Original educational analysis
Devils–Golden Knights: where faceoffs occur changes the comparison
By Sports Forensics editorial analysis
Published October 30, 2026, 03:17 PM PDT · Statistics checked October 30, 2026, 01:35 PM PDT
New Jersey and Vegas entered October 30 with almost indistinguishable overall faceoff records. The Devils had won 367 of 729 draws, or 50.3%; the Golden Knights had won 401 of 796, or 50.4%. The official NHL report covers New Jersey’s 13 and Vegas’s 14 completed regular-season games through October 29. Splitting the draws by location and manpower reveals differences that the overall percentages conceal.
Vegas won 155 of 298 offensive-zone faceoffs: 155 divided by 298 equals 52.0%. In its defensive zone, Vegas won 126 of 272, or 46.3%. Its 120 wins in 226 neutral-zone draws added a 53.1% rate. The offensive and neutral-zone results lifted the overall figure even though fewer than half of its defensive-zone draws were recorded as wins.
New Jersey’s zone pattern was different. It won 131 of 268 offensive-zone draws, or 48.9%, and 119 of 235 defensive-zone draws, or 50.6%. In the neutral zone it won 117 of 226, or 51.8%. Thus the Devils’ slightly lower overall rate coexisted with a higher defensive-zone rate than Vegas’s. That is a more specific observation than declaring one club the better faceoff team from a rounded season percentage.
The correct overall calculation pools counts. For Vegas, 155 + 126 + 120 equals 401 wins, and 298 + 272 + 226 equals 796 draws. Dividing those totals weights each zone by its actual opportunities. Simply averaging the three zone percentages would give a draw category with 226 opportunities the same influence as one with 298.
Manpower offers another view of the same faceoffs. At even strength, New Jersey won 307 of 607 draws, or 50.6%, while Vegas won 336 of 661, or 50.8%. On the power play the respective figures were 35 of 72, or 48.6%, and 46 of 81, or 56.8%. Shorthanded, New Jersey won 25 of 50, or 50.0%; Vegas won 19 of 54, or 35.2%. Location and manpower classify overlapping events, so their totals must not be added together.
A faceoff win records the result of a restart, not the duration or quality of the possession that follows. These reports do not establish whether a draw led to a clean exit, a shot or a goal. Small special-teams samples, different opponents and the players assigned to each situation also limit comparisons. During Devils–Golden Knights, the useful follow-up is where a draw occurs, who is on the ice and what happens next. All numbers here are historical season totals, not live October 30 statistics.