Can Ivan Barbashev Maintain His High Shooting Percentage?

Ivan Barbashev is on pace to score 39 goals and 88 points, which would both be career highs, but could the Vegas Golden Knights forward maintain his shooting percentage throughout the 82-game season?

Currently, the 28-year-old has scored 12 goals and 27 points in 25 games while scoring on 26.7% of his shots. Throughout his career, Barbashev has been an efficient scorer, possessing a 17.8 shooting percentage.

When he set his career-high in goals during the 2021-22 season with the St. Louis Blues, Barbashev scored 26 goals while shooting at 23.4%. Maintaining a shooting percentage north of 20% while scoring over 30 goals isn't a common accomplishment. Many of the league leaders in goals throughout the years benefit from shot volume rather than just shot quality as Barbashev does.

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews scored 69 goals last year, firing 369 shots and finishing the season with a career-high 18.7 shooting percentage. Barbashev is evidently not Auston Matthews, as Matthews' ability to find open areas of the ice and get himself into high-danger scoring areas is second to none and no one in the league possesses the shooting mechanics he has. Someone Barbashev can be related to is Sam Reinhart.

Reinhart exploded for 57 goals last season after never eclipsing the 40-goal mark. A reason for the 29-year-old's success was his exceptionally high shooting percentage which many people believed couldn't be maintained. He scored his 57 goals while shooting 24.5% and has improved his shooting percentage this year, scoring 18 goals in 25 games while shooting 27.7%.

Barbashev's 39-goal pace is drastically different than Reinhart's 57-goal season due to the power play minutes each play but the groundwork for Reinhart's success is in place for Barbashev.

Reinhart played on the wing of a superstar centreman, Aleksander Barkov, known for his two-way game and playmaking abilities. Barbashev plays alongside Jack Eichel, known for the same reasons as Barkov and Eichel is also in the midst of a Hart Trophy calibre season.

Some of Eichel's success can be attributed to the play of Barbashev. His ability to win puck battles and get open in close to the net has opened up space for Eichel to make plays and it's something that HC Bruce Cassidy has mentioned before.

"They came together, wasn't something we all drew up," said Cassidy. "It was a need for us and Barbie's a good fit for him. They seemed to play well together."

After losing key offensive pieces in the offseason, the Golden Knights were looking for both Eichel and Barbashev to step up and they've done that and more.

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