Jack's shots

[Stoner]

While everyone wants Jack to shoot more, his shots on goal per game this year are up from last year and near his career high.

But his total shot attempts (shots on goal plus shots that miss the net or are blocked) have steadily gone down the last three seasons.

However, a greater percentage of his shot attempts this year have ended up on goal, and it's a career high.

What does it mean? I am hoping someone who's smart can come along and explain it.

The big problem is shooting percentage, which is less than half of what it was his first three years.

(As an aside, why is shooting percentage the percent of shots on goal that go in and not percent of shot attempts?)

 

SOG per game first four seasons (percent of shot attempts)

2.94 (55), 4.08 (58), 3.67 (57), 4.04 (65)

Blocks and misses

2.42, 2.93, 2.81, 2.15

Total shot attempts

5.36, 7.01, 6.48, 6.19

 

[Hoss]

He hasn’t been as good at picking his spots when shooting.

[Stoner]

2 minutes ago, Hoss said:

He hasn’t been as good at picking his spots when shooting.

Wouldn't that mean more shot attempts?

[Randall Flagg]

I wonder if he might need to put that extra two inches back on his stick. And I'm being serious. Whoops. Ninja emoji, looking both ways a little unsure/a little worried emoji.

You can see the moments every game where he's still not used to stickhandling with the new one. That is, though, something that players get used to eventually.

And he's still shooting ridiculously hard. I think he might just not be used to the stick. He almost scored a goal like he did in Pittsburgh, against Jones the other night.

 

[Stoner]

I'll admit to not following the saga of Jack's twig. Why is he using a shorter stick?

[In The Buff]

The way i see it is he's taking a lot of shots just to throw it on net, as Reinhart, Pommi & skinner crash to the net.

I don't see a lot of his shots on goal as legitimate attempts to score. More him just moving the puck towards the net in the hopes of a rebound or ricochet to one of our players for an easy goal. Just something i've noticed a lot the past 10 games.

[darksabre]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

I'll admit to not following the saga of Jack's twig. Why is he using a shorter stick?

So that he can control the puck better in tight spaces. The problem is that it might take some power off of his shot. 

I've been pretty okay with his game this year so I'm not super interested in having him change his stick up. I think he's been a lot stronger on the puck. 

[Randall Flagg]

Yeah. The stick he came into the league with had him basically incapable of getting out of any situation where players were close enough to him that the puck had to come in tight. He's really good at leaning into and peeling out of board battles that he wasn't before the stick change. 

But I have not seen him hit a good one-timer since the switch. 

[Hoss]

31 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Wouldn't that mean more shot attempts?

No. I’m speaking purely about when he DOES get shots on net to this point I’m not seeing him hitting the corners and such at all. That’s been his bread and butter.

[Taro T]

51 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I wonder if he might need to put that extra two inches back on his stick. And I'm being serious. Whoops. Ninja emoji, looking both ways a little unsure/a little worried emoji.

You can see the moments every game where he's still not used to stickhandling with the new one. That is, though, something that players get used to eventually.

And he's still shooting ridiculously hard. I think he might just not be used to the stick. He almost scored a goal like he did in Pittsburgh, against Jones the other night.

 

He'll get used to the new twig fairly soon.  No point in swapping back now.  Heis maintaining puck control better this season (by the eye test).

Also, he is consciously looking to pass first and only shoots when the pass isn't there.  That isn't helping the goal scoring nor shooting percentage either.

[Eleven]

I used to do those fairly often.

[JJFIVEOH]

2 hours ago, MillerVaive said:

The way i see it is he's taking a lot of shots just to throw it on net, as Reinhart, Pommi & skinner crash to the net.

I don't see a lot of his shots on goal as legitimate attempts to score. More him just moving the puck towards the net in the hopes of a rebound or ricochet to one of our players for an easy goal. Just something i've noticed a lot the past 10 games.

That's the way I see it too. For the first couple of years it almost seemed like he because he got the impression that he had to be the savior. Now that he's got some talent around him he's accepted a different role. If your forwards are hot, stick with what's working. I'm sure if Skinner goes into a scoring slump, him and Skinner might switch roles. He's 4th in the NHL in assists. I'm not concerned. 

[MakeSabresGrr8Again]

Jumbo Jack will be fine.

The Eichel Tower will not turn into the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

[SwampD]

6 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Yeah. The stick he came into the league with had him basically incapable of getting out of any situation where players were close enough to him that the puck had to come in tight. He's really good at leaning into and peeling out of board battles that he wasn't before the stick change. 

But I have not seen him hit a good one-timer since the switch. 

This is not my memory at all.

[Randall Flagg]

5 minutes ago, SwampD said:

This is not my memory at all.

You at least have to remember me babbling about it nonstop, right?

I'm pretty sure Jack cited it as a reason he switched though.

[SwampD]

14 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

You at least have to remember me babbling about it nonstop, right?

I'm pretty sure Jack cited it as a reason he switched though.

I do remember. I just never thought it was as big a problem as everyone (not just you) made it out to be.

One more example of possession being more important than scoring.?

Edited December 2, 2018 by SwampD

[Huckleberry]

He is saving his goals for the playoffs.

[Stoner]

12 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

You at least have to remember me babbling about it nonstop, right?

I'm pretty sure Jack cited it as a reason he switched though.

I did a quick search for articles mentioning the stick change and came up empty. Help?

[Sabres Fan in NS]

6 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I did a quick search for articles mentioning the stick change and came up empty. Help?

I don't remember any articles.

I just remember Flagg and LGR hiding in the bushes and jumping out and measuring Jack's 'stick'.  The rest is Urban Legend material.

Edited December 2, 2018 by New Scotland (NS)
a missing letter will always ruin the story ...

[Randall Flagg]

28 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I did a quick search for articles mentioning the stick change and came up empty. Help?

The spittin' chiclets podcast he was on in the summer. Unfortunately it's a thing I needed to download to listen to so I can't just link it. 

Edit: NVM, found it. 

https://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/spittin-chiclets-episode-108-featuring-jack-eichel-noah-hanifin-and-oliver-ekman-larsson

Edited December 2, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[Randall Flagg]

I skipped around in there but the bills are on now, and i haven't found the quote yet. I'll find it before today is over.

[Randall Flagg]

"I tend to use a longer one... For me I've made my stick a little bit shorter, the few years that I've played in the NHL, just because the game happens so quickly, people are always getting sticks on you, and sticks on the puck, so to have it a little tighter to your body is, I think, a little more beneficial."

[Stoner]

3 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

"I tend to use a longer one... For me I've made my stick a little bit shorter, the few years that I've played in the NHL, just because the game happens so quickly, people are always getting sticks on you, and sticks on the puck, so to have it a little tighter to your body is, I think, a little more beneficial."

Hmmm. Open to interpretation, but it doesn't sound like there was a big change from last season to this season that he would be struggling to adjust to.

[Kruppstahl]

My unscientific observation is that he is straight up missing the net a lot lately.

 

 

[Brawndo]

Jack’s Average Shot Distance is 37 feet, where as the average for league forwards is 28 feet. 

He is also close to the top of the league in rebounds generated