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Phil Kessel

CarltonTheBear said:
I remember last season Kessel was among the league leaders (or losers) in 5-on-5 goals against. He had some pretty good company at the top of that list in St. Louis, Stamkos, Tavares, and Staal, but it still wasn't really something to be proud of obviously. So I was curious to see how he was doing in that regard this season, especially considering his lack of goals.

Last season, Kessel was on the ice for 76 even-strength goals in 82 games. This season he's been on the ice for 4 even-strength goals in 7 games. Over an 82 games season that would average out to be 47 goals against. That's a small sample size for sure, but still it's nice to see a change there.

Stats like that aren't exactly a perfect indicator of a players defensive ability, but it's a little more simple than going into all of the corsi stuff.
Click to expand...

You can tell from his play that he's playing much better than he did last year, at least he appears to be more of a complete player. I haven't been worried in the least bit about his scoring, because I'm quite confident that he'll start scoring a whole bunch.

Every season he's been with the Leafs, he seems to have improved something about his game that makes him a better player. How much his new found defensive game lasts and whether or not it has more to do with Carlyle barking, remains a scrip't not yet written. But, I think he'll continue to improve, personally.
 
Mirtle just tweeted about it, but Kessel is at 4.7 shots/game, which (since 04-05) has been averaged by only Ovechkin (5 times) and Zetterberg (once).  Obviously I don't expect it to last, but he is taking a lot of shots, not just by his standards either.
 
I think a few of his shots were ill-thought of, but if he does more like the one that JvR got his goal on, great.

Some of these have to start going in.
 
Potvin29 said:
Mirtle just tweeted about it, but Kessel is at 4.7 shots/game, which (since 04-05) has been averaged by only Ovechkin (5 times) and Zetterberg (once).  Obviously I don't expect it to last, but he is taking a lot of shots, not just by his standards either.
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Shot volume matters, but shot location does too.  ie:  Jason Blake flew down the wing and got off a lot of shots from the side boards, but those shots count for very little.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to see any of the games until the last one.  My understanding from the interwebs is that not only is Kessel getting a lot of shots, but many of his shots have been the high quality kind -- in close or in front of the middle of the net from a little further out as opposed to from the wing.

The fact he hasn't been scoring may have little to do with him.  The advanced stats guys suggest that when a guy shoots a puck, whether or not it goes in depends a lot on where it is shot from and a lot on luck and quite a bit less on who is shooting it.  That last part is counter-intuitive but the idea is that the reason a guy like Stamkos or Kessel get a lot of goals is because they are able to get a lot of shots off from good places -- way more shots from good places than other players.  Kessel's hands don't necessarily make his shot that much more difficult to stop.  Rather, they allow him to get his shot off and through to the goal and on net in so many situations where other guys can't get a shot off because they don't have the quick release or don't have the speed to get separation or don't get themselves in sneaky positions behind the defense or don't anticipate or miss the net, etc.

Anyway, the high shot volume and high quality chances suggest good things for the future -- they are more indicative of future success than his current goal total.... from everything I've been told ...
 
Production aside, I like his game more this year so far than I have before, it's not Selke or anything but a better defensive conscientiousness and lots of offensive chances to boot. He'll be fine.
 
Boston will be marking the hell out of him which can only be a good thing if it frees up other players to score goals.  All teams will always be watching the other teams best scorer which can only help the Leafs game overall with the current system they are playing at the moment.  The Leafs season does not count on how many goals Kessel scores in a season but how far this team can go full stop.  Kessel is not Sundin and he can not or ever will carry a team on his back although he might win a few games like Reims or Frattin etc.  If we had a dominant player in the middle of Kessel like Sundin, and he had not scored by now then I would be worried. 
 
Seymore Pucks said:
Boston will be marking the hell out of him which can only be a good thing if it frees up other players to score goals.  All teams will always be watching the other teams best scorer which can only help the Leafs game overall with the current system they are playing at the moment.  The Leafs season does not count on how many goals Kessel scores in a season but how far this team can go full stop.  Kessel is not Sundin and he can not or ever will carry a team on his back although he might win a few games like Reims or Frattin etc.  If we had a dominant player in the middle of Kessel like Sundin, and he had not scored by now then I would be worried.
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Mogilny went through longer scoring droughts
 
Bender said:
Seymore Pucks said:
Boston will be marking the hell out of him which can only be a good thing if it frees up other players to score goals.  All teams will always be watching the other teams best scorer which can only help the Leafs game overall with the current system they are playing at the moment.  The Leafs season does not count on how many goals Kessel scores in a season but how far this team can go full stop.  Kessel is not Sundin and he can not or ever will carry a team on his back although he might win a few games like Reims or Frattin etc.  If we had a dominant player in the middle of Kessel like Sundin, and he had not scored by now then I would be worried.
Click to expand...

