Dave Lozo's Bag Skate: Why Is the East Closing the Gap on the West This Season?

Since the lockout that cost the NHL an entire season, the West has been the superior conference in every season since 2005-06. That's nine consecutive seasons in which the West has taken more points in head-to-head matchups with the East, and most times it hasn't been that close.

That's changing this season.

Sort of. It's still the West's world. If this was the board game Risk, the East would have grabbed hold of Ukraine and some Middle East territories but would still be a couple dice roles from extinction.

But it's worth attempting to figure out how the East has partly gotten off the mat.

This is what the West has done to the East since 2005-06.

Season	West Pts. Pct.	East Pts. Pct.	Cup champ from
2005-06	.590	.530	East
2006-07	.613	.517	West
2007-08	.600	.500	West
2008-09	.571	.530	East
2009-10	.626	.494	West
2010-11	.600	.539	East
2011-12	.580	.565	West
2013	DNP	DNP	West
2013-14	.607	.516	West
2014-15	.578	.528	¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After the Kings beat the Lightning and the Flames defeated the Bruins on Monday night, the West has a points percentage of .578, which is still evidence of its superiority, even if it has slipped from last season. It also speaks to the gap closing, as that is as tight as it's been between the East and West since the lockout save for the 2008-09 season.

The question I have is...why? That doesn't compute. Maybe that's because I wrote this mistakenly confident thing during the offseason about how the West should be even more impregnable by East teams after all the summer's trades and signings. 

Maybe it just doesn't make a lick of sense.

Seven of the nine worst teams in the league standings reside in the East. Three of the top four teams in the standings are in the West. Seven of the 10 worst Fenwick teams reside in the East. One of those three awful Western possession teams—Calgary—has been winning all season. The Sabres reside in the East. The Sabres!

Those statements should be part of a thesis that explains why the West has just seven regulation losses against the East this season. I've wasted more of what remains of my fleeting youth watching both the West and East this season, and my failing eyes haven't noticed anything about play in the East rising in the slightest to what happens in the West.

So why? Why does the gap appear to be closing?

Let's look at the 319 East-West matchups (thanks entirely to the sortable wonder of war-on-ice.com) and see if we can find an answer.

Conference	CF	CF per game	CA	CA per game	Corsi%
Western	13,827	43.4	13,260	41.6	51.1

Pretty tight, no? It looks even better for the East if we remove the Buffalo Sabres and their 36.5 percent Corsi in interconference games (5-15-0).

Conference	CF	CF per game	CA	CA per game	Corsi %
Western	12,742	42.6	12,637	42.3	50.2

The East has actually been quite competitive in East-West matchups if we take away the one team that has been trying to lose all season. Games between the East and West are nearly an even battle when it comes to shot attempts when we take away the Sabres, who, by the way, probably won't be as easy to push around next season, so maybe the East is trending in the right direction.

Those numbers, with or without the Sabres, match what the West has been doing as a whole overall. The West has a 50.4 percent Corsi; last season, the West combined for a 50.9 Corsi percentage, which could explain the East moving a little closer to the West this season.

As someone who read last offseason's transactions as nothing but good for adding to the West's strength, trying to explain that drop from 50.9 to 50.4 is difficult. It's real and it's why the East is snagging more points than last season, but why?

Among the 10 teams to post the best improvements in Corsi percentage from last year to this year, seven reside in the East.

Team	2013-14 Corsi	2014-15 Corsi	% gain	Pts % diff
N.Y. Islanders	49.4	53.6	4.2	+.176
Nashville	48.5	52.5	4.0	+.195
Washington	47.7	51.2	3.5	+.065
Pittsburgh	48.7	52.1	3.4	-.013
Toronto	42.9	46.2	3.3	-0.65
Minnesota	48.7	51.6	2.9	-0.35
Tampa Bay	51.0	53.8	2.8	+0.26
Winnipeg	50.1	22.8	2.7	+0.81
Detroit	51.4	54.0	2.6	+0.89
Montreal	46.7	49.3	2.6	+0.86

There may not be an all-encompassing explanation for why the East has had more success against the West this season. Instead, maybe it's a series of smaller answers and theories, especially when you see which teams have made the most strides at five-on-five and in the standings (except for you, Toronto).

