Tracking each event during a game allows us to quantify players' performances across multiple statistical categories. Below is a list of the top Montreal Canadiens players in each category we track.
OFFENSIVE-ZONE PASS-INTERCEPTIONS
Offensive-zone pass-interceptions are defined as any opposition pass that is intercepted or blocked. Here we have broken these intercepted passes down by offensive-zone. Max Pacioretty leads all Canadiens players with 100 blocked or intercepted passes in the offensive-zone. Other players with more than 70 blocked or intercepted passes in the o-zone include, Erik Cole, David Desharnais, and Tomas Plekanec.
We also include blocked or intercepted clearing attempts within this category. PK Subban leads all defensemen with 55, followed surprisingly by Alexei Emelin with 51 blocked or intercepted passes or clearing-attempts in the offensive-zone.
We also track success-rates within this category. A failed attempt is defined as; any opposition pass that goes between a Canadiens player's stick and skates, or through his skates without being blocked. The two Canadiens players with the highest success-rate withing this metric are Louis Leblanc and Blake Geoffrion. The lowest success-rate among forwards belongs to Michael Blunden, while the lowest among d-men belongs to Chris Campoli.
DEFENSIVE-ZONE PASS-INTERCEPTIONS
Defensive-zone pass-interceptions are defined as any opposition pass that is intercepted or blocked. PK Subban and Josh Gorges are far-and-away the leaders in this category. Subban has blocked or intercepted 163 opposition passes in the defensive-zone, while Gorges has intercepted or blocked 152. No other Canadiens player has blocked or intercepted more than 100 opposition passes in the d-zone.
David Desharnais is the leader among forwards with 93 blocked or intercepted passes, followed by Lars Eller with 81.
We also track success-rates within this category. A failed attempt is defined as, any opposition pass that goes between a Canadiens player's stick and skates, or through his skates without being blocked. Surprisingly, the highest success-rate within this category belongs to Tomas Kaberle, while the leader among forwards is Rene Bourque. The lowest success-rate belongs to Aaron Palushaj.
NEUTRAL-ZONE PASS-INTERCEPTIONS
Neutral-zone pass-interceptions are defined as any opposition pass that is intercepted or blocked. David Desharnais is the runaway leader in this category with 73 blocked or intercepted opposition passes in the neutral-zone. He is followed by linemates Pacioretty (47) and Cole (44). Plekanec, like Pacioretty, has also blocked 47 opposition passes in the neutral-zone.
The leader among defensemen is Josh Gorges with 43, followed by Subban with 34. Hal Gill had already blocked 35 opposition passes in the neutral-zone at the time of his trade to the Nashville Predators.
We also track success-rates within this category. A failed attempt is defined as, any opposition pass that goes between a Canadiens player's stick and skates, or through his skates without being blocked. The top success-rates in this category all belong to defensemen. The passive nature of defensemen's positioning in the neutral-zone is the reason they dominate the category. D-men are usually skating backward through the neutral-zone; giving them the time and space to block neutral-zone passes near the receiver, rather than the more difficult task of blocking them closer to the passer. Gorges, Subban, Markov and Campoli all have success-rates over 80%.
The highest success-rate among forwards belongs to Erik Cole, while the lowest success-rate among defensemen was produced by Raphael Diaz.