Tampa Bay’s sensational sophomores, the Isles’ supporting cast, Detroit’s stifling defence, lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. Vita Vea Jersey . HEROES Palat, Johnson, Kucherov – This is hardly the first time noting their outstanding play but, after putting up four of Tampa Bay’s five goals in a 5-1 win at Buffalo Wednesday, with three at even strength, the trio of Lightning second-year forwards took over as the league’s most productive line, scoring 24 goals. LW Ondrej Palat led the way against Buffalo, with a goal and three assists, while C Tyler Johnson had three helpers and RW Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist and all three were on for 20 shot attempts for and three against (87.0%) at even strength. TOP SCORING LINES LINE TEAM GOALS Palat-Johnson-Kucherov Tampa Bay 24 Marchand-Bergeron-Smith Boston 23 Raffl-Giroux-Voracek Philadelphia 19 Tarasenko-Lehtera-Schwartz St. Louis 18 Forsberg-Ribeiro-Neal Nashville 17 Strome, Nielsen, Lee – The Islanders’ second line scored four of their five goals in a 5-2 win at Winnipeg New Year’s Eve. Strome, one of the most efficient point producers in the league, led the way with a goal and three assists and all three were on for better than 75% of the shot attempts against Winnipeg. Among players with at least 300 5-on-5 minutes this season: POINTS PER 60 MINUTES, 5-on-5 PLAYER TEAM POS. PTS/60 Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay C 3.79 Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay RW 3.66 Rick Nash N.Y. Rangers LW 3.59 Ryan Strome N.Y. Islanders RW 3.33 Tyler Seguin Dallas C/RW 3.05 Detroit Red Wings – In a 3-1 win over New Jersey on New Year’s Eve, the Red Wings outshot the Devils 28-13. This was practically a perfect storm for stifling shots, at least in a game not involving the Buffalo Sabres. The Red Wings allow a league-leading 45.30 shot attempts against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play this season, while the Devils generate a paltry 47.23 shot attempts 60 minutes (only the Sabres, at 39.52 are lower). Detroit’s best shot suppressor is C Riley Sheahan, who starts more than 62% of his shifts in the offensive zone and allows a league-best 37.7 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play. Among players with at least 400 minutes of 5-on-5 play this season: SHOT ATTEMPTS AGAINST, PER 60 MINUTES AT 5-on-5 PLAYER TEAM POS. CA/60 Riley Sheahan Detroit C 37.7 Tomas Tatar Detroit LW 40.3 Jaromir Jagr New Jersey RW 42.9 Anton Stralman Tampa Bay D 43.6 Brendan Smith Detroit D 43.8 Travis Zajac New Jersey C 44.5 Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay C 44.6 Ryan Callahan Tampa Bay RW 44.8 Patrice Bergeron Boston C 45.0 Jonas Brodin Minnesota D 45.1 ZEROES Boston’s fourth line – Though they didn’t start a single shift in the offensive zone in their 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto New Year’s Eve, the line of Gregory Campbell, Dan Paille and Craig Cunningham were all crushed in termf os possession, with Campbell at the low end (1 shot attempt for, 12 against, 7.7%) against a team that has its own puck possession woes. Bo Horvat – The Canucks rookie started 75% of his shifts in the offensive zone against Los Angeles Thursday, but managed to be on the ice for just one shot attempt for and 13 against (7.1%) and has a team-worst (minimum 20 minutes of 5-on-5 play) 43.1% Corsi; further evidence that it’s not easy to play in the league as a teenager. Nicolas Deslauriers – The Sabres winger put the finishing touches on his league-worst Corsi percentage in December with 11.8% of the shot attempts (2 for, 15 against) against Tampa Bay on New Year’s Eve. Here are the leaders, and trailers, in Corsi% for the month of December. Among players with at least 120 5-on-5 minutes in the final month of 2014: CORSI% LEADERS - DECEMBER, 2014 PLAYER TEAM POS. CORSI% Trevor Lewis Los Angeles RW 65.4% Brad Boyes Florida RW 63.3% Tyler Toffoli Los Angeles RW 62.5% Marian Gaborik Los Angeles LW 62.4% Tomas Tatar Detroit LW 62.1% Joe Thornton San Jose C 61.7% Brayden McNabb Los Angeles D 61.5% Tanner Pearson Los Angeles LW 61.2% Jason Demers Dallas D 60.6% Pavel Datsyuk Detroit C 60.4% At the other end of the spectrum: CORSI% TRAILERS - DECEMBER, 2014 PLAYER TEAM POS. CORSI% Nicolas Deslauriers Buffalo LW 30.8% Drew Stafford Buffalo RW 33.6% Rasmus Ristolainen Buffalo D 33.9% Brian Flynn Buffalo C 35.9% Nikita Zadorov Buffalo D 36.0% Chris Stewart Buffalo RW 36.3% Josh Gorges Buffalo D 36.4% Tyler Bozak Toronto C 36.7% Phil Kessel Toronto RW 37.1% Zemgus Girgensons Buffalo C 37.2% LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Kris Versteeg – Left the Winter Classic early after suffering an apparent hand injury as he blocked a shot from Washington’s Eric Fehr. The Blackhawks have the