swflyers25
2-27-06, 11:42 PM
NEW YORK - The seven-week sprint to the Stanley Cup playoffs starts Tuesday night when the National Hockey League season resumes. Conference races, division races, the scoring race and the battle for the Maurice Richard goal-scoring trophy are just a few of the focal points as play gets back underway.
PRESIDENTS' TROPHY RACE IS WIDE OPEN
Just 10 points separate the top nine clubs in the race for the 2005-06 Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the club finishing the regular season with the League's best record. The Presidents' Trophy winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Club GP W L OT Pts
Detroit 57 39 13 5 83
Carolina 57 39 14 4 82
Ottawa 56 37 14 5 79
Dallas 58 38 17 3 79
NY Rangers 58 35 15 8 78
Buffalo 56 36 15 5 77
Philadelphia 58 33 16 9 75
Nashville 58 34 18 6 74
Calgary 57 33 17 7 73
CLOSE DIVISION RACES
Northeast -- The Ottawa Senators (37-14-5, 79 points) hold a two-point lead over the Buffalo Sabres (36-15-5, 77 points). The Senators and Sabres meet four more times: on March 18, March 24, April 5 and April 8.
Atlantic -- The New York Rangers (35-15-8, 78 points) hold a three-point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers (33-16-9, 75 points). The Rangers and Flyers meet four more times: Thursday, March 22, April 4 and April 15.
Northwest -- All five clubs are separated by 10 points. The first-place Calgary Flames (33-17-7, 73 points) hold a slight edge over the Vancouver Canucks (33-21-5, 71 points), Colorado Avalanche (32-21-6, 70 points), Edmonton Oilers (30-20-8, 68 points) and Minnesota Wild (29-25-5, 63 points).
CLOSE CONFERENCE RACES
In the Eastern Conference, the top five clubs (Carolina, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Buffalo and Philadelphia) are separated by just seven points and clubs ranked 8 through 13 (Montreal, Toronto, Atlanta, Boston, NY Islanders and Florida) are just eight points apart. In the Western Conference, first-place Detroit leads second-place Dallas by just four points, while clubs ranked 5 through 11 (Vancouver, Colorado, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Anaheim, Minnesota and San Jose) are separated by just nine points.
EXCITING SCHEDULE
All 367 games remaining in the regular season are intra-conference, with key games throughout. On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the first night following the Olympic break, four teams in the tightly-bunched Northwest Division face off when the Calgary Flames host the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild in the return of the NHL on OLN (8 p.m., ET). The Montreal Canadiens, seeded eighth in the East, visit the New York Islanders, who trail Montreal by just six points. Two nights later, the top clubs in the Atlantic Division meet when the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Rangers. The excitement continues right to the end: on Tuesday, April 18, the final night of the schedule, the four clubs currently leading the Eastern Conference face off when the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes host the Buffalo Sabres.
KEY DATES
* The NHL trade deadline is just 10 days away, Thursday, March 9 at 3 p.m., ET. The date is 40 days from the conclusion of the regular season, two weeks earlier than under the prior Collective Bargaining Agreement.
* The regular season concludes Tuesday, April 18.
* The Stanley Cup playoffs open Friday, April 21.
* The latest possible date for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is Monday, June 19.
HOT CLUBS ENTERING THE OLYMPIC BREAK
The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers -- the two most decorated Olympic teams, each with six players who earned a medal at Torino -- have the longest current winning streaks (six games).
The Dallas Stars have the longest current home winning streak (six games).
The Rangers have the longest current road winning streak (five games).
The Rangers are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, followed by the Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres (7-1-2).
HOT PLAYERS ENTERING THE OLYMPIC BREAK
New York Rangers RW Jaromir Jagr has the longest current goal streak (five games, 7 G).
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim C Andy McDonald has the longest current point streak (11 games, 5-13--18), followed by Edmonton Oilers C Jarret Stoll (nine games, 2-8--10) and Tampa Bay Lightning C Brad Richards (six games, 3-9--12).
SINCE JAN. 1: Jagr (15-12--27 in 19 games) and San Jose Sharks C Joe Thornton (7-2--27 in 19 games) have posted the most points since Jan. 1, followed by McDonald (7-19--26 in 19 games) and Washington Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin (13-12--25). New Jersey Devils G Martin Brodeur leads all goaltenders in victories (14-4-0) and shutouts (five) in that span, while Detroit Red Wings G Manny Legace boasts the top goals-against average (12-2-0, 1.74 GAA, three shutouts).
