Noted advanced stats pioneer Eric Tulsky killed some time on Twitter recently with a helpful Q+A on #FancyStats in hockey. Links to articles with more detailed information on the topic in question are provided for those looking for more information than is available in 140 characters.

This is not the first time Tulsky has taken the time to explain advanced stats concepts in more detail to his followers, and a previous Q+A was collected by other noted advanced stats enthusiast Tyler Dellow.

Unless you're playing with a bunch of neglectful owners (the absentee parents of fantasy hockey) you will probably need to find an extra edge to outsmart your opponents and win your fantasy hockey league.

Usually, that means finding the best sleepers. But with a bunch of knowledgeable opponents who have all done research and checked the Internet's sleeper lists, you're all likely going after the same players. And when you're all going after the same players it means you're going to have to overpay to get some sleepers, which somewhat defeats the purpose of a sleeper. And if you overpay for a sleeper you better be sure your investment pays off.

For the owner looking for that extra edge, that extra bit of knowledge about a player, which can help you decide whether the sleeper is worth it or whether last year's breakout star can repeat, advanced stats can help.

The statistical revolution is coming to hockey whether you like it or not, and the Bible has been published.

Rob Vollman, tired of waiting for someone else to write hockey's version of The Bill James Baseball Abstract, the seminal work that ushered in baseball's sabermetrics revolution, has published Rob Vollman's Hockey Abstract.

A week after going 24:33 minutes without a shot in a loss to the New York Rangers, the Leafs were back to their low-chance ways against New Jersey last night, managing only 13 shots.

Amazingly, the Leafs won. But what's truly amazing is that this wasn't abnormal for the team. The Leafs have been consistently outshot and outchanced all season, yet they continue to find ways to make their shots count and pick up wins.

The performance has come as a shock to many, but none more than those who ascribe to advanced statistics.

But despite its name, advanced stats in hockey aren't all that advanced.

Just a couple of nerds.

Sports aren't just for jocks anymore: the nerds are taking over. The nerdification of sports has become so mainstream that Brad Pitt starred in a baseball movie about stats, not baseball. Thank Moneyball.

After reading Moneyball a few years ago I began to heavily read about sabermetrics and became a full-blown disciple of Bill James. For my upcoming fantasy baseball draft I've been looking at advanced stats to see who is likely to regress and who is the real deal. I'm really nerding out and loving every minute of it. I still have to make notes to myself reminding me not to draft B.J Upton, because no matter what some stats say, there are still some players that draw me in. Likewise, I will select multiple Blue Jays way before any sane person would select them, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

My love of advanced stats has only somewhat transferred over to hockey, and my knowledge is still very much in its infancy, but I am trying to incorporate more than just goals and assists into my evaluation of players. I find I spend much more time scanning behindthenet.ca before writing a post that either trashes or praises a player because I don't want the nerd squad to throw someone's corsi rating in my face.

As my search to cram my head with more hockey knowledge than useful life skills continues, I've taken a bit of a harder look at some traditional stats that I was once willing to accept. One of the primary stats I've grown skeptical of is plus/minus, which I previously used to solely inform my opinions about a player's defensive worth. However, I'm not ready to totally disregard plus/minus, which might brand me a leper among the fancy staters, but I don't care.

Today's post at The Good Point looks at the situations when plus/minus can be informative, as well as when it is absolutely worthless.