Joe Thornton vs Nicklas Backstrom
All Seasons · Faceoff Head-to-Head
Scouting Report
Joe Thornton holds a +3.8% FO% edge overall. Look for Thornton on defensive-zone draws (60% H2H, 20 meetings). Thornton wins 54.3% vs left-shot opponents — Backstrom shoots left.
Prediction Breakdown
Model
XGBoost ML Model
Overall FO% (Bayesian)
Thornton 54.3% vs Backstrom 50.5% (+3.8%)
H2H factor
Backstrom leads 22-21 in 43 meetings
Offensive zone
Backstrom 57.1%
Defensive zone
Backstrom 56.1%
Neutral zone
Backstrom 58.3%
Result
Nicklas Backstrom favored at 56.9%
43.1%
56.9%
Thornton
Backstrom
Head-to-Head Record
21
-
22
(43 meetings)
21
22
Thornton
Backstrom
Last 10: Thornton 4-6 Backstrom
Zone Breakdown
Offensive Zone
Edge: Backstrom
5
8
Thornton
Backstrom
13 total
Defensive Zone
Edge: Thornton
12
8
Thornton
Backstrom
20 total
Neutral Zone
Edge: Backstrom
4
6
Thornton
Backstrom
10 total
Situation Matchup
Situation
Thornton
Backstrom
Edge
Even Strength
53.5% (6,640)
50.4% (11,581)
+3.1%
Power Play
57.2% (1,387)
52.3% (1,895)
+4.9%
Penalty Kill
56.7% (427)
47.0% (889)
+9.7%
On penalty kill, Thornton has a +9.7% edge.
Handedness & Splits
Handedness
Backstrom shoots left. Thornton is 54.3% vs left-shot opponents (5,220).
Thornton shoots left. Backstrom is 51.8% vs left-shot opponents (8,966).
Home / Away
Thornton
Backstrom
Home
55.8% (4,271)
52.6% (7,223)
Away
52.8% (4,219)
48.4% (7,173)
By Period
Thornton
Backstrom
P1
55.0%
50.1%
P2
53.3%
49.7%
P3
54.4%
51.6%
OT
56.4%
52.9%
Final 5 min
53.7%
50.5%
Recent Form
Player
Last 50
Last 200
Career
Thornton
44.0%▼
46.5%
54.3%
Backstrom
50.0%▲
48.5%
50.5%
Recent Faceoffs
| Date | Period | Time | Zone | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 2020 | 1 | 17:50 | Defensive | Joe Thornton |
| Feb 14, 2019 | 3 | 00:34 | Defensive | Joe Thornton |
| Feb 14, 2019 | 1 | 19:00 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Jan 22, 2019 | 1 | 14:53 | Defensive | Joe Thornton |
| Jan 22, 2019 | 1 | 12:35 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Dec 4, 2017 | 2 | 16:05 | Defensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Mar 9, 2017 | 1 | 11:41 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Mar 9, 2017 | 1 | 05:55 | Offensive | Joe Thornton |
| Mar 9, 2017 | 1 | 00:00 | Neutral | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Nov 8, 2016 | 2 | 19:35 | Defensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Nov 8, 2016 | 1 | 14:09 | Defensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Feb 11, 2015 | 3 | 18:51 | Defensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Oct 14, 2014 | 3 | 14:14 | Neutral | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Oct 14, 2014 | 3 | 00:00 | Neutral | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Oct 14, 2014 | 2 | 14:13 | Defensive | Joe Thornton |
| Mar 22, 2014 | OT | 03:31 | Defensive | Joe Thornton |
| Mar 22, 2014 | OT | 03:26 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Mar 22, 2014 | 1 | 04:11 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Jan 14, 2014 | OT | 02:47 | Defensive | Nicklas Backstrom |
| Jan 14, 2014 | 3 | 15:25 | Offensive | Nicklas Backstrom |