Sheng Peng: More Penalties Are Called in Playoffs Than Regular Season; VGK-LAK Preview Why I like Knights over Kings + VGK's recent, concerning numbers + Stopping Carter + Who will impose their will?

good take, miss having you write for the LAK!

one point to underscore, LAK have the top PK in the league, in no small part to 32, and VGK was 0-13 on the PP against them this season. will it continue?

Interesting penalty stats.

Without delving into it yet, my initial guess would be that even though more minor penalties were called in last year's playoffs, I'd question whether that led to more power plays opportunities per 60/minutes.

Just a hunch, but I'd suspect there were more coincidental minor penalties in the playoffs. Also, another hunch: a higher percentage of power plays ended by a penalty call on the team with the man advantage.

If not last year (small sample size), then in general if one were to go back 10 or 20 years and add 'em all up.

Playoff games tend to be lower-scoring than regular season. One reason is the stakes, another is opposing teams are likely to be closer in quality which tends to lead to closer games (and thus lower-scoring affairs). That's why I believe special teams are more important. Not because of a very minor (if any) percentage more in minor penalty calls.

Great preview! You latched onto something I had brought up in our Kings podcast last night re: experience. The Kings will likely hand out more playoff debuts than VGK. And VGK has plenty of experience, I counted 18 Knights to 16 Kings, must've missed someone. What stuck out to me though was Vegas' playoff experienced players had an average of just under 27 games a piece while LA's playoff vets (not unpredictably) had an average of 58 games experience; that rises to 66 if you remove Folin and Andreoff's combined 3 games. It'd be interesting to count playoff games played from the final two rounds only. Cheers to a good series, I've got Kings in 6 or 7.

good take, miss having you write for the LAK!
- hiway39

Thanks!

Without delving into it yet, my initial guess would be that even though more minor penalties were called in last year's playoffs, I'd question whether that led to more power plays opportunities per 60/minutes.
- PhilipR

I think the linked Hohl article shows more power plays too

I counted 18 Knights to 16 Kings, must've missed someone. What stuck out to me though was Vegas' playoff experienced players had an average of just under 27 games a piece while LA's playoff vets (not unpredictably) had an average of 58 games experience; that rises to 66 if you remove Folin and Andreoff's combined 3 games.
- CrownedKing

Oh man, I must've been delirious when I posted. It's 16, you're right, thanks.

Take out Fleury's 115, and VGK's average sure plummets! But the first-round taste most of the Knights have might help to start tonight.

What in the (frank) was that opening? That was hilarious.

The Knights have never lost a playoff game.

I’m not trolling and please don’t think I am but I have to say that bizarre song and dance to open up the playoffs in Vegas was freaking cringe worthy. It’s was akind to some strange Russian ballet.
Please don’t to that crap again.... it was almost as lame as the senators spartan guy from a few years back...

I’m not trolling and please don’t think I am but I have to say that bizarre song and dance to open up the playoffs in Vegas was freaking cringe worthy. It’s was akind to some strange Russian ballet.
Please don’t to that crap again.... it was almost as lame as the senators spartan guy from a few years back...
- PREDX1

I'm not a big fan. But they've been doing something similar all season. It's been one guy with a road flag, the knight, and a sword in the stone. Really.