If you’ve been reading and/or listening to my hockey analysis at any point over the last eight years you are probably aware that I’m not a big believer in the importance of faceoff percentage. That’s because every study that’s ever been done on it proves that overall faceoff percentages, whether on a game-by-game or season-by-season basis, are statistically insignificant to winning. Like this one, or this one, or even this one.
However, when you drill in deeper, there are times when faceoffs can correlate to success. One of those places is on special teams.
Earlier this season, the Golden Knights’ power play was operating at the best level it has in franchise history. Through the first month of the season, Vegas scored on exactly a third of their power play opportunities and it was a huge reason why they were scoring 4.5 goals per game. Recently though, the power play has started to dry up a bit. Before last night’s game in San Jose, the Golden Knights had hit on just one of their last 15 power plays.
What we’re not doing is starting with the puck as much as we were doing earlier in the year. We’re not getting it back as a group of five when we lose the draw and we’re not winning as many draws. -Bruce Cassidy
Since he arrived in Vegas, Tomas Hertl has become the Golden Knights’ power play faceoff specialist. Of the 175 power play faceoffs VGK have taken this season, Hertl has been in the circle for 99 of them. His success rate on those draws has directly correlated (albeit in a fairly small sample) to how well the Golden Knights power play operates.
| Hertl FO | Hertl FO% | VGK PP | VGK PP% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 15 Games | 29 out of 43 | 67.4% | 13 out of 40 | 32.5% |
| Second 15 Games | 21 out of 39 | 53.8% | 8 out of 37 | 21.6% |
| Last 10 Games | 9 out of 17 | 52.9% | 3 out of 17 | 17.6% |
Last night in San Jose was the perfect example. Vegas got their only power play opportunity in the final seconds of the 2nd period. Hertl won the draw and Victor Olofsson instantly got a good look on net. To open the 3rd period, Hertl won the only offensive zone draw of the power play and not only did VGK score, but it was the best the power play has looked in weeks. Meanwhile, in the previous three games, Hertl went 0 for 1 in the circle on the power play in each game. All three nights, Vegas was held scoreless with the man advantage.
Cassidy believes the officiating has had a bit to do with Hertl’s faceoff decline.
Tomas is getting thrown out of a lot of draws. So, I’d like to get to the bottom of that with the linesman because it seems like he’s getting thrown out a disproportionate amount of time on power play situations. So we need to sit down with Tomas and have him maybe for a while here be a little more patient. -Cassidy
Hertl’s numbers back up the theory. In the first 15 games, Hertl was averaging 2.9 power play faceoffs per night. The next 15 that decreased to 2.6, and in the last 10 it’s down to 1.7. Staying in the circle is important, but for Hertl, altering his technique could only compound the problem.
If you aren’t trying to anticipate a draw your chances of winning it decrease. -Cassidy
Faceoffs are not the only factor limiting the Golden Knights’ power play recently, but there’s no question it has mattered, and if Hertl can get it going again, things will likely turn right back around.
The hockey God
The linesmen dropping the puck are homer canucks, they do it on purpose sometimes. Just DROP THE DAMN PUCK and STFU. They think they are prima donnas. They should just do away with the puck droppers. and do the one two three slap stick together routine. And none of this holding the stick backwards (the Russian style), Do it like Espo used to do it. Smack , bang, back to the d men, shot on net.
Vic
Importance of winning face-offs on special teams is a no brainer. Also, 4 officials on the ice, and broken sticks sit there on the ice until a whistle. What happened to concern of player safety? Everyone worried about getting plays called correctly, but seeing players moving and/or skating around or over broken sticks is ridiculous.
TS
Vic, this loose stick on tbe ice has baffled me, too. The stick just sits, as refs ignore it until a whistle is blown. Makes no sense to me..
Emmanuel
Im glad someones talking hockey……
Larry
You spoke too soon lol.
All offensive zone faceoffs are important but none as much as the Power Play ones….lose that one and by the time puck is retrieved and back passed to Eichel and his attempt to enter the zone 20 seconds may have elapsed and if that is defensed and cleared add another 15 seconds and all of a sudden the second unit will be hitting the ice shortly….instead win that initial faceoff…get it to Eichel….move the puck crisply…have the pieces on the PP move around a bit and not be glued to their assigned spots and voila Power Play success!
