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For the most part, everyone agrees that Noel Acciari was eliminated in the fifth game of the Stanley Cup final and that the non-call played an important role in the result, did not it? The game did not cost the Boston Bruins the game, but it was made cost them a chance to beat the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. Most reasonable hockey fans can agree on these points.
Unfortunately, there are people who, while recognizing the brutal officials, believe that it does not matter. Why? Because the Blues have outperformed the Bruins, or something like that.
A story appeared (thanks in part to a certain sports radio show from Boston broadcast weekdays from 14h to 18h. AND) that the Bruins were not the best team on Thursday, that they were outclassed and therefore did not deserve to win. In the end, the best team won, as it should.
This notion is not only deeply stupid, but also contradicts what makes hockey so great. First, let's start by understanding why it's stupid.
Almost every statistical measure, Boston was the best team in Game 5. And, honestly, it was not so tight. St. Louis probably had the advantage in the second half, which started with one goal, but Boston largely dominated the game in the first and third stanzas.
FIRST PERIOD
Boston had the advantage in penalty kicks (17-8), scoring opportunities (15-7) and very dangerous chances of danger (4-1). He also had the advantage in Corsi (27-14) and Fenwick (19-8), two advanced statistics that basically represent all shots taken, including shots blocked and those who missed the goal. They are not perfect, but they indicate which team was more assertive in attack.
The only statistic that the Bruins lost – and this is a big one – was the faceoff. The Blues took 12 of the 16 points in the first period and belonged to the all-night face-off circle.
SECOND PERIOD
Boston had the advantage in shots on goal (8-6), scoring chances very dangerous (3-2) and Fenwick (10-8), but St. Louis had more opportunities. to score (8-6) and a better Corsi (16-11). The Blues also scored the only goal of the period and won 12 of the 23 confrontations.
THIRD PERIOD
Boston had the advantage in shots on goal (14-7), scoring opportunities (13-6) and very dangerous chances of danger (7-2). He also took both Corsi and Fenwick, with 27-11 and 21-10 edges, respectively. St. Louis played in 14 of the 25 games, although he lost two at the last minute when the Bruins were shot.
Overall, Boston had more shots, more chances and some very dangerous chances on Thursday night. He also won the advanced stats battle and only blasted the Blues. Obviously, it's easy to argue that St. Louis should have spent more time in the box.
There is also the eye test to consider. Yes, it's more subjective than the calculations, but the conclusion is the same: the Bruins were the best team in the fifth game. At the very least, the match was much more competitive than we think.
Hockey is not like other sports. The underdogs win. The best team loses sometimes. Sometimes the will, the desire and the team work outweigh the talent. Sometimes a goalkeeper stands on his head and steals a match. Sometimes the puck bounces off in strange directions and the teams that get kicked are won. Sometimes extension teams go to the finals of the cup.
same if The Bruins were the worst team on Thursday night, it's absurd to assume a 1-0 deficit halfway through the third period was insurmountable. This is the final of the Stanley Cup. We risk thinking that both teams are able to clear a deficit of a goal in less than 10 minutes.
But the Bruins have not been tasked with eliminating a 1-0 deficit. They had a 2-0 fraudulent hole, which is much harder to come back.
By the way, we do not subscribe to the notion that Jake DeBrusk's goal at 13:32 proves that Boston would have tied the match. This assumption is more absurd and ignores the possibility that St. Louis plays differently with a two-goal lead.
Let's be clear, we do not claim that Boston was stolen, nor that it would be leading the Cup final if it were not for flagrant arbitration. Overall, the Blues have probably been the best team in this series.
But the game 5? The Bruins were the TD Garden's top hockey team and had no opportunity to prove it on the dashboard.
Photo thumbnail via Winslow Townson / USA TODAY HUI Sports Images
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