Stat Check: How far in front of the NHL is Leclaire?

With his fifth shutout this season happening on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues, Pascal Leclaire is the standout among NHL goalies. Here's a look at his stats in comparison to other top goaltenders.

Goals Against Average
Leclaire's league-leading GAA is an unbelievable 1.12. A number like that is completely unprecedented by Leclaire. By comparison, he managed a 2.97 GAA last season in 24 games played. When compared to others in the league this season, only the top eight netminders have a GAA lower than 2 and only the top four are below 1.5. The best GAA last season was Niklas Backstrom (MIN) with 1.97.

Save Percentage
Leclaire leads the NHL in save percentage as well, if by only half of a percent. His current Sv% is .957, ahead of Dan Ellis of Nashville at .952. Leclaires 06-07 Sv% was .897, which means he blocked roughly 1 in 10 shots. Currently he's letting by less than 1 in 20. Last year's best was Backstrom with .929.

Shutouts
Five is just enough to put Leclaire in the number one spot. Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) is right behind Pascal with four and is keeping a good pace. Worth noting, however, is the fact that Lundqvist has played fourteen games to Leclaire's nine. At Leclaire's pace, he has a 55% chance of shutting out the other team every time he starts. Last year, the top shutout goalie was Martin Brodeur who amassed 12 shutouts in 78 games played.

At his current pace, Leclaire is arguably the best goaltender in the league. He and Lundqvist may continue to duke it out until injuries, a hot streak, or a downward spiral separates them from the top of the rankings. With a pair of crossed fingers, Leclaire may make it through the rest of the season injury free.

Stats from http://www.nhl.com/nhlstats/app and http://www.hockeydb.com
Photo from NHL.com

Jackets Win AND Opponent Scores, Leclaire Leads NHL

It was a "CBJ Saturday Night" in Nationwide Arena when the Jackets hosted and defeated the San Jose Sharks. In a 2-1 game, the Jackets secured a third straight win and an 8th place spot in the league standings.

Notably, Leclaire was the winning goaltender despite giving up a first period goal to Joe Thornton. It's the first time this season that the Jackets have given up a goal and still pulled out the win.

Columbus goals came from Fritsche and Fedorov, the latter being a slapshot from the point that lasered into the back of the net.

Pascal Leclaire is now leading the league with a 1.29 GAA, and has the #2 spot in save percentage with a .949.

Shelley Watch:
#45 had just 2 1/2 minutes of ice time and didn't fight, despite San Jose's best efforts.

Rick Nash Magic and Pascal Leclaire gets 4th Shutout

Make that 2-0!
BOOM

That comment was left by Matt on my last post about the Jackets defeating the Blackhawks. Leclaire did it again- shutting down the St. Louis Blues by a score of 3-0. The win bumps Columbus up to 2nd place in the division.

Equally big news of the night was Nash's goal. As reported by the AP:

"Ron Hainsey then tried a slap shot from the blue line that was just wide to the right of the goal. Nash played the ricochet off the boards like Manny Ramirez fielding a ball off the Green Monster, stretching to reach the puck to pull it in and then lifting the shot between his legs and high into the top of the net."

I tried to get a reply of the goal from the Jackets' online video archive, but it's hard to see from the camera angle. From the acclaim I've heard so far, it's bound to be in the top 10 on sportscenter, so keep an eye out for that today.

Tomorrow, the Jackets will play host to the San Jose Sharks. Over the years, they've become one of my most dreaded opponents. Leclaire will probably be in net: let's make it five.

* On an unrelated note, Michael of Army of the Ohio is gathering reader contributions for names for the CBJ cannon. Check out his post and leave your ideas. *

Also, be sure to see Yoder's take on last night's game including an explanation for Jiri Novotny's goal.

Score Sheet

Jackets 1-1 Weekend, Leclaire's Streakiness and Big Games Upcoming

A one up, one down weekend for the home team. The Jackets marched into Buffalo on Friday and brought home a satisfying win that will tack on another 60 minutes of shutout hockey for Pascal Leclaire. Sunday's affair wasn't quite as successful, however. The Jackets were knocked down by perennial Jackets killer, Marcus Naslund and his Vancouver crew.

Same old Leclaire, or is it a new Pascal?

It's easy to suggest that it's a new day for Pascal Leclaire, as he already has three shutouts on this young season. In those games (vs. Phoenix, Anaheim and Buffalo) he played to the caliber that he has always been said to be capable of. But in the other two games he has started (vs. Colorado and Vancouver) He gave up five and four goals, respectively. In many ways, this is the same streaky #31 we've been watching for years.
Leclaire has been known to have had a lot of mediocre performances interlaced with flashes of brilliance. Over time, the flashes have become more common, but the mediocrity still lingers, waiting for an early goal or two to open the flood gates. If Leclaire and his defense could get a stronger grip on consistency, the chances of pulling off a win would increase dramatically.

To be fair, it may not be just Leclaire to fault for some of the losses. This team has always had a tough time playing from behind. It's as if giving up a goal or two early just breaks their heart and kills their morale. Sometimes, there's just no coming back. The Jackets are 3-3-1 thus far- a record for which I am pleased. However, their 3 wins are all Leclaire's shutouts. That means the team is 0-3-1 when the other team scores at all.

Upcoming Action

The Jackets open up division play in Chicago tomorrow night. Eleven of the next sixteen games (through most of November) are division opponents, including six games against the Blackhawks and Blues, whom the Jackets should have the mettle to beat. With this many critical games coming up, the Jackets could very well make or break their season by Thanksgiving.

Jackets beat Phoenix, Leclaire at 120 Scoreless Minutes

Pascal Leclaire completed his second consecutive shutout last night in front of a half-full Nationwide Arena. The Jackets prevailed over the Coyotes by a score of 3-0, including a first career goal by Jared Boll.

The Jackets put on a great performance in which they played all the way to the end. Only once or twice did they give up a good scoring chance to the Coyotes. Most of the time the defense was all over the puck before a play could bet set up.

The 'Energy Line' played a phenomenal game, carrying all three goals. Chimera had a piece of each and finished the game with a goal and two assists. The top line was centered by Modin -not Fedorov- allowing #91 to serve as the anchor for Zherdev's second line. It looks like Hitch is reattempting the Zherdev-Fedorov partnership, which was tried early and often last year. The thought is that the two Russian-born stars would be able to find common ground and give Zherdev the support he needs to be a top scorer. Last night we didn't see much from this line, but look for it to be used again and again this season.

A hat tip must be paid to Leclaire for shutting out a second team already this season. Having not played in the season's first road trip, he remains un-scored-upon this season. You could see the tension building toward the end of the game. Every time the play stopped, Leclaire paced the goal line with greater and greater intensity. Despite several seasons in the league, Leclaire is still wanting to prove himself. With games like that, it will happen in no time. This is the Leclaire we've all been waiting for. Tougher opponents are coming, however.

The Jackets are now 2-1 (.667!) and face the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Score sheet

Opening Night 2007: After

If you were not in attendence for Friday's opener, I'm sorry. You missed something special. The pre-game, the goals, the cannon and the shutout were incredible. From the opening video montage to Stinger's placing of the 'victory flag' at center ice, there was a certain buzz in the air that kept the crowd on edge and the players on their toes. The 'Carry the Flag' slogan turned out far better than I hoped, but more on that in a later post.

Nash netted himself 4 points in the win, and he was seriously looking for that fifth point, preferably in the form