Unhappy with his defense, Giroux supports old-time stat

Hockey fans who follow analytics love to talk about shot attempts and puck possession - they swear by Corsi and Fenwick numbers - and frown on plus-minus statistics, which measure whether a player is on the ice when a goal is scored for or against his team in even-strength situations.

It says here that all of the stats, including plus-minus, are meaningful to a certain degree. They are far from perfect, but they give us a tool to measure a certain aspect of a player's game.

For instance, Flyers captain Claude Giroux was not happy with his defensive work in the season's first eight games - and openly pointed to his plus-minus rating as a fair representation of his struggles.

Entering Saturday's game against the Penguins, Giroux had a league-leading nine assists but a team-worst minus-6 rating.

He can be better, he said.

"It's not about the stats," he said. "I think the way I play defensively can be better. Defensively, I can be a little more creative. I just need to relax a little bit more out there . . . and enjoy the game a little more."

Sorry, analytic heads, but Giroux pays close attention to his plus-minus numbers each game.

"I think that's one stat that is more important than other ones," he said. "When you're on the ice, you obviously want to be a plus player and that's not the case and one of the main reasons I'm not happy with my play. You want to be a plus player and be able to help the team win."

Coach Dave Hakstol said Giroux was being "hard on himself, but realistic for our team. I think he'll be fine because he's a strong-willed player. . . . It's a long year, it's a grind, so that's one of the abilities you have to have - to be able to wipe the slate clean and build off of the positives."

Hakstol said Giroux "and our whole team can be cleaner and more consistent in all areas of our game. You want your captain pushing for that. That being said, G doesn't have to overthink any of that. Like I said, build off the positives. Be hungry and be around the puck and he'll be just fine."

Like Giroux, Hakstol believes there is merit to plus-minus stats, and he says he pays attention to those numbers.

"It's a stat that in certain instances may have a little less meaning. You have to evaluate some of the pluses and some of the minuses," he said, aware that a player may have had a good shift but suffered a "minus" because of a miscue by one of his teammates. "But I think as an overall stat, it's a valuable stat. It's not all-telling, but it's valuable."

Heading into Saturday, Brandon Manning led the Flyers at plus-4, followed by Nick Schultz at plus-2. At the bottom were Giroux (minus-6), Ivan Provorov (minus-5), and Shayne Gostisbehere (minus-4).

"It doesn't tell the whole picture, but you get a good piece of it," Gostisbehere said when asked if he valued plus-minus stats.

Gostisbehere said there are "freak goals" that affect plus-minus numbers, but "I think everyone looks at the stat. I think it's an important stat. For defensive guys, his go-to stat may be the plus-minus."

Provorov, a 19-year-old rookie defenseman, said he respected the plus-minus stat, "but there are also different situations on the ice that you can't control. So I would say yes and no" as far as its validity.

The plus-minus rating is also dependent on your teammates who are on the ice with you. Play on a powerhouse team with stars and your rating is likely to be padded. Play on a middle-of-the-pack team trying to find itself, like this year's Flyers, and your rating will suffer.

Plus-minus isn't the end-all stat, but the fact it unites the five players on the ice toward a common goal - earning a "plus" when they are on a shift together - makes it a part of hockey's culture, whether analytics people like it or not.

That can be attested by the joy shown by the five players as they celebrate a goal. Or by the dropped heads - Giroux can relate in the early part of this season - as they watch their opponents celebrate.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull