One of the more debated subjects in the NHL today is shots on goal. Does the team with the most shots on goal in a game have the best chance at winning? Some say yes, others say no, bringing up the debate what’s better, quality or quantity? Furthermore, are total shots on goal even that important?The chart below will answer that question, and more…
| Team | Shots on Goal | Record | Conference Rank |
| 1) Carolina | 832 | 7-10-8-1 | 11th East |
| 2) Detroit | 817 | 15-9-5-0 | Tied 1st West |
| 3) Anaheim | 791 | 8-10-4-5 | 11th West |
| 4) Philadelphia | 786 | 16-3-5-1 | 1st East (1st league) |
| 5) Colorado | 775 | 14-7-3-1 | 4th West |
| 6) New York R. | 762 | 10-9-5-2 | 9th East |
| 7) Boston | 743 | 12-5-4-4 | 5th East |
| 8) Vancouver | 743 | 14-7-3-2 | Tied 1st West |
| 9) Ottawa | 740 | 12-8-2-3 | 6th East |
| 10) Atlanta | 737 | 13-11-3-1 | 3rd East |
| 11) Chicago | 729 | 6-13-4-3 | 15th West |
| 12) Edmonton | 723 | 10-12-3-0 | 12th West |
| 13) New Jersey | 717 | 13-5-6-0 | 4th East |
| 14) Buffalo | 716 | 12-12-2-1 | 7th East |
| 15) Florida | 716 | 9-14-4-0 | 12th East |
| 16) San Jose | 715 | 8-7-9-2 | 8th West |
| 17) Phoenix | 713 | 9-10-6-1 | 10th West |
| 18) Los Angeles | 708 | 13-10-1-1 | 3rd West |
| 19) Toronto | 704 | 14-6-5-2 | 2nd East |
| 20) Columbus | 682 | 8-13-3-1 | 14th West |
| 21) Montreal | 677 | 11-11-3-1 | 10th East |
| 22) Nashville | 671 | 14-10-1-0 | 6th West |
| 23) New York I. | 667 | 9-13-2-0 | 13th East |
| 24) Calgary | 666 | 12-8-1-3 | 7th West |
| 25) Washington | 650 | 8-16-1-1 | 14th East |
| 26) Dallas | 641 | 11-12-3-0 | 9th West |
| 27) Tampa Bay | 632 | 11-6-4-1 | 8th East |
| 28) Minnesota | 624 | 9-13-4-0 | 13th West |
| 29) St. Louis | 599 | 14-6-2-1 | 5th West |
| 30) Pittsburgh | 562 | 6-13-4-1 | 15th East (Last in league) |
Team records and shot totals as of games played through Friday, December 5, 2003. Top 3 positions in conference are based on division leaders.
‘Well, as we can see, the #1 team in total shots (Carolina) is not even in the top-8 in their own conference, let alone a contending team in the entire NHL (they’re tied for 24th overall.) As we look at the opposite side, we see Pittsburgh, who’s last in the league, as well as virtually every offensive category we can think of, but do you expect when your top forwards are Rico Fata and Ryan Malone? (I mean no disrespect to these players either…) Second last is St. Louis, and they are currently in the playoffs, and are 8th overall in the NHL, while Detroit is leading their conference and has the second most shots in the NHL. What can we conclude here? Virtually nothing, this is one of the few offensive categories where the leading team can be nowhere near the playoffs, while a team 29th overall can be in a top-10 position in the league.
Something that is stressed in the modern era of the National Hockey League is defence. Without it, you are going to have a hard time winning games. Case in point, the New York Rangers. For the last few seasons, they have been in the top-10 in goals scored, but can’t seem to stop the puck when push comes to shove. They were missing one thing: quality, consistent goaltending. It didn’t seem to matter how many shots that the Rangers were getting, they were still losing. It appears that this is also the case for Carolina, they lead the league in shots, but a lacklustre goaltending tandem of Kevin Weekes and Jamie Storr can’t stop the puck when the going gets tough in the latter minutes of the game. So, there is a conclusion after all…it doesn’t matter how much you shoot, quality over quantity in the long run will make your team more successful over the long run, but you still have to be able to stop the puck. (5 of the 6 teams with the fewest shots allowed are currently in the playoffs at the moment, which is a tribute not only to a team’s defensive abilities, but also to the goaltending.)
Questions/comments? E-mail me at b.larose@habsworld.net.
Statistics courtesy of the National Hockey League.