AJC > Sports Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2009 > January > 31 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWho’s Up - Who’s Down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Thrashers have 50 games behind them so far this season with game number 51 in Carolina tonight. As we all know, their record of 17-28-5 is worth 39 points in the season…which is a .390 Points Winning percentage, (PW%). Continuing at that pace would land the Thrashers at about 64 points.
To place this into some sort of perspective, last season Tampa Bay and Los Angeles finished with the lowest PW%, .433. Atlanta was then next on that list at .463. Currently, the Bolts are 17-23-10 for 44 points for a .440 PW% and the Kings are 20-20-7 for 47 points…a .500 PW%. Doing the math, that means Tampa Bay is currently playing at a level which is .007 PW% better than last year, (.440-.433=+.007) and the Kings are a +.067 in regards to last season’s PW%, (.500-.433=+.067).
Side note here for Bruce Levenson…this would indicate the Kings are showing movement in the right direction.
Continuing, our Atlanta Thrashers go into tonight’s game against the Hurricanes at a -.073 PW%, (.390-.463=-.073).
So…who’s showing the most improvement this season over last? Well, not surprisingly, it’s the Boston Bruins at a +.203…followed by San Jose at a +.160 and Chicago, a +.101.
How about the opposite side of the page…the Islanders are .138 PW% off last season’s mark, (which is quite the accomplishment seeing that it was only .482 PW%last year). Ottawa has fallen from a playoff-qualifying .573 PW% last season to .436 now, (-.137), but they were falling like a stone heading into the playoffs last spring as well. Third worst on the list is Anaheim at a -.102.
The Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings have improved +.018 from last season. But given that they had a .701 PW% then, it’s not as thought they had a lot of room above them to begin with, so the +.018 is even more impressive to me given that fact.
Here is the complete list from top to bottom:
+.203 - Boston
+.160 - San Jose
+.101 - Chicago
+.094 - Calgary
+.080 - Washington
+.067 - L.A. Kings
+.066 - New Jersey
+.056 - Philadelphia
+.053 - Columbus
+.045 - Florida
+.029 - N.Y. Rangers
+.024 - Phoenix
+.018 - Detroit
+.015 - Edmonton
+.012 - Buffalo
+.007 - Tampa Bay
-.009 - Montreal
-.017 - Vancouver
-.031 - Carolina
-.035 - St. Louis
-.048 - Dallas
-.057 - Toronto
-.067 - Minnesota
-.073 - Atlanta
-.087 - Nashville
-.092 - Pittsburgh
-.099 - Colorado
-.102 - Anaheim
-.137 - Ottawa
-.138 - N.Y. Islanders
A few other thoughts regarding this list:
Eight of the sixteen teams that have improved on last season’s record did not qualify for post-season last spring, including four of the top ten.
The Kings are showing the sixth-best improvement, but are doing so with the league’s lowest payroll.
The Blackhawks are third on that list after having made a coaching change early on in the season.
Three of last year’s five lottery pick teams have shown a regression in their PW% from last year, including Atlanta.
San Jose, (+.160) and Florida, (+.045), are doing so with men behind the bench that are in their first year as an NHL head coach. Washington, (+.080), has a head coach in his first full season in that role.
The Duck, (-.102), have the third-highest cap hit.
Phoenix, (+.024), has the fourth lowest cap hit.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Sage of Bluesland
January 31, 2009 2:35 PM | Link to this
First?
(Well, I was first to identify the buffoon that Don Waddell has turned out to be, much to the chagrin of the sheep in these parts…who still hold out hope; revise their stories over the years; or continue to prepare spreadsheets…)
Too bad no-one listened then…Oh well, enjoy the waste of time and money!
By GTthrashfan
January 31, 2009 2:40 PM | Link to this
Ouch, great to see our modest “move in the right direction” for lottery balls.
Rawhide you might wanna re-check those numbers to see how many got added up wrong. Things like .500-.433 = 0.067 not 0.67, not quite as drastic of a change. And Thrashers are down 0.073 instead of 0.73.
So does anyone see any pattern here other than it helps to have a good PW%? Otherwise just looks to fluxuate randomly.
By Glovesave29
January 31, 2009 3:09 PM | Link to this
We learned last week not to talk politics…but I could not resist this…Rod Blagojevich night as the Wranglers take on the Condors in ECHL action.
