Philadelphia Flyers G Steve Mason/Michal Neuvirth RGV Study

Dec 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth (30) enters the game after replacing goalie Steve Mason (35) against the New York Islanders during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth (30) enters the game after replacing goalie Steve Mason (35) against the New York Islanders during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Flyers G Steve Mason/Michal Neuvirth – Project Helium: Regulated Goalie Value (RGV) Study

For this article, I will be comparing a pair of Philadelphia Flyers goalies who reside in “The City of Brotherly Love”.

Considering the fact Philly was a Wild Card team this past season, I thought it would be good to take a look at which of their goalies (Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth respectively) performed better in an individual game.

In the previous article (Detroit’s Jimmy Howard/Petr Mrazek) both goaltenders took a loss, however this time around they will pick up a win. 

With each goalie being the exact same age (28 years old), I am just going to start the study at random, with Steve Mason being the first to be analyzed. I am not sure if you have read my previous articles, but I will use 2015-16 results for this study. Here we go:

Steve Mason’s study is from March 7th, 2016. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in Philadelphia.

Click the link to see what each variable means

The Scoring Recap (Tampa Bay Goals Only)

(1st Pd)

4:07: J+J1

(3rd Pd)

14:53: G (wrist shot)+G13

Mason’s regulated goalie value (RGV) totaled up to 2.0318, which is a bit different from the past few studies.

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Since recent studies have resulted in a PGV of below one, this time around it was a tad above.

Mason’s per goal value (PGV) added up to 1.0159, meaning he was basically average in that category.

It might be the fact that less goals means that one higher score throws the balance out of whack (which it did), however the late third period goal increases the total score.

Basically, what I am saying is that the less goals scored, the less chance for a redeemer in the formula.

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Now, let’s move on to Michal Neuvirth. Since I used a game in which Steve Mason allowed two goals, I will do the same for Neuvirth. His game will be from December 10th, 2015. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 in St. Louis.

The Scoring Recap (St. Louis Goals Only)

(2nd Pd)

1:35: J

(3rd Pd)

7:37 PPG: J+J1+M+M2

Neuvirth RGV was much lower than Mason’s, checking in at 1.6386.

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His PGV was remarkable, as it was only 0.8193. That is the lowest PGV I have ever scored, and it is below -0.1 per goal. It is nearly -0.2 per goal, considering the fact that it is in the low 0.8’s.

The reason for that is due to the fact that one of the goals was scored on the power play, which helped him out a lot.

All in all, this study was a bit interesting in regards to the fact that it showed that less goals equals a radical shift in results.

I say this because Neuvirth and Mason scored the exact same amount of goals, however their RGV and PGV couldn’t have been more apart. Even though it is just one game, this formula can churn out results on the opposite ends of the spectrum due for the reasons I mentioned above.

Even though neither of these goalies are considered “elite” netminders, they both have a solid future in the NHL.

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This could very well be the end of the RGV studies, with one more possible. A new formula will be coming out in the future, however I might not be able to write as many studies due to the complexity of it. More to come soon.

Source: http://flyers.nhl.com/