Mike Hoffman The Even Strength Leader Among Ottawa Senators Forwards
The Ottawa Senators have many talented players on their roster. It is important to see who has been driving offence during even strength play. Even strength play always yields the most data as it is how the majority of NHL action is played. Who were the most effective Ottawa Senators play during 5 on 5 play?
Straight Production (5v5)
Scoring goals is how you win a hockey game. Scoring goals at even strength is the corner stone of winning hockey games. The table below displays the Even Strength Goal Scoring Leaders for the Senators.
| Name | Goals |
| Mike Hoffman | 22 |
| Mark Stone | 18 |
| Mika Zibanejad | 14 |
| Kyle Turris | 12 |
| Bobby Ryan | 11 |
Mike Hoffman was an absolute force during even strength play. I predicted he would have a very good year last year which he did. Mark Stone was also very productive for the Ottawa Senators.
These players should be leading the team in Even Strength Goals as they are Top 6 Forwards on the team. It is interesting to note that Mike Hoffman had the least amount of ice time among the five players listed.
Corsi (5v5)
The way you score goals is by shooting the puck. iCorsi calculates any shot attempt taken at the goalie by a player. The Senators Even Strength iCorsi leaders are listed below.
| Name | iCorsi |
| Mike Hoffman | 288 |
| Kyle Turris | 272 |
| Bobby Ryan | 251 |
| Mike Zibanejad | 193 |
| Mark Stone | 188 |
Hoffman scores goals because he puts the puck towards the net. Offence is driven by taking shots which Hoffman obviously did. The differences between the Even Strength Goal scoring leaders and iCorsi leaders were very interesting. The Top 5 in both were the same but the rankings in each category were different. Stone was second in Goal Scoring but the lowest in iCorsi, Ryan was fifth in scoring but third in iCorsi. What could be involved that caused these discrepancies?
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Ryan’s shooting percentage was 8.43% last season, two years ago it was 9.42%. If Ryan had shot just one percent better he would have scored fourteen goals instead of eleven. Ryan would then have been tied for third in goal scoring.
Stone had the least amount of shots but the second most goals. Why was this the case, how did Stone produce so much while only taking 188 shots? The answer is Stone’s shooting percentage. Stone shot 10.34% second only to Hoffman who lead the team at 10.54%. Stone is the reverse scenario to Ryan. Let’s say Stone shot 9.54% instead of 10.54%, what would happen? Stone would most likely score only one less goal. Stone would have scored seventeen goals instead of eighteen. Will Ryan ever satisfy the Senators plans? Will Stone be able to replicate his success next year? Only time will tell.
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The Senators have plenty of young talent. Hoffman and Stone had remarkable Even Strength stats last season. Bobby Ryan was often criticized by Senators fans last season. A positive from Ryan’s season was how many shot attempts he generated.
Ryan may not have scored at a high pace, but he did appear to be generating offense. The top two lines of the Senators are lucky to have Kyle Turris and Mika Zibanejad. Next year will hopefully see more growth and positive numbers from the Senators young stars. It would also be nice to see Ryan have an all-star year and “earn” his large pay cheque.
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