Quote:
Originally Posted by Saqe
So why are there players like Jokinen and Datsyuk who consistently are top shootout players in the league if it really is just rolling the dice?
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Because you are allowing confirmation bias and faulty memory to form an opinion rather than looking at the numbers. Jussi Jokinen was the top shootout performer in the 2005-06 season, but his next best season was 24th in the league the following year. His averages are badly skewed by his 10-13 run in that first year. In his last four seasons combined, he is 9-26.
Datsyuk, likewise, has only been 7th once (2009-10) and 11th (2008-09), but usually ranks in the 24th-30th range.
They are first and third all-time in terms of goals, simply due to the number of chances they get and as a result of single seasons that were well beyond their norms (Jokinen's 10-13 and Datsyuk's 7-14). Though at least Datsyuk's shooting percentage isn't nearly as inflated by a single season as Jokinen's is.