Scroll down about 1/3 of the way
By Rawhide
January 31, 2009 5:08 PM | Link to this
GTthrashfan - So…what’s a decimal point here or there? :o)
Glad I did that here and not my checkbook! Thanks.
And really, the point was simply to illustrate who is showing the most improvement and who wasn’t over last season.
Glovesave29 - I fixed the link for ya…and as long as it has anything remotely to do with hockey… and it does… then it’s fine.
By HookyBob
January 31, 2009 6:31 PM | Link to this
Folks, if you keep scrolling on Glovesave’s link and you’ll see where the Thrashers 3rd jersey fits in.
Not sure what to say about our boys in blue other than lets start stage 2 of Bob’s build year and bring up some young and hungry players.
Go Bue.
By Alan
January 31, 2009 6:40 PM | Link to this
Kind of hard to start stage two when stage one isn’t yet complete. Gotta sell before we can bring in new stock.
By Glovesave29
January 31, 2009 6:42 PM | Link to this
Yeah, Bob…forgot about the BMX rider in the Thrash 3rd…pretty damn funny.
By stendec
January 31, 2009 8:32 PM | Link to this
Golden boy has struck again. An early killer shorthanded goal by untalented Finn fraud Kari Letemin! The losing streak continues with no end in sight. What an oxygen waste pile of useless crapola! Defend that one you braindead apologists. Make empty excuses for this jackass if you wish but he is damn sure not worth them!
By stendec
January 31, 2009 8:38 PM | Link to this
Check that. Now 2-0! Thanks Letemin. Deport the bestard!
By Rawhide
January 31, 2009 8:45 PM | Link to this
stendec - Really? Come on man…
Once again, the Thrashers defense has allowed the opposition to take 20 shots on goal in the first period. Kari has been saving their bacon time and again so far.
The two goals scored were caused by the skaters allowing Canes players to skate through all alone on Kari…hanging their keeper out to dry. The first time, shorthanded…looked like Schneids and, I think, Peverley blew it. The second goal looked like it was Bogosian that was left chasing.
Again, you can be as critical as you wish towards Kari…certainly I have been. But come on, keep it real dude.
ALL goals are NOT the fault of the keeper.
By Glovesave29
January 31, 2009 8:55 PM | Link to this
C’mon Rawhide, cut stendec some slack - he doesn’t understand this game…
By stendec
January 31, 2009 9:11 PM | Link to this
To my friends in Hamilton. I have a few bucks. Will you take these quitter losers now. Pretty please?
By Nikita
January 31, 2009 9:16 PM | Link to this
Kari looks P**. As well he should.
Also, WTF is wrong with the top line? The Kovalchuk-Peverly combo is absolutely not working tonight. It didn’t work last night, either.
By Steely Dan
January 31, 2009 9:22 PM | Link to this
I’m trying to figure out what is more pathetic. The Thrashers Swiss cheese defense or stendec’s mindless foolish moronic rants.
By stendec
January 31, 2009 9:36 PM | Link to this
Overrated Captain Ilya Kovalchuk contines to misfire badly. Even drew extremely mild criticism from lying homer announcers. None of the Toiletlids could hit the ice on a faceoff drop. Goalie cannot stop a watermelon. GO CANES!
By Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
January 31, 2009 9:37 PM | Link to this
We will be more than happy to take the Thrashers from you Atlanta. But you will have to keep that idiot, moron, fool stendec down there.
By stendec
January 31, 2009 9:47 PM | Link to this
To Hamilton CofC: No problem. Once these uncaring losers are outside of Georgia they are not my headache but someone else’s. YOURS! Just give Kari Letemin about a dozen more seasons despite his outrageously high goals against average. I have been told he has potential! Check that. The only ones who have proclaimed that are his apologist groupies. They have the credibility of Toiletlid announcers.
By Tony C.
January 31, 2009 10:03 PM | Link to this
I like to see Bogosian’s continuing increase in confidence/accumen-his rushes are better-timed and I can only think of one instance where a Z-bo rush left the back-end open.
This is painful to watch. These guys “find a way to loose”
By LAC
January 31, 2009 10:21 PM | Link to this
This Joe guy looks more like Joe The Plumber than a hockey player.
Just another NON effort by a very very very very BAD team.
Hey don, are we moving in the right direction of year 8 of the 20 year plan you IDIOT ?
