^Of course sample size, but I'm dealing with the view that if you want to know what hockey team is better, just look at the standings and whoever is higher is better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan02
And this is everything wrong with advanced stats in one sentence. Do you propose we stop giving the stanley cup to the team who wins all 4 rounds?
|
No, but I also don't think that the team that's objectively better is necessarily determined in a 7 game series. Boston, for example, probably should've beaten the Habs last year. To win a cup, you, at the very least, need avoid a bad run of injury luck.
That being said, you've created a straw man. All I'm saying is that standings position does not mean a team is better at hockey than another. This is not a "problem with analytics", it should be obvious to anyone whether they've ever HEARD of corsi or not. When the Kings were in 10th, they were not somehow a worse hockey team than the Avalanche, and suddenly despite no significant personnel changes in the interim became better than those teams over a span of a few weeks. They always were better. Similarly, in 2012-2013 when the Blackhawks had a mediocre start and, IIRC, sat outside the playoffs, didn't mean they were worse than eight other Western Conference teams and suddenly got better despite having the same players and went on to win the Cup.
If, next year, the Sabres somehow win their first four games while the Ducks and Penguins lose theirs, that will not mean Buffalo is at that point better than Pittsburgh and Anaheim at hockey. That's just silly. I'm amazed I even have to talk about this.
Quote:
|
Or do you actually believe that Edmonton is better then Calgary and almost as good as Montreal?
|
I don't recall saying so. Why do people keep trying to put words in my mouth? I hope everyone can understand how unbelievably annoying this is.
Edmonton has been an improved possession team this year, and their lack of success is attributable to a number of things, the most obvious being atrocious goaltending. If you want to see what atrocious goaltending can do to an otherwise good team (which I am not saying the Oilers are), look at the difference between Minnesota pre and post God-mode Dubnyk.