Category Archives: New metrics

Yes, I nailed my Stanley Cup Finals prediction again this year–not just the winning team, but the correct number of games as well–over at Hockey Prospectus. Check it out.

Here’s what I had last season for predictions. A miss at #3 but you can’t complain otherwise! Odd competition this year in that I have a hard time seeing most of these contestants having a legit shot to win. In … Continue reading →

For Season 10, here is what I had to say about the odds. Overall, the oddsmakers seem to be more with it for Season 11, perhaps in part through the good fortune of an outstanding performance by Jessica Sanchez last … Continue reading →

Phoenix at New York Rangers, 1/10/2012 Captain Shane Doan reflects on the Coyotes’ commitment to team defense under coach Dave Tippett, while carefully staying respectful to Phoenix netminders. PHX_Doan_120110 Phoenix picks up a point after losing in the shootout, despite … Continue reading →

You may know that I’m a Clarkson University alumni from…way back. Therefore, it was a treat to get to speak with former Golden Knights captain Mark Borowiecki after this afternoon’s AHL contest between the Connecticut Whale (yes, they play Brass … Continue reading →

The locker room was nearly cleared out by the time we got in, so here’s the full 2:06 of media questions to newcomer Dany Heatley (who would play against his former team, the Senators, the following night). Not necessarily known … Continue reading →

Better late than never, here are my Q&A’s with Jose Theodore, Jacob Markstrom, Ed Jovanovski, and coach Kevin Dineen of the Panthers, from opening night against the Islanders: FLA_Theodore_111008_01 FLA_Theodore_111008_02 FLA_Markstrom_111008 FLA_Jovanovski_111008 FLA_Dineen_111008

The minor league arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut had their largest ever crowd, and for a preseason hockey game at that. Though the crowd had solid amounts of supporters for both teams, the Boston fans that traveled to Bridgeport clearly all … Continue reading →

Before I dove headlong into writing and editing Hockey Prospectus 2011-12 (available here), I spent a solid week or so in late June researching Patrice Bergeron of the Cup-winning Boston Bruins for my friend Matt Kalman, editor of The Bruins … Continue reading →

All quiet? Yes, other than attending the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, it’s been a lot of under the radar hockey work for me this summer. I’ve been working hard on Hockey Prospectus 2011-12, both writing the team essays and player … Continue reading →

Head on over to Audio Files to hear my Q&A with Islanders owner Charles Wong and general manager Garth Snow. Also check out media reactions–including mine–thanks to this video compilation by John Zadrozny of Islanders Top Shelf.

Now a Washington Capital, veteran forward Marco Sturm led the Bruins in ESTR, followed not surprisingly by captain Zdeno Chara and David Krejci (+0.66). On the negative side of the ledger, promising young winger Milan Lucic (-0.62) was among the … Continue reading →

After turning in fine seasons for the Thrashers in 2009-10, Nik Antropov and Johnny Oduya didn’t have as much to show for this past season. And concern was beginning for blue chip blueline prospect Zach Bogosian, whose age-21 season will be … Continue reading →

Before Alex Pietrangelo made his mark in 2010-11, former Maple Leaf Carlo Colaiacovo was having a quietly impressive 2009-10. Conversely, captain Eric Brewer did not have a good season on the blue line. Best and worst Blues by Even Strength … Continue reading →

It’s not too encouraging to see Cam Barker at the top of Minnesota’s 2009-10 ESTR list, given the fact that he spent three-quarters of the season with Chicago. While ESTR should take into account the change in teammates, there’s really … Continue reading →

One of the big whozzats for ESTR in 2009-10 was Scott Parse of the Kings. Small sample size? Jarret Stoll (+1.02) and Drew Doughty (+0.73) also rated quite highly. On the negative side of the ledger, there’s the defensive black … Continue reading →

The top Shark by Even Strength Total Rating in 2009-10 was Manny Malhotra (+0.42/+0.65/+1.07), not listed here due to his signing with Vancouver. Logan Couture scored very well (+0.81) in limited minutes, which boded well for his “rookie season”. Best … Continue reading →

Mikhail Grabovski carried a good ESTR in 2009-10 toward a generally fine 2010-11 while Carl Gunnarsson wasn’t able to capitalize as much in his age-24 season. And while it’s not surprising to see Mike Komisarek down at the bottom of … Continue reading →

Not Henrik Sedin, the Hart Trophy winner. Nope, in 2009-10, Daniel Sedin was the better player. Yes, Henrik came in third on the Canucks, at +1.28. With Daniel’s injury, the season actually provides a rare snapshot of seeing one brother … Continue reading →

Well, we sure know that the Devils’ ESTRs will look vastly different for 2010-11. But looking at the prior season, it’s not at all surprising to see Zach Parise and Travis Zajac at an elite level by this metric…because that’s … Continue reading →

Captain Eric Staal was not only the best Hurricane at even strength in 2009-10, but he put up a pretty decent score given Carolina’s struggles in the first half of the season. Not surprisingly, Jussi Jokinen came in second in … Continue reading →

The surprising Phoenix Coyotes of 2009-10 were led in Even Strength Total Rating by Wojtek Wolski at +1.29 in 1200 minutes, but since he’s no longer with the team, I’ve listed Taylor Pyatt and Keith Yandle. Yandle further solidified himself … Continue reading →

It’s not the Predators’ big names (if you can call them that) which you find at the top of the ESTR standings for 2009-10, but two relatively young players that scored rather highly. In fact, Nashville’s name players nearly all … Continue reading →

Vancouver-Nashville: Kent Wilson’s preview didn’t paint a pretty picture. Maybe the Preds can hold out for six. Canucks in 6. Detroit-San Jose: Really a super matchup. The Sharks had a fantastic second half, but the superior coach and the battle-tested … Continue reading →

