GRIT & GF
Matthew Kessel

New York Islanders, Defence

Matthew Kessel

  • Disciplined
  • Steady
Points, 2026–27
1
0 G, 1 A in 3 GP
Individual xG
0.1
0 goals from it
Ice time per game
13:33
2 shots on goal
xGF% at 5v5
46.0
share of chances while he's on

Matthew Kessel has 0 goals and 1 assist (1 point) in 3 games for the New York Islanders in 2026–27, with 2 shots on goal and 13:33 of ice time a game. His Grit & GF rating for 2026–27 is 2.6 out of 100, provisional until he has 15 to 20 games.

3 games in. The methodology requires 15 to 20 games to be accurate, so this season's rating still leans on the league average for his position and will move.

GRIT & GF

2.6050100
Rated above 7% of defencemen
Goals above average
−0.1
Wins
−0.01
Physicality7thGF40thIntimidation44thChemistry51thClutch69th

Where the rating comes from

Weight × score in standard deviations. They sum to −0.99, which the normal curve turns into the rating.

Your weights

Under these weights he ranks above 7.2% of 223 rated players

The default weights are our call. Set your own; they get rescaled to add up to 100%.

Clutch

+0.35 SD · 69th percentile · weight 0%

His team's expected-goal differential with him on the ice in the third period or overtime of a one-goal game, against his own usual rate. Not counted in the rating since grit-0.5: it didn't repeat from season to season, so it was mostly luck.

  • Close-and-late liftxGD per 60Heavily shrunk: close-and-late minutes are scarce.0.0269th pct
  • Close-and-late ice timeminutesThe sample behind the clutch number.56th pct

Percentiles are against 223 rated defencemen in 2026-27, on 34 minutes of his 5-on-5 time. Hits, blocks and takeaways count toward the rating and are worth zero goals until a study shows otherwise. Model grit-0.5.

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Game notes

Written the morning after from the night's stats, for games where he did something worth a sentence.

  1. at ANA

    Sunday, March 8

    Ice time

    Matthew Kessel played 18:21, about 6 minutes more than his average this season. He has 3 points in 27 games this season. The Blues beat the Ducks 4-0.

  2. vs CGY

    Tuesday, November 11

    Drought over

    Matthew Kessel scored for the first time in 40 games. That was his first goal of the season. He played 11:41 and had two shots on goal. The Blues beat the Flames 3-2.

Player card

Percentile among 194 defencemen with enough games this season. He hasn't played enough yet to be ranked, so treat these as early. 50 is the median.

Scoring

  • Ice time per game13:33
    7
  • Points per 601.48
    79
  • Goals per 600.00
    30
  • Individual xG per 600.09
    19
  • Shots per 603.0
    44

5-on-5 play

  • xG for per 60, on ice2.35
    40
  • xG against per 60, on ice2.78
    28
  • xGF%46.0%
    31

Physical

  • Hits per 603.0
    57
  • Blocks per 601.5
    2
  • Penalty minutes per 600.0
    93

Skating and shooting

NHL EDGE puck and player tracking, 2026–27. Percentiles are the league's, against all skaters.

Skating

  • Top speed21.5 mph
    75
  • Bursts over 20 mph2
    29
  • Distance skated6 mi
    11

Shooting

  • Hardest shot68.0 mph
    2
  • Shots on goal2
    17
  • Shooting %0.0%
    43

Zone time

  • Offensive zone time45.6%
    88
  • Offensive zone time, even strength47.5%
    97

Who he plays with

His most-used defence partners at 5-on-5 this season, with what happened while they were out together.

PartnerGamesTOIShot attemptsxGGoalsxG share
Tony DeAngelo327:0823–211.1–1.21–147%
Adam Pelech32:231–00.1–0.00–0100%

Where he shoots from

His unblocked shots this season, attacking right. 0 goals from 3 attempts.

GoalShot or miss

Last 20 games

Columns are his individual expected goals, the quality of his own chances. Dots are goals he scored.

ixGGoal
0.000.100.200.30
11-2210-17

By season

SeasonGPGAPSOGixGTOI/GPHitsBlkxGF% 5v5
2026–27301120.113:332146.0
2025–2629213201.112:32222745.8
2024–2529033170.713:08222349.2
2023–2439167281.516:48406543.1

Last 20 games

DateTOIGASOGixGHitsBlkPIM
2026-10-1716:180000.01010
2026-10-1510:300010.00100
2026-10-1313:510110.05100
2026-04-1412:540010.02240
2026-03-2613:070030.07220
2026-03-0818:210020.05212
2026-03-0614:210000.00022
2026-03-0413:100000.00320
2026-03-0114:310010.05110
2026-02-2813:390020.09302
2026-02-047:490000.03010
2026-01-1316:020000.00230
2026-01-0213:370000.01010
2025-12-3116:030110.18230
2025-12-1715:030010.02000
2025-12-068:450000.00000
2025-12-0112:470010.01000
2025-11-2913:260000.00010
2025-11-2811:581010.20010
2025-11-2213:110000.08000