Here are ten stats from around the NHL that you may not know about:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues all have negative goal differentials but plus .500 records. Just elaborates on fact that .500 isn’t really .500 anymore.
- Sidney Crosby has won 57% of his face-off this season, as compared to 51.3% last season, 51.4% in 2007/08 and 49.8% in the 2006/07 season. He wants to improve in every aspect of the game and nothing seems to be stopping him.
- Wojtek Wolski is 4th in the NHL in even strength points. Aside from Wolski, everyone else on that list doesn’t surprise me.
- The top five minutes per game defensemen in the NHL are all Canadian: Dan Boyle, Jay Bouwmeester, Duncan Keith, Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. My question for you is: Do all these defensemen make Team Canada?
- Of the top goaltenders in the save percentage category, three of them are Finnish: Miikka Kiprusoff, Antrero Niittymaki and Tuukka Rask. Do any of these netminders get the edge over Niklas Backstrom at the Olympics?
- Does John Tavares have the quietest 24 points in the NHL this season? The rookie has 13 goals in 30 games which puts him on pace for 35 goals in 2009/10. The Calder Trophy seems like it will go to Tavares or Tyler Myers on Buffalo. The voters will have a difficult time with that one.
- Ken Hitchcock’s Columbus Blue Jackets are 7th in the NHL in goals per game and 28th in the NHL in goals against per game. Yes, that is not a typo.
- Of Montreal’s 31 games, ten of those games have gone to overtime/shootout with the Habs winning on eight occasions. The Habs have picked it up lately in regulation and that will need to continue, otherwise their luck may run out.
- Conversely, the Leafs have seen eight of their 29 games go to overtime/shootout and have only won one time. Flip those overtime records around and the Habs faithful may drive to Tampa Bay to bring Vincent Lecavalier to town–cap or no cap!
- Three of the top five Oilers’ top +/- totals come from Dustin Penner, Ladislav Smid and Andrew Cogliano. Dany Heatley who?
