Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathgod
Back to backs are only part of the problem. The bigger problem, IMO, is when a team has to play 3 games in 4 nights, then play a bunch of games every other night for quite a while before finally getting 2 non-game days in a row. It can really wear a team down and have an adverse effect on that team for a lengthy string of games.
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The mean average of back to back games played by NHL teams in 2018-19 is 12.9 pairs. The fewest is 10 pairs and the most is 17 pairs. Calgary for fewest with 10 pairs. You can't play 3 games in 4 nights without playing a back to back at the start or the end.
So far Calgary has had 3 (or 4 depending on how you count them) sets of 3 games in 4 nights. October 27, 29, and 30. They also played November 1st so the games on the 29th and 30th act as the last two games in one set and/or the first two games in another set. The Flames went 3-0-1 in those four games. The had another 3 in 4 set by playing December 6, 8, and 9. They went 2-0-1, losing the last game 1-0 without Giordano and Backlund. The next set was December 15, 16, and 18, where Calgary went 2-1-0. Before this set they played 1 game in 5 days. So far they are 7-1-2 when they play any part of 3 games in 4 nights. The amount of games in a short span doesn't seem to be negatively affecting them.
In October they had a span of playing only 2 games in 7 nights, both at home. They went 1-1-0. In November they had one game in six nights and lost. They had another spot where they had one game in five nights and lost. Maybe this is a team that plays better when they are continually playing, instead of taking breaks. During the stretch in December when they played 5 games in 8 nights they went 4-1-0. From November 15-25 they played every other night and went 4-2-0. That's a 109 point pace in a small sample size.
Every team has 3 games in 4 nights. Just doing a quick search from the October-December schedule I can see the Rangers and Capitals have 4,. The Ducks have two pure 3 games in 4 nights and 2 more 4 games in 6 nights where they have back to back games in the middle and a game on both sides. Colorado has five sets of 3 games in 4 nights. I'm sure I could go on, but it seems every team has to deal with this, not just Calgary. I'm all for shortening the schedule, but Calgary is not getting the short end of the stick on the current one.