RANGERS' JAGR VIES FOR SIXTH CAREER ART ROSS TROPHY
New York Rangers RW Jaromir Jagr (40-48--88) holds a seven-point lead over San Jose Sharks C Joe Thornton (21-60--81) in the race for the 2005-06 Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the League's scoring leader. Jagr is vying for his sixth career Art Ross Trophy, which would tie him for second place on the all-time list with Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe.
Most Art Ross Trophies
10 - Wayne Gretzky
6 - Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe
5 - Jaromir Jagr
MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY RACE WIDE OPEN
Just eight goals separate the League's top 10 goal-scorers.
1. Jaromir Jagr, NY Rangers 40
2. Simon Gagne, Philadelphia 37
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta 37
4. Alex Ovechkin, Washington 36
Eric Staal, Carolina 36
6. Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa 34
Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose 34
Dany Heatley, Ottawa 34
9. Brian Gionta, New Jersey 33
10.Marek Svatos, Colorado 32
* * Jagr has scored goals in each of his past five games and has 11 goals in nine games.
* * Cheechoo has scored 27 goals in 31 games since Joe Thornton was acquired from Boston Nov. 30.
ROOKIE FEATS
A record number of rookies lead NHL individual statistical categories in 2005-06; Washington's Alex Ovechkin leads all players in shots (283); Colorado's Marek Svatos ranks first in game-winning goals (nine), the Rangers' Petr Prucha boasts the top shooting percentage (26.3%), while Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros has posted the top plus-minus (+34). The Rangers' gold-medal goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, is contending in two categories: save percentage (second, .927) and goals-against average (third, 2.09).
The Calgary Flames' Dion Phaneuf leads all rookie defensemen with 14 goals, including six game-winners. Should he reach 20 goals, Phaneuf would become just the third blueliner in NHL history to do so in his rookie campaign, joining the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch (23 in 1988-89) and the Colorado Rockies' Barry Beck (22 in 1977-78).
TRIBUTES FOR LaFONTAINE, GEOFFRION, DANEYKO, MacINNIS
Four distinguished NHL stars will be honored by having their jerseys retired in special pre-game ceremonies. The Buffalo Sabres will raise Pat LaFontaine's number 16 to the rafters of HSBC Arena on Friday, March 3, prior to their game against Toronto. The Montreal Canadiens will retire Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion's number five on Saturday, March 11 against the New York Rangers. The New Jersey Devils will retire Ken Daneyko's number three on Friday, March 24 against Boston, while the St. Louis Blues will retire Al MacInnis' number two on Sunday, April 9, against Edmonton.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Goals
Pittsburgh Penguins LW John LeClair needs six goals to reach the NHL Milestone of 400.
Atlanta Thrashers RW Peter Bondra needs eight goals to reach 500.
Detroit Red Wings C Steve Yzerman, with 684 career goals, is six goals shy of tying Mario Lemieux for eighth place on the all-time list.
Assists
Detroit Red Wings D Nicklas Lidstrom is five assists away from reaching the NHL Milestone of 600.
Games Played
Tampa Bay Lightning D Darryl Sydor needs one game to reach the NHL Milestone of 1,000. Sydor could reach the mark in the Lightning's first game following the Olympic break, Tuesday vs. Florida.
Toronto Maple Leafs RW Tie Domi needs two games to reach the NHL Milestone of 1,000. Domi could reach the mark March 3 at Buffalo.
Detroit Red Wings C Steve Yzerman needs eight games to become the 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,500. Yzerman could reach the mark March 15 vs. Anaheim.
Goaltending
New Jersey Devils G Martin Brodeur, with 431 career victories, is four shy of tying Jacques Plante for fourth place on the all-time list. Brodeur has posted 28 victories this season, two shy of an NHL-record 10th consecutive 30-win campaign. Brodeur also has 80 career shutouts, one behind Tiny Thompson and Alex Connell for fifth all-time.
Phoenix Coyotes G Curtis Joseph, with 418 career victories, is five shy of tying Tony Esposito for sixth place on the all-time list.
Dallas Stars G Marty Turco needs one shutout to reach the NHL Milestone of 25.
