On Thanksgiving eve, those left in the NHL offices were probably doing a little more cheering for the red light going off behind goalies than usual as the league wants to avoid a number so ugly, it should scare anyone collecting a paycheck.
5.27
5.27 is a number that represents more than just the NHL's current combined goals per game through the first 316 games this season. It is basically a cheap way to measure the investment viability of the NHL and it is falling harder than a forward blocking a Shea Weber slap shot.