Quote:
Originally Posted by Corral
Someone explain to me why +/- makes for a bad argument?
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+/- favours defensemen who are:
1) Killing penalties and on the ice for shorties for (you get a +)
2) Placed on the ice predominantly in the offensive zone
3) Placed on the ice with forward lines who control the play below the hashmarks, allowing for offensive zone line changes
4) Placed on the ice against forward lines who lack finish
5) Placed on the ice with forward lines who finish well
6) Playing in front of a goalie making saves
7) Playing against a goalie letting in soft goals
+/- punishes defensemen who are:
8) On the power play and on the ice for shorties against (you get a -)
9) Placed on the ice predominantly in the defensive zone
10) Placed on the ice with forward lines who struggle to control the play down low, forcing poor neutral zone line changes
11) Placed on the ice against forward lines who are strong finishers
12) Placed on the ice with forward lines who lack finish
13) Playing in front of a goalie letting in softies
14) Playing against a goalie making saves
That also doesn't account for individual plays by linemates.
5 vs 5 relative shot attempt stats, whether you "agree" with them or not,
when used in context, describe
better how a player's team played with them on the ice. They aren't skewed by special teams shorthanded goals, they have a significantly larger sample size to draw from, when charted properly they should be accompanied by Quality of Teammate/Opposition and Relative Zone Start, and they are independant of goaltending. Further you can apply With-or-Without-You to somewhat identify which linemate may be dragging a line or pairing down. You'll never completely separate a player from his teammates, and there may be a dissonance to a player's "visually bothersome" gaffes, but it's all still a more useful measure than +/-.