01/10/12 Studs & Duds

[ericdaoust]

**Only covering games completed as of 11 PM Eastern. I have a nasty cold and will get some sleep. I will come back with round 2 in the morning.**

STUDS

Monster Performer

Terrible title but it fits here because Jonas "Monster" Gustavsson turned aside 32 shots for the shutout. It was his fourth straight victory which includes two goose-eggs. Just when many people thought his NHL career might be over, he bounced back in a big way and it the short-term go-to guy for the Maple Leafs who are trying to qualify for the postseason for the first time in what seems like 107 years.

Efficient contributions

Tonight's #2 stud only had seven minutes of ice time. During his limited minutes Thornton managed to score on a penalty shot while adding a plus-1 rating and two hits. But most impressive were his seven penalty minutes and seven shots. He averaged one shot per minute on the ice.

Good things come in threes

Three members of the New York Islanders stood out in a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings:

Matt Moulson - 2G, 1A, +3, 3SOG, 2BS, PPP
John Tavares - 1G, 2A, +3, 5SOG, 11/19 FOW, GWG
Mark Streit - 3A, +2, 3BS, PPP

Honourable mentions

Greenhouse effect Colin Greening led the way for the Ottawa Senators with three assists (1 PPP) and plus-2.

While Ilya is drinking tea Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 35 of 36 (.972) in a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.


DUDS

Clowe-se but no cigar

The Sharks lost 5-4 to the Wild in the shootout. It was close, but a point was still lost. Despite the even game Ryane Clowe managed to finish minus-3 while not adding his name to the score sheet. He did add two shots so not all is lost depending on your pool format.

Back to you, Fleury

Brent Johnson had a rare start tonight - only his ninth of the season and first since Dec 16 - and was not very good. He allowed three goals on eight shots (.625) before being pulled from the game. Fleury didn't fare much better, allowing two on 15 (.867). The Pens are a popular fantasy hockey team and Johnson is a popular backup to own as a handcuff to Fleury. Unfortunately the only thing handcuffed tonight are your fantasy stats.

This is hockey, not javelin

Recently returned Brian Gionta had a rough outing. He finished minus-2 in a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues. But what was worse was that he was injured during the third period and did not return. While on his way to the dressing room he completes quite the javelin throw with his stick (video below). If only he and his teammates put that much effort into hockey tonight...

http://www.rds.ca/zone-video/#cat=53&videoID=104365

Dis-honourable mentions

Conker's bad fur day Ty Conklin allowed five goals on 30 shots (.833) in a 5-1 loss.

Finding Niemi Antti Niemi allowed four goals on 31 shots (.871) in a 5-4 shootout loss. He was 0/2 in the shootout.


BONUS

Thanks to TK for the following link to Mike Smith making an amazing OT save to keep the game alive:
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/con...d=35&id=148708

Also, tonight was Jaroslav Halak's first game in the Bell Centre since being traded to the St. Louis Blues. Even though he made a few nice saves, he was not very busy as he had 19 total shots. He did record the shutout but with the high volume of games it was tough to fit everything into the studs section.

[mounD]

Nice job dude. Love the Conker's reference...

Cheers.

[jeffl97]

S. Koivu hat-trick

[ericdaoust]

I'm back this morning feeling a bit better, but definitely game for some more S&D. The late games were quite eventful so I'll do three more of each.

STUDS

Viktor Stalberg hat trick

The usually inconsistent Stalberg is quietly putting together a solid season. He currently has 25 points in 40 games which would give him 51 points over 82 games. Last night he scored a hat trick which was the difference in a 5-2 win over Columbus. His 25 points beats his total of last season by one, which was achieved in 77 games.

Glencross for four

The Calgary Flames were very efficient shooters last night (more on that later) in a 6-3 win over New Jersey. Curtis Glencross took advantage and posted a goal along with three assists.

Old man showing the kids how it's done

The Anaheim Ducks have been terrible this season, that much is known. However, last night they did show up offensively. It was not Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan who broke out, however. Veteran Saku Koivu potted three goals and was the difference in a 5-2 win over Dallas.


DUDS

60% of the time it works every time

Not so much. The New Jersey Devils lost 6-3 despite allowing only 14 shots. Their team save percentage was .571 (below the mentioned 60%) which looks more like the winning percentage of a fringe playoff team. Both Devils goaltenders fell victim to the awful numbers as Martin Brodeur (3/5) and Johan Hedberg (5/9) both left poolies scratching their heads. Brodeur started the game but Hedberg took the L.

Prospal contributes nothing

Vaclav Prospal played just short of 20 minutes last night and failed to register a point. But more concerning is that he was minus-3 which was a team-worst.

Rookie wall?

Stefan Elliott has enjoyed a strong rookie campaign overall but lately he has not been so fortunate. He has gone four straight without a point and last night finished minus-3. He still played over 17 minutes but as a guy who is not established in the NHL you have to be a bit concerned with this type of output.

[shingy]

Thanks for the great read and useful information, much appreciated.

[ericdaoust]

Nice job dude. Love the Conker's reference...

Cheers.

Never played the game but heard of it back in my high school days. When I was looking for a "Conk" title I found the game reference in the auto-complete of a google search. It's a match made in heaven.

Thanks for the great read and useful information, much appreciated.

Glad I could help!