I build things.

Empirical evidence of short term 'momentum' in the NHL?

Comebacks vs. blown leads in overtime games.

My exploration of SDQL continues, and as before I’ve just been working to pick up the basics of the query language. ‘Momentum’ is an oft debated concept in sports. The question this time is: Do teams that blow leads typically also lose the game in overtime? In other words, does a team charging through a comeback carry that ‘momentum’ into overtime? Using KillerSports.com as my source (the data goes back to 2006) and filtering for regular season only I decided to look at teams winning percentages in overtime when holding a given lead after one or two periods of play.

Q: How safe is a lead after each period in the NHL?

A: Reasonably to very.

After discovering SDQL I’ve been working to pick up the basics of the query language. Best to start with something easy and work up from there I figure, so the first question I wondered was: How safe is a lead after each period in the NHL? Using KillerSports.com as my source (the data goes back to 2006) and filtering for regular season only that answer seems to be: Pretty safe.