In the past, Peter referred to Eric Fehr as bacon bits because Fehr seemed to improve whatever line he was put on. Need to make that food better? Add bacon bits. Need to make that line better? Add Eric Fehr.
This season, Tom Wilson has officially taken the bacon bits throne from Fehr, especially when it comes to playing in the top six. Thats’s right, person who just woke up from a nap that started in spring of 2017, Tom Wilson is #ActuallyGood.
First off, an important side note from Twitter:
(Extremely behind the wall guy voice)
Tom Wilson has more 5v5 primary points this season than…
Sidney Crosby.
— Michael Stanford (@HalfAgain) March 13, 2018
Wilson has spent most of this season skating in the top six. The Caps’ top-six forward group has benefited from this.
The two lines Wilson has skated with the most this season is on the right side of Ovechkin-Backstrom and Ovechkin-Kuznetsov. Here’s how Wilson has improved the play of those duos when he’s out there with them:
| Ovechkin-Backstrom | TOI | Shot Attempt % | Goals For % |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Wilson | 396 | 54.0 | 56.0 |
| Without Wilson | 160 | 50.8 | 60.8 |
Ovechkin and Backstrom do significantly better in terms of shot attempts when Wilson skates on their right side compared to when that spot is filled by someone else. It’s true that the duo sees a higher percentage of the goals without Wilson than with, but this is in large part due to a 103.6 PDO without #TopLineTom and 101.9 with him.
| Ovechkin-Kuznetsov | TOI | Shot Attempt % | Goals For % |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Wilson | 114 | 53.3 | 61.4 |
| Without Wilson | 304 | 46.2 | 56.5 |
Anyway you slice it, the Caps’ dynamic Russian duo does significantly better with Wilson than without him.
There’s certainly context to be considered, such as the linemate skating with these duos when Wilson isn’t there (looking at you DSP), but that doesn’t take away from the main point here: Tom Wilson is the new bacon bits.
Headline image: Patrick Smith
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
