EDGE stats behind Dorofeyev’s elite goal-scoring for Golden Knights

2. Goals from the right side

Dorofeyev leads the NHL in goals from the right-side regions of the ice (four) and also leads the League in snap shot goals (five). All four of Dorofeyev’s power-play goals have been scored on offensive zone plays, and all three of his even-strength goals have come off the rush. Goals off the rush are defined by NHL EDGE IQ as goals that occur within five seconds of the puck crossing the offensive blue line.

Dorofeyev scored a nifty, off-the-rush goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, which featured the Peter Forsberg-style move, faking a forehand shot and using one hand to slide the puck from the forehand to their backhand side and into the net. This was Dorofeyev’s only high-danger goal of the season so far.

NHL EDGE IQ uses "Projected Goal Rate" (PGR) to estimate the likelihood of a shot attempt becoming a goal, and inferenced shot attempts exclude shots greater than 60 feet, those beyond the goal line and empty-net attempts. The average goalie angle on an inferenced power-play shot attempt this season is just below 20 degrees (19.66) and has a direct relationship with PGR (as the goalie angle increases, so does the PGR).

Dorofeyev ranks third in the NHL in average goalie angle against (41.10 degrees) on his power-play shot attempts this season, trailing only Leon Draisaitl (51.66) and Mikael Granlund (44.48), so Dorofeyev’s quick shot release and shooting position on the ice are consistently catching opposing goalies off guard. Of note, Eichel ranks fifth in this category (38.05) which gives the Vegas power play two capable shooters on both sides of the ice.

3. Offensive zone start percentage

Dorofeyev is benefiting from not only playing on one of the best offensive teams in the NHL but also getting favorable usage from coach Bruce Cassidy. Dorofeyev ranks in the 99th percentile in offensive zone starts percentage (51.0) and also ranks highly among forwards in offensive zone time percentage (46.7; 89th percentile) and total skating distance (18.96 miles; 79th percentile).

It’s worth noting Vegas right wing Mark Stone, who has played frequently on Dorofeyev’s line this season, is week to week with an upper-body injury. Stone has had primary assists on four of Dorofeyev’s seven goals; Marner, who has had primary assists on two of Dorofeyev’s goals, can certainly help Dorofeyev maintain his early season goal-scoring pace.