11/15/11 Studs & Duds
 

I'm back here for S&D, and as usual Storage Wars is on in the background along with everything awesome that is on that show. I'll cover the early games now and I'll post some late game observations in the morning.

STUDS

Pens pile on the goals

After falling behind 3-1 against the Avs in the first period, the Penguins scored five times in a row (four in the third) to pull out the comeback victory. There several strong performances but two stood out to me. The top stud for me is James Neal who factored in on the first three goals of the third period (goal, two assists). Also worth noting was Kris Letang, who had a goal a helper with a plus-1 rating, four shots, two blocks and three hits.

Prevent defence

The Minnesota Wild were outshot 45-23 by Columbus but goaltender Niklas Backstrom was rock solid stopping 43 shots to finish with a .956 save percentage. The team allowed a lot of shots but what is important is the scoreboard and an ugly win is still two points.

Rangers roto monsters

Ryan Callahan: goal, assist, plus-3, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, block, 5 hits
Brian Boyle: assist, plus-1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG, block, 4 hits, 4 FOW

Honourable mentions

Brad Marchand had a strong agitator game with a goal, plus-1, 4 PIM, 5 shots and 5 hits. That's good for 13 points in 16 games. He plays the type of game where his upside could be reached quickly because he has a good combination of grit and skill which makes him a good fit next to skill players.

I am also going to give some props to Adam Henrique. The rookie had an assist, plus-2, SOG, 3 blocks and 5 FOW. That gives him eight points in 13 games this season. He is making a strong case to stay up permanently.


DUDS

Stewart gets what he deserves

Chris Stewart was ejected for a nasty hit on Niklas Kronwall. Sure the PIMs help his roto league owners, but as a fan nobody wants to see this. He is likely to sit for a few games so maybe his roto league owners are not so happy after all.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/video/latest...it-on-Kronwall

Permanent dud

Steve Mason managed to lose another game while playing very ordinary. He was beat three times on 23 shots. His save percentage this evening was right on par with his season numbers, which is not good. He needs to get this corrected before a new goalie emerges and takes the reigns.

Datsyuk/Zetterberg

The Red Wings lost 2-1 to the Blues and their two star forwards were left off the score sheet. It has been an overall lousy start to the season for both. Datsyuk has 10 points in 16 games while Zetterberg has just 6 points. What is scary is that the Wings are 9-6-1 despite the struggles of these two. Once they pick it up, watch out.

Dis-honourable mentions

The Colorado Avalanche had a third period to forget as they let a lead slip away by allowing four goals to ultimately lose 6-3. They were out-shot 12-3 in the final frame as they totally collapsed and allowed the Pens to beef up their statistics. For the Avs, the following players finished minus-2: Gabriel Landeskog, Joakim Lindstrom, Ryan O'Byrne, Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan Wilson.

Back to the Penguins, one forward that was a non-factor was Kris Kunitz. He was on the ice for all three Avalanche goals and finished minus-2 while being blanked from the score sheet despite six goals from his team.

More to come in the morning involving the three later games...

No mention of Clemmensen's shutout in season debut? Against Dallas to boot. Harsh...

If you read the entire post you'll notice I mentioned twice that I'm covering the late games in the morning.

Honorable mention
 

Duchane gets a HM in my book for that filthy goal alone. 7 SOG were nice too.

Think Henrique lost the goal credit:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2011020247

Still an assist isn't too bad :P

Thanks, fixed!

Part 2
 

I'm back to satisfy the eager readers with coverage for the later games...

STUDS

Showcasing for a trade?

Scott Clemmensen finally made his first start of the season and won on the road at Dallas. But more importantly, he recorded a 25-save shutout. Clemmensen was already arguably the most valuable goaltender available for trade and his strong performance further increases his value to potential buyers while giving the Panthers a ton of options. Heck, they could even stash Markstrom in the minors to give him experience and keep Clemmensen if they want.

Put me on the ice, coach!

In a rare feat, Stephen Weiss was plus-6 last night. What is even more amazing is that the entire team scored six times. He was on the ice for every goal. He added a goal, two assists and eight faceoff wins.

Meanwhile, Brian Campbell finished plus-5.

Welcome to the party, Bobby

Bobby Butler scored his first two goals of the year in a 3-1 win over the Flames. It was very timely as it was the difference between winning and losing in this one. That gives him four points in 10 games. He is not a complete player so he needs to produce to remain useful.


DUDS

Slumping superstars

A pair of superstar wingers, Alex Ovechkin and Jarome Iginla, were kept off the score sheet while both finished minus-2. Their respective teams only scored once which was the prime reason why they both lost. Step up, boys!

Leht-them-in

Yes, that was an awful use of Kari Lehtonen's name. But equally awful was the egg he smashed on the face of his fantasy owners last night. He allowed six goals on 30 shots which really stings in H2H leagues (right, Carcillo?). He has lost two in a row but his overall season numbers are still great so here's hoping he gets back on track.

Yet Lehtonen's performance from last night alone might be enough to win the GAA, SV% and Saves for me this week.