• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
News

The Truth About Playoff Scoring & Home Ice Advantage

By Mark Scheig May 11th, 2015

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

They are the questions that many fans are asking.

Is home ice advantage in the NHL playoffs as important as it used to be?  Is scoring down in the playoffs?  To get answers to these all important questions, we need to look at past results.

I have looked back at all of the results going back to the beginning of the 2011 NHL playoffs.  The numbers are telling.  They answer both questions with a fairly strong degree of confidence.  We will now use our findings to answer these important questions.

nhl playoffs

Is scoring in the NHL playoffs down compared to previous years? The numbers tell the story. (Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports)

Is Scoring In The NHL Playoffs Down?

Let’s start with this year’s playoffs.  To date, including the 2 games last night, there have been a total of 329 goals scored in 67 games in the playoffs.  That is a total of 4.91 goals scored per game combined.  That is on pace to be among the lowest combined goal total per game since the start of the 2011 NHL playoffs.

To give you some perspective, since the beginning of the 2011 playoffs, including this season, 2,196 goals were scored in 421 games.  That is a total of 5.22 goals scored per game combined.  The breakdown by season puts this season into proper perspective.

2011: 499 goals scored in 89 games = 5.61 goals/game.

2012: 416 goals scored in 86 games = 4.84 goals/game.

2013: 432 goals scored in 86 games = 5.02 goals/game.

2014: 520 goals scored in 93 games = 5.59 goals/game.

The fact that this season is trending under 5.00 goals/game confirms what we all see on the ice.  Scoring is in fact down again.  Want an even more disturbing trend?  Let’s now look at total goals per game by playoff round since 2011.

1st Round: 1,284 goals scored in 239 games = 5.37 goals/game.

2nd Round: 549 goals scored in 113 games = 4.86 goals/game.

Conference Final: 251 goals scored in 45 games = 5.58 goals/game.

Stanley Cup Final: 112 goals scored in 24 games = 4.67 goals/game.

The Cup Final is the main event of the NHL Playoffs.  Casual fans will tune in to watch the Final series.  Recent history suggests that the Final is the lowest scoring round of the NHL playoffs.  That’s not good.  Fans want to see scoring, especially on the biggest stage.

nhl playoffs

The Stanley Cup Final is the lowest scoring round of the NHL playoffs since 2011. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Is Home Ice Advantage Still Important?

The prevailing thought is that road teams are better now than before.  The mentality is, just make the playoffs, and see what happens after that.  According to the numbers, home ice advantage is still as important as ever.

Overall, in the 421 games since the start of the 2011 NHL playoffs, the home team has a record of 242-179, a .575 winning percentage.  Let’s look at this season by season.

2011: 48-41 (.539)

2012: 39-47 (.453) This was the year the Kings won a remarkable 10 road games.

2013: 59-27 (.728)

2014: 56-37 (.602)

2015: 40-27 (.597)

Outside of 2012, home teams have the advantage.  Ask any player.  You want to have your fans cheering you on as much as possible.  The numbers bear this out.  But let’s take this a step further.

Let’s now look at home records by round since the 2011 playoffs.  You’ll notice that in every round, the home team has a winning record.

Round 1: 131-108 (.548)

Round 2: 69-44 (.611)

Conference Final: 26-19 (.578)

Cup Final: 16-8 (.667)

And if that wasn’t enough, let’s look at elimination games.

If you’re in an elimination game, it’s better playing at home.  Whether you are trying to knock an opponent out, or trying to prevent someone from knocking you out, history favors the home team.  Here are the records of the home teams in elimination games since 2011.

2011: 18-11

2012: 13-13

2013: 16-7

2014: 16-12

2015: 13-7

nhl playoffs

Ask any team. They’d prefer to play on home ice in the NHL playoffs. They’re favored to win. (Photo by Andrew Forbes)

Overall, the home team is 76-50 in elimination games since 2011.  Again, advantage goes to the home team.  No matter how you look at it, home ice advantage still has its importance in today’s NHL.  The odds favor them over the long-term.

What did we learn from these numbers?  We learned that scoring is down in the NHL playoffs compared to the last 4 playoffs.  Defense and goaltending are at an all-time high.  We also learned that home ice advantage is just as important as ever.  Whether it is overall record, or record in elimination games, home teams have the advantage.

These are now the questions that you know the answer to.

 

  • Tags
  • NHL Playoffs
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 27th 5:45 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers Goaltending Struggles Show Georgiev Is Best Option

Jan 27th 5:30 PM
Column

Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Holl, Andersen, Marner, Matthews & Woll

Jan 27th 5:20 PM
New York Islanders

Islanders Season Ticket Sales at UBS Arena Exceeding Expectations

Jan 27th 5:10 PM
Edmonton Oilers

4 Ups and 4 Downs Eight Games Into Oilers 2020-21 NHL Season

Jan 27th 4:35 PM
Column

Blues Weekly: Standout Performances Highlight .500 Week

Jan 27th 4:15 PM
Arizona Coyotes

Soup To Nuts, Coyotes Make Moves To Improve On All Levels

Jan 27th 4:05 PM
Commentary

3 Stars That Could Be Traded in the Wake of the Laine/Dubois Deal

Jan 27th 3:55 PM
Editor's Choice

3 Best Edmonton Oilers to Never Win a Stanley Cup

Jan 27th 3:45 PM
Fantasy

Kings’ 5 Most Valuable Players for Fantasy Hockey

Jan 27th 3:35 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Why Burke Anticipates the Tortorella, Laine Relationship Will Be ‘Just Fine’ [Video]

Editor’s Picks
Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information