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Up-to-the minute updates and insights from the Red Wings locker room at home and on the road. By Chuck Pleiness of The Macomb Daily.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Even strength effectiveness

Here's a look at how effective Red Wings are at even strength through the first seven playoff games. The numbers are how many even-strength goals for and against when they've been on the ice, put in a per-60-minutes-of-ice-time context. Forwards are ranked by goals for per 60, defensemen by goals against per 60.

Forwards
Player, GF-GA, GF/60-GA/60

Datsyuk
9-4, 3.9-1.8
Zetterberg
8-3, 3.4-1.3
Samuelsson
6-4, 3.2-2.1
Filppula
7-3, 3.2-1.4
Hudler
4-7, 3.1-5.5
Franzen
6-2, 3.0-1.0
Hartigan
1-1, 2.9-2.9
Red Wings
20-15, 2.9-2.2
Holmstrom
5-4, 2.7-2.2
Cleary
5-3, 2.7-1.6
McCarty
2-2, 2.3-2.3
Draper
4-8, 2.2-4.4
Helm
1-2, 1.8-3.5
Drake
2-3, 1.5-2.3

Defensemen
Player, GF-GA, GF/60-GA/60

Rafalski
8-4, 2.9-1.4
Stuart
5-4, 2.1-1.7
Lidstrom
8-5, 2.9-1.8
Kronwall
7-5, 2.7-1.9
Red Wings
20-15, 2.9-2.2
Lebda
3-3, 2.6-2.6
Chelios
6-5, 4.0-3.4
Lilja
3-4, 3.7-5.0

A couple of thoughts about the numbers ...
-- As happened in the regular season, Pavel Datsyuk has been on the ice for more even-strength goals than any Red Wing, even Nicklas Lidstrom. That's remarkable given that defensemen get more ice time.
-- Darren Helm has looked good, better than Mark Hartigan looked. But the end results haven't been better. Everyone remembers Helm's set up of Jiri Hudler's big goal in Game 6 of the Nashville series. But forgotten is Helm's giveaway in that game that led to a Preds muffed breakaway. Perhaps the biggest positive for Helm is that coach Mike Babcock gives him more ice time than Hartigan got, meaning Helm makes this a more balanced lineup.
-- Despite their individual strengths, Brett Lebda is the better defensive defenseman and Andreas Lilja the better offensive defenseman. The numbers were the same in the regular season and I don't know why. But the fact is the Wings score more with Lilja on the ice and allow more goals with Lilja on the ice. I'd say Lebda is the better playoff choice based on that.
-- Hudler has had a defensive nightmare post-season. During the regular season, he was on the ice for just 1.7 goals against per 60 minutes of even-strength ice time. In the playoffs, that's up to 5.5.

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