I received a text yesterday complaining about my lack of blogs during the summer months. As many of you know, August can be a very sloooooow month for hockey news. I don't know how many times I have seen the #IsItOctoberYet hastag on Twitter. Probably too many to care at this point. But, I understand the need for some Anaheim Ducks stuff to read about. There is only so many Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers "news" one can stomach.
I decided to go ahead and look at a few numbers to see who was the Ducks player that stood out as "clutch" last season. Right away, Ryan Getzlaf comes to mind.
The captain had a great bounce back season. But, was he the best late game player for the Ducks in 2013? I looked at Anaheim's top 10 scorers from last season and compared their scoring as the game moved along, points scored in the last five minutes of a period and how many "clutch" points they were credited with from the geniuses at Yahoo Sports. What I found might surprise you or it might not. I'll let you be the judge of that.
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Ryan Getzlaf - 49 points - Nine clutch
-Getzlaf was a beast last season and his overall numbers reflect that. Of his 49 points, 19 came in the third period. He had an incredible 13 points coming in the last five minutes of a period. According to Yahoo, nine of those points were considered clutch. Is that enough to give him the title of "Mr. Clutch 2013" for the Ducks?
Corey Perry - 36 points - Four clutch
- Mr. Perry also found way to get better as the game went along. He collected 26 of his 36 points after the first period; 14 of them in the third. He had 11 points in the last five minutes of a period and four of them were considered clutch. Twelve points came on the game-tying goal. Oddly, he had zero points in games considered to be a blowout. Maybe he saves his best for meaningful situations?
Bobby Ryan - 30 points - Three clutch
- The current Ottawa Senator scored half of his points in the third period. He had seven points in the last five minutes of a period with three points considered to be "clutch." Six of Ryan's 11 goals came after the first 40 minutes of play. Wonder if Anaheim will miss that?
Saku Koivu - 27 points - Two clutch
Koivu is back, but is he Mr. Clutch? Koivu had EIGHT points in the final five minutes of a period. Unlike the previous three player the majority of his points came in the second period and not the third. Yahoo credited him with only two clutch points all season.
Teemu Selanne - 24 points - Four clutch
- The "Finnish Flash" was "Mr. Consistency." Selanne's scoring was fairly balanced throughout. He collected six points in the first, nine in the second and nine in the third. He was part of nine 'final five' goals and checks in with 4 "clutch" points.
Francois Beauchemin - 24 points - Six clutch
- Beauch racked up 21 of his points after the first twenty minutes. He had nine points in the final five minutes of a period and was credited with six "clutch" points. Solid defensively and can score? Who doesn't LOVE that?
Andrew Cogliano - 23 points - Two clutch
- Cogs only had six points in the 'final five' and only two clutch points, both goals. However, he did collect 18 points after the first period; ten of those came in the second twenty minutes. Sadly, I don't think he has earned the title this year.
Kyle Palmieri - 21 points - Two clutch
- Kyle showed flashes of clutch, but the numbers indicate that his best hockey came in the middle period. Nearly 50% of his production was in the second period with the third period being his least productive period. Obviously ice time plays a role in that, but still worth noting. He did have seven points in the 'final five,' but, only two 'clutch' assists. He'll be better next season with more ice time and opportunity.
Daniel Winnik - 19 points - Three clutch
- Again, another Duck whose production faded late in the game. Daniel started strong, but dropped off quickly. He had ZERO points in the Ducks final 14 games, including the seven game playoff loss to Detroit. Only five of Winnik's points came in the third period and he was credited with just three points in the 'final five' and three 'clutch' points for the season. Not good enough Winnie.
Sheldon Souray - 17 points - Four clutch
- No offense to Mr. Getzlaf, but Souray sure knew how to make his points count. His nine third period points accounted for over 52% of his total product. Souray added nine late period points, four were goals and of his four clutch points - three of those were goals. Sixteen of his points came in Ducks wins (that's over 94%). Meaning, when Souray scored..the Ducks won and when he didn't...they didn't. I wonder which Souray shows up this season?
So what do you think? Who do you consider to be "Mr. Clutch Duck?" Is it Getzlaf? Is it Souray? Did I miss somebody? Leave your comments below.
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