Shorter NHL training camps don't change much about early-season hockey, it's still sloppy

The first three days of the earliest leaguewide start in NHL history delivered scores straight out of the 1980s.Edmonton and Vancouver played 6-5 and 9-7 games. Pittsburgh routed Philadelphia 7-0. Colorado beat Los Angeles 8-4.“There’s a lot of goals being scored, which tells you that there’s some loose hockey still being played,” New York Islanders coach Peter DeBoer said Thursday.The hockey has been sloppy, scoring is up slightly and goaltenders are stopping the puck less than last season.

But with the first 100 or so games in the books following shorter training camps and less exhibition action, there's little evidence to suggest that it has drastically altered the play on the ice compared to previous starts that come with gaps in fundamentals and the occasional blowout.“I think it’s been like that for the last 100 years, so I was not expecting this year to be any different,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said.What the numbers say about the first week-plusThe first 110 games have featured 344 goals — led by Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard with six. Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin even has one from shooting and scoring into an empty net.That's an average of 6.26, up a tick from the 6.1 over the first 112 games a year ago. Power plays are clicking at a 20.9% success rate, compared to 19.8%, led by Tourigny's Mammoth at 61.5%.“Maybe less time to practice special teams,” said Utah's Dylan Guenther, who leads the league with six power play points.

“We had a pretty big emphasis on that in camp because we did a lot of special teams, so it’s good that a little bit of that is paying off.”The average save percentage so far is .890. Netminders combining for an .896 last season was the lowest in the NHL since 1994, and it's not getting any easier for hockey's masked men.There are a similar amount of giveaways, more than 16 a game, and plenty of odd-man rushes to be found.“Teams can score, like there’s so much skill,” New Jersey defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “Teams have so much skill, so on the defensive side, all it takes is one stick being in the wrong spot or one guy being out of position and teams are going to make you pay.”What changes from a shorter campIt is an annual debate every fall how to get the most out of camp, Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said, which leads to plenty of teaching early in the regular season."Do we roll out everything and then introduce it…