St. Louis Blues: Analytics Report Through 36 Games – 50 Point Milestone

Despite numerous injuries this season, the St. Louis Blues are off to a fantastic start in their attempt to defend the Stanley Cup. Through 36 games, they find themselves atop the standings in the Western Conference, holding onto a three-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche with two more games played.

St. Louis Blues Points Leaders:                               St. Louis Blues Point Shares Leaders:

David Perron – 34                                                         Jordan Binnington – 5.2

Ryan O’Reilly – 32                                                         Alex Pietrangelo – 4.2

Brayden Schenn – 27                                                   David Perron – 3.9

Jaden Schwartz – 25                                                     Brayden Schenn – 3.1

Alex Pietrangelo – 24                                                   Vince Dunn – 2.7

Team Stats

So far this season, the St. Louis Blues have amassed a record of 22-8-6 (50 points) going 12-4-3 at home and 10-4-3 on the road. They sit near the middle of the pack in goals for with 109 and rank eighth in the NHL with 96 goals against, giving them a respectable +13 goal differential.

The special teams unit is vastly improved compared to the last few seasons, scoring on 21.82 percent of the power-play chances (9th in NHL) while killing off the penalty 84.62 percent of the time (6th in NHL).

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Unsurprisingly, the Blues are in the upper echelon in save percentage as they rank fifth at .921. All of this success has come against a schedule strength ranked at 0.06, which is tied for the eighth hardest with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild.

Alex Pietrangelo

Alex Pietrangelo is worth every penny he is going to get in free agency this offseason – and you know what, let’s just not talk about the probability of him staying or leaving. Let’s just deflect the emotion and combat it with some raw hockey analytics.

Petro could be on his way to career-highs in several statistical categories. He has posted 24 points (7 G, 17 A) in 36 games, making him the 12th best scoring defenseman in the NHL. His plus/minus is a respectable +3, but it gets more impressive knowing that he is on the ice close to 24 minutes per game.

As it shows above, Pietrangelo is SECOND on the team in point shares just behind the goalie whose back is broad enough for the entire team at times and besting a guy with five game-winning goals already. He is also credited with 19 goals created, which ties his career-high.

One outlier stat I found was his on-ice save percentage at even strength (oiSV%). Blues goalies only save 87.6 percent of the shots while Pietrangelo is on the ice at even strength, which is strange considering his solid defense (2.2 defensive point shares).

Regardless, the King City, Ontario native could be well on the way to his first career Norris Trophy.

David Perron

Next up is the guy who loves the Blues so much, he refuses to willingly go to another team. Looking back, he has never signed a contract with any other team. He has also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, and Vegas Golden Knights, but was traded or selected in the expansion draft to go to these teams.

If David Perron can remain healthy, I believe he will have one of the best years of his career. His career-high in points was set with the Knights in 2017-18 with 66 points. So far #57 has posted 34 points (15 G, 19 A) in just 36 games. His shooting percentage is strong at 17 percent and looks like a match made in heaven for Conn Smythe trophy winner Ryan O’Reilly.

His possession metrics (Corsi & Fenwick) are mediocre, the oiSV% has dropped from 92 percent last year to 87.5, and the team starts with the puck in the offensive zone 51.9 percent of the time with him on the ice. This may sound like a lot of nonsense, but it just says that the Blues do not dominate puck possession with him on the ice.

Perron’s ability to finish off a play has been amazing though. The Quebec native has been credited with 31 goals created so far and has added roughly 3.1 points to the team standings through his offense.

Vince Dunn

Vince Dunn was listed in my first analytics report, but it still seems like he is flying under the radar. This man is a legitimate all-star caliber defenseman with the potential to be one of the best in the game.

Do not be fooled by his 16 minutes on ice per night (TOI). Dunn currently ranks fifth in point shares on the roster at 2.7 shares (0.8 OPS, 1.9 DPS). Additionally, his Corsi For percentage is sky-high at 54.4 (meaning the Blues possess the puck almost 55 percent of the time while he is on the ice) and the goalies stop the puck at a .926 clip with him on the ice at even strength (oiSV%).

To put all of this in perspective, Dunn has more point shares this season than Tyler Seguin, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan O’Reilly, Johnny Gaudreau, and Mitch Marner. This kid is going places in this league and it is somewhat astonishing he is not talked about more by the fanbase.

Overall

The St. Louis Blues are again Stanley Cup contenders this year – and this time they made the path easier by showing up from the start. Nearly our entire roster is battle-tested and knows what it takes to win. We have two strong goaltenders, excellent veteran leadership, good locker room chemistry, and a coach who is just as good as anyone else in the league concerning the feel for line combinations.

Keep that Stanley Cup where it belongs: St. Louis.