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November 27, 2007
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
FRESH LEGS
TORREY MITCHELL SAN JOSE SHARKS, C DEBUT Oct. 4, 2007 VS. Edmonton (3-2 loss) ICE TIME 16:32, 18 shifts KEY STAT 2 shots on goal “MY FIRST GAME came against the Oilers, which was exciting. My only memories of Edmonton are from watching Hockey Night in Canada. My first NHL faceoff came against Shawn Horcoff and I played on a line mostly with Jeremy Roenick and Mike Grier. J.R.’s been great with me. I need to use my speed more and he’s been helping me understand where and when to use it. We played back-to-back road games in Edmonton and Phoenix and both were home openers for those teams, so both nights the crowds were excellent. My first NHL point came against Phoenix. I knocked the puck out of the air in the right corner. I got kind of a…
Refresh
It was a brief exchange to be sure and Dale Tallon only caught it out of the corner of his eye. While his team was standing on the tarmac, waiting to board a plane from Minnesota back to Chicago, Tallon watched as an injured Jonathan Toews walked up to Patrick Kane and gave him a bear hug. He saw Toews say something to Kane, which he later learned was to the effect of, “Hey kid, you played a great game tonight. Good start.” The Blackhawks had just been defeated 1-0 in their season opener and had lost their best player yet again when Martin Havlat went down with a shoulder injury after a third period scrum. Nothing out of the ordinary there. The Hawks have been prodigious losers over the past…
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
→ DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME LET’S START with the fact that more than half (56 percent) of the goals scored so far this season have come from the slot (within 20 feet of the net). The league’s average save percentage from that distance is only .810, compared to .943 when the shots come from anywhere else. Nashville’s Dan Ellis has done a remarkable job so far this season, with a .947 save percentage when opponents shoot from the slot (first chart). Meantime, the Blue Jackets’ Pascal Leclaire has been almost perfect on shots from beyond 20 feet (second chart). And, Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers has saved the day more than once if you consider that one-third of the shots against the Rangers have come from the slot (below). SPOTLIGHT…
NHL TEAM REPORTS
30 NHL SURPRISES Brad Boyes has been good news for the Blues and easily qualifies as the best surprise in St. Louis through the early stages of 2007-08. ST. LOUIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY of Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk and Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg expected big returns when they chose their loved ones in fantasy hockey leagues this season. Those in Brad Boyes’ close circle probably did not. Sure, they had faith in the 25-year-old St. Louis Blues right winger, but he had only 43 goals and 115 points in 164 NHL games entering 2007-08. Well, those who selected Boyes are smiling now. He had nine goals in 10 games, including three two-goal games. “They’re keeping up with me,” said Boyes of his friends and family. “A lot of them have me on their fantasy team, so they’re happy…
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