Leafs Ground Lightning 7-3 – Ovechkin scores again – Teams Goal Differentials – NHL Scores – January 4, 2012

CFN – Coach Ron Wilson got his first win under his new contract as the Leafs blasted Tampa 7-3 with seven Leaf players scoring goals and Joffrey Lupal adding 3 assists.

The Monster; Jonas Gustavsson picked up the win in the fight filled match.   The win puts the Leafs 10th in the Conference 1 point out of a play off spot.

In other NHL scores Buffalo nipped Edmonton 4-3; Alex Ovechkin scored another goal as he led Washington to a 3-1 over Calgary.   Jarome Igninla did not score his 500th goal.   The Islanders won or lost depending on your perspective, 4-3 to Carolina; Detroit 5 Dallas 4; and St. Louis beat Phoenix 4-1 with Jaroslav Halak picking up the win.

I was looking over some numbers and I’m a funny kind of numbers guy.    I decided to compare some teams based on their goals for/against differential.   It was an interesting snap shot.  I’ve always been a firm believer that if you score more goals than you give up you’re going to win more games.

The chart suggests that the Heart Attack Kids, the Ottawa Senators are playing over their heads while Washington are inefficient.   San Jose in the Western conference have truly failed at maxing out their goal scoring and turning those into wins, while LA is doing the opposite.

Interesting huh?  Not a lot of surprises, but it does offer a snapshot of how efficient some teams are over others.   We can debate many of the factors involved with a team’s result, but at the end of the day it’s about goals.

So hockey fans; what do you think about the Leafs?  Is it their first year back in the play offs?   How fast after Iginla notches his 500th goal does he get traded?   You can post your comments below.

Cornwall Free News

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