The Islanders' offseason moves are well documented; the Red Wings are healthy and have had young players waiting to break out for years; the Canadiens are receiving an MVP season from Carey Price; the Capitals upgraded at coach with Barry Trotz, and the results have been better; and the Lightning bolstered their lineup in the summer and are receiving a full season of Steven Stamkos.

Those seven teams are 74-48-13 (.596) against the West this season; last season, they were 98-77-21 (.553) against the West.

Other aspects that could be at play:

• Nine of the 13 leaders in save percentage reside in the East, which means there's more potential for stealing games and offsetting possession flaws; last season, seven of the top 13 goaltenders (counting Jaroslav Halak as a West goaltender) were in the East.

• Seven of the 10 leading scorers among rookies reside in the East. Perhaps having the best new blood is helping. 

• There's no way to quantify this (I wish there were), but maybe the East is catching the West at the right time more often this season. Sometimes it's not who you play; it's when you play them. But one person's theory that Team X caught Team Y when Team Y was slumping is another person's theory that Team X sent Team Y into a slump with their win. 

• Luck. It's a thing. 

One final note about the East closing the gap: The season isn't over.

There are 129 remaining East-West matchups on the schedule; if the West wins 87 of those games (or finds 174 points) it will match last season's head-to-head points percentage against the East. There's a lot of time for the West to assert itself over the final two months.

Putting a finger on the West/East battle feels impossible, but maybe that sheds light on why there's been a minor shift so far this season.

Quote of the Week: Jon Cooper vs. Darryl Sutter

Lightning coach Jon Cooper and Kings coach Darryl Sutter are the two most quotable coaches in the NHL. Each week, we will let you decide who had the best quote.

In an interview with Puck Daddy, Jon Cooper talked about the first time he met Steve Yzerman, general manager of the Lightning and somewhat popular player in hockey history.

“When I came down to meet with Steve for the interview, then I saw his name on the door and in the office and he said … ‘Hello, I’m Steve Yzerman.’ Then I had that pregnant pause in my head that said ‘Yeah, no s--t.'"

That happens more than you think. You'd be surprised how many famous hockey players introduce themselves as if no one in the room knows them. Then again, what else would they do? "You know who I am. Don't pretend."

Darryl Sutter's team has won five straight so there are fewer opportunities to be salty, but he almost always come through, as evidenced by the transcribing skills of Jon Rosen at L.A. Kings Insider.

This quote came after a third straight win, as Sutter was asked how many wins it will take to reach the playoffs. 

"Jeez, you guys, you can only get points at a time. How the hell do I know how many points you need? Christ, if we lose the next one, then you’re going to say we’re playing [road apples] again."

Love this guy.

Who Is Connor McDavid-ing This Week?

The tank battle for Connor McDavid will be quite the scene this season as teams stumble over each other to finish last in the standings, thus guaranteeing either McDavid or future American hero Jack Eichel.

30. Buffalo Sabres (16-37-3, 35 points) — The Sabres have occupied last place in the standings for 31 consecutive days. It seems longer, doesn't it? It's like being trapped at a bad movie. It finally ends and you can't believe you spent four hours in the theater only it turns out the third Hangover movie was only two hours, it just felt longer.

29. Edmonton Oilers (15-30-10, 40 points) — The one thing the Oilers have going for them is two games in hand on Buffalo. They also have a tank trade chip or two, including Jeff Petry. Going 6-6-1 over a 13-game stretch has the Oilers in a bad place right now. 

28. Arizona Coyotes (20-31-7, 47 points) — One of my favorite things is Coyotes co-owner Anthony LeBlanc tweeting about revenue. It's like the guy who always tweets about his girlfriend to let everyone know he has a girlfriend, only it's a guy desperate to let everyone know his property is profitable. Here are more LeBlanc revenue tweets. Meanwhile, attendance in Glendale is at its lowest since 2011-12, and the Coyotes have hired someone to audit the team. 

Goal of the Week

Sometimes the goal of the week is about innate skill and coordination. Sometimes it's about speed. Sometimes it's about strength. Other times it's about teammates connecting on a passing play that leaves defenders spinning on the ice.

This time, though, it's about the uniforms.

Yeah, yeah, Tyler Toffoli, breakaway, hat trick, blah blah. Look at that outfit! It's gorgeous! How can a team have these uniforms at its disposal and instead wear some boring black and silver pattern? Come on, Los Angeles. Make the switch. 

