What is a ‘FOGO’?

The reason you most likely clicked on the link to this article is because the acronym ‘FOGO.’ So, what does is stand for? And where does it come from? For my fellow lacrosse friends, they surely know that this term stands for: faceoff, get off (FOGO).

Basically, in lacrosse, there is a designated position for an individual that specialized in taking the faceoff to begin play, then immediately running off the field when it is won/loss. The important aspect is, getting off the field. If this player stays on, it sometimes can turn into a liability. Remember this part.

How Does it Apply to New Jersey?

Whether you have realized it or not, the New Jersey Devils are starting to utilize a FOGO. This in the form of Michael McLeod. McLeod ranks third in the league in faceoff win percentage (60.6%). In total, he has taken 363 draws this season. For a presumed fourth-liner this number is very, very high. For perspective, it is second on the team only to Nico Hischier.

During the game, if you watch for it you will notice it. Whenever the Devils have a must-win faceoff opportunity McLeod is out there. Dependent on the situation, you will also see him skate right off the ice whether it was a win or lose right after the draw takes place. This example is the literal definition of a FOGO, which was supplied above.

To further describe McLeod’s constant use at the dot, a look at his defensive zone start rate will do the job. It is by far the highest on the team. He has been on the ice for 167 defensive zone faceoffs at all strengths. The next highest is Nico Hischier with 118 and Ryan Graves with 114. The Devils are getting McLeod on the ice for faceoffs whenever they can.

Why is this Hurting the Devils?

At first thought, why would getting your best faceoff guy, and one of the best in the whole league on the ice for draws as much as often a bad idea? Well, in a lot of cases McLeod is not able to complete the second part of the FOGO duty. That being the get off part.

An example of this happening is two nights ago. When examining the Devils’ five-on-five ice times, McLeod played more than the following notable forwards: Jack Hughes, Andreas Johnsson, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Pavel Zacha. The only other two he played more than was his line mates: Nathan Bastian and Janne Kuokkanen. The discrepancy in ice time between the three – 14:10 for McLeod and 11:45 and 11:00 for Kuokkanen and Bastian, respectively – show that McLeod is indeed being used as a FOGO.

Meanwhile, the fact he is getting more ice time than the other forwards shows, despite being used as a FOGO, he is not getting off the ice right after he takes the draws. Now, this is not McLeod’s fault necessarily. Sometimes it is how the game goes. If he loses the faceoff, he cannot just leave the ice and put his team in a vulnerable position. Additionally, if he wins the faceoff the urge to stay on the ice and support his teammate is surely there.

Why Does McLeod Getting Extra Ice Time Hurt New Jersey?

McLeod has not lived up to expectations after being drafted 12th overall back in 2016. Fans need to accept that and realize what McLeod is, a fourth line, penalty-killing, and sometimes faceoff specialists. However, anything more than that, it gets dicey.

As the above Regularized Adjusted-Plus Minus (RAPM) chart points out, at five-on-five, since McLeod entered the league, his results have been unflattering to say the least. When he is on the ice, for the most part, opposition are producing a large quantity and higher quality chances than the Devils. Furthermore, the below player card, via goal above replacement (GAR) statistics, show that his overall play is good for the league’s 21st percentile (excludes this season).

Bottom-line is McLeod is a fine fourth-line, penalty-killer that gives you good work on the faceoff dot. However, anything more than that and his play will falter, and the poor impact on the team will be felt. With McLeod getting caught on the ice more and more, due to his new utilization as a FOGO, this impact is sometimes being felt more and it can lead to spells of struggle by New Jersey as a team.

Isn’t it All Worth it if the Team is Finally Improving on Faceoffs?

Simple answer is no. Improving the team’s faceoff success and sacrificing other players ice time, who are more deserving, is not worth the utilization of a FOGO. As everyone is aware, the Devils are perennial bottom of the barrel faceoff team basically every season. From 2013 through 2021, the team’s face-off percentage ranks last in the league with a success rate of only 47.5%. Despite this, faceoffs are simply not nearly as important as everyone makes them out to be, in most cases.

For reference, this season the teams ranked 27th through 31st in faceoff success rate this season are as follows: Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and New York Rangers. All of which currently project out to be playoff teams. Furthermore, when looking at the 2013-21 period mentioned above, the New York Islanders rank 27th, while the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Washington Capitals rank 20th, 21st, and 24th, respectively. There is no, strong direct correlation between sustained faceoff success and team success.

Conclusion

As it stands, head coach Lindy Ruff and the New Jersey Devils have several issues. The recent institution of Michael McLeod as a FOGO-type of player is certainly a part of these issues. It is not the sole reason the Devils have faltered, but has played a role.

Having McLeod, whether it is meant or not, play more ice time than he is deserving is having a trickle-down effect and harming the Devils as a team. McLeod is a decent, bottom-line penalty-killer, who has emerged as a faceoff specialist. He serves that role well. But by utilizing him as a FOGO he is getting more ice time than he deserves. As the above shows, faceoff success is not a driving factor in overall success.

Having McLeod take a defensive zone draw with a one-goal lead late or putting him out there on the dot for a defensive zone, penalty kill draw is perfectly fine. As these are two areas he would be looked to whether he was solid on the dot or not. However, the new willingness by head coach Lindy Ruff to try to get McLeod as often as possible is a bit troublesome.

Hopefully, the Devils can realize this emerging issue and address it sooner rather than later. There is no excuse to have McLeod getting more ice time than several of the names mentioned above, as what was the case during the team’s last game versus Ottawa.

Statistics via NHL.com, Natural Stat Trick, and Evolving Hockey.