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TORONTO - When Kyle Dubas began using advanced stats and analytics as general manager of the Ontario Hockey Leagues Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, he and his staff had to track, import and compare everything manually.That would take hours and hours, and there would be lag time between games, Dubas said. We didnt have any budget to do anything good enough to make it real-time.Now, as assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dubas has just about all the information he could want at his fingertips. Over the past couple months, the Leafs have forged a partnership with analytics firm SAS and on opening night began using the technology they hope will eventually improve their on-ice results.Were able to collect the data and have it in real-time, be able to use it to give to our coaches in the game and to analyze for ourselves in decision-making, Dubas said. To have those tools at your disposal on your phone or iPad, its been great and a massive and welcome change.The SAS technology captures stats from every NHL game and team. Dubas and Torontos hockey research and development staff can then access that information, which means Leafs analytics specialists Cam Charron, Darryl Metcalf and Rob Pettapiece — all hired over the summer as part of Dubas and president Brendan Shanahans shift to a more analytical approach — dont have to manually keep track of things like shot attempts, ice time or quality of competition.Meanwhile, the Leafs track their own stats — proprietary information they wont share — which is also inputted into the new system to be cross-referenced later. The result is a series of graphs and charts that attempt to explain aspects of the sport that go beyond traditional statistics like goals, assists and plus/minus.When you start to use a deeper form of analysis, it kind of just allows you to question what youre seeing and allows you to better understand whats actually happening in the game, which players will play well together, which defence pairings will play well together, Dubas said. It encompasses around everything because it adds context and powerful information to everything that we can do.SAS analytics lead Tim Trussell said the purpose is to be validating assumptions or validating hypotheses in an unbiased way.Hockey executives, coaches, players and fans can watch a game and have a good idea of whos playing well and whos not, but having the data to back it up adds another dimension to measuring hockey.Carl Farrell, SAS Canadas executive vice-president, said several other teams are doing similar things. SAS has worked with the NBAs Orlando Magic for some time.Sports analytics now is growing in all the different sports segments and hockey being one of them, Farrell said. I think youre going to see more of this. People are realizing: This datas important. It brings extra context, extra depth to the kind of decisions that Kyle and the team have to make.Dubas said when he was hired, Shanahan and general manager Dave Nonis were eager to learn as much about analytics and obtain as much information as possible. Over the previous couple of years, the Leafs were a punching bag for the advanced-stats converts, who criticized them for being a bad puck-possession team.Centre Nazem Kadri has noticed more of an emphasis on holding onto the puck this season than in the past.I think they want you controlling the puck a little more and teams have really started to do that, Kadri said. Obviously theres times and places where youve got to dump the puck and try and get retrievals, but really its all about the neutral-zone and offensive-zone possession.In an effort to join some of the better teams in the departments of analytics, puck possession and sustained winning, the Leafs hired stats bloggers Charron, Metcalf and Pettapiece.Theyre watching the game and tracking different things that were doing either that weve keyed on and want for every game or different things that were trying to test to see if theres any correlation between how we play and our ability to score more goals than the other team, Dubas said.The SAS partnership, announced Thursday morning, seems like the next step in the process for the Leafs.Over time its not so much the technology that differentiates. Its how an organization uses it, how they incorporate it into their business process, said Cameron Dow, vice-president of marketing for SAS Canada. Its all that softer stuff: How do you change the culture to be more analytically oriented, those sorts of things, is really one of the keys to unlocking the value.Part of changing the culture is taking ideas and information and selling it to the coaching staff. Dubas said that was one of the more difficult things in Sault Ste. Marie.You cant just come in and be abrasive and try to overnight have everybody just nod in agreement with everything that happens, Dubas said. It just adds context and information to what theyre doing as coaches and try to be helpful to them.Coach Randy Carlyle said it could take some time to put into effect what the analytics data says.Theres been information thats been supplied to us thats helped us, and were going to continue to use it as a tool, Carlyle said. We think wed be crazy not to. If there was