The Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against the New York Islanders tonight. The Islanders are one of the best teams in the NHL this year and will be a formidable task for the Penguins.
The Islanders are the number one Score-Adjusted Fenwick team in the NHL which is a great place to be. Last year they were ranked 22nd at 48.7% so their improvement has been dramatic.
Also making them a powerhouse is the goaltending position. While Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has put together a nice start to his 2014-15 season so has Jaro Halak.
Fleury has an EVSV% of .928% and Halak comes in right behind him at .926%. This is a huge upgrade for the Islanders who were 27th overall last year at .911%. Ask the Minnesota Wild how bad goaltending is working out for them this year.
When you think of the Islanders forward group you tend to leap immediately to names like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner, Mikhail Grabovski, and Nikolai Kulemin but there is one guy who I’m not sure is on a lot of people’s rader, Ryan Strome.
Ryan Strome has been tremendous for the Islanders and is one of the big reasons why they are a legit Cup contender this year. His maturation into highly productive NHL player is a game changer for the Islanders.
Strome has been a possession monster for the Islanders so far this year. He comes in with a 5v5 CF% of 55.2%. Only Chris Kunitz (56.1%) and Kris Letang (55.8%) have a better mark for the Penguins this year.
Offensively he has been one of the league’s best producers of offense at even strength this year. He is tied for fourth overall in the entire league with a points/60 mark of 3.07.
He may not be well known now but he will be soon. The kid can play.
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Good news for the rest of the Metropolitan Division.
Can anybody say Brooks Orpik 2.0?
Signing “defensive” defensemen who are entering their 30’s rarely works out, don’t expect Staal to be the exception to the rule.
The 30 year old barrier for "defensive" defensmen in hockey is similar to that of a running back in the NFL
Brooks Orpik turned 30 in 2010-11 and has been below average since. Staal, who is currently 28, already has as many below average as above average seasons on his resume. Father time doesn’t increase the chances of improvement.
This will complete the trifecta of Staal brothers who are overpaid.
Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff can't be too upset with this development.
Anyways, on behalf of the Metropolitan Division, thank you Glen Sather.
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