No surprise, Sidney Crosby led the Pens in Even Strength Total Rating…but Matt Cooke second? Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kunitz all had very good scores as well, perhaps pointing towards why Pittsburgh has fared relatively well in the … Continue reading →

Not surprisingly, Alex Ovechkin’s ESTR–like pretty much all of his stats–kicked ass in 2009-10. Jeff Schultz either a very good or a very fortunate season (more the latter). Rookie defenseman John Carlsson was very promising in limited minutes. David Steckel … Continue reading →

In case you were wondering, Teemu Selanne–yes, the power play man–came in a close third at +0.76, while Matt Beleskey was the other big underachiever at -0.72. Best and worst Ducks by Even Strength Total Rating, 2009-10         … Continue reading →

Here are the Flames best even strength men from two seasons ago. Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque were third and fourth, while Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik were third and fourth from the bottom. Best and worst Flames by Even … Continue reading →

Here we go with another barn-burner, the Blue Jackets: Best and worst Blue Jackets by Even Strength Total Rating, 2009-10             Player Pos ESOR ESDR ESTR ESTOI Derek Dorsett RW -0.31 +0.99 +0.68 517 Kris … Continue reading →

I’m going to abbreviate the format of the “best and worst of”, to finish things up. Two best and two worst that remained on the roster at the beginning of 2010-11 will be shown; no new additions to the roster … Continue reading →

Season’s almost over isn’t it? Time for me to get in gear for wrapping up a look at who were each team’s best performers at even strength FOR 2009-10, taking into account strength of teammates and opposition. Sorry about the … Continue reading →

Here’s a sound bite from back in January, when I asked Roberto Luongo to look ahead to how the Canucks might fare differently in the playoffs this time around.

Washington-New York: The high-energy Rangers have outscored the Capitals 15-1 since their first meeting in early November. Bruce Boudreau on the hot seat. New York in 7. Philadelphia-Buffalo: The Flyers have been known to play possum for weeks at a time, so … Continue reading →

The Islanders gave the playoff-bound Penguins another great battle in what was their last home game of the season, but eventually fell 4-3 in the shootout. After the game, I asked head coach Jack Capuano about New York’s power play, … Continue reading →

Following a hard fought 4-2 come-from-behind victory against a very game New York Islanders squad, the Carolina Hurricanes spoke about how their team is playing and their chances at making the postseason. Listen to my questions for Erik Cole, Joe … Continue reading →

The Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks were really, really deep in 2009-10, outperforming other teams throughout the lines and defensive pairings they rolled out. Of course as everyone knows, cap realities have hit their bottom-six depth and third pairing defense this season…which … Continue reading →

My father just found out a few days ago that a good friend of his–and our family’s–the gifted Finnish artist Tello Anttila passed away earlier this month at the age of 68. Multi-talented, intelligent and kind-hearted, it’s a great loss to … Continue reading →

Following a 2-1 win in Long Island that kept their slim postseason hopes alive, I caught up with a few of the Thrashers, and their head coach. A former Blue (Chris Mason) and a former Islander (Rob Schremp) spoke about … Continue reading →

Following a second straight loss where the Bruins gave up an early lead (the previous night, Boston lost 4-3 in OT to the Sabres), I got a chance to ask a few big picture questions from netminder Tim Thomas and head … Continue reading →

I mentioned last week about the crazy odds out there for the semifinals (Julie Zorilla…snicker). Here’s what the oddsmakers say for the American Idol finals, which begin tonight: Lauren Alaina 7/2 Casey Abrams 5/1 (too high) Pia Toscano 7/1 (too … Continue reading →

Demographically, some American Idol contestants are more likely to do well than others, although talent of course is the biggest consideration. Unless you’re from Alabama, that is. I took it all into account, in coming up with my predictions below: … Continue reading →

After their seventh loss in eight games, a weak effort against the New York Islanders, David Backes spoke about his disappointment with the Blues lackluster play. I also got a chance to ask coach David Payne about his vision of … Continue reading →

Click over to the Audio Files page to get the latest sound bytes, from after Minnesota’s 3-1 win at Madison Square Garden. The Wild won despite being doubled up on shots by the Rangers.

When I got a chance to view Philadelphia in the early season, I was impressed at how they rallied to edge the Islanders with a strong third period, after they’d played a so-so 40 minutes. Those Flyers, and the Flyers that … Continue reading →

Back in November, I covered the Montreal Canadiens in my Team Prospectus series for Hockey Prospectus. How do you think the Habs have fared on the three Big Questions that I posed for Montreal? They were: Big Question #1: Can … Continue reading →

Click over to the Audio Files page to get my latest locker room interviews, like this one from February 19th with Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray: LAK_Terry_Murray_110219

Hello again! Sorry about the long gap in between posts, but with being named Managing Editor of Hockey Prospectus during Thanksgiving Week of 2010, most of my hockey energies have gone towards the www.hockeyprospectus.com website. It’s made for some late nights. … Continue reading →

Interestingly, the Sabres top performers at even strength last season were all forwards. And if you’re looking for one reason why Buffalo got upset by Boston in the first round, look no further than the early series injury to Thomas … Continue reading →

Quick hit here on the Avalanche. Check out my Team Prospectus analysis over at www.puckprospectus.com for more thoughts on Colorado (although this one requires a Premium subscription). Best and worst Avs by Even Strength Total Rating, 2009-10         … Continue reading →

Good thing we’re not rating Ottawa’s goalies… Best and worst Senators by Even Strength Total Rating, 2009-10               Player Pos ESOR ESDR ESTR ESTOI Peter Regin C +0.16 +0.69 +0.85 860 Jason Spezza C +0.68 … Continue reading →