Questions and Answers

Got a question? Tweet me @davelozo or email me at [e-mail], but please don't call before 9 a.m. I will answer any of your questions about hockey or whatever if it's a good question.

The 2014-15 All-Dreamy NHL Team

LW-Patrick Sharp, Chicago Blackhawks

C-Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators

RW-Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs

D-Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

D-Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

G-Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Honorable mention: Jeff Carter isn't my center after Duncan Keith went all Narrator on him and destroyed something beautiful (although he's still a pretty man even down a couple teeth).

They don't need much, if anything. They're fifth in goals and goals allowed. The power play ranks second, although the penalty kill ranks 19th but is a good two-week stretch from being above the middle of the pack. They have three good centers in David Backes, Paul Stastny and Jori Lehtera. 

The scoring this year seems far more sustainable than it was last year, when it crashed down the stretch and in the playoffs. The Blues' five-on-five shooting percentage through 59 games last season was 10.4 before falling to 8.45; through 56 games this season, it's already at 8.42, which indicates the offense is not luck-driven like it was a season ago.

The one move they should make is for Andrej Sekera. Once you get past Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk, there's a steep drop in talent. Having a Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo Sekera-Shattenkirk would give the Blues arguably the best top four in the West. If Sekera doesn't work out, they should make a push for Edmonton's Jeff Petry.

Heck, make a push for both. Get those chips in the middle, Blues. 

Dave,

Carlo Allegri/Associated Press

Let’s say you had access to a time machine. You can use it whenever you want but there’s a catch: it can only go backward or forward in time, not both. Which would you choose and why?

Whichever direction you go, you are allowed to go back in the other direction to return your time but that’s it. 

Monica

Backward. Maybe I’m missing the benefits of going forward, but backward seems like the clear answer here.

There are too many pitfalls to going forward in time. What if I decide to travel to 2065 and the world is gone after a nuclear war? Or bombs have been dropped, I step out of the machine and I'm killed instantly? There’s also the temptation of learning the date of your death. I don’t want that information. What if I get to the future and it’s like, “Holy cow! Flying cars and cures for baldness and pills that keep your body at age 25 with no side effects, but, oh guess what, you’re dead two years before it’s invented.”

I’d want to know the day of my death if it was like nine or 10 days into the future. Then I could live out that time like a boss. Mend fences, tell people I love them, see and do things I’ve been putting off because of financial limitations or general laziness. But if I learned I die on May 24, 2056, I’ll be even lazier, and I don’t need that.

Anonymous/Associated Press

Traveling backward is where it’s at. There’s the obvious financial benefits like betting on sporting events where the outcome isn’t in doubt for you, investing in stocks you know will take off, etc. Imagine putting money on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to win gold? Of course, you’d need money that was older than 1980 to use for wagering otherwise you’ll wind up in prison after trying to bet with weirdo money with “2010” on it. But there are sporting events in recent history so it doesn’t matter.

Then you have the ability to witness historical events, unlock mysteries like the Stonehenge, the JFK assassination. You can see your parents or grandparents when they were kids and hang out with them without ever telling them who you are. 

I also bet there are so many things that are better like the air, water, food. Everything is cleaner. Maybe if you travel too far back that’s not true, but I bet stuff smelled better in general between 1950 and 1970 in certain parts of the world.

I’d rather witness history than venture into the great unknown. I'm a coward.

"

@DaveLozo If one GM could swap places with Elliot Stabler, who would it be?

— Matthew McGreevy (@M_McGreevy) February 17, 2015"

Elliott Stabler, world-famous SVU detective who has been responsible for at least a dozen deaths inside his precinct with zero repercussions, is a complicated man. He's tough, flawed, sensitive, has a short temper, cares a lot about his family.

Which NHL GM could swap places with Stabler without missing a beat?

It's Ron Hextall.

Can't you see ol' Hexy chasing down perps with Olivia, beating confessions out of them with a stick as if they were goalposts? Stabler has five kids; Hextall has four kids. Hextall won a Stanley Cup with the Kings; Stabler once captured a guy who killed another guy by having a tiger eat him, so he's probably got a couple commendations. 

Yes.

All statistics via NHL.com and Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. Cap information via Spotrac.

Dave Lozo covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveLozo.