Penalty-Killing Plugs
JP Nikota
October 06 2011 07:32AM
Michael Langlois made an interesting comment on the Leafs season preview podcast that was published on the Globe's website yesterday. He pointed out that, to his memory, most of the best penalty-killing forwards (going back for decades) were the best all-around players, and not those we have come to think of as a "PK specialists".
Leafs-Wings Preview
JP Nikota
September 30 2011 12:36PM
Puck Drops: 7:30 EST
TV: LeafsTV
Radio: AM640 (AM980 in London)
Additional tip: If you don't have LeafsTV, consider buying LeafsTV interactive; for a flat fee of $40, you get all preseason games (right, only two left, including tonight), all Sportsnet games, and some select TSN games to boot. It's a pretty good deal.
It's not every team that could lose three NHL centremen and still dress four more, even in a preseason game. Okay, so three out of four are marginal NHLers, but I'm not overly concerned. First, this is a preseason game, and the Leafs have nothing to lose by giving extra time to the likes of Philippe Dupuis, as he skates between Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel. With the injury to Nazem Kadri, the forward corps is all but set, aside from some competition for fourth line spots, so it makes sense to focus on these players, anyway.
Hope And The Prediction Machine
JP Nikota
September 30 2011 06:27AM
A little over a week ago, Jonathan Willis looked at a number of respectable publications that were so bold as to make predictions about which team would fall into what place in the standings. It's all a bit of a crap-shoot (heck, some of the predictions out there are literally for the purposes of gambling) but the general consensus seems to be that the Leafs are not expected make the playoffs this coming season. Instead, the predictions have them finishing around 9th or 10th in the East.
After heaving an existential sigh, I'd have to agree that it certainly looks that way.
Maple Leafs Allowed Shot Locations
JP Nikota
September 12 2011 07:20AM
While doing research for my article on the Leafs' defense in this year's Maple Leafs Annual (Go buy one!), I compiled a series of graphs that displayed the locations of shots taken on the Leafs net, sorted by which players were on the ice. Naturally, to help alleviate the effects of scoring biases, I've only used data from the Leafs' road games while the team was at even strength. As we'll see, differences in sample sizes account for many of the differences in patterns, but I believe that there are nevertheless important differences to observe, and that it makes for interesting viewing, one way or another.
A GM's Carol: The Ghost of Aging Veterans
JP Nikota
September 07 2011 01:03PM
On a sweatstained duvet cover, Jay Feaster tosses and turns fitfully. Suddenly, his window blows open and in drifts a ghostly spectre.
"What do you want from me?! Why are you haunting me?! Why do you look like Jarome Iginla?"
"I'm here to show you what your star player is dealing with. You'll accompany me as we see that he shares your restless slumber."
The apparition and Feaster, after a lot of effort on behalf of the ghost, begin to float out to Jarome Iginla's homestead.
