Numbers Game: Aggregate Rank – Goals For/Against

In last week’s Numbers Game, I compared each team’s combined power play and penalty kill ranks to their point totals.  For the analysis, I assigned each team an aggregate score which was the sum of their power play rank and penalty kill rank, with the idea being that teams that ranked higher in both categories would be more likely to win games.  The numbers indicated that teams that ranked higher in aggregate score tended to have more wins. However, the difference between the top ranked teams in aggregate score and those in the middle of the pack was not as significant as one would expect.

Continuing on that analysis, in today’s Numbers Game, I assigned each team an aggregate score based on their Goals For and Goals Against Rank.  For example, the Sharks are 2^nd in the league in Goals For and 3^rd in the league in Goals Against.  With an aggregate score of 5, the Sharks have the best aggregate score in the league and have the best overall record. 

Not surprisingly, aggregate scores for Goals For/Against are a much stronger indicator of overall team success.  Out of the Top 10 teams in the league, only the Rangers and Canadiens have aggregate scores that are not ranked among the Top 10. The average points rank for teams among the top 10 in aggregate score is 6.2. In comparison, the average points rank for teams ranked 11^th – 20^th and 21^st -30^th in aggregate scores, is 14.4 and 25.1, respectively.