Sportlogiq Standouts
Sportlogiq Standouts: Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy
Selected by:
Matt Perri – Senior Director of Hockey and Pro Services
Karell Emard – Hockey Product Manager
Derek Arnold – Business Development Manager – North American Hockey
Peter Arkalis – Senior Marketing Coordinator
Throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, members of the Sportlogiq team have been selecting the players that stood out to them the most based on our industry-leading advanced analytics. To conclude the series, we asked members of our staff with extensive hockey backgrounds and experience to make a consensus pick on the player whose playoff performance rose above the rest. This group decided that not one, but three members of the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning earned the honors.
Brayden Point – 2 Sportlogiq Standout Selections
With the Bolts’ captain, Steven Stamkos, missing all but one game this post-season, Point stepped up in a big way. The centerman was dominant offensively contributing a higher percentage of offense while on ice than any other Tampa player and led the team’s forwards with 1.29 Expected Goals for While On Ice. He led all skaters in the playoffs with 207 Offense Generating Plays, 426 Possession Driving Plays, and 119 Carry Ins demonstrating that he can create offense at an elite level.
Victor Hedman – 2 Sportlogiq Standout Selections
Hedman was the uncontested Conn Smyth Trophy winner with good reason. Last night, our friends at The Point Hockey pointed out that Hedman cracked the 500-minute mark in the Playoffs. The 2009 second overall pick was all over the ice and was trusted in every situation by Head Coach, Jon Cooper. Hedman is as sturdy as they come defensively. He continuously disrupted plays this postseason as he led all D-men with 45 Successful Stick Checks and ranked 4th among defensemen in total Successful Loose Puck Recoveries.
What made Hedman an unstoppable force these playoffs was his ability to contribute offensively at a near-historic level. Hedman led all defensemen with 114 Offense Generating Plays and was able to consistently set up his teammates in the O-Zone. He attempted 65 Passes to the Slot completing 56.9% of them to lead all blue-liners.
Andrei Vasilevskiy – 1 Sportlogiq Standout Selection
Simply put, Vasilevskiy was the Bolts’ rock. When momentum shifted throughout their series with Dallas, Tampa knew they could lean on arguably the best goaltender in the world to bail them out. Vasilveskiy earned every penny of his lucrative 2019 contract extension with a whopping 112 Inner Slot Shot Saves (81.8% Inner Slot Shot Save Percentage) more than any other netminder these Playoffs.
Last night, after posting a shutout in the Stanley Cup-winning game, Vasilevskiy’s Even Strength Actual to Expected Goals Against came in at -1.55. He stifled the Stars’ forwards on multiple occasions and took away any chance they had to get back in the game.
This year’s edition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is one the entire hockey world will remember. The Tampa Bay Lightning dropped everything for 60 days to compete in a best-on-best tournament for our entertainment. Despite the long break before the Playoffs that allowed every player to rest/heal or the lack of fans in the stand, the Lightning are as deserving as any former champion to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup and now, they have the Sportlogiq Standouts and analytics to back them up.
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