luxury of being able to slide a player as skilled as Patrick Sharp into Versteeg’s spot with Brad Richards and Patrick Kane if Versteeg is going to miss significant time. Joffrey Lupul – Toronto’s frequently-injured winger suffered a lower-body injury after an awkward collision with Boston’s Milan Lucic. Peter Holland is also out for the Leafs, so they have recalled Greg McKegg from the AHL Marlies. McKegg has 15 points (7 G, 8 A) and is minus-2 in 23 AHL games this season. Beau Bennett – The oft-injured winger assisted on both of Pittsburgh’s goals in a 2-1 win over Carolina, in his first game in five weeks, skating on a line with Chris Kunitz and Brandon Sutter. Corey Perry – Returned to the Anaheim lineup, after missing nearly four weeks, in Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to San Jose. Joe Thornton – Played only 3:35 at Anaheim on New Year’s Eve after getting hit by Ducks D Clayton Stoner, though the Sharks downplayed the severity of the injury. Ryan Murphy – The Hurricanes recalled their young puck-moving blueliner after he spent a couple of months toiling in the AHL, where he had 17 assists and a minus-7 rating in 23 games. Mason Raymond – The Flames winger was a healthy scratch against Edmonton Saturday. He had seven points (5 G, 2 A) in seven games to start the year, but has gone scoreless in 13 games since. Micheal Haley – The agitating centre was called up to the Sharks, and played three games in the past week. He has three points (2 G, 1 A) and 168 penalty minutes in 55 career NHL games and had 13 points (10 G, 3 A) with 60 penalty minutes in the AHL when he got the call. SHORT SHIFTS Jets LW Andrew Ladd scored both of Winnipeg’s goals in the 5-2 loss to the Islanders. In the past 12 games, Ladd has 13 points (6 G, 7 A)…Rangers C Derek Stepan had three assists in a 5-2 win at Florida, giving him 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in the past seven games…Maple Leafs RW Phil Kessel contributed a goal and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win at Boston on New Year’s Eve; Kessel has 18 points (7 G, 11 A) in the past 16 games…Bruins C Carl Soderberg had a goal and an assist in the loss for Boston, and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in his past seven games…Blue Jackets D Kevin Connauton picked up a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Minnesota New Year’s Eve, giving him nine points (5 G, 4 A) in the past nine games…Sharks RW Joe Pavelski scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 win at Anaheim Wednesday, and has nine points (7 G, 2 A) in the past nine games…Avalanche D Brad Stuart had a pair of assists in a 4-3 win against Philadelphia, and has four assists in the past four games. Those are Stuart’s first points of the season, but he could use some positive recognitition after getting slammed twice for puck possession shortcomings this week. Capitals D Mike Green recorded a pair of assists in Washington’s 3-2 Winter Classic win over Chicago; he has eight points (1 G, 7 A) in the past seven games... Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist in the Winter Classic, while generating 13 shot attempts (4 SOG)…In his past 11 games, Ovechkin has registered 120 shot attempts (10.9 per game)…Blackhawks LW Patrick Sharp, who is second to Ovechkin in shots on goal per game, scored a goal and generated 15 shot attempts (10 SOG) in the outdoor game…Canucks RW Radim Vrbata had a goal and an assist in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to Los Angeles, giving him five points (3 G, 2 A) in the past five games…Colorado’s fourth-liners, Cody McLeod (12 shot attempts for, none against, 100.0%) and Maxime Talbot (13 for, 1 against, 92.9%) had dominant possession games against Philadelphia Wednesday, crushing the head-to-head matchup against Philadelphia’s Vincent Lecavalier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Stars G Kari Lehtonen recorded a 32-save shutout against Arizona New Year’s Eve…Sharks G Antti Niemi had 28 saves on a shutout at Anaheim, and had a .929 save percentage in December…Blue Jackets G Sergei Bobrovsky had 28 saves on 29 shots in a 3-1 win over Minnesota, and had a .937 save percentage in December…Hurricanes G Cam Ward stopped 37 of 39 shots faced in a 2-1 loss at Pittsburgh; Ward has a .926 save percentage in 22 games since the start of November. FIRSTS Brett Ritchie – The 2011 second-round pick scored a goal in his NHL debut against Arizona Wednesday, playing 10:21 on the fourth line with Travis Moen and Vernon Fiddler. The 6-foot-4 winger had 18 points (11 G, 7 A) and was plus-10 in 22 AHL games. Joe Whitney – The 5-foot-6 winger scored his first NHL goal, in his third career NHL game, at Detroit Wednesday. Whitney had 27 points (11 G, 16 A) in 30 games with Albany before he was promoted. Nikita