STARS' JOKINEN SHINES IN SHOOTOUT; DEVILS' BRODEUR STINGY IN GOAL
Dallas Stars rookie LW Jussi Jokinen is the undisputed star of the League's new shootout, introduced in 2005-06 to determine a winner of games tied following regulation play and four-on-four overtime. Jokinen has scored eight goals in as many attempts, compared to the League-wide success rate of 33.7% (226 goals from 670 attempts). Jokinen has led the Stars to the League's top shootout record, 8-0.
Goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has posted the League's top shootout save percentage, turning aside 20 of 23 attempts (87.0%).
ATTENDANCE ON RECORD PACE
The NHL is on pace to set an all-time attendance record. The 2005-06 season average of 16,907 is 2.2% ahead of the record season of 2001-02 (16,539) through the corresponding number of games and 3.8% ahead of the 2003-04 figure (16,295).
The attendance figures for October, November, December and January were all-time records for those respective months.
MOST 50-GOAL, 100-POINT SCORERS IN A DECADE
Seven players are on pace to record 50 goals this season, potentially the most in a decade (eight players reached the 50-goal mark in 1995-96). Players on a 50-goal pace this season are the New York Rangers' Jaromir Jagr (57), Philadelphia's Simon Gagne (54), Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk and Washington's Alex Ovechkin (both 53), Carolina's Eric Staal (52), Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson (51) and Ottawa's Dany Heatley (50). Eight players are on pace for 100 points, also the most since 1995-96 (12). They are Jagr (124), San Jose's Joe Thornton (119), Alfredsson (109), Staal (108), Kovalchuk and Heatley (both 104), Ovechkin and Atlanta's Marc Savard (both 102).
Number of 50-Goal Scorers Since 1996-97
2005-06: 7 (projected)
2003-04: 0
2002-03: 1
2001-02: 1
2000-01: 3
1999-00: 1
1998-99: 0
1997-98: 4
1996-97: 4
Number of 100-Point Scorers Since 1996-97
2005-06: 8 (projected)
2003-04: 0
2002-03: 3
2001-02: 0
2000-01: 2
1999-00: 0
1998-99: 3
1997-98: 1
1996-97: 2
GOAL-SCORING TRENDING UP
Teams have scored a total of 5,278 goals (not including the 97 goals awarded to clubs winning a shootout), an average of 6.1 per game. The figure represents a 21% increase over the average of 5.1 goals scored in the corresponding number of games in 2003-04.
Goal-Scoring Since 1996-97
Season Avg. Goals/Game
2005-06 6.1 (through Feb. 26)
2003-04 5.1
2002-03 5.3
2001-02 5.2
2000-01 5.5
1999-00 5.5
1998-99 5.3
1997-98 5.3
1996-97 5.8
DID YOU KNOW...
Through 863 games in 2005-06, there had been 418 lead changes, compared to just 334 over the same span of 2003-04 ... There were 84 lead changes in the third period, compared to 59 in 2003-04 ... Ten games featured three or more lead changes, compared to just one in 2003-04 ... Of Calgary's 62 power-play goals prior to the break, 35 had provided the lead (most in the League) and nine more had tied the score ... Of the 1,841 power-play goals scored prior to the break, 627 (or 34%) had provided the lead and another 376 (20.4%) had tied the score ... The New Jersey Devils were the NHL team that was shorthanded the least prior to the break in 2005-06 (255 shorthanded situations) and had been shorthanded the least (194 times) through 863 games in 2003-04 ... The Ottawa Senators scored five or more goals in a League-high 23 of their 56 games prior to the break. They had eight games of five goals scored, nine games of six goals and six games of seven or more. In the entirety of the 2003-04 season the Senators totaled 19 games of five goals or more ... There were 61 single-game performances of three goals or more by NHL players prior to the Olympic break. In the entirety of 2003-04, there were 46 ... There already have been 240 individual periods in which the two teams combined for a total of four goals; in the entirety of the 2003-04 season, there were 237 such periods ... There already have been 120 periods in which the two teams combined for five or more goals; in the entirety of the 2003-04 season, there were 82 ... Through 863 games in 2005-06, forwards had scored 4,484 goals and 6,323 assists, for a total of 10,807 points and 38,159 shots. Through 863 games in 2003-04, the forwards' totals were: 3,716-5,242--8,958 with 34,613 shots ... Through 863 games in 2005-06, defensemen had scored 794 goals and 2,735 assists for 3,529 points and 13,317 shots. Through the same number of games in 2003-04, defensemen had combined for 658-2,152--2,810 points and 13,677 shots.
