How subtlety can be a big advantage in the NHL

Hockey, like so many sports, is reputed to be a game of inches.

It also is a game of nuances.

Spectacular displays of talent — slap shots that could penetrate armor plating, breathtaking end-to-end rushes, the blur of leather that becomes a glove save — tend to dominate the headlines and highlights, but subtle ones help to shape the outcome of games, too.

Never mind that they routinely go unnoticed by many people watching games, particularly those who aren’t actually in the arena.

“The camera is following the puck at all times, so you don’t necessarily get the full picture [on TV],” Penguins defenseman Matt Hunwick said. “You don’t get the same sense of how all 10 guys are playing out there.

“The…