By now, pretty much everyone in hockey accepts that plus-minus isn’t a very revealing stat.
But every once in a while, it can still say something.
Erik Karlsson woke up Wednesday morning, before the Sharks’ 2-1 shootout win over the Blues, with a minus-6 rating, tied for the worst mark in the NHL. During five-on-five play, Karlsson was on the ice for five goals against and none for. Not all of the goals were his fault, and he wasn’t the sole reason that the team still had a goose egg while he was on the ice. But he hadn’t done much of anything to help, either.
Take Monday’s game against the Blues, a 5-4 loss. Karlsson didn’t look very good on the second or third St. Louis goals, as the Blues erased a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead.
Mike Hoffman tied the score at 2-2 at 4:09 of the second period. Before Hoffman’s redirection from the high slot, though, Tyler Bozak skated untouched past Karlsson and behind the…
