New Metric Highlights Blue Jackets' Top Players at Even Strength
The Blue Jackets are demonstrating outstanding contributions from their top three players during even strength play. Early this season, the team’s strong 5-on-5 performance has been widely discussed. RG.org ranks three Blue Jackets skaters among the league's MVP leaders, based on an intriguing new metric.
Sergey Pryakhin's Analytical Approach
Sergey Pryakhin focuses solely on even strength play to evaluate player impact. His method gives the Blue Jackets a noticeable advantage compared to other teams in this area, identifying players who make significant differences during even strength moments.
How the Metric Works
The RG metric compares each player’s goal differential while on the ice to the rest of the team’s performance when that player is not on the ice. This calculation reveals the individual impact at even strength using straightforward math.
Top Players by Impact Rating
- Kirill Marchenko: Leads with a 161 impact rating, 14 points ahead of second place. Over 216 games before the current season, he was on the ice for 37 more goals scored than allowed. Without Marchenko, the Blue Jackets have a deficit of 124 more goals allowed than scored during that period.
- Zach Werenski: Ranked second with a 147 impact rating.
- Dmitri Voronkov: Third place with a 145 impact rating.
“At the top of Sergey's entire MVP list is Kirill Marchenko. He gets a 161 impact rating using the metric provided, which is +14 clear of second place.”
This metric effectively reveals the crucial role these players have in driving the Blue Jackets' dominance at even strength.
Author's summary: The Blue Jackets’ top players, especially Kirill Marchenko, show remarkable influence on the ice, significantly boosting the team's performance during even strength play.