Let’s start with a question that is part math, part philosophy.



Should an NHL team want to outshoot an opponent 20-16 or 40-32? Or, if we’re talking about scoring chances, should a team want to out-chance someone, let’s say, 14-11 or 28-22 at even strength?



It’s a tricky question. There are pros and cons to both sides.



It is also part of the conundrum when it comes to analyzing the Devils, who have compounded a terrible start with a not-strong-enough-yet response and are back in last place in the Eastern Conference at 5-8-4. The team that was in last, the Senators, authored the latest defeat Wednesday night at Prudential to vault past them.



We focus so much on the percentages now in the modern, (mostly) analytics-friendly NHL. Corsi for percentage, shots for percentage, scoring chances for percentage, goals for percentage, expected goals for percentage — these are all bedrock metrics used to examine what’s going on...