Victor Hedman was been one of the most consistently dominant defenceman in the league for a long time. He’s finished in the top 10 for Norris Trophy voting 5 out of the last 6 years, including top 3 finishes in each of the last three seasons. A staple on the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line, Hedman is never a man you want to play against.
If the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs have indicated anything, he’s not slowing down.
According to Natrural Stat Trick, Victor Hedman has had some absolutely eye-popping stats emerge from what has been a very fun series vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Some of the accumulative stats are understandably inflated following Game 1’s five overtime marathon, but the ones we find truly depicting of Hedman’s dominance are the ratios.
122-53 in shot attempts?? 23-7 in chances?? When Hedman is on the ice, you’re likely not getting many chances apparently.
There are some factors to consider, such as Hedman being selected to play more often when there’s a faceoff in the offensive zone. These will contribute to offensive stats, but not the dramatic extent Hedman skews the ratios.
Oh and keep in mind, we’re fairly certain he’s not at 100% after suffering an injury earlier this month.
(H/T Dimitri Filipovic)
