Studs & Duds - Thursday 2/7
 

Studs

Who says size matters
Tyler Ennis puts up a big night against Montreal with 1 goal and 3 points to go along with his 6 shots and over 22 minutes of ice time. Ennis is off to a solid start to the shortened season with 9 points in his first 11 games.

Is the door starting to creak?
The (not so) Great 8 has his best statistical game of the season against the Pens. With 1 goal, 1 assist, and 6 shots on goal, this is more so the OV we used to know. Is the beginning of the buy-low door closing? Or is it just a blip on what has become his regular output?

Suter who?
After a tough start to the season with a string of 5 losses with combined total of 15 goals against, Rinne seems to be turning the corner. Last night’s shutout of the Kings gave him his 4th win in a row with only 3 goals allowed during those 4 games. Perhaps the Preds just needed a Suter-free adjustment period.


Duds
A Crabby night in the face-off circle
Normally, you don’t see Crabb in the Studs or Duds category and he’s not here for his lack of statistical output. Last night, he only went 2 for 13 in the face-off circle for a paltry 15%. For a struggling team, giving up that many face-offs is troubling and has to improve if the team wants more puck possession.

Stewart disappoints again
A couple of seasons ago, Stewart looked like he was turning into one of the predominant power forwards of the league. Unfortunately, his has done the exact opposite. With only 4 points in 10 games and zero in his last four, his chances for getting back on track are looking slimmer as each game passes. Luckily, for those in multi-cat leagues, he’ll still give you some PIMs.

Smith’s Big Night
Typically, a goalie in Tippett’s defensive system is golden. Unfortunately, last night was the exception. Smith allowed 6 goals on 22 shots for a .727 Save Percentage. I highly doubt this will be the norm but anytime a goalie fails to save 75% of the 20+ shots they see, they are deserving of the Dud status – even if it’s short lived.