Alex DeBrincat Can Beat You Every Way
- Prashanth Iyer
- 1 minute ago
- 2 min read
On Sunday night, Alex DeBrincat notched his 26th goal of the season, lifting the Red Wings to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators. In what's becoming his signature move, DeBrincat, blazing down the left wing, took a pass in the neutral zone, cut to the left faceoff dot, and ripped a snapshot just past the goalie's left ear. His off-wing snapshot to the far side is a thing of beauty.
The goal was the 279th of DeBrincat's career in just his 664th career game. Among active players, DeBrincat ranks 15th in goals scored per 60 minutes. Amongst American-born players, DeBrincat ranks 8th all-time in goals scored per game played (>200 goals scored). Despite standing just 5'8", DeBrincat has truly become one of the most prolific goal scorers this decade.
This season, DeBrincat has been everywhere. Amongst forwards, he ranks 3rd in shots and 4th in shots on goal. Furthermore, what makes DeBrincat so impressive is that he can shoot and score from nearly anywhere in the offensive zone. Unlike other goal scorers that are prolific from a specific area or in a specific situation, DeBrincat finds a way to get shots off from all the dangerous areas. Looking at data from NHL Edge we see that DeBrincat ranks in the 99th percentile in shots on goal and 94th percentile in high-danger shots on goal.
However, it's not just DeBrincat's ability to get shots off from different areas on the ice that sets him apart. There are plenty of players that can pump the puck toward the net at a high rate. What makes DeBrincat so impressive is that he can generate shots from any situation. Digging a bit deeper into the data from SportLogiq, we can see that Alex DeBrincat can beat you every single way.
DeBrincat ranks in the top-10 in the league in chances off the rush, off the cyclle, and off the forecheck. He's top-10 in high-danger chances, including ranking 4th in slot shots and 23rd in inner slot shots. Most impressively, he ranks near the top of the league at his position in puck battle wins. It's a large reason why with DeBrincat on the ice at 5v5, the Wings average the same number of shots on goal as the Oilers do with Connor McDavid.
So what's the point of all of this? In the past, we've seen certain types of players "disappear" as games become tighter, the checking intensifies, and space comes at a premium. In the playoffs, this is magnified even further as the physicality ramps up to another level. For a team that is desperate not just to make the playoffs, but to make some noise in the playoffs, DeBrincat is poised to be their "offensive game-breaker".