Donald J Trump
Trump to change name of Gulf of Mexico, to Gulf of America. More libtard heads are due to explode soon.
Wait for it.
ThG
check mate, game over !
https://x.com/DannyWebster21/status/1876890380756472028
ThG
Biden makes his own power play move, what a piece of shit he and DEMS are. on Jan 20th he’s permanently kicked out of face off circle, and that is good thing for all Americans.
Anyone who says otherwise has head buried deeply up smelly keyster with no hope of redemption.
In a move that epitomizes the closing chapter of his presidency, Joe Biden’s Department of Energy quietly unveiled sweeping new regulations that could fundamentally transform how millions of Americans heat their water. The timing and manner of this announcement speak volumes – released without fanfare the day after Christmas, while many Americans were busy still celebrating the holiday season with their families.
The regulation, set to take effect in March of 2025, represents yet another example of executive branch overreach that has become characteristic of Biden’s final days in office. Rather than working with Congress to craft sensible energy policy, the administration has chosen to bypass legislative channels entirely.
What the administration isn’t trumpeting – and what most Americans don’t yet realize – is that this regulation effectively bans roughly 40% of current tankless water heaters from the market. Industry experts say this will have devastating consequences for consumers.
Devastating Impact of This Regulation
The true impact of this regulation becomes clear when examining the numbers. Sound like a lot? It gets worse. A standard Rinnai America tankless, non-condensing natural gas water heater currently costs about $1,000 at Home Depot. Under Biden’s new rules, consumers would be forced to purchase condensing models that run approximately $1,800. This is an 80% price increase that will disproportionately affect America’s most vulnerable populations.
“Forcing low-income and senior customers to pay far more upfront is particularly concerning,” warns Matthew Agen, the American Gas Association’s chief counsel for energy. “DOE’s decision to go ahead with a flawed final rule is deeply disappointing.”
The regulation’s technical requirements effectively mandate a switch to condensing technology, despite significant concerns about both cost and practicality. Frank Windsor, president of Rinnai America, revealed that his company had just completed a $70 million factory in Georgia to produce non-condensing water heaters. This investment will now be largely wasted due to federal overreach.
“When the rule goes into effect, all that manufacturing will basically be irrelevant,” Windsor explained. “A lot of the major equipment that we’ve invested in will basically have to be scrapped.”
ThG
If this sounds like government overreach at its finest, you’re right. The Heritage Foundation’s Diana Furchtgott-Roth points out the fundamental flaw in the administration’s approach.
“The object of these rules is to reduce consumption of natural gas, a goal of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, signed into law when America had to import oil and natural gas. Now, however, America is one of the world’s largest energy producers,” Furchtgott-Roth said.
Biden Admin Hits New Low
Perhaps most telling is the administration’s claim that these changes will save consumers money in the long run – approximately $112 over a 20-year period. Because apparently, Washington bureaucrats think $5.60 per year is worth upending an entire industry.
You truly can’t make this stuff up.
ThG
he American Gas Association has challenged the legality of the regulation. They argue that it violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which prohibits the DOE from implementing standards that eliminate products with distinct performance characteristics from the market.
While environmental groups like the Appliance Standards Awareness Project celebrate the regulation’s potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the real-world impact on American families – particularly seniors on fixed incomes and low-income households – appears to have been largely ignored in the administration’s calculations.
For millions of Americans living in smaller homes and apartments, where tankless water heaters are most common, this regulation represents yet another burden imposed by Washington bureaucrats who seem increasingly disconnected from the economic realities facing ordinary citizens.
ThG
As Biden’s presidency winds down, this regulation serves as a stark reminder of the real costs of executive overreach. These costs will be borne not by the policymakers in Washington but by hard-working Americans already struggling with inflation and rising energy prices.
In the end, Biden issuing bans like this one on his way out the door only cements him as one of the worst presidents of all time. Way to leave office on a low, Joe!
TS
Who said that ” if you just ignore this clown’s Political Porn, he would STFU”?? THAT’S not hapoening…
Top Dog
Only porn here is you, tweaker, get back to your circle on Fremont Street. Close your pie hole the adults are trying to have a conversation.
George V
It appears that you are the site’s clown.