no value in it — in our minds there is value in it, so were going to use it.So far and through the very small sample size of four regular-season games, Dubas said, the most noticeable impact has been on analyzing upcoming opponents. The Leafs could begin to anticipate how the Pittsburgh Penguins were playing under new coach Mike Johnston or how new players were fitting in for the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche.Youre trying to analyze, even though its a small sample: How are those teams changing or how are they playing, what effects are different guys having with different players, and be able to apply that to our preparation for every game, Dubas said.So far, only Dubas, Charron, Metcalf and Pettapiece have access to the raw data, though that could change over time. SAS also has the ability to add more depth to the information the Leafs can unearth and sift through.We see a lot of potential in the future to add and complement to what Kyle and the team are doing right now, Dow said. I think theyre just scratching the surface of what is possible.Integrating analytics is part of a long-term process for the Leafs, Dubas said. And unlike junior hockey with its high turnover, the NHL has components like a salary cap and roster construction that mean any such turnaround like the one he led with the Greyhounds will require patience.Dubas already got a taste of impatience when the Leafs lost their first two games.Being an active social-media user I was fascinated: Saturday night we lost and went to 0-2 and it was hilarious to kind of watch everyone say, I thought analytics was supposed to make the team an overnight success, Dubas said. The key thing for me is Ive lived through it before in Sault Ste. Marie. We went from doing nothing to collecting information and data and tracking it and integrating it into the organization. It takes time.Kadri spent some time learning more about advanced stats but hasnt changed his style.Im a puck-possession player, so its not like Im opposed to it, Kadri said. Ive seen charts and things like that and graphs and all that. Im not a math major by all means. I just go out there and try to play my game, and whatever the numbers show, they show.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Fake Shoes Free Shipping . The shortstop still grieves, but it will be nights like the one Segura had in a 5-2 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Reds that will provide some distraction. Fake Shoes . Lauzon rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries for the Vert et Or (2-3) while quarterback Jeremi Roch completed 19-of-32 passes for 251 yards and one interception. Alexandre Aube scored the other touchdown for Sherbrooke. https://www.fakeshoes.net/. James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. Fake Yeezy . "After consultation with the Team USA medical staff and officials, it was determined that he should return to Winnipeg as a precaution due to his previous injury history," Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Wednesday in a statement. Wholesake Fake Nike Air Force 1 . Jesus Navas bookended yet another huge home win for City by scoring after 14 seconds and again in second-half stoppage time, with Sergio Aguero also netting in each half to add to an own goal by Sandro and a brilliant strike by Alvaro Negredo.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who enter the season with high expectations after a strong showing without their superstar for much of last season. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Atlantic GM: Steve Yzerman Head Coach: Jon Cooper 2013-14: 46-27-9 (2nd in Atlantic) Playoffs: Lost in division semifinals Goals For: 232 (9th) Goals Against: 209 (11th) Powerplay: 18.5% (13th) Penalty Kill: 80.7% (23rd) That Was Then: The Lightning were short on believers heading into 2013-14, having finished with the Leaguea€?s third-worst record the previous season and being lumped into a tough new division alongside the likes of Boston, Montreal and Detroit. That didna€?t seem to phase the team, who roared out of the gate and won eight games in both October and November. By the middle of November they were the best team in the East led by a nearly-unstoppable Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, the former scoring 14 goals in his first 16 games. Then, on Nov. 11 the season changed entirely. Stamkos went sliding feet first into the goalpost at the TD Garden in Boston and fractured his tibia. The prognosis was immediately grim, with the Brampton native expected to miss months in recovery time. Funny thing, though, the Bolts kept winning. They put up the exact same number of points in December and January (17) as they did in November and St. Louis took over, producing at a point-per-game pace right up until the Olympic break. And therea€?s the white elephant in the room. The Olympics were a huge distraction for the Lightning from the moment the team was announced on Jan. 5. GM Steve Yzerman named Stamkos to the Canadian Olympic hockey team, turning all eyes towards his recovery and whether he would be fit in time to make the trip to Sochi. However, he also omitted St. Louis from the original roster, leading to all kinds of speculation over why he overlooked one of the Leaguea€?s top