How Backcheck thinks.
Per game. The current roster. Luck is not skill. Tested, not guessed. Every number from data. These are the principles behind our boards—and the questions we bring to a game.
The methods
Team power
How many goals per game better or worse is this team than an average team?
Read the methodPlayer impact
Goals added over a replacement player, ranked per game so the schedule does not pick the winner.
Read the methodGoalie impact
Goals saved against the shots a goalie actually faced, ranked per 60 minutes.
Read the methodShot zones
Crease, slot, mid, point and perimeter: a shared map for talking about shot location.
Read the methodRecord vs rating
The gap between the points a team has banked and what its rating expects.
Read the methodClose games
Winning tight games feels like a signature skill. The repeatability checks ask whether it lasts.
Read the methodHow to watch a defenseman
Watch the gap, the passing lane, the net-front box-out and the first pass. Then check discipline.
Read the method