Mogilny went through longer scoring droughts
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that Brett Hull went once without a goal for 21 games. Sure, it was late in his career but something tells me Phil nets one tonight against Boston.
 
drummond said:
Bender said:
Seymore Pucks said:
Boston will be marking the hell out of him which can only be a good thing if it frees up other players to score goals.  All teams will always be watching the other teams best scorer which can only help the Leafs game overall with the current system they are playing at the moment.  The Leafs season does not count on how many goals Kessel scores in a season but how far this team can go full stop.  Kessel is not Sundin and he can not or ever will carry a team on his back although he might win a few games like Reims or Frattin etc.  If we had a dominant player in the middle of Kessel like Sundin, and he had not scored by now then I would be worried.
Click to expand...

Mogilny went through longer scoring droughts
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that Brett Hull went once without a goal for 21 games. Sure, it was late in his career but something tells me Phil nets one tonight against Boston.
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It sure would be nice to see, but I don't think he gets one until next game against Carolina when there is a little less pressure on him.
 
http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/Leaf%20Report%20Podcast%20Feb%201st.mp3

In the 24minute mark they begin to talk about Kessel and they make a good point. If you swap out Kessel with Stamkos and the start was the same the frustration shown would be more "Look at that Canadian kid with heart" whereas Kessel gets "Look at that American with no heart."

I think he gets a bad rap mostly for the trade history and personality.
 
Bender said:
http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/Leaf%20Report%20Podcast%20Feb%201st.mp3

In the 24minute mark they begin to talk about Kessel and they make a good point. If you swap out Kessel with Stamkos and the start was the same the frustration shown would be more "Look at that Canadian kid with heart" whereas Kessel gets "Look at that American with no heart."

I think he gets a bad rap mostly for the trade history and personality.
Click to expand...

I don't get the feeling that people are questioning his heart.  Most of the talking heads that I have seen that have been discussing the Kessel situation have been saying that he is doing all the right things and going to the tough areas of the ice.  His teammates have been saying that he has been working hard.  He's just snake bit.  Because it is January.
 
Significantly Insignificant said:
Bender said:
http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/Leaf%20Report%20Podcast%20Feb%201st.mp3

In the 24minute mark they begin to talk about Kessel and they make a good point. If you swap out Kessel with Stamkos and the start was the same the frustration shown would be more "Look at that Canadian kid with heart" whereas Kessel gets "Look at that American with no heart."

I think he gets a bad rap mostly for the trade history and personality.
Click to expand...

I don't get the feeling that people are questioning his heart.  Most of the talking heads that I have seen that have been discussing the Kessel situation have been saying that he is doing all the right things and going to the tough areas of the ice.  His teammates have been saying that he has been working hard.  He's just snake bit.  Because it is January.
Click to expand...

Did you listen to the CBC broadcast last night? They essentially said he's not going to the right places. He's shooting from the outside. He's not going to the dirty places.(I've personally found the opposite, but we all know how Healy loves to rip on any move the Leafs make).
 
OldTimeHockey said:
Significantly Insignificant said:
Bender said:
http://iphone.tsn.ca/tsnpodcasts/Leaf%20Report%20Podcast%20Feb%201st.mp3

In the 24minute mark they begin to talk about Kessel and they make a good point. If you swap out Kessel with Stamkos and the start was the same the frustration shown would be more "Look at that Canadian kid with heart" whereas Kessel gets "Look at that American with no heart."

I think he gets a bad rap mostly for the trade history and personality.
Click to expand...

I don't get the feeling that people are questioning his heart.  Most of the talking heads that I have seen that have been discussing the Kessel situation have been saying that he is doing all the right things and going to the tough areas of the ice.  His teammates have been saying that he has been working hard.  He's just snake bit.  Because it is January.
Click to expand...

Did you listen to the CBC broadcast last night? They essentially said he's not going to the right places. He's shooting from the outside. He's not going to the dirty places.(I've personally found the opposite, but we all know how Healy loves to rip on any move the Leafs make).
Click to expand...

Keven Weekes and P.J. Stock said he that he was battling and going to the right areas.  They did show his stats of where his shots were and make a comment on how he can't shoot from there.  But Healy did say that the goals were going to come.

Healy is overly critical of the Leafs.  Either because he is a jerk or because he doesn't want to be plastered as a homer.

Regardless, I have yet to see an article entitled "Heartless American still in goal scoring drought".

Furthermore, if Stamkos was a Leaf, and he had gone seven games without scoring a goal, there would be articles about trading him and whether or not he should be/could ever be the Leafs captain, and whether or not the Leafs made the right choice to draft/acquire him.
 
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