, the more goals his team outscores its opponent by while said player is on the ice.
It's an interesting number, and it helps confirm suspicions of which players generate a lot of chances, as well as the players who seem to give up a good scoring chance every shift.
Here are the scoring chance number for Devils' defensemen this season.
These numbers more or less confirm what we all thought: Eric Gelinas is a bit of a loose cannon at even strength. The guy has a big shot and produces on the powerplay at an elite level, which means he should be playing, but he definitely needs some work in the defensive zone.
He's the only defenseman on the team with a scoring chance for% of under 50, which is pretty telling.
To nobody's surprise Andy Greene and Mark Fayne killed it in terms of generating scoring chances at even strength. I knew their numbers would be good, but to create chances at a 60% clip while going against top competition on a nightly basis is pretty darn impressive. Greene is a big reason why, but Fayne is certainly no slouch and should be re-signed. That's a story for another day, though.
Happy Easter to those who celebrate.
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