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Islanders News: Analyze this, oppose that

Stat geeks gather, Belmont foes unite, Stan loves Josh

By Dominik
New York Islanders v Arizona Coyotes
The survivors.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If you are into following analytics, you may already be following people from the RIT sports analytics conference (#RITSAC) this weekend, and if it’s not your thing, you may not care.

But you can glean an overview without going too deeply by following some of the tweets of the usual suspects, including some burgeoning work on women’s hockey. There was a stream of the morning here, the afternoon here. (Okay, that’s going in too deep maybe.)

You’ve perhaps seen neutral zone tracking and thought “there is nothing more boring than the neutral zone,” and that may be true from an entertainment standpoint, but it’s interesting how much zone entries, exits, and preventions can tell us — in a repeatable and predictive way — about individual players.

Anyway, something to keep an eye on, even if at arm’s length if the topics or the tone at times is not your thing. (They talked about being humble and doing it for the discovery not for the “once again I am right in my analysis” spirit too!)

Johnny Boychuk...exits are not his strength. Sebastian Aho...he’s got impressive results in neutral zone behavior in a limited but promising sample size so far. The Sabres...they have been bad.

Direct Reading

  • Good, Better and Best: Stan Fischler loves to praise Josh Bailey about as much as he likes to throw shade on that #91 guy. [MSG]
  • Part 5 of Mike B.’s “cheaper than therapy” series includes a pancake discussion between Reasoner and Ledecky. [LHH]
  • Following our Top 25 Islanders Under 25 series, Ruslan Iskhakov checked in at #17. [LHH]
  • A “new civic group” has formed to oppose the Belmont arena and it’s inevitable disruption of their “way of life,” etc. [LIBN]
  • Cross Matt Lane off your Bridgeport list, if you still had him. [Soundin’ Off]
  • Cross Mark Hunter off your list (for now) if you were thinking he would follow Lou Lamoriello to the Islanders. He wants a real NHL GM gig, and is willing to wait it out by returning to his juggernaut OHL London Knights squad. [TSN | Sportsnet]
  • (Meanwhile, it sounds like first-round pick Brady Tkachuk will bail on whatever Boston NCAA school he was headed to, will instead make himself available to the OHL Knights, and sign an ELC with the Senators.)
  • The Red Wings don’t know about the health of Henrik Zetterberg’s back. [Sportsnet]

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