A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 win in Game 3 to the Edmonton Oilers.
A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 win in Game 3 to the Edmonton Oilers.
Welcome to this edition of "The Stats Behind The Game." This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Vancouver Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on the Canucks 4-3 Game 3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.
While Vancouver walked away with the win, the Oilers had the advantage when it came to the analytics. Edmonton won the even-strength scoring chances battle 32-14 while holding an 11-6 high-danger scoring chances advantage. While the analytics are skewed, it is important to note that the Canucks had a multi-goal lead after the first period and played a park-the-bus style of hockey for the majority of the remaining 40 minutes.
When looking at the heatmap, one positive for Vancouver is where shots came from. Overall, the Canucks did an excellent job of preventing chances from the middle of the ice, forcing Edmonton to take shots from the boards and blue line. This was reflected in the high-danger shots, as only 13 of the 45 of their total shots were classified as high-danger. In the end, while the shot total may have been high, Vancouver played a strong defensive game while Artūrs Šilovs once again put on a show in the net.
Since the analytics were skewed, the majority of Canucks players found themselves below 50% in most categories. That doesn't mean players didn't have impressive games. Take Tyler Myers, for example. The hulking defender was outshot 12-2 at even strength but still finished the game with an xGF% of 51.93. The same can be said about Brock Boeser, who was outshot 8-5 but had an xGF% of 51.60. While Myers' and Boeser's weren't the prettiest, they both were effective throughout the game and stepped up in the win.
Lastly, Linus Karlsson deserves some praise for his performance. Playing in his first career NHL postseason game, Karlsson had two takeaways, recorded an individual high-danger chance and drew a penalty. He also did not look out of place playing beside Elias Pettersson, with Vancouver only allowing two high-danger chances with him on the ice. Ultimately, he had a positive effect on the game, and it will not be surprising if he stays in the lineup for Game 4.
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