SHOT LOCATION MATTERS MORE THAN SHOT ABILITY
DISTANCE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF SHOOTING
What’s the most important aspect of shooting? Other things being equal, it’s distance
all of the things that might impact shooting percentage, like shooting angle or screens or 2-on-1s or individual shooting skill or goaltending, are a wash.
But it’s not clear if shooting distance is something forwards can actually reduce, or if it’s in their best interests. Shooting percentage is heavily-influenced by luck, while shot volume is often a better indicator of expected performance.
SHOT LOCATION BY SHOT TYPE
Shot Type/% of Shots/% of goals/Distance
· Slap/25.9/16.7/49.6
· Snap/14.3/15.5/35.2
· Wrist/43.6/43.7/33.6
· Wraparound/1.1/0.7/8.3
· Tip/6.0/11.1/15.8
· Backhand/7.2/9.4/19.1
· Deflection/1.8/3.0/15.4
Shot Type/% Rebounds
· Slap/3.84
· Snap/5.32
· Wrist/8.50
· Wraparound/7.80
· Tip/6.40
· Backhand/13.52
· Deflection/3.66
THE ROYAL ROAD
A puck crossing this imaginary line immediately preceding a shot increases a shooters scoring opportunity by over 10 times.
Green goals account for 76% of all goals reviewed. These shots are high percentage opportunities and fit into seven different criteria.
· Passes across the Royal Road – 22%
· Screens – 10%
· One-timers on the same side of the Royal Road – 9%
· Broken plays – 9%
· Possession across the Royal Road – 8%
· Deflections – 8%
· Green rebounds – 8%
Green opportunities account for over three quarters of all goals scored in this study, yet they only account for one quarter of all shots
A yellow shot is defined by an area created by starting from the center of the net and creating a line towards where the boards and center line connect. At the intersection of where this and the vertical Royal Road intersect, we connect them to form a triangle.
The yellow shot is preferred to a red shot because of the proximity to the scoring zone in the slot area. As a result, it has a 300% greater success rate than the red shot,
HOW QUALITY SHOTS IMPACT A GAME
Most shots that provide success outside the direct slot are the result of screen plays, which is when the offense layers bodies in front of the goaltender to block his vision.
All of the high-end opportunities exist within the low success rate areas for a goaltender. Broken plays, crossing the royal road with a pass or possession, as well as deflections and screenplays, can make a goaltenders life miserable.
YELLOW SHOTS
This area creates issues for the goaltender because a shot with pace gives a goaltender very little reaction time. Its success rate is only 16%.
OPTIMAL SHOOTING HABITS
(Sep 26, 2019)
The question – Can players score more goals by shooting more efficiently? Short answer – Yes.
Just over half of all goals are scored from the inner slot and another quarter come from the outer slot.
Better shooters tend to take more shots from lower-percentage areas (thereby getting more of them blocked) and aiming for smaller targets (and sometimes missing the net). Considering that shot attempt volume is the best predictor of future scoring, and that NHL goalies save over 91% of shots on net, this is a perfectly fine strategy for a shooter to adopt.
GOODBYE TO MIDRANGE SHOT
(Nov 19, 2020)
We now know definitively that there is a strong correlation between proximity to the net and shooting percentage.
Teams today realize that shots from close distance are vital to success (refer back to the graphic at the top of this piece).
In hockey though, teams and players are incentivized to shoot from the home plate/ house area of the ice.
Tampa won the Stanley Cup by taking fewer point shots and prioritizing shot quality. While the rest of the NHL has seen an uptick in shot volume in front of the net and from the corner of the blueline, the Lightning have found success with mid-range shots, almost completely eschewing the high-danger area directly in front of the net.
LEFT HANDED PLAYERS CAN CHEAT THE SHOT
(May 2, 2021)
The easiest shot for the shooter is the short-side shot. Why?
If you study the data on shooting, you’ll see the same trends. Right-handed players end up shooting more on the glove side. Left-handed players tend to shoot more on the blocker side.
This also is the easier/lazier shot.
If you’re a left-handed shooter, you know where to go = short side, low blocker.
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