By stendec
January 31, 2009 10:21 PM | Link to this
Congratulations on shutout Mr Cam Ward. Well deserved. Of course you did defeat an extremely marginally talented Pee Wee League team with no goaltender, no offense, no defense and no coaching but a shutout is a shutout. Guess you did not know Kari Letemin had a high save percentage. Of course he whiffed in two goals including a shorthander. I know, I do not give a damn about the meaningless save percentage statistic either. Just another completely gutless effort by a totally heartless team! The losing streak lives on. Just start sieve bestard Letemin next game to ensure its continuation. Thanks John Petrino! Hamilton will be a favorite city of mine if it takes these uncaring pathetic gutless quitters out of Georgia.
By stendec
January 31, 2009 10:34 PM | Link to this
The homer announcers are lying SOBs! They make an embarrassing 2-0 mail-in shutout debacle sound like a last second nail-biter defeat. Hey moronic fools, I watched the whole damn game! Every stinking nauseating second of it. What dumb a##holes!
By Sage of Bluesland
January 31, 2009 11:00 PM | Link to this
I sincerely hope the losing continues—for a couple of very important reasons:
Maybe Don Waddell will finally be held accountable for this mess he alone has constructed and be unceremoniously FIRED before he can do further harm to this organization.
Better chance at the 1st overall pick…
As we near our third “Five-Year Plan”, I hope that Don Waddell’s stench can finally be cleared of this pathetic franchise…
By Stiffy McGraw
January 31, 2009 11:32 PM | Link to this
Kansas City, here we come!
By CNN
January 31, 2009 11:40 PM | Link to this
The Thrashers suck.
The Islanders are only four points behind the Thrashers with two games in hand.
Go Islandturds.
By stendec
February 1, 2009 12:09 AM | Link to this
Kari Letemin stopped 38 shots. Cam Ward stopped 19. Guess which one had the better game? Does no good to lock the vault after the gold has been stolen. What that means apologists is that the number of saves are damn inconsequential once enough goals to secure a loss (in this case two) have been allowed. Fundamental Hockey 101! Guess which NHL netminder got the L? Guess which Finnish fraud surrended another damn shorthanded goal? Hope those guesses were correct ones. Send the worthless uncaring apathetic bums to Hamilton!
By Mr.KC
February 1, 2009 12:21 AM | Link to this
I am looking forward to going to games next season here at the Sprint Center !!!!
I jear the Thrashers will be renamed The Kansas City Blades… Sponcers are coming forward and 987am KMBZ says there is a 90% chancxe either Nashville or Atlanta WILL move here next season…
Atlanta is DONE, Thanks to Don Waddell his complete inability to run a professional hockey team will result in the team moving. The ONLY chance is fire Waddell NOW, sell to Arthur Blank and pray !
Plus these so called owners who could care less about hockey are the reason the Thrashers will be HERE in Kansas City next season !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Steely Dan
February 1, 2009 12:22 AM | Link to this
stendec, so the whole game is only about goalkeeping?
Poor offensive play has nothing to do with it?
Poor backchecking has nothing to do with it?
Poor defensive play that allows 40 shots on goal has nothing to do with it?
Poor play in the neutral zone that leads to one on ones with the goalie has nothing to do with it?
Lack of hustle and drive by the skaters in from of the goal has nothing to do with it?
Forwards and defenders failing to show up until after the first period has nothing to do with it?
You are truly a moron and your lack of understanding about this game is absolutely amazing.
By stendec
February 1, 2009 12:42 AM | Link to this
Hey Rock & Roll Group,
The two goals he let in were wide open breakaways caused by the rest of the team sleeping on Carolina’s end. Those breakaway goals could have and would have gotten past any goaltender.
That is simply not true. I have seen lesser touted goaltenders routinely smother such breakaway efforts. Both were stoppable. Neither was stopped! If Kari Letemin had a slither of talent (which he does not) he would have stopped at least one of them. I know the sun was in his eyes but what the Hell. Guess one of them was a dreaded monkey puck! Do not lump this loser in with legitimate netminders. That is pure apologetic bullshet!
By Steely Dan
February 1, 2009 1:04 AM | Link to this
My God stendec. You are so stupid that you can’t even make a dumb-a$$ reply on the right blog, you fool.
That was someone else on Knobler’s blog.
Idiot!
By stendec
February 1, 2009 1:30 AM | Link to this
Rock & Roll Group,
I know.
It was used to punctuate a point.
Since I am dealing with a low intelligence apologist.
IMBECILE!
By The Unknown Comic
February 1, 2009 2:02 AM | Link to this
What do you call an idiot with a computer?
stendec