Alex Ovechkin’s slump, big nights for Abdelkader, Datsyuk and Smith; lineup news, fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statis

Alex Ovechkin’s slump, big nights for Abdelkader, Datsyuk and Smith; lineup news, fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. Jordan Martinook Jersey . Held scoreless in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Detroit, Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin has now gone a career-worst five consecutive games without a point. It’s not burying Ovechkin to point out that he’s in a slump (and I’ve already been something of an Ovechkin apologist in the past), but it’s easy to see that Ovechkin is really doing a lot well right now, even if the points haven’t been coming as expected over this short span of games. In the first nine games of the Barry Trotz era in Washington, Ovechkin has posted a career-best Corsi% (measuring even-strength shot attempts) of 59.4%. OVECHKIN POSSESSION STATS YEAR CORSI% CORSI REL% 2007-08 58.1% +4.2% 2008-09 57.4% +4.2% 2009-10 57.8% +7.2% 2010-11 53.9% +4.0% 2011-12 47.4% -2.3% 2012-13 49.2% +0.7% 2013-14 49.3% +2.5% 2014-15 59.4% +5.0% What’s encouraging about these numbers is that Ovechkin is driving play like he did earlier in his career, and a far cry from his 2011-2012 season when his offensive production hit career-low rates (65 points in 78 games). Like last season, Ovechkin is not getting much help from linemates – his lone assist this year has come on the power play – but thanks to a recent decline in shots on goal, his 4.22 shots on goal per game ranks as the second-lowest of his career. In the first four games of this dry spell, Ovechkin had mustered just seven shots on goal and that’s some reason for concern, because he’s always been a high-volume shooter, leading the league in shots on goal in eight of his nine seasons but, let’s not overreact, it was just four games. Wednesday, against Detroit, Ovechin attempted 13 shots, with seven on goal, against the Red Wings, which is a good way to get out of a scoring slump. Because Ovechkin’s underlying numbers have been so good, there’s not so much reason to worry about this slump, because those signs point to goals and points coming back at a more regular rate soon. HEROES Justin Abdelkader – Hard-hitting winger who gets to play a complementary role with some elite players in Detroit and he scored two goals and an assist in Wednesday’s 4-2 win at Washington. He scored a career-high 28 points last season, but has eight points (5 G, 3 A) in nine games this year, riding a 22.7% shooting percentage that won’t last, but he is also playing a career-high 16:30 per game and generating a career-best 2.44 shots on goal per game. Pavel Datsyuk – The Magician tallied a goal and an assist, with a team-leading eight shot attempts (4 SOG) in the win at Washington. Datsyuk has five points in four games since returning from injury, and the Red Wings have eased him in, playing 18:42 per game. The last season in which he averaged less ice time per game (than this admittedly very small sample) was 2005-2006. Craig Smith – The Predators’ leading goal-scorer, with 24, last season, Smith buried a pair of goals on nine shot attempts (5 SOG), while posting quality possession stats (17 shot attempts for, 10 against, 63.0%) in a 4-1 win at Edmonton. ZEROES Niklas Kronwall – The Red Wings’ No. 1 defenceman had a rough night, possession-wise, on for five shot attempts for and 18 against (21.7%). His worst forward matchups, head-to-head, were against Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom (2 shot attempts for, 10 against, 16.7%) and RW Joel Ward (2 for, 13 against, 13.3%). Mark Arcobello – Despite not starting an even-strength shift in the defensive zone, the Oilers’ centre had his team’s worst possession stats (9 shot attempts for, 16 against, 36.0%). SHORT SHIFTS Red Wings C Henrik Zetterberg had a pair of assists…Predators D Roman Josi had two assists and blocked seven shots…Predators G Pekka Rinne stopped 26 of 27 shots for the win in Edmonton. LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Capitals RW Eric Fehr was scratched from the lineup as second-year RW Tom Wilson was inserted into the lineup for his first game of the season after suffering a broken ankle in the summer. Predators C Calle Jarnkrok, still looking for his first point of the season, was scratched from the lineup in Edmonton Wednesday. Predators D Seth Jones played a season-low 14:46 at Edmonton, though had a solid possession game (15 shot attempts for, 9 against, 62.5%) in that limited role. FIRSTS Predators C Matt Cullen played his first game of the season, picking up an assist while playing 15:18. FANTASY FOCUS A few players, available in more than half of TSN leagues, to monitor on a busy 10-game night in the NHL: Jori Lehtera – Someone in St. Louis has to get the puck to the Blues’ scoring wingers and with injuries to Paul