Chirps from Center Ice

It’s rare that anything on social media stops me in my tracks.

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That stopped me in my tracks on my way to lunch today.

Could it be, that Andrew Ebbett and Chuck Kobasew could be heading back into the lineup for Game 5 with Wilkes-Barre on the ropes, one loss away from the postseason?

Depends. Jonathan blogged today with quotes from Coach Hynes that nothing has changed as of yet.

Jonathan had a ton of good stuff in his post today which included a chart examining power play success with and without guys.

Anyway, the purpose of today’s post here is to refresh the charts I have been keeping. I’ve been keeping aggregate charts for both Wilkes-Barre and St. John’s as well as head-to-head ones. In updating these, I felt that the head-to-head charts would be more useful to share. I could update them all, but the easiest way for me to get these over here on the blog is to tweet them, and I really don’t feel like clogging up everyone’s timelines on a Friday afternoon with 8 separate tweets with 8 separate charts. If you’d like to see them, just tweet me and I’ll send you a copy. Otherwise, remember to click to enlarge for texture.

— Brendan Mikkelson is having a bad defensive series. On the ice for seven goals scored against and none for. He was 50% overall before the series started, and his total GF / GA percentage is 40.7%

— The total differentials show a lot of negatives. That 5-0 loss on Wednesday didn’t help.

— Imagine what Conor Sheary’s potential is going to be next season for Wilkes-Barre. His numbers defy logic.

— Wilkes-Barre should make it a point of business to try and re-sign Barry Goers. Undersized, my nose. He’s been a rock for Wilkes-Barre in the playoffs and has the top GF / GA percentage overall at 55.6%.

Now St. John’s…

— Basically the exact opposite percentage wise for Wilkes-Barre. Andrew Gordon and Will O’Neill are your big killers.

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We will see what happens Saturday night. I think that the Penguins send this series back to St. John’s regardless of whether Ebbett or Kobasew play. Get one back increases those chances exponentially. Getting both back would be huge.

Gameday setup for game 5 hits the blog Saturday at 3 p.m.

Let’s Go Pens!

Back with the chart refreshes. So let’s get right to them.

First, the Penguins big board through two rounds. Please click to enlarge for texture….

[tweet https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/469543940316594176]

Kostopoulos, Zlobin, Kobasew, Sheary and Dumoulin at the top of this list. No surprise here. There are still players that I’d like to see some improvement from, Mikkelson, Harrington, Payerl to name three.

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Here’s the point breakdown for Wilkes-Barre…

[tweet https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/469547877635600385]

Sheary, Zlobin, Kobasew and Andrew Ebbett are a point a game or higher. If Ebbett gets back from injury, that will certainly boost Wilkes-Barre’s chances.

edit: I am wrong, and the chart is wrong. I forgot to add to the “games played” column for the players, so just disregard and move on. I will try and do better the next time…..

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Alright. Now St. John’s through two rounds….

[tweet https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/469579937616109568]

The most interesting thing here is that every player on this list has been on the ice for a pose relay goal scored against. It really spells out what Robin Short wrote for the St. John’s Telegram today, which is “success by committee.”

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St. John’s point breakdown….

[tweet https://twitter.com/nafsnep/status/469609604188368896]

Twenty players with at least a point or more. The Penguins have more players (23) with a point or more.

I’ll continue to update these and create a head-to-head one once the series starts.

It’s setting up as an interesting series. I am going to be interested to see what the pundits say on the series and what the predictions are.

Speaking of prediction, I make mine in the Series Preview which is scheduled to hit the blog tomorrow at noon. I just have to write it now. Heh.

Here are the promised head-to-head stats for the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and the Providence Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

First the Penguins “big” stat board. Again, please click to enlarge for texture…

Andrew Ebbett’s presence is missed, but not that badly, where Spencer Machacek has filled in as the sixth veteran and hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against along with Chuck Kobasew, rookie Conor Sheary and Anton Zlobin. Zlobin’s impact was immediate because he missed Game 1 and was on the ice when four goals were scored for the Penguins in Game 2.

Brian Dumoulin’s name at the top of this board is just a microcosm of his overall impact in these playoffs. And how about Zlobin?

Here is Providence’s “big” stat board…

Joe Morrow is having a hell of a playoffs against his old team two games in, isn’t he?

Khokhlachev had a big Game 1 and the Penguins kept him in check in Game 2 and won handily. If that continues, they advance easily.

Easier said than done.

I’ll continue to update these and will probably run another blog of this on the weekend.

I am getting the hang of this whole building and maintaining a chart thing. I think I may use this concept next year for the Penguins but spill this onto a page instead offing a blog post every time. Hell, I have a whole summer to play with the idea.

But let’s not start thinking about the summer, shall we? Here’s the updated charts for the Penguins and Providence Bruins through Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Calder Cup Semifinals.

First, the Penguins “big” chart. Please click to enlarge…

My tweet kind of spells it out. Anton Zlobin’s has yet to be on the ice for a single goal against for these playoffs. Also, Brendan Mikkelson was on the ice for five of the six Penguin goals scored last night. I have been waiting for him to make an impact, and he did just that, Saturday night. He also had two assists last night, his first points of the series.

Brian Dumoulin has been a beast in these playoffs.

Now Providence. The GF% numbers for the Bruins took a dive last night…

Once again my tweet spells it out. No one on the Providence team has a 90% or higher GF%. Now, I’ll sound smarter next year when I see what the average is for a team throughout a 76 game slog.

Here’s Providence’s point totals.

Keep Khokhlachev, Spooner and Griffith in check like the Penguins did last night and you will win, like the Penguins did last night.

I still want to break down the head to head between these teams and will probably put those numbers up tomorrow or Tuesday. Check me out then.