USAToday Sports Images
USAToday Sports Images
  • Alex Ovechkin is 3rd in NHL +/-. A far cry from his past seasons horrible numbers. Ovechkin is an impressive +21. The league leader is Los Angeles Kings Tyler Toffoli at +23, and second is held by rookie Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings at +22.
  • Chicago Blackhawks secret rookie Artemi Panarin leads the rookie point chase with 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points. This ranks him 15th overall in NHL points.
  • Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks is king of all defenseman. His 40 points puts him in the lead amongst NHL defenseman. He has 18 goals, and 22 assists in 41 games. The one downside of his stats is that he is -10.
  • There are three surprises amongst the NHL top 10 in points. Calgary Flames sophomore sensation Johnny Gaudreau is 7th with 43 points. Edmonton Oilers Taylor Hall and Winnipeg’s Jets forward Blake Wheeler are tied for 8th with 41 points. All great players, but were not expected to be in the top 10.
  • On the bad side of the statistics are a couple of superstars that have dropped off their usual pace. The biggest is Ryan Getzlaff of the Anaheim Ducks. He has just 3 goals in 38 games. A key reason why the Ducks have struggled this year. Another is Sidney Crosby, who has just 12 goals in 41 games. He has improved as of late, but is still not performing to his usual elite level.
  • Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals has proven to be the king of goaltenders this year. He has 27 wins, and a very impressive .932 save percentage and 1.93 goals against average. He has proven numerous people wrong this year. A couple of surprises (although a smaller sample size) are Toronto Maple Leafs James Reimer has a league leading .936 save percentage, and Anaheim rookie John Gibson has a league leading 1.84 goals against average.
  • Erik Karlsson leads all defenseman in points, which is not really that big of a surprise, but it ranks him 4th in the NHL in points. He has 9 goals, 36 assists and 45 points in 44 games. Another very impressive Karlsson number is that he averages 28:39 minutes per game.
  • The streak that no one thought would ever end ended at 26 games. Patrick Kane had the hockey world on the edge of their seats in the first half of the season. Scoring points in 26 straight games was very impressive. Kane has posted some very scary first half numbers, 25 goals, 38 assists for 63 points in 45 games is off the chart.
  • Anaheim Ducks head up the list of underachieving teams. Their 43 points is a drastic reduction than what was expected from this talented team who was considered a Stanley Cup favorite. Columbus (36 points) and Tampa Bay (48 points) are two other teams that were expected to be better.
  • The Florida Panthers head the list of overachievers at the mid-season point. Their 57 points puts them at the top of the Atlantic Division, and also puts them atop the Eastern Conference.