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Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19
Don't be patronizing. Everyone understands this. Nonetheless, goals are fairly random in terms of their source. Your decision about what angle to take did not cause you to score a goal that deflects into the top corner off a defenseman's skate. Your head fake did not cause the opposing goalie to let in a dipping shot from the blue line he'd stop 49 times out of 50. Your stickhandling skill did not cause the rookie d-man you're facing to cough the puck up the middle for an easy goal. These types of aberrations create noise. The noise is washed out given a larger sample of data, which is why you need a full season and why you use shots instead of goals. That is what is meant by randomness when associated with goal scoring.
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You just demonstrated that you don't understand this. The decision about what angle to take determines who gets to the puck first, perhaps. Which influences which team takes possession...which influences a breakout...or maybe a line change. Maybe a great scoring chance occurs that wouldn't have otherwise. The head fake may have made the defenseman hesitate just a split second opening up a passing lane that wasn't there otherwise.
Every single little event like this influences the outcome. People who played the game especially at the NHL level understand this. That's why its so funny when fans often say things like "if that goal had counted we would have won" because that isn't necessarily true. If that goal had counted the faceoff would have taken place at centre ice, not inside the zone. Maybe a different line matchup gets sent out. Maybe the linesman drops the puck differently. Different possession ensues leading to a completely different course that is charted as the game goes on.
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As noted, I guarantee that these guys watch more hockey than you. The notion that people who care about the stats must not actually be watching hockey is asinine. Even more so given that if they weren't watching the games, how would they be tracking the stats in the first place?
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This wasn't about comparing basement bloggers to other fans such as myself. It was about comparing basement bloggers to NHL scouts and executives who watch more hockey and more importantly understand what to watch for.
The scout sitting in the stands watching the game in its entirety will learn a lot more than the basement blogger watching on TV with one eye while typing scoring chances on his laptop with the other.
And the beauty is - the scout will know WHY the stats finished the way they did because he'll have the context. The blogger will just have a bunch of numbers.