Respectfully, I think you might be allowing the frustration of the season and the poor results to color your impression of what is happening in the games. There is probably a little bit of a difference between the chances the Avalanche are getting when compared with the ones the Flames are getting, but I think that if it were a big difference then we would see more randomness in which teams are succeeding in these categories versus the standings.
Here are the top 5 teams in these categories this season:
Corsi
1. Avalanche (League rank in standings based on win %: 4th)
2. Canadiens (16th)
3. Hurricanes (1st)
4. Bruins (10th)
5. Panthers (5th)
Average: 7.2
(Flames are 5th since Sutter)
Shots for %:
1. Avalanche (4th)
2. Bruins (10th)
3. Canadiens (16th)
4. Panthers (5th)
5. Hurricanes (1st)
Average 7.2
(Flames are 9th)
Goals for %:
1. Avalanche (4th)
2. Leafs (6th)
3. Hurricanes (1st)
4. Golden Knights (2nd)
5. Lightning (3rd)
Average: 3.2
(Flames are 18th)
Expected Goals for %:
1. Avalanche (4th)
2. Leafs (6th)
3. Hurricanes (1st)
4. Panthers (5th)
5. Lightning (3rd)
Average: 3.8
(Flames are 8th)
Scoring Chances for %:
1. Avalanche (4th)
2. Canadiens (16th)
3. Leafs (6th)
4. Panthers (5th)
5. Golden Knights (2nd)
Average: 6.6
(Flames are 7th)
High Danger Chances for %:
1. Avalanche (4th)
2. Islanders (12th)
3. Leafs (6th)
4. Hurricanes (1st)
5. Wild (8th)
Average 6.2
(Flames are 8th)
High Danger Shooting %:
1. Kings (21st)
2. Penguins (6th)
3. Jets (13th)
4. Blues (15th)
5. Wild (9th)
Average: 12.8
(Flames are 31st)
Save %:
1. Hurricanes (1st)
2. Predators (14th)
3. Islanders (12th)
4. Leafs (6th)
5. Lightning (3rd)
Average: 7.2
(Flames are 26th)
The stats are obviously not perfect, but I find it pretty persuasive that the teams that are highly ranked in these categories tend to be near the top of the league in the standings. There are not a lot of outliers here. The Canadiens are one, but they are a playoff team and they have the 2nd worst 5v5 save percentage and the worst shooting percentage in the NHL this season, so I think that similar to the Flames, weaker goaltending and poor finishing can explain the difference between where they rank in these categories vs where they rank in the standings.
Also, looking at this, I think I might have wasted time posting the High Danger Shooting percentage. I thought that might explain something about the Flames, but that one looks more random than the others.
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