The only person promoting hate and abuse is you Tweaker S. Hypocrite. It’s pretty obvious.
Only person promoting hate and rancor is you TS
or as someone just called you “Tweaker S” , why don’t you take your hate down the road. You have nothing to offer here. NOTHING. You appear to cyber stalk the same person over and over. That is sign of severe mental illnes.
Yet again.
It appears to many of us that ALL YOU DO is come on this site to trash the same poster over and over, after they make hockey comments on another poster’s comment. It’s getting old. You never make any positive input in these exchanges. People here are sick of you bashing the same person over and over just because they don’t agree with another poster’s comments. Your posts are always the same with nothing absolutely added. It’s getting tiresome, why don’t you give it rest. And NO this isn’t about “if the other person does this or that” then “you will do this or that”. This is ABOUT YOU. And your posts are making you look terrible.
You know your constant comments AFTER one poster here is tiresome. Why don’t you give it a rest. No one comes to this site to see you post the same repetitive garbage that you do after they post. Your posts are basically meaningless. Why don’t you focus on hockey, seems like you have a clear behavior disorder that transcends normalcy. Take a good look in mirror because you are not doing yourself any favors.
Sirgoomba
Check your notes, 71 won the face off at the end of 2nd period. But I am happy to see Hertl in the circle over Jack on special teams.
Tim
If your tired of seeing THG spin bullshit and by the way I’m hoping Trump does straightening things out because believe me the Democrats have fucked this country up but this is a hockey site. Latest hockey news J.T. Miller in play for the VGK 29 years old a point a game guy could help if he’s not an asshole.
Emmanuel
Petersson’s hurt, might not happen now.
ThG
First speech TIm, and hockey is POLITICS. What part of Biden visit, four nations, and world juniors goes over your pea sized brain today ?
The hockey God
Thanks for your political input Tim, you sound a bit like a hypocrite though. Just saying. Now get off the floor. Straighten up your lazy boy and get to it. Old man !
ThG
wow in LVRJ today some LA fire hydrants run dry trying to fight fires, this is on lib tards heads. Did away with burn control and under brush management. Newscum let billions of pounds of water flow in to Pacific Ocean. Liberals should be banned from running for office. Liberalism is truly a mental disorder.
knights fan in minny
the mayor who stood there and said nothing is a pile of shit cut 17 million of the fire budget should be gone the dumb ass folks of that state will never learn
Jose
Gavin Newscum
JB
Two New York teams coming up. Islanders first tonight. They are always tuff and a good test for our boys. Go get em’ guys. For me tonight it’s all about the Fighting Irish in college semi-finals vs penn st. Here Come the Irish!
Donald J Trump
Irish are catholic school, they don’t tolerate people like you who advocate blowing the heads off people; you are officially off the bus.
Tom Selleck
Donald, Arnold Rothstein, George V, ThG, the hockey god, go fuck your mother, you fat orange orangutan balding pasty faced shitting pants motherfucker. Whatcha you gonna do you fat slob? Call the Nevada authorities on me. It’s time to star wearing diapers. Every time you sit on a Fox Tv white cloth couch you leave smears of diarrhea. Can’t speak for JB or anyone else you annoy, but your only super power is to be annoying and post long crap that nobody actually reads. The annoying part is pushing the arrow down button scrolling through all of it until I can actually read hockey posts. You love free speech until someone says something that you don’t like. I can’t post everyday like you because I am not lonely. You are about as real as I am a former Navy SEAL turned private investigator from Hawaii.
To anyone else who may be reading this, if you are a fan of mine, you can watch me on CBS playing a police commissioner on Blue Bloods. I don’t know how much longer I will be on tv as my real passion is farming and growing avocadoes on my ranch and obviously watching Golden Knights hockey. They should thrash the Islanders tonight.
knights fan in minny
fuck off you nut job liberal go back to your rubber room you dumb fuck loser
Tom Selleck
I am a Trump supporter and have lost out on many money making endorsements from liberal left wing Hollywood. How dare you call me a liberal.
Do you actually thing that the person who is posting with the screen name Donald J. Trump is the actual president of the United States???
Wowser!!! You are even dumber then you sound and we all know what you sound like. Definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Please respond. I need to laugh.
knights fan in minny
fuck off are you such a punk you have to use a hollywood scumbag name