- Error
We are now fully entrenched in the most boring time of year for hockey fans. With that said here are some general CBJ team stats from last season that you may or may not be aware of:
* The Jackets were ranked 6th overall in the league in hits with 2075. I would have never guessed this one. Pahlsson led the team with 151 (also would have never guessed) while Methot was second with 150.
* The Jackets were 21st overall in blocked shots with 1029. Jan Hejda led with 133. Lots of room for improvement here.
* They were 30th overall in missed shots with just 755 led by Nash with 66. Not sure how to take this one as one could argue they didnt' miss a lot of shots because they didnt' take a lot. For instance Detroit, Washingtson and Pittsburgh are #'s 2, 3 and 4 on this list.
* They were 30th overall in give-aways with just 387 led by Voracek with 33. Again, one could take this as a positive but then again it's hard to give up the puck when you don't have it a whole lot. Still it is hard to look at this one any way other than a positive.
* They ranked 28th overall in take-aways with just 388 led by Huselius with 44. Certainly an area that needs improved.
* There were 9th overall in faceoffs winning 51% of their draws led by Vermette who was 54.2%. Solid.
* They were 18th in average penalty minutes per game with 13.2. They had 365 minors which was the 9th most in the league -- definitely an area that can use improvement.
* The Jackets were 29th overall in overtime/shootout wins with just 5. They led the league in overtime/shootout losses with 15. Think about all of those points left on the table. 9 of the top 10 teams in shootout/overtime wins were playoff teams. This is an area the Jackets MUST improve if they have any hopes at the playoffs next season.
* In 2008-2009, the Jackets playoff seasson, they were tied for 7th in the league in overtime/shootout wins with 11. Only 5 of the top 10 teams in this category made it to the playoffs that season, however, 10 of the top 15 teams made it.
Some definite areas to improve upon as well as some bright spots. They are solid in some areas like hits, faceoffs and give-aways but could use improvement in blocked shots, take-aways and reducing their minor penalties against.
The biggest need however is that win/loss record in OT/Shootout. Way too many points left on the board last season in the extra frame.
-LTL
