Last season, the Minnesota Swarm were second in the NLL in goals scored. Only Calgary was higher. This season, they are off to a much slower start. Through 16 games last season, they scored 219 goals, an average of 13.7 goals per game. Through 2 games this season, they have scored 11, an average of 5.5 goals per game. This has them on pace for 99 goals for the season.
So, let’s take a look at what’s going on. Last season, the Swarm took 786 shots on goal. That is an average of 49.1 shots per game. This season, so far, there have been 101 shots on net for an average of 50.5 shots on goal per game. These are the shots that are actually on the net, not counting the ones that miss the target. So, it’s not that the Swarm are not getting opportunities.
There are a few issues that I see that are potentially holding the Swarm back from scoring. The first is chemistry amongst the offensive unit. Training camp was spread out over three weekends this year, and there are three new faces with roles on the offensive core. Technically, you could count captain Andrew Suitor in this group, as he missed the majority of last season with a knee injury and the roster had to reset without him last year. Gone are Andrew Watt, Ryan Benesch, Matt Gibson, and Corbyn Tao. So, things look a bit different up front. They may just need some time to gel. The Swarm did trade away an average of 35 goals in Ryan Benesch. It looks like the plan may be for Logan Schuss to fill that void, but that’s a big role for a rookie to fill.
Another issue is quality of shots. The quantity is fine. It’s gone up slightly since last season, although it’s too early to tell if that will be maintained. However, when you watch, a majority of the shots taken are shots that are easily anticipated by the goaltender. It’s hard to score when the goalie’s expecting you. Many of the shots are straight on angles, and they really need to try for the awkward angles and the ones that really throw the goalie out of position and make him move around. Above all, be sneaky.
The final problem with scoring I will look at is the Swarm in the first two games have faced two really good goalies. Matt Vinc has been Goaltender of the Year three times in the last four years. Tyler Richards has numbers that are pretty similar to Vinc. These are two of the top goaltenders. Not much is going past them. Not just by the Swarm, but by any team. These are players who know how to read shots and plays, how to anticipate, plan and move. This is where you need to be sneaky. You need to be creative. The way the Swarm are currently playing isn’t going to work with goalies like this.
Is there a problem with scoring for the Swarm? Yes. Is it something to be concerned about? Two games into the season, no. If it persists after this weekend’s back to back, then yes, it’s going to become worrisome.