Stastny and David Backes, Lehtera is clearly the best option down the middle. He has six points in seven games and is centering Alexander Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko heading into tonight’s matchup with Anaheim. Michael Raffl – Getting moved to the Flyers’ top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek is working well for Raffl, who has four goals and five points in the past five games. Tonight, the Flyers go to Tampa Bay, which isn’t an easy matchup, but Raffl is still available in nearly 99% of TSN leagues. Seth Griffith – The rookie winger has emerged as the Bruins’ best option on the right side with David Krejci and Milan Lucic, scoring three goals and five points in the past four games. Really, anyone on the Bruins is worth a look since they are in Buffalo to play the Sabres. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca Alex Goligoski Jersey .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. Derek Stepan Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. http://www.coyotesauthority.com/authentic-christian-fischer-coyotes-jersey/ . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries.Rory McIlroy didnt have his best stuff this week and, if youre a professional golfer, thats very, very scary. For a while on Sunday during the final round of the PGA Championship, one of the most exciting and memorable in many years, it appeared as if the Northern Irishman was going to let the peloton of chasers pass him, that his run of exacting play was going to end. When he stood in the 10th fairway waiting to play his second shot, he saw Rickie Fowler birdie to go up three shots. Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson were also ahead of him. It was, he admitted later, time to make something happen, and thats just what he did. “I needed to sort of stay patient and just sort of bide my time and wait for something to click,” McIlroy said. “Something to happen and that something happened on the 10th-hole. To make eagle there was a big turning point in the tournament and, from there, I kicked on and played some great golf down the stretch.” Great golf, but not the kind of golf that saw him win his last Majors by three, six and eight shots. This time, he had to grind it out and push himself uphill to the finish line. But he did just that and its that performance that makes it all the more satisfying. “To win it in this fashion and this style, it means a lot,” said the 25-year-old. “It means that I know that I can do it. I know that I can come from behind. I know that I can mix it up with the best players in the world down the stretch in a major and come out on top. “Phil Mickelson, the second-best player in this year and this generation, to be able to beat him on the back nine on a Sunday; its great to have in the memory bank and great to have in the locker going forward.” If it was impressive to watch him lap the field in his previous Majors, it was stunning to see him contrrol the back nine on this occasion. Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys. Over the final five holes, each of the trio of chasers made a bogey: Stenson and Fowler on the 14th, Mickelson on the 16th. McIlroy played that stretch in one-under. Oh, there was that helping hand from the PGA of America on the final hole. As the sun was setting, Mickelson and Fowler allowed McIlroy and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger to hit their tee shots before the former pair had played their second.But then the PGA, hustling to get finished before enduring a massive logistical and possibly financial nightmare to come back for a Monday finish, told the last two to play their second shots to the green. It was a breach of etiquette and one a gracious McIlroy made sure to acknowledge to Mickelson and Fowler in the scorers room, as well as in his thank you speech on the 18th-green (a ceremony that took place basically in the pitch black). What Rory did was simple: Control the ball. Control his emotions. Control the game. And thats whats scary if youre a golfer. Or impressive if youre a fan. Earlier this year, McIlroy sat down with Jack Nicklaus and had a long conversation about all things golf. The Golden Bear told the Holywood Kid that he only had his best stuff in about five of the 18 majors he won. The other times, he simply found a way to win. Thats what McIlroy seemed to discover yesterday - that he can beat the best without his best. McIlroy refused to call this a new era, a passing of the baton from that broken-down, old Tiger Woods. “People can call it what they want, thats for them to decide,” he stated. “I just know that I can win tournaments.” Its easy to get ahead of ourselves so soon after a victory, to anoint the new king before the old one is gone, but it sure seems as if the next few years are going to be fun to watch if yesterday was any indication. 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