NHL.com (http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/02/261292.html)
PRESIDENTS' TROPHY RACE IS WIDE OPEN
Just 10 points separate the top nine clubs in the race for the 2005-06 Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the club finishing the regular season with the League's best record. The Presidents' Trophy winner is guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Club GP W L OT Pts
Detroit 57 39 13 5 83
Carolina 57 39 14 4 82
Ottawa 56 37 14 5 79
Dallas 58 38 17 3 79
NY Rangers 58 35 15 8 78
Buffalo 56 36 15 5 77
Philadelphia 58 33 16 9 75
Nashville 58 34 18 6 74
Calgary 57 33 17 7 73
CLOSE DIVISION RACES
Northeast -- The Ottawa Senators (37-14-5, 79 points) hold a two-point lead over the Buffalo Sabres (36-15-5, 77 points). The Senators and Sabres meet four more times: on March 18, March 24, April 5 and April 8.
Atlantic -- The New York Rangers (35-15-8, 78 points) hold a three-point lead over the Philadelphia Flyers (33-16-9, 75 points). The Rangers and Flyers meet four more times: Thursday, March 22, April 4 and April 15.
Northwest -- All five clubs are separated by 10 points. The first-place Calgary Flames (33-17-7, 73 points) hold a slight edge over the Vancouver Canucks (33-21-5, 71 points), Colorado Avalanche (32-21-6, 70 points), Edmonton Oilers (30-20-8, 68 points) and Minnesota Wild (29-25-5, 63 points).
CLOSE CONFERENCE RACES
In the Eastern Conference, the top five clubs (Carolina, Ottawa, New York Rangers, Buffalo and Philadelphia) are separated by just seven points and clubs ranked 8 through 13 (Montreal, Toronto, Atlanta, Boston, NY Islanders and Florida) are just eight points apart. In the Western Conference, first-place Detroit leads second-place Dallas by just four points, while clubs ranked 5 through 11 (Vancouver, Colorado, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Anaheim, Minnesota and San Jose) are separated by just nine points.
EXCITING SCHEDULE
All 367 games remaining in the regular season are intra-conference, with key games throughout. On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the first night following the Olympic break, four teams in the tightly-bunched Northwest Division face off when the Calgary Flames host the Vancouver Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild in the return of the NHL on OLN (8 p.m., ET). The Montreal Canadiens, seeded eighth in the East, visit the New York Islanders, who trail Montreal by just six points. Two nights later, the top clubs in the Atlantic Division meet when the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Rangers. The excitement continues right to the end: on Tuesday, April 18, the final night of the schedule, the four clubs currently leading the Eastern Conference face off when the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators and the Carolina Hurricanes host the Buffalo Sabres.
KEY DATES
* The NHL trade deadline is just 10 days away, Thursday, March 9 at 3 p.m., ET. The date is 40 days from the conclusion of the regular season, two weeks earlier than under the prior Collective Bargaining Agreement.
* The regular season concludes Tuesday, April 18.
* The Stanley Cup playoffs open Friday, April 21.
* The latest possible date for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is Monday, June 19.
HOT CLUBS ENTERING THE OLYMPIC BREAK
The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers -- the two most decorated Olympic teams, each with six players who earned a medal at Torino -- have the longest current winning streaks (six games).
The Dallas Stars have the longest current home winning streak (six games).
The Rangers have the longest current road winning streak (five games).
The Rangers are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, followed by the Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres (7-1-2).
HOT PLAYERS ENTERING THE OLYMPIC BREAK
New York Rangers RW Jaromir Jagr has the longest current goal streak (five games, 7 G).
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim C Andy McDonald has the longest current point streak (11 games, 5-13--18), followed by Edmonton Oilers C Jarret Stoll (nine games, 2-8--10) and Tampa Bay Lightning C Brad Richards (six games, 3-9--12).
SINCE JAN. 1: Jagr (15-12--27 in 19 games) and San Jose Sharks C Joe Thornton (7-2--27 in 19 games) have posted the most points since Jan. 1, followed by McDonald (7-19--26 in 19 games) and Washington Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin (13-12--25). New Jersey Devils G Martin Brodeur leads all goaltenders in victories (14-4-0) and shutouts (five) in that span, while Detroit Red Wings G Manny Legace boasts the top goals-against average (12-2-0, 1.74 GAA, three shutouts).
