I don’t usually do this sort of thing….

A hockey note here, and mercifully, not the one you’re thinking of.

Colby Cosh has posted a fascinating statistical essay discussing NHL team performance in a fairly inspired way.

He describes the strong relationship between goals and points: 2.8 goals scored or prevented gains a team one point in the standings, more or less, most of the time.

But as he breaks these details down further, he gets to the real discovery: goaltending is almost the only thing that matters in the playoffs. Hockey fans share the idea that you can ride a hot goalie deep into the playoffs, but Cosh has scientific proof of how vital a hot goalie really is.

The whole essay is fascinating if you’re a hockey fan and stats wonk.

As for the other story, the one about Bert: I just don’t want to say anything.