A look at some of the analytics from the Canucks 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
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 most recent 5-2 win over the New York Islanders.
Vancouver played one of their best games of the season on Tuesday against the Islanders. Not only did they control play for the majority of the game, but they scored five even-strength goals while limiting New York to 20 total shots. The Canucks also had the analytics edge in even-strength scoring chances (25-14) and high-danger scoring chances (9-6) as they captured their third win in a row and 27th of the season.
Not only did Vancouver do an excellent job of limiting the total number of shots Casey DeSmith had to face, but they also prevented the Islanders from getting to the high-danger areas all night. As is shown on the heatmap below, the majority of New York's shots came from beyond the faceoff dots, as they finished the game with a shot distance of 35.32 feet at even strength. As for the Canucks, they were able to drive the net, as indicated by the dark blue areas on the map, while also creating opportunities from around the faceoff dot. Ultimately, this strategy worked as they were able to score four goals on Ilya Sorokin en route to a victory.
Heatmap by Natural Stat Trick, VAN vs NYI, Jan 9, 2024Vancouver's best pairing all night was easily Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek. Both scored and finished the night with an xGF% of 92.56 at even strength. The duo also limited the Islanders to just one high-danger chance at even strength while finishing the game with a 10-2 even-strength scoring chance advantage. This was one of their most dominant games as a pair this season and was a perfect demonstration of the chemistry they have formed over the past few months.
Lastly, Tyler Myers was once again solid for the Canucks. While on the ice, Vancouver held a 13-7 advantage in shots and outscored New York 2-0. He also was the only Canucks player to finish above a 1.0 xGF while scoring his first goal in over 30 games. While there are still moments of chaos in his game, he has provided Vancouver with solid play throughout the campaign and continues to be a valuable asset in the lineup.
Ensure to check back after the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for another edition of "The Stats Behind The Game."
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