Team who scores first gets the last laugh
In today’s low-scoring NHL, getting early lead is more important than ever before
Teams talk about it all the time — getting off to a fast start.
Some are good at it, some are not. But it’s never been so important in today’s low-scoring NHL for a team to score first.
In the first 740 games played this season, the team that scored first won 533 times and got 1,133 points out of a possible 1,480. So the team that scores first in the NHL so far this season got a point at least 77 per cent of the time.
That’s up from last season (74 per cent) and from a decade ago, when the team that scored first got at least a point 72 per cent of the time, according to data culled from NHL records by Star statistician Andrew Bailey.
“Chasing hockey is losing hockey,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock says all too often, given his team has scored first fewer than any other in the league.
The Maple Leafs are 9-4-2 when scoring first, a good winning and points percentage. But the Leafs have scored first a mere15 times in 48 games, earning 20 points — by far the lowest total in the NHL, a big reason why the Leafs are cellar-dwellers.
Ottawa has scored first 17 times — second-lowest — but has 28 points (14-3-0) to show for it.
The Sabres have scored first 21 times and have 26 points to show for it, second-lowest first-goal points.
“You’ve got to score first,” said Leafs defenceman Matt Hunwick. “The percentage of the league is pretty high. In low-scoring games, the first goal is important. Good teams get the lead and good teams can play with the lead.”
Part of the reason for the success at scoring first is because the league is starved for goals. This year, teams are scoring 2.63 goals per game, a drop from 2.73 last year and tied for the third-lowest scoring season since 1956.
“Goals are at such a premium now,” said Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “There is such a premium on playing defence now and the way goalies play, it’s a tough league to score in. Playing with the lead makes such a big difference.”
The Lightning, who went to the Stanley Cup final last year, got off to a slow start because they weren’t scoring first. They are on a 9-2-0 run because they are scoring first.
“We continually had to chase the game,” said Cooper. “We were losing those 1-0, 2-1 games all the time. It takes enough energy to come back and tie the game let alone get ahead and hold on to those leads.
“When you’re chasing the game, it’s tough.”
Even bad teams have good records when scoring first: Columbus is 156-1, Edmonton 14-9-2.
The league is looking at ways to increase scoring, perhaps by making goalie equipment smaller or the nets bigger or some other tweak of the rules. But it didn’t sound at the allstar break like NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was overly concerned.
“Our races are incredible. You never know on any given night who’s going to win,” Bettman told reporters in Nashville. “Should there be more scoring? That’s something we’ll discuss with the GMs.”
TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
The Chicago Blackhawks were planning to have a practice at some point this week. That’s news, because it would be their first practice of 2016.
While some teams have eschewed morning skates, making them optional or cancelling them outright for all but healthy scratches and injured players working their way back, the Blackhawks have limited off-day practices.
“The way the game’s being played today, and the volume of games in a short amount of time here, I think (with) a practice you’d lose a lot of steam and you don’t get anything out of it,” coach Joel Quenneville told the Chicago Sun-Times recently. “You lose some of your team game (when) you’re hitting the ice constantly. You don’t get that added energy going into games.”
SPACEY IN SPACE
The Panthers have found a good luck charm in actor Kevin Spacey. It started out as a Spacey sweatshirt, given to the hero of each game as chosen by the players after a win. Now they have taken to thanking the actor via Twitter for wins or any good fortune that befalls them, like Aleksander Barkov’s contract extension.
“I can’t tell you a thing,” said Panthers defenceman Erik Gudbranson. “It’s important for teams to find something like that that brings everyone together. The fact we’re so tight-lipped about it is because it’s something that means a lot to us.”
The actor is on board with it. “Only I really know what ?#SpaceyInSpace means. Hope it continues to bring good luck! -K,” the actor tweeted.
CANUCKLE-HEADS
The Canadiens and Senators each have one more point than the Canucks, but the Canucks are closer to a playoff spot than any other Canadian team — with 51 points, they are two behind third-place Arizona in the Pacific Division.
That makes the Canucks Canada’s great hope for a post-season berth.
They play eight of their next 11 at home at the Rogers Arena, making this a make-or-break portion of their schedule. They’ll know by the end of it whether they are trade deadline sellers or buyers. The guessing is sellers. The Canucks are a woeful 9-9-4 at home so far this season, tied with Columbus and Buffalo — and two up on Toronto —for fewest home wins.
TIPPETT BEATING BABCOCK
Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett will work his 1,000th NHL game as a head coach Tuesday night when the Coyotes host the Los Angeles Kings. Tippett will become the 24th coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games. Babcock will get to 1,000 on Thursday. Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella is at 980. By the end of next season, Claude Julien (909), Bob Hartley (910) and Peter Laviolette ( 891) could also join the 1,000-games coached club.
WILD FINISH
The Wild have lost 10 of their past 13 and sit in 12th place in the 14-team Western Conference. Last year, the Wild used the incredible goaltending of Devan Dubnyk to go on a post-all star game run of 24-5-1 to make the playoffs. This year, scoring is their issue. Former 40-goal scorer Mikael