Nesterov – The 2011 fifth-round pick of the Lightning played 15:02 in his NHL debut against Buffalo Wednesday. He had 14 points and was plus-4 in 32 AHL games before getting the call, with Radko Gudas still nursing FANTASY TIPS A few under-the-radar players to consider for your lineup Friday: Lars Eller – On a modest three-game point streak, the Habs’ pivot played a season-high 18:56 at Florida last game. Matt Read – He has just one goal and six points in his past 18 games, but joined Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek on the top line last game. Patrick Maroon – By the same token, Maroon hasn’t done much for the Ducks this year, scoring only two goals, but he was re-united with Ryan Getzlaf and a healthy Corey Perry New Year’s Eve against San Jose. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Vinny Curry Buccaneers Jersey .J. -- Kevin Gilbride retired Thursday as offensive co-ordinator for the New York Giants. John Lynch Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens have hired Steve Spagnuolo to be their secondary coach and assistant head coach. http://www.authenticbuccaneersstoreonline.com/Black-36-Mj-Stewart-Womens-Jersey/ .com) - The top spot in the AFC South will be on the line when Houston native Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts shoot for their fourth straight win when they take on the Texans at NRG Stadium.MELBOURNE, Australia - There is a big difference between the Venus Williams of, say, the year 2000 and the Venus of 2015.The Venus of today says she might not be at the top of her game but she is more strategic, she understands the game better and she has learned to not be afraid.Thats one of the beauties of continuing to play as you get a lot of the years under your belt, said Venus, who at the age of 34 is one of the oldest players in the draw but enjoying what some have called a career renaissance.Williams prefers not to see it that way.Im just doing the best I can, she said with a laugh. I think as long as Im doing my best something good will come out of it.On Thursday, Williams advanced to the third round of the Australian Open, beating fellow American Lauren Davis, 6-2, 6-3. She now faces Camila Giorgi of Italy for a spot in the fourth round, an accomplishment she hasnt achieved at a major since Wimbledon 2011.When Williams played her first Grand Slams back in 1997 — or 18 years ago — her latest opponent, the 21-year-old Davis, was just a toddler. Williams went on to hold the No. 1 ranking, win seven Grand Slam singles titles and was also a runner-up seven times — losing to her younger sister, Serena, on six of those occasions.No. 1-ranked Serena, who also won her second-round match Thursday, is a favourite to win her 19th Grand Slam title.As recently as 2010, Venus made it all the way to the U.S. Open semifinals. Then health problems stalled her career.She finished 2011 outside the top 100, and announced she was suffering from an auto-immune condition called Sjogrens syndrome, which can cause joint pain and sap energy. She took seven monthhs off from tennis, and by the end of 2012 had climbed to No. Ronald Jones II Buccaneers Jersey. . 24.She is now ranked 18th and won her 46th career title in Auckland earlier this year.Williams says her health problems have given her a new perspective on life.More than anything, Im appreciative of all the opportunities Ive had in my life, Williams said. Im appreciative for good health and just to be able to feel good every day.When things are out of your control, its easy to be afraid and fear can really hold you back, she added. So, I think you have to just conquer that fear. Thats, I think, something Ive learned as well, just not to be afraid.That perspective combined with her experience has also helped her tennis.Honestly, I think I understand the game a lot more. Even when Im not playing as well, I think Im able to tactically be more strategic than even, lets say, Venus of 2000. So I think there is a big difference, she said.Williams describes her state of mind as always pretty happy, an assessment that Serena agrees with and says her big sister is in a good place both on and off the court.Serena says her sister has always coped well with pressure and in the early years, there was lots of it.She came in as a new face, a black woman that was shaking up the world. She had all this pressure on her shoulders, said Serena, who faces No. 26 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the fourth round. I came in behind her. You know, just snuck in there. There was no pressure on me at all. She dealt with it so amazing.She is really motivating. She is playing so well, Serena said. For our whole careers, weve kind of motivated each other. We hopefully continue to do that. Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '
