NHL unveils new in-game technology
The NHL is no stranger to technological advancement, especially in recent memory. We've seen everything from improvement in the sticks (wooden, to the two-piece and now one piece composites), equipment (from big and bulky gear to lightweight 3D printed carbon fibre moulds and puck tracking technology (such as being able to track puck trajectory as well as the speed of players shot)
On Monday night in a game between the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers, it appears as if the NHL unveiled a new type of faceoff tech.
It happened with 7:04 left in the third period, "faceoff probability" was shown when Derek Ryan and Lars Eller lined up for the draw, with Ryan having the edge in this particular scenario. Then the Oiler centre gets kicked out, and Connor Mcdavid comes in; the win probability percentage shifts to Eller when this happens.
Faceoff probability, as the NHL is calling it, uses player and puck tracking and takes into account the players on the ice and things like the location of the draw, time left in the game and the current game situation while having the last decade of draws to pull from as well.
Opinion: I think this can be useful to coaches and other player personnel, but I don't know that this would provide any value to the casual fan who's already not into all the player analytics.
| POLL | ||
Do you care about "Face-off win probability"? | ||
| Yes | 55 | 33.5 % |
| No | 52 | 31.7 % |
| It's cool, but i just want to watch hockey | 57 | 34.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
