The Unbearable Chorn-Ness of Pairings

Three games worth of data is a tiny, tiny sample, half a playoff series for most teams (not so fast, Blue Jackets) and shorter than a Tom Wilson suspension.

And yet, it’s a big enough sample to kick confirmation bias into high gear and spot some unsurprising trends, so here’s one for you: the Washington Capitals’ third defensive pair has the potential to be among the worst duos this team has iced in recent years.

Through three games, Aaron Ness and Taylor Chorney have been on the ice together for 28 minutes at five-on-five. During that time, the Caps have managed just 40 percent of shot attempts (adjusted, as per Corsica.hockey) and have taken four penalties (all of them Ness’s). That’s...…