Silver Nuggets: Senators scoring chances
I have been really hoping someone would eventually do this, and now it is here! Scott over at the The 6th Sens has started tracking scoring chances for Senators games, starting from the game in Vancouver on Sunday. Click here to read the scoring chances data for that game.
Of course what is and isn't a scoring chance is subjective, but it provides an alternative to strictly plus/minus or Corsi. Here is a description of what constitutes a scoring chance from In Lou We Trust. They differentiate this with Corsi by defining Corsi as measuring puck possession and scoring chances as the utilisation of the puck possession. Both are very important.
Looking at the data, the Senators out-chanced the Canucks 15-12 on even-strength. Sergei Gonchar played most of the night against the Sedin brothers and came out even on scoring chances at 7-7. His partner Chris Phillips also did decent, coming out at 4 for and 5 against. Erik Karlsson went up against the Burrows-Kesler-Higgins line and came out ahead 8-7. Brian Lee was not on the ice for a single scoring chance against him, coming out on top 4-0 while Jared Cowen was 2-0 on the night. The Greening-Spezza-Michalek line led the way among the forwards in scoring chances while the Daugavins-Smith-Condra line was the worst one.
General Sens News
- Mark Stone has been doing very well in the WHL this season, under the guidance of a familiar name, Cory Clouston. I was standing next to Stone at the rookie tournament and had no idea who he was, but I certainly won't make that mistake if I see him again. He currently leads the entire CHL in points. If he doesn't make the Ottawa roster next season and starts in Binghamton, the bus rides won't bother him: he's taken one bus trip as far as 5,000 kilometres. I am not quite sure how he managed this just in the WHL but it sounds brutal. (Ottawa Citizen)
- Daniel Alfredsson hasn't had to skip practise as frequently as he had to in the past and is generally enjoying playing. As long as he is enjoying it, Alfie says he won't think about retirement. He is no longer an elite NHL player, but with 8 points in 15 games (that's a 44-point pace if he played 82 games) he is certainly a good second line player. (Senators Extra)
- As Bobby mentioned today, the Ottawa Senators have the second best ranking in the NHL for prospects according to one ranking. The Senators are said to have top-end talent at every forward position. David Rundblad is the best ranked Senators prospect and he is #7 (HA!) in the NHL. Keep in mind that the Oilers no longer get to count Taylor Hall as a prospect in this ranking. (Hockey's Future)
- Nichols answers some questions from readers. He doesn't think that David Rundblad will necessarily be the odd-man out once Matt Carkner returns, feeling that Brian Lee is being showcased for a trade. He personally feels Carkner should be the one traded though, with Mark Borowiecki almost NHL ready. On the subject of Filatov and KHL, he points out that Daniel Alfredsson said he himself would probably prefer to play at home close to family and friends and make way more money rather than play in the AHL. (The 6th Sens)
- Speaking of Carkner, he feels he is ready to return any time now. (Steve Lloyd)
- Here is the first of three interesting FanPosts. This one by wandrr looks at the heroes and zeroes counts as seen in our recaps. (Silver Seven FanPost)
- This one by B_T looks at the Senators very extensively by the numbers after 20 games and compares them to where they ranked after 10 games. (Silver Seven FanPost)
- And lastly, another article in French by Gabriel17 looking at what moves, if any, Bryan Murray should make. You might not be as well versed at French as yours truly, but you should give it a read anyway. (Silver Seven FanPost)