NHL Team Play Style Breakdown: Hits vs Blocked Shots

There are 82 games in the regular season. Inside of every one of those games is an opportunity to out hit, out work, and otherwise grind the opposing team. By looking at the Difference per Game Played version of statistics, you can get an idea of how a given team plays game in and game out.

Two stats in particular give you an idea of how a team plays – their strategic positioning:

• Hits-Difference per Game Played (Hits-D/GP)
• Blocked Shots - Difference per Game Played (BS-D/GP)

Use your hockey intuition . If every game a team has more hits, it may be a sign they are on defense more of the game. Same goes for blocked shots.

Here’s a potential interpretation of the differences in play style between the four quadrants:

• Teams in this quadrant tend to have more hits and block more shots than their opponents, suggesting a physical and defensive play style.
• They might be focused on disrupting the opponents’ play and protecting their own net, indicative of a proactive defensive strategy.

• Teams in this quadrant tend to have fewer hits but block more shots than their opponents
• This suggests a play style that is less physical but still defensive, possibly relying more on positioning and stick work to disrupt plays rather than body checks
• Play strategy:
  • Disrupting the other team's breakout at the offensive blue line and clogging up the neutral zone

• Teams in this quadrant are characterized by fewer hits and fewer blocked shots than their opponents.
• This might suggest a possession-oriented and offensive play style, with teams likely spending more time in the offensive zone
• Play strategy:
  • The focus is maintaining puck control, and creating scoring opportunities rather than blocking shots or making hits.

• Teams in this quadrant tend to have more hits but block fewer shots than their opponents, indicative of a physical and offensive play style.
• These teams might rely on physical play to win puck battles and create turnovers, leading to offensive opportunities, while not focusing as much on blocking shots.