Some Stats is a weekly feature that will run every Thursday on PHT. In Some Stats, we look at some stats.
23.6% – Ryan Nugent-Hopkin’s faceoff percentage. The first overall pick has won 13 draws while losing 42. Of course, this is typical for young players. Particularly young players that weigh like 140 pounds. Fortunately for the Oilers, Shawn Horcoff (60.4%) and newcomer Eric Belanger (57.7%) have been doing just fine in the circle.
29:21 – Average ice time for Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi. Which is what happens when Marc Staal is hurt. Girardi played 28:53 Tuesday night in Vancouver, a ridiculous 7:46 of it shorthanded. A lack of experience (read: players John Tortorella trusts) on the back end is arguably the Rangers’ biggest weakness. Even if Staal comes back and stays healthy, Glen Sather would probably like to bring in a veteran blue-liner for the playoffs. The question is, will the salary cap allow it?
.935 – Tomas Vokoun’s save percentage. Apparently starting the season on the bench didn’t send Washington’s goalie into a shame spiral. Vokoun had a rough first outing, surrendering five goals to the Lightning, but he’s been practically unbeatable since.
1 – Points for Jarome Iginla. Calgary’s captain scored a goal in the Flames’ second game of the season, a 5-2 loss to the Blues. But that’s been it so far. Not a great start for a player that finished sixth in the league last season with 86 points. To be fair, Iginla was forced to skip the entire preseason with a bad back, but he still needs to get it going with the Flames (2-3-0) struggling to put the puck in the net.
52:05 – Time Tampa Bay has spent killing penalties in its first six games. Based on what happened against the Panthers the other night, it appears the Lightning’s plan to cut down on time shorthanded is to let the other team score on the power play.
