This is what we mean by using the best “representation” of a given statistic. Additionally, this approach may unfairly flatter players who are given more minutes. In doing so, we assign the same importance to games played 3 seasons ago as games played in the current or last season, which may not be optimal. If you were asked to summarize this player’s performance to date using Game Score, what might your approach be? One option is to simply divide the player’s sum Game Score by 200 to obtain an average Game Score per Game (GS/GP). Consider a player having appeared in 200 or more games over the span of 3 seasons. The first challenge can be demonstrated using Game Score as an example. What relative importance should be given to each metric?.How can we combine metrics that may not resemble one another?.What “representation” of each statistic should be used?.Namely, we encounter the following hurdles: “ Stacking is most effective when the base models are significantly different.”įor more reasons than one, combining player metrics into a singular rating is not straightforward. This principle is central to our Player Ratings. Moreover, we see a tremendous opportunity for combination or “ stacking” of these metrics. We believe this diversity should be celebrated. Inevitably, metrics developed by different people using different methods will each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. These new-age stats each individually represent vast improvements over mainstream norms, but even they are prone to blind spots. A plethora of sophisticated evaluative metrics now exist for skaters and goaltenders alike, including Game Score and WAR. Or it could be the first domino falling in a more complicated situation for the Lightning.Hockey stats have come a long way since the days of Plus-Minus and PIMs. So McElhinney going on the protocol list could mean only that he’ll be out for a few days while he undergoes confirmation testing. To exit the protocol, a player must exhibit no symptoms and produce two negative tests over 48 hours.
If a player is a close contact of someone who received a confirmed positive test, he must enter the protocol. But even if a player’s second test is negative, he still must test negative for two more consecutive days to exit the protocol.Īny player who exhibits coronavirus symptoms must see a team physician and the club’s infectious disease consultant to determine the next steps, but further testing isn’t necessarily mandatory. If a second test on the initial one comes back positive, the player’s test is confirmed positive and the player must continue isolating. Because if you do have one or two players get it, I think it’s going to have a trickle-down effect to more than just those two players.”Īccording to league protocols, any player who receives an initial positive result must immediately self-isolate and the team must begin contact tracing. “We’re playing games, we’re in the trenches together, so I think the onus is on all of us to make sure we look after ourselves so we don’t put ourselves or put our team in situations. “I don’t know if separating your teammates is going to do a whole heck of a lot since we’re with each other all the time,” Cooper said. Cooper said he believed if one player became infected, others would, too. Though that was a seemingly smart move - especially because Tampa Bay has five days scheduled between games after two against the Stars were rescheduled due to a Dallas coronavirus outbreak - it also indicated there was a legitimate level of concern that the Lightning feared a bigger coronavirus issue.Ĭoach Jon Cooper gave an ominous answer last week when asked whether he’d consider separating his goaltenders to ensure one would always be healthy, a practice the Bruins have followed. The decision to not practice Sunday was made in reaction to McElhinney going on the protocol list. We do know this: The Lightning had already decided they weren’t going to practice Saturday following Friday’s 5-2 win over the Blackhawks. McElhinney remained on the list Sunday, and there were no Lightning additions. We can infer a worst-case scenario if the Lightning cancel practice, which would make three straight days off the ice.
So, with the Lightning off Saturday and Sunday, implications of McElhinney being on the list likely won’t be known until today, such as if other players go on the list or if multiple players are missing when the Lightning is scheduled to return to practice.