Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
I have been privileged to be among the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association’s slate of voters for post-season awards and all-star teams for a number of years now. And as is the case with all my colleagues who vote, I do not take those responsibilities lightly. We’re talking about players’ legacies here. And that’s important.
With that in mind, I intend to go off the board a little with my Hart Trophy vote. While most are picking a final four consisting – in alphabetical order – Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid – I intend on putting Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers first on my MVP ballot.
Why? Because I put a lot of stock not just in the number of points a player has, but whether or not he produces in the clutch. And nobody did that more than Panarin did this season for the Rangers. It’s all part of a statistic I call Situational Scoring and it measures players by the offense they produce in the most pivotal situations of the game.
In this system, goals are counted for one point and assists for a half-point. Points are given in the following scenarios: the first goal of the game; a goal that puts a team ahead in a game; a goal that puts a team into a tie; a goal that is part of a multi-goal comeback; a goal that puts the team ahead for good in a game; an overtime goal, and a shootout goal.
So if a player scores the first goal in a game, that goal is automatically worth two points, one for the first goal of the game an another for putting his team ahead. If it puts the team ahead for good in the game, that is considered a game-winner and is worth three points. Overtime goals and shootout game-winners are also worth three.
And it does change the look of things. As you can see by the chart below, Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov drops from first in NHL scoring to 11th. Conversely, Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens jumps from 76th in NHL scoring into the top 25.
Look at the chart below to see the NHL’s top 25 in Situational Scoring, and take a look at the video:
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News Summary:
- Why Rangers' Artemi Panarin Will Get My Vote for the NHL's Hart Trophy
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