NHL Weird Stat Leaders: Holiday Edition

Who are the some of the strange NHL statistic leaders at the holiday break?

Dec 10, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) celebrates his goal against Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (84) during the second period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NHL scoring race belongs to Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon at the holiday break. But what about some of the other statistical leaders? With the help of NHL EDGE statistics, we look into the leaders of all of the weird and less discussed stats this season.

Most High-Danger Shots on Goal: Anders Lee, New York Islanders - 57

Anders Lee has always been a net front presence, and he currently leads the NHL in the most high-danger shots on goal. He has 57 shots from the highest danger area in the offensive zone, and its precisely 50% of his total shots on goal. It's led to 13 goals through the first 34 games for the Islanders captain.

Most Long-Range Shots on Goal: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks - 65

Unsurprisingly, this list is comprised of defenseman. The reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defender has a great ability to put the puck on net. He has 65 shots on goal from long-range, defined by the NHL as, "the area more than 43 feet of the center of the goal while still inside the offensive zone, and bound on both sides by an imaginary line drawn from the faceoff dot to 2 feet outside the goalpost."

Fastest Shot: Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres - 104.69 MPH

Sabres star Tage Thompson is a huge scorer and he put his entire 6'6 frame into the fastest shot recorded so far this season. A slap shot from Thompson came in at 104.69 during an October game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Most 100 MPH shots: Ryan Pulock, New York Islanders - 3

The Islanders defender has an absolute cannon, and he leads the NHL in 100 MPH shots attempted this season. Three times he's crossed that threshold, with his fastest speed coming in at 101.34 MPH.

Most Penalty Minutes: Nikita Zadorov, Boston Bruins - 67 PIM

In his first year with the Boston Bruins, Nikita Zadorov has lived up to his physical reputation. He leads the Bruins and the entire NHL in penalty minutes so far this season and will likely keep piling up the minutes as the season goes on.

Most Goals Given Up in Single Game: Montreal Canadiens - 9

During a December showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens took the night off from defense. They allowed nine goals on 33 shots to a middle of the pack Penguins team, which stands out as the worst defensive performance from an NHL team this season.

Most Games With Save Percentage Greater Than .900: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets - 21

The best goalie in the NHL this year is undoubtedly Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. In 21 of his starts, he's stopped at least 90% of the shots against him. He has four shutouts and a record of 21-5-1. Back-to-back Vezina Trophies are on the horizon for Hellebuyck if he keeps this up.

Highest Percentage of Offensive Zone Time as a Team: Carolina Hurricanes - 47.7%

The Carolina Hurricanes are a solid team in the mix for the Metropolitan Division title and one of their top three playoff spots. A huge part of their success is how much offensive zone time they create. The Hurricanes lead all NHL teams this year in percentage of even strength time spent in the offensive zone with a 47.7% split. It's three percentage points higher than the next best team, the Nashville Predators. Which shows that offensive zone time itself is not the key to producing offense, but for the Hurricanes it's been very effective.

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