producers from his own team. The rumour mill began to churn with belief that St. Louis wanted out of Florida. He was eventually named to the Olympic team and win gold with Canada. However, after just four games back with the Lightning post-Sochi, he was dealt to the New York Rangers for the expiring contract of their captain Ryan Callahan and a hatful of draft picks. Stamkos was back for the next game and picked up where left off, scoring nine goals in 10 games to finish the month. The Lightning, though, suffered another blow with eventual Vezina Trophy-winner Ben Bishop injuring his wrist in the final week of the season. The injury forced the team to lean on Anders Lindback and Latvian Olympic hero Kristers Gudlevskis to finish their schedule and into the post-season. The Lightning finished the season second in the Atlantic, narrowly edging the Canadiens. The Habs, though, got the last laugh, sweeping the Bishop-less Bolts in the first round of the playoffs. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.05 2.45 8.8% .920 51.5% .700 21-41 2.38 2.05 6.6% .949 52.8% .619 42-62 2.95 3.05 8.5% .922 50.5% .452 63-82 2.95 2.60 7.6% .918 52.4% .700 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Good start, solid possession and scoring; decent goaltending. Games 21-41: Steven Stamkos hurt, but Lightning ride great goaltending from Ben Bishop. Games 42-62: Goaltending coming back to average and declining possession contributed to rough stretch. Games 63-82: Improved possession and a sttrong power play resulted in a good finish to the season. Key Additions: C Brian Boyle, D Jason Garrison,, LW Brenden Morrow, G Evgeni Nabokov, D Anton Stralman Key Subtractions: D Keith Aulie, RW B.ddddddddddddJ. Crombeen, D Mike Kostka, G Anders Lindback, LW Ryan Malone, RW Teddy Purcell, C Tom Pyatt, C Nate Thompson This Is Now: Its clearly Stamkosa€? team now. Hea€?s proven he can score without St. Louis on his flank, so the team now turns to him as it tries to make the leap into true contender status. Yzerman had a busy off-season, adding veteran pieces and furiously moving bodies around to free up cap space to help fill the ranks behind his captain. The result of his labours sees Callahan back on a six-year deal, veteran pieces like Brenden Morrow and Jason Garrison given a chance to boost the teama€?s veteran core, Anton Stralman getting a nice payday for his post-season success with the Rangers. It also saw Sam Gagner in a Lightning uniform for all of an hour or so as he acquired the former Oiler in exchange for Teddy Purcell before flipping him to Arizona to free up the cap spaces that eventually led to all of the above moves. Tampa appears to have found a model they like in the Rangers and few would argue against it, with the team fresh off a Stanley Cup Final appearance. The two-way skill of Stralman and the grit of Brian Boyle help make the Lightning a more complete team and the team clearly saw enough out of Callahan to convince themselves that he is a necessary long-term piece for the club. The addition of Evgeni Nabokov also provides some insulation should Bishop run into injuries once again while not clogging the future path to the Lightning roster should Gudlevskis or 2012 first-rounder Andrei Vasilevskiy force the issue. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Jonathan Drouin Steven Stamkos Ryan Callahan Alex Killorn Valtteri Filppula Brett Connolly Ondrej Palat Tyler Johnson J.T. Brown Brenden Morrow Brian Boyle Nikita Kucherov Jonathan Marchessault Vladislav Namestnikov Richard Panik Adam Erne Cedric Paquette Michael Blunden Defence Left Right Victor Hedman Anton Stralman Jason Garrison Matt Carle Eric Brewer Radko Gudas Mark Barberio Andrej Sustr Slater Koekkoek Matt Corrente Goaltenders Ben Bishop Evgeni Nabokov Andrei Vasilevski Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Jonathan Drouin Jonathan has exceptional intelligence on the ice and it takes his level of play to unprecedented heights. Great vision of the known and unknown and his anticipation of the patterns unfolding and ability to then makes plays of a highly productive nature is outstanding. He is always probing for the weakness in a defense and when he finds it, hea€?s lightning quick to exploit it. Great hands and he can make all manner of plays with the puck in traffic and in tight areas. Hea€?s involved in all of the heavy and critical areas and he has a burning desire to excel and make things happen. He can play any situation in the game and he does so with a full comprehension of what each one requires. He is that player who beats up opponents with his skill, his mind and his competitiveness. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Nikita Kucherov The 2011 second-rounder faces a lot of competition for quality ice time among the Lightnings talented young forwards, but the numbers indicate that Kucherov can score if given the opportunity. Start with 87 points in 47 QMJHL (playoff plus regular season) games in 2012-2013 and then he opened his pro career with 24 points in 17 AHL games last season, earning a promotion to the Lightning. While Kucherov finished with a modest 18 points in 52 games last season, he had the best possession stats on the team (min. 500 minutes) and generated the second-most shots per minute. ' ' '