Tidbits — Playoff Edition
by Cory Lavalette on May 4, 2009 10:36 PM EDT
3 comments
With nine games in the books for the Hurricanes, we can probably finally use some of the statistics from this postseason to assess where Carolina is thriving and where the results haven't been so good. Keep in mind the Canes are the only team to have played nine games so far, so the numbers can be skewed. We'll also peek at some of Boston's numbers to see if anything stands out.
- With his empty-netter in Game 2 against Boston, Eric Staal has six goals this postseason. Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby's and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin's hat tricks Monday pushed them ahead of Staal with eight and seven, respectively. Staal also ranks second in shots (37) to Alex Ovechkin's 58 (prior to Monday).
- Chad LaRose's six assists are tied for fourth this postseason. Ryan Getzlaf is tops with 10 assists. The Ducks center also leads the NHL in playoff points with 13. Staal's nine points are the best on the Canes, tying him for fifth with several other players (prior to Monday).
- Tim Gleason ranks fifth in playoff PIMs with 26 (15 of which game in Game 6 of the New Jersey series following a fight with David Clarkson that led to matching misconducts). That's the most among NHL d-men. Joni Pitkanen has taken seven minors, just one less than the Canucks' Willie Mitchell for the most this postseason.
- Matt Cullen has one of four shorthanded goals this postseason.
- The Bruins' Michael Ryder and Marc Savard each have a 33.3 percent shooting percentage on five and four goals, respectively, good for a tie for second in the postseason. Vancouver's Sami Salo has three goals on seven shots (42.1 percent). Carolina's Jussi Jokinen is ranked eighth with four goals on 15 shots (26.7 percent).
- Joni Pitkanen has been one of the league's workhorses this playoff season, with his 25:50 per game ranking him 10th in the league. Surprisingly, that's a minute more than Boston's Zdeno Chara (24:44, 22nd). Joe Corvo is averaging 25:03 per game, good for a tie for 15th.
- Corvo (one goal, four assists) and Pitkanen (five assists) are tied for ninth in defenseman scoring. Dennis Wideman (four assists), leads Boston. Corvo and Pitkanen are first and third in defenseman shots with 28 and 25, respectively.
- The Bruins' Patrice Bergeron has been among the best faceoff men this postseason, ranking fourth with a 60.4 percent success rate. Rod Brind'Amour is 15th at 53.2 percent. The Canes' captain has struggled shorthanded, winning just 12 of 37 draws on the penalty kill.
- Pitkanen and LaRose have five even-strength assists, trailing only Washington's Nicklas Backstrom (six). Four of LaRose's have been on the road (tied for third).
- Pitkanen is plus-4 at the RBC Center, compared to minus-1 on the road. Conversely, Gleason is plus-4 on the road and even at home.
- LaRose, Pitkanen and Staal have each been on the ice for 11 of Carolina's goals, tops on the team. Chara has been on the ice for 10, best on Boston. Pitkanen has also been on the ice for 11 goals, one fewer than Kimmo Timonen and Adrian Aucoin's 12. Dennis Seidenberg has been on the ice for nine goals, tied for 13th.
- Gleason (28:22 minutes) and Brind'Amour (26:51) have played the second and third most time shorthanded for Carolina this postseason, and neither has been on the ice for a power play goal against.
- Gleason's 30 hits trails only Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik (34 before Monday's game) this postseason. Tuomo Ruutu has 28 (tied for sixth) and Erik Cole has 27 (tied for ninth). Gleason also has 17 blocked shots (tied for sixth) and Seidenberg has 24 hits (tied for 14th) and 16 blocked shots (tied for eighth).
- Cam Ward has 283 saves, just 30 less than leader Jonas Hiller of Anaheim. Ward has a 2.08 goals-against average (sixth) and .937 save percentage (fourth). Ward, Hiller and Washington's Simeon Varlamov all have two shutouts.
- Tim Thomas has faced only 10 shots on the penalty kill, stopping all of them. Ward has stopped 57 of 60 (.950). His save percentage shorthanded this season was .871. Thomas had a .905 save percentage in the regular season on the kill.
- Carolina is yet to lose this postseason when scoring first, as is Boston.
- Boston has scored three times the number of goals they've allowed (21-7). They've allowed just one goal in the third period, Staal's empty-netter in Game 2.
- Boston is yet to play a one-goal game this postseason, while Carolina has played five. The Canes are 3-2 in those games.
- The Canes have the same number of shots and shots allowed this postseason (266). Carolina's shots for are the most this postseason, while they have allowed one fewer shot than Anaheim (267). It's interesting to note the Ducks have only 180 shots on goals, 87 fewer than they've allowed in eight games.
- Boston's Mark Recchi is tied for 49th all time in playoff points (118). Brind'Amour is tied for 65th with 107.
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Nicely done Corey. I think that first goal stat is the most important, especially against teams like Jersey and Boston. Score first, and they can’t play their trap game as effectively.
Let’s get it done Wednesday!
Still not a crook!
no problem.
Other than the first note, which reflects Crosby and A.O.‘s hat tricks, this info is a day dated concerning where some players rank. I’ve noted it in some areas, but it really applies to everything.
CanesCountry.com: An Eye On Carolina Hockey
by Cory Lavalette on May 5, 2009 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions
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