Pucking the Trends: East is the Least, Kings of the West, and Close Encounters

In this week’s column at Covers.com, I look at teams’ records in one-goal games (a topic our own Rich Pollock has written about extensively), the surprising success of the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver’s home dominance, the Eastern Conference’s struggles vs. the West, and the top 3 schedule mismatches of the week.

Close encounters

John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that the Buffalo Sabres’ record in one-goal games is one of the main reasons they’re at the top of the Northeast Division.

Buffalo is tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second best winning percentage in one-goal games at .750 (9-1-2 record).

“There’s been a big emphasis on it and the plays you need to make when the games are tight, the plays you need to make that won’t allow the other teams to get the opportunities,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

The New Jersey Devils have the highest winning percentage in one-goal games at .786 (11-2-1), while the Tampa bay Lightning have the worst winning percentage at .250 (4-3-9).

Read the entire article here at covers.com