RANGERS' JAGR VIES FOR SIXTH CAREER ART ROSS TROPHY
New York Rangers RW Jaromir Jagr (40-48--88) holds a seven-point lead over San Jose Sharks C Joe Thornton (21-60--81) in the race for the 2005-06 Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the League's scoring leader. Jagr is vying for his sixth career Art Ross Trophy, which would tie him for second place on the all-time list with Mario Lemieux and Gordie Howe.
Most Art Ross Trophies
10 - Wayne Gretzky
6 - Mario Lemieux, Gordie Howe
5 - Jaromir Jagr
MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY RACE WIDE OPEN
Just eight goals separate the League's top 10 goal-scorers.
1. Jaromir Jagr, NY Rangers 40
2. Simon Gagne, Philadelphia 37
Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta 37
4. Alex Ovechkin, Washington 36
Eric Staal, Carolina 36
6. Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa 34
Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose 34
Dany Heatley, Ottawa 34
9. Brian Gionta, New Jersey 33
10.Marek Svatos, Colorado 32
* * Jagr has scored goals in each of his past five games and has 11 goals in nine games.
* * Cheechoo has scored 27 goals in 31 games since Joe Thornton was acquired from Boston Nov. 30.
ROOKIE FEATS
A record number of rookies lead NHL individual statistical categories in 2005-06; Washington's Alex Ovechkin leads all players in shots (283); Colorado's Marek Svatos ranks first in game-winning goals (nine), the Rangers' Petr Prucha boasts the top shooting percentage (26.3%), while Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros has posted the top plus-minus (+34). The Rangers' gold-medal goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, is contending in two categories: save percentage (second, .927) and goals-against average (third, 2.09).
The Calgary Flames' Dion Phaneuf leads all rookie defensemen with 14 goals, including six game-winners. Should he reach 20 goals, Phaneuf would become just the third blueliner in NHL history to do so in his rookie campaign, joining the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch (23 in 1988-89) and the Colorado Rockies' Barry Beck (22 in 1977-78).
TRIBUTES FOR LaFONTAINE, GEOFFRION, DANEYKO, MacINNIS
Four distinguished NHL stars will be honored by having their jerseys retired in special pre-game ceremonies. The Buffalo Sabres will raise Pat LaFontaine's number 16 to the rafters of HSBC Arena on Friday, March 3, prior to their game against Toronto. The Montreal Canadiens will retire Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion's number five on Saturday, March 11 against the New York Rangers. The New Jersey Devils will retire Ken Daneyko's number three on Friday, March 24 against Boston, while the St. Louis Blues will retire Al MacInnis' number two on Sunday, April 9, against Edmonton.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Goals
Pittsburgh Penguins LW John LeClair needs six goals to reach the NHL Milestone of 400.
Atlanta Thrashers RW Peter Bondra needs eight goals to reach 500.
Detroit Red Wings C Steve Yzerman, with 684 career goals, is six goals shy of tying Mario Lemieux for eighth place on the all-time list.
Assists
Detroit Red Wings D Nicklas Lidstrom is five assists away from reaching the NHL Milestone of 600.
Games Played
Tampa Bay Lightning D Darryl Sydor needs one game to reach the NHL Milestone of 1,000. Sydor could reach the mark in the Lightning's first game following the Olympic break, Tuesday vs. Florida.
Toronto Maple Leafs RW Tie Domi needs two games to reach the NHL Milestone of 1,000. Domi could reach the mark March 3 at Buffalo.
Detroit Red Wings C Steve Yzerman needs eight games to become the 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,500. Yzerman could reach the mark March 15 vs. Anaheim.
Goaltending
New Jersey Devils G Martin Brodeur, with 431 career victories, is four shy of tying Jacques Plante for fourth place on the all-time list. Brodeur has posted 28 victories this season, two shy of an NHL-record 10th consecutive 30-win campaign. Brodeur also has 80 career shutouts, one behind Tiny Thompson and Alex Connell for fifth all-time.
Phoenix Coyotes G Curtis Joseph, with 418 career victories, is five shy of tying Tony Esposito for sixth place on the all-time list.
Dallas Stars G Marty Turco needs one shutout to reach the NHL Milestone of 25.
