Blake Wheeler vs Mikael Backlund
All Seasons · Faceoff Head-to-Head
Scouting Report
Mikael Backlund holds a +3.2% FO% edge overall. Look for Backlund on defensive-zone draws (100% H2H, 5 meetings).
Prediction Breakdown
Model
XGBoost ML Model
Overall FO% (Bayesian)
Wheeler 46.1% vs Backlund 49.1% (-3.2%)
H2H factor
Backlund leads 10-3 in 13 meetings
Offensive zone
Wheeler 85.1%
Defensive zone
Backlund 54.7%
Neutral zone
Wheeler 60.7%
Result
Blake Wheeler favored at 62.3%
62.3%
37.7%
Wheeler
Backlund
Head-to-Head Record
3
-
10
(13 meetings)
3
10
Wheeler
Backlund
Last 10: Wheeler 2-8 Backlund
Zone Breakdown
Offensive Zone
Edge: Backlund
1
3
Wheeler
Backlund
4 total
Defensive Zone
Edge: Backlund
0
5
Wheeler
Backlund
5 total
Neutral Zone
Even
2
2
Wheeler
Backlund
4 total
Situation Matchup
Situation
Wheeler
Backlund
Edge
Even Strength
46.7% (1,369)
49.7% (13,231)
-3.0%
Power Play
46.9% (207)
51.5% (1,323)
-4.6%
Penalty Kill
35.7% (129)
43.9% (2,385)
-8.2%
On penalty kill, Backlund has a +8.2% edge.
Handedness & Splits
Handedness
Backlund shoots left. Wheeler is 48.4% vs left-shot opponents (1,172).
Wheeler shoots right. Backlund is 49.6% vs right-shot opponents (6,158).
Home / Away
Wheeler
Backlund
Home
47.5% (883)
49.8% (8,434)
Away
44.2% (822)
48.3% (8,510)
By Period
Wheeler
Backlund
P1
45.0%
48.6%
P2
48.2%
50.3%
P3
44.5%
48.4%
OT
37.5%
44.3%
Final 5 min
42.4%
48.6%
Recent Form
Player
Last 50
Last 200
Career
Wheeler
60.0%▲
53.0%
45.9%
Backlund
44.0%▬
44.0%
49.1%
Recent Faceoffs
| Date | Period | Time | Zone | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 2024 | 1 | 02:36 | Defensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Apr 5, 2023 | 2 | 03:23 | Offensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Nov 12, 2022 | 1 | 04:18 | Defensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Feb 9, 2021 | 2 | 12:19 | Offensive | Blake Wheeler |
| Oct 26, 2019 | 1 | 08:48 | Defensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 3 | 17:54 | Neutral | Mikael Backlund |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 3 | 11:29 | Offensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 3 | 07:18 | Neutral | Blake Wheeler |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 3 | 04:29 | Offensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 2 | 16:15 | Defensive | Mikael Backlund |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 2 | 10:52 | Neutral | Blake Wheeler |
| Jan 20, 2018 | 1 | 19:36 | Neutral | Mikael Backlund |
| Dec 22, 2015 | 2 | 06:32 | Defensive | Mikael Backlund |