Quote:
Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing
What exactly is meant by "50/50 hockey"?
It has been bandied about a lot, but I do not know what it means.
I don't think it means we have a 50% chance of winning any game or play within a game, but don't know exactly what Gulutzan means when he uses it, nor what others mean when they use it.
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My interpretation is it means playing at 5v5 in a way that errs heavily on the side of caution, prioritizing not making mistakes over taking risks to potentially create plays. Same thing as "playing not to lose". So if you keep the chances low on both ends of the ice, games tend to come down to which team gets the bounces, and in the long run they even out to 50/50.
It can work if you've got great special teams, a great goalie, or great shooters, but depending on your opinion of Mike Smith we've got either zero or one of those things, and the other two are clear weaknesses. So IMO our team is better off trying to win 5-4 than 1-0 at 5v5.