EDGE stats: Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets in 2025 NHL Stadium Series

NHL.com’s fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we identify five key advanced stats trends to preview the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, TVAS-D, FX-CA).

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1. Werenski’s case for Norris Trophy

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski leads the NHL at his position in even-strength goals (13) and points (40), ranks second at the position in goals (18) and points (62 in 58 games) and leads all skaters in average ice time (26:50 per game). He is a bonafide Norris Trophy candidate with the Blue Jackets in Stanley Cup Playoff contention and also led the entire 4 Nations Face-Off in points (six; all assists) and defensemen in shots on goal (13 in four games).

Werenski also has one of the most robust NHL EDGE stats profiles (below are his rankings among defensemen in key advanced stats categories):

-20-plus mile per hour speed bursts: 125 (3rd)
-Total skating distance: 229.17 miles (1st)
-Midrange shots on goal: 59 (2nd)
-High-danger shots on goal: 31 (1st)
-High-danger goals: 5 (tied for 1st)
-Midrange goals: 10 (2nd)

NHL EDGE IQ, powered by Amazon Web Services, uses “Projected Goal Rate” (PGR) to estimate the likelihood of a shot attempt becoming a goal. The NHL average PGR this season for a defenseman is approximately 2.80 percent across all inferenced shot attempts.

Of the 364 inference shot attempts (excluding shots greater than 60 feet, those beyond the goal line and empty-net attempts) by Werenski this season, his average projected goal rate is 3.95 percent, given the goalie's positioning, puck movement and traffic at the time of release. That is the third highest mark among NHL defensemen (who rank in the 80th percentile and above for shot attempts), trailing only a pair who have far fewer attempts than he does: Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers (4.23 percent on 168 attempts) and Owen Power of the Buffalo Sabres (3.99 percent on 188 attempts).

2. Marchenko’s full-fledged breakout

Blue Jackets wing Kirill Marchenko has already set NHL career highs in points (60 in 56 games) and power-play points (16) while playing in all but three of their games this season. Marchenko leads Columbus in goals over the past two seasons combined (47) and has taken his playmaking to another level this season; Marchenko’s 36 assists trail only Werenski (44) for the Blue Jackets lead this season, and his 23 primary assists are tied for 19th among NHL forwards.

Per NHL EDGE stats, Marchenko ranks in the League’s 93rd percentile in 20-plus mph speed bursts (138) and has excelled with his shot at or above the tops of the circles. He ranks highly in midrange shots on goal (59; 93rd percentile), midrange goals (11; 98th percentile) and long-range shots on goal (21; 96th percentile among forwards).

3. Raymond's midrange goals

Since Jan. 1, Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond leads all players from either team taking part in the NHL Stadium Series in points (25 in 22 games; tied for 10th in League over span). Raymond leads Detroit in points (63) and assists (41) this season, and his 82 points (35 goals, 47 assists) in 82 games during the 2024 calendar year marked the most by a Red Wings skater in a calendar year since Pavel Datsyuk in 2009 (86 in 86 games).

Per NHL EDGE stats, Raymond is tied with Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers for League lead in midrange goals (14) and ranks in the 96th percentile in midrange shots on goal (64). Each of those marks already exceeds his outputs from 82 games last season (nine midrange goals on 48 midrange shots on goal).

4. Columbus’ center depth

The Blue Jackets are right behind the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race despite injuries to center Sean Monahan (41 points in 41 games) and wing Yegor Chinakhov (14 in 21 games); neither has played since Jan. 7. Captain Boone Jenner (shoulder) missed the first 56 games of the season but has since returned (five points in three games) to a lineup that has relied on its youth.

Of the Blue Jackets’ five forwards with at least 30 points this season, four are under the age of 25: Marchenko (60 points; 24 years old), Kent Johnson (41 points; 22 years old), Dmitri Voronkov (39 points; 24 years old) and Adam Fantilli (36 points; 20 years old).

Voronkov has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in his past 29 games since Dec. 15, including a team-leading five power-play goals over that span. Per NHL EDGE stats, Voronkov ranks highly in high-danger shots on goal (59; 95th percentile) and high-danger goals (13; 93rd percentile).

Johnson ranks second in the League in 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes (1.61) this season behind only Tage Thompson of the Sabres (1.84) and just ahead of Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (1.57). Per NHL EDGE stats, Johnson ranks in the League’s 94th percentile in midrange goals (nine).

Fantilli has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his past 12 games since Jan. 22, a stretch that began with his first NHL hat trick against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Per NHL EDGE stats, Fantilli is tied for seventh in 22-plus mph speed bursts (23) this season.

5. Detroit's power-play success

Red Wings have seen a spark from their in-season coaching change and have a chance to end their eight-season playoff drought. Since replacing Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan, the Red Wings are 17-6-2 since Dec. 27, tied for the second-best points percentage (.720) in the League over that span, and have the best power-play percentage (38.2).

Per NHL EDGE stats, Detroit’s offensive zone time percentage on the power play (62.7) is tied for second best in the League behind only the Vegas Golden Knights (62.9 percent). Only nine NHL players have had at least 12 power-play points since the NHL’s holiday break (when Detroit made its coaching change); five of them play on the Red Wings’ first power-play unit: forwards Raymond (15; tied for first in League over span), Patrick Kane (14; tied for third), Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Moritz Seider (12 each; tied for sixth).

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More EDGE stats: Red Wings | Blue Jackets