Penguins Update: Points vs. Hits

Shelly Anderson posted an intriguing article on Pittsburgh Hockey Now a while back that referenced a study and report published by RotoWire.com, ranking NHL teams from most aggressive to least aggressive.

No great surprise that our Penguins were tied for next-to-last with the Red Wings and Oilers.

The article also seemed to suggest an inverse relationship between aggression and on-ice success, citing the fact that only six of the 16 most aggressive teams according to the study made the playoffs. (It should be noted back-to-back Cup champion Florida ranked fourth.)

Not what I expected at all.

I’ve long been an advocate of physical play and have often bemoaned the Pens’ lack of toughness, especially during the latter stages of the Mike Sullivan era.

An inventory of recent Cup champions would seem to support my stance. In addition to the Panthers, the Golden Knights, Lightning, Blues and Capitals all employed a heavy element. The lone exception, the Avalanche, nonetheless boasted no fewer than a dozen skaters during the postseason who tipped the scales at 200 pounds or more.

Still, the article piqued my curiosity. I decided to do my own study of sorts, comparing team hits to point totals for 2024-25. The results pretty much reinforce the RotoWire findings.

Of the top 17 teams in hits, only two—the Maple Leafs and Kings—finished among the top-10 teams in points. Seven of the 17 qualified for the playoffs. Of those seven, only the Leafs and Cup-winning Panthers advanced past the first round.

Conversely, seven of the bottom-10 teams in hits ranked among the top-10 point-getters. The Hurricanes and Stars advanced to their respective Conference Final; the Oilers to the Cup Final.

As for a plausible explanation? To borrow a theory from PP colleague, Other Rick, perhaps the better teams play more often with a lead and are less likely to stir the pot physically, the Panthers being a notable exception. Other than that, I confess haven’t a clue.

At any rate, here are the results. Hit totals are courtesy of NHL.com. An asterisk indicates a playoff team.

Team	Hits	Rank	Points	Rank
* Florida	2446	1.	98	11.
Vancouver	2213	2.	90	18.
Boston	2168	3.	76	27T.
* Ottawa	2106	4.	97	12.
NY Rangers	2031	5.	85	22.
* St. Louis	2003	6.	96	14.
* Montréal	1987	7.	91	16T.
* Toronto	1962	8.	108	4.
Nashville	1933	9.	68	30.
* New Jersey	1929	10.	91	16T.
Calgary	1908	11.	96	15.
Anaheim	1876	12.	80	24T.
San Jose	1818	13.	52	32.
NY Islanders	1814	14.	82	23.
* Los Angeles	1742	15.	105	6.
Buffalo	1736	16.	79	26.
Philadelphia	1727	17.	76	27T.
* Winnipeg	1700	18.	116	1.
Seattle	1697	19.	76	27T.
Penguins	1665	20.	80	24T.
Columbus	1656	21.	89	19.
* Minnesota	1645	22.	99	13.
* Washington	1580	23.	111	2.
Detroit	1570	24.	86	21.
* Colorado	1549	25.	102	7T.
Chicago	1533	26.	61	31.
* Vegas	1488	27.	110	3.
Utah	1467	28.	89	20.
* Tampa Bay	1443	29.	102	7T.
* Carolina	1415	30.	99	10.
* Dallas	1245	31.	106	5.
* Edmonton	1241	32.	101	9.