the most dominant offensive teams in the 2021-2022 nhl season

Lets take a look at the teams that were the most dominant on the offensive end of the ice in the 2021-2022 regular season. We will be looking at three specific stats, a teams expected goals for, which is how many goals a team is expected to score based on the quality of chances they create, and Corsi %, higher Corsi means the team is creating more chances than their opponents, and high danger shots. We will only be looking at 5v5 data, to see who is truly dominant when they face an opponent at even strength. Data via MoneyPuck.com.

1. Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers were the most dominant team offensively by a decent margin. They finished first in the league with 122 points, 58 wins out of 82 games. They were not the most defensively sound team, coming in 15th for least goals against with 161, but offensively they flourished. Their expected goals for was 220.25 during 5v5 play this season, and they actually only scored 218 goals, so they underperformed in terms of finishing the chances they got, yet they still outscored everyone. They created the highest amount of high danger shots in the league, with 187. Their Corsi % was 56.37%, also the highest in the league, meaning they were dominating possession and creating chances more on average than those playing against them. It was an amazing regular season for the Panthers, but they couldn’t translate that play into the playoffs, where they got swept by Tampa Bay in the second round, scoring only 3 goals in 4 games.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes were another extremely dominant team during 5v5 play in the regular season. The Hurricanes finished first in the Metropolitan Division with 116 points, wining 54 of 82 games. The Hurricanes were much more defensively sound than the Panthers, having the second lowest goals against 5v5 number in the league, with 141 goals against. On the offensive front, they had the third highest expected goals for, with 199.03. In terms of high danger shots, they had the second most in the league with 186. A fast paced team that loved to shoot from the point, they dominated the rebound creation stat, having 222 rebound shots for, the most in the league. The Hurricanes also had the second highest Corsi %, at 56.21%, showing just how dominant they were at creating chances and controlling the puck.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

We all know the story with the Maple Leafs, first round and out when it comes playoff time, but in the regular season at 5v5, the Leafs were dominant. The Leafs finished second in the Atlantic division behind the Panthers, putting up 115 points and winning 54 of 82 games. The Leafs were terrible on the defensive end for a top 5 finishing team, letting up the 11th most goals against in the league at 5v5, with 182 goals against. In terms of expected goals for, they had the second highest at 203.45. They were much more dominant in the medium danger shots category as opposed to the high danger shots category. In terms of high danger shots, they were 6th in the league with 169, while for medium danger shots, they we second in the league with 721. Their Corsi % was the 6th best in the league, at 53.56%, would of been much higher if they could of figured it out defensively, considering how many chances they were producing offensively. The offensive dominations continued into playoffs, they scored 24 goals in 7 games against the Lightning, but due to their defensive issues, Tampa knocked them out of playoffs winning 4 of the 7 games.

4. LA Kings

The biggest surprise of this data is certainly the LA Kings. The Kings finished third in the Pacific division with 99 points, winning 44 of 82 games. The LA Kings crashed out in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers, losing in 7 games. They scored 17 goals in the 7 games, but it was not enough to beat Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who were producing unbelievable numbers. In terms of 5v5 chance creation, the LA Kings had the 5th highest expected goals for with 187.62. They created the third highest high danger shots for, with 175, only behind the Hurricanes and the Panthers. They had the 5th highest Corsi % in the league, at 54.13%. The Kings were certainly the most underrated team this past season, they were a top 5 team based on 5v5 offensive numbers, They were let down on the powerplay, with the powerplay being ranked 27th in the league in the regular season, at only a PP% of 16.13%. If they could have figured out the powerplay, the Kings would have been one of the most dominant teams in the league overall.

5. Edmonton Oilers

With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, how could your team not make a list of top offensive teams in the league. The Oilers crashed out of playoffs in the Western Conference Finals, where they got swept by the Colorado Avalanche. They scored 13 goals in the 4 games, but it was nowhere near enough to beat the high flying Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. In the regular season, at 5v5 hockey, the Oilers had the sixth highest expected goals for, at 184.39. They had the fourth most high danger shots, at 171. They had the 14th most goals against at 173, they certainly were not defensively sound, which affected their Corsi %, coming in at the 9th best in the league at 52.47%. While they didn’t have the best Corsi due to their defensive ability, they created tons of high danger shots and were constantly a threat offensively at 5v5. The Oilers certainly need more from their depth guys if they want to become more dominant when Mcdavid and Draisaitl are not on the ice, but their biggest issue lies defensively, which was made obvious in the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions

Some teams that certainly deserve to be mentioned are the Vegas golden Knights, the Calgary Flames, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Gold Knights had the 4th highest expected goals for, at 188.51, they had the 8th highest Corsi %, at 52.58%, and the 5th most high danger shots for, with 169. The Calgary Flames had the 10th highest expected goals for, with 180.94, but they had the third highest Corsi % at 55.58%, and were 7th for medium danger shots, at 615. They struggled to make high danger shots on net, with only 134, being ranked 19th in the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins were ranked seventh for expected goals for, with 184.03. They were ranked tenth for Corsi %, with 52.05%, and also struggled to create high danger shots, having only 148, ranked 14th in the league.