November 12, 2010

Subbanator Strikes First, Asks Questions Later



You've probably heard it all by now: P.K. scores on the PP, or some variation of that clever line, after the Montreal Canadiens defenseman scored his first career regular-season goal on Thursday. He did have one last post-season, but everyone knows those don't really count. Despite it being his first goal this year, and despite all the hype leading into it, Subban is very quietly putting together a very solid rookie season, not necessarily one worthy of the Calder Trophy, but a solid one nonetheless.

"I only look this young in photos... and in person."
As it stands now, Carolina Hurricane Jeff Skinner is leading all rookies in scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace, with six goals and nine assists in 16 games. While scoring should never be the only criterion used to determine who should win rookie-of-the-year honours, it's hard not to be impressed with what Skinner has accomplished up to this point, essentially tit-for-tatting teammate Eric Staal, who has the exact same stats. Of course, Staal should never be used as the yardstick to measure success, because it's clear he's never really lived up to the expectations his 100-point season helped to set a few years ago. Still, hats off to Skinner, especially due to his being just 18 years old and three years younger than his next-closest competition, Buffalo Sabre Tyler Ennis, who has 10 points in 17 games.

Here are the up-to-date rookie-scoring-leader stats:
1. Jeff Skinner (CAR) 6,9 - 15
2. Tyler Ennis (BUF) 4,6 - 10
3. Jordan Eberle (EDM) 4,5 - 9
4. John Carlson (WSH) 2,7 - 9
5. Mark Letestu (PIT) 4,4 - 8
6. Kyle Wilson (COL) 4,3 - 7
7. P.K. Subban (MTL) 1,6 - 7
8. Logan Couture (SJS) 5,1 - 6
9. Taylor Hall (EDM) 3,3 - 6
10. Tyler Seguin (BOS) 3,3 - 6

So, for the record, Subban: quietly impressive, Skinner: incredibly impressive, Taylor and Tyler: slightly disappointing considering Skinner's relative dominance, Ennis: still looks like he got out of juvie a few years too early, and Letestu: it was nice while it lasted.

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