STARS' JOKINEN SHINES IN SHOOTOUT; DEVILS' BRODEUR STINGY IN GOAL
Dallas Stars rookie LW Jussi Jokinen is the undisputed star of the League's new shootout, introduced in 2005-06 to determine a winner of games tied following regulation play and four-on-four overtime. Jokinen has scored eight goals in as many attempts, compared to the League-wide success rate of 33.7% (226 goals from 670 attempts). Jokinen has led the Stars to the League's top shootout record, 8-0.
Goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils has posted the League's top shootout save percentage, turning aside 20 of 23 attempts (87.0%).
ATTENDANCE ON RECORD PACE
The NHL is on pace to set an all-time attendance record. The 2005-06 season average of 16,907 is 2.2% ahead of the record season of 2001-02 (16,539) through the corresponding number of games and 3.8% ahead of the 2003-04 figure (16,295).
The attendance figures for October, November, December and January were all-time records for those respective months.
MOST 50-GOAL, 100-POINT SCORERS IN A DECADE
Seven players are on pace to record 50 goals this season, potentially the most in a decade (eight players reached the 50-goal mark in 1995-96). Players on a 50-goal pace this season are the New York Rangers' Jaromir Jagr (57), Philadelphia's Simon Gagne (54), Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk and Washington's Alex Ovechkin (both 53), Carolina's Eric Staal (52), Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson (51) and Ottawa's Dany Heatley (50). Eight players are on pace for 100 points, also the most since 1995-96 (12). They are Jagr (124), San Jose's Joe Thornton (119), Alfredsson (109), Staal (108), Kovalchuk and Heatley (both 104), Ovechkin and Atlanta's Marc Savard (both 102).
Number of 50-Goal Scorers Since 1996-97
2005-06: 7 (projected)
2003-04: 0
2002-03: 1
2001-02: 1
2000-01: 3
1999-00: 1
1998-99: 0
1997-98: 4
1996-97: 4
Number of 100-Point Scorers Since 1996-97
2005-06: 8 (projected)
2003-04: 0
2002-03: 3
2001-02: 0
2000-01: 2
1999-00: 0
1998-99: 3
1997-98: 1
1996-97: 2
GOAL-SCORING TRENDING UP
Teams have scored a total of 5,278 goals (not including the 97 goals awarded to clubs winning a shootout), an average of 6.1 per game. The figure represents a 21% increase over the average of 5.1 goals scored in the corresponding number of games in 2003-04.
Goal-Scoring Since 1996-97
Season Avg. Goals/Game
2005-06 6.1 (through Feb. 26)
2003-04 5.1
2002-03 5.3
2001-02 5.2
2000-01 5.5
1999-00 5.5
1998-99 5.3
1997-98 5.3
1996-97 5.8
DID YOU KNOW...
Through 863 games in 2005-06, there had been 418 lead changes, compared to just 334 over the same span of 2003-04 ... There were 84 lead changes in the third period, compared to 59 in 2003-04 ... Ten games featured three or more lead changes, compared to just one in 2003-04 ... Of Calgary's 62 power-play goals prior to the break, 35 had provided the lead (most in the League) and nine more had tied the score ... Of the 1,841 power-play goals scored prior to the break, 627 (or 34%) had provided the lead and another 376 (20.4%) had tied the score ... The New Jersey Devils were the NHL team that was shorthanded the least prior to the break in 2005-06 (255 shorthanded situations) and had been shorthanded the least (194 times) through 863 games in 2003-04 ... The Ottawa Senators scored five or more goals in a League-high 23 of their 56 games prior to the break. They had eight games of five goals scored, nine games of six goals and six games of seven or more. In the entirety of the 2003-04 season the Senators totaled 19 games of five goals or more ... There were 61 single-game performances of three goals or more by NHL players prior to the Olympic break. In the entirety of 2003-04, there were 46 ... There already have been 240 individual periods in which the two teams combined for a total of four goals; in the entirety of the 2003-04 season, there were 237 such periods ... There already have been 120 periods in which the two teams combined for five or more goals; in the entirety of the 2003-04 season, there were 82 ... Through 863 games in 2005-06, forwards had scored 4,484 goals and 6,323 assists, for a total of 10,807 points and 38,159 shots. Through 863 games in 2003-04, the forwards' totals were: 3,716-5,242--8,958 with 34,613 shots ... Through 863 games in 2005-06, defensemen had scored 794 goals and 2,735 assists for 3,529 points and 13,317 shots. Through the same number of games in 2003-04, defensemen had combined for 658-2,152--2,810 points and 13,677 shots.
NHL.com (http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/02/261292.html)