Evgenii Dadonov has been unrecognizable since the Canadian sent him to Texas. On Thursday night, in the second game of the series between the Stars and the Kraken, he scored a great goal by going around Philipp Grubauer’s net.
It was the fourth goal since the start of the playoffs for the striker who was traded for Denis Gurianov. Four goals! In eight games, the Russian has managed to pull the strings as many times as he has pulled the strings in 50 regular-season games in the blue-white-red jersey. It’s still fascinating.
Especially since this sudden production cannot necessarily be assigned a different role. Good. So far he gets two and a half minutes more playing time than Martin St-Louis (16:57 min. vs. 14:30 min.). However, his average bet in the majority game is virtually identical (1min 43s in Dallas vs. 1min 34s in Montreal).
One wonders if Peter DeBoer’s style of play suits him better. However, if there’s one head coach who gives his players offensive play, it’s St. Louis. Still, for some reason only he might know, Dadonov seems to enjoy being under DeBoer.
Additionally, during their first 2021-2022 collaboration with the Vegas Golden Knights, he had seen a first resurgence after a difficult winter in Ottawa.
Double Opportunities
However, according to the company Sportlogiq, Dadonov would have better scoring chances with the stars.
Both in terms of expected goals and shots from the enclave and in terms of scoring chances at the entrance to the quarter, it’s day and night. We’re talking at least double that in most categories.
A reality that could not necessarily be attributed to a more sustainable commitment on his part. Sportlogiq, the company consulted by Le Journal, claims that the best statistic to quantify this parameter remains one-on-one matches. We’re talking at least double that in most categories.
However, in the jersey of the Stars, Dadonov wins no more battle for the puck than with the Canadian. It’s even worse (1.13 vs. 1.30).
Additional work
On the other hand, the stars are much more effective than the habs along the ramps. Since the start of the playoffs, they have averaged 33.4 fights per game, which puts them fourth among the 16 teams that entered the playoffs.
For comparison, Canadian players earned an average of 24.6 in the regular season (ranked 22nd).
In short, Dadonov would benefit greatly from the efficiency of his teammates. His strategy: stay behind and be available, trusting his teammates to come out of the corner with the puck.
The same strategy that allows him to gain momentum in the neutral zone while his teammates try to release the pressure, hence his chances of scoring in the entrance area.
Averages per game (rank in team)
With Montreal | With Dallas (in the playoffs)
- Goals 0.08 (19th) | 0.50 (4th)
- Expected Goals 0.16 (10th) | 0.23 (6th)
- shots attempted 2:36 (18th) | 3.75 (10th)
- scoring chances 1:28 (11.) | 2.50 (5th)
- Recordings from the enclave 0.72 (11th) | 1.75 (5th)
- Shots from the bottom of the slot 0.46 (7th) | 1.00 (5th)
- entry points into the zone 0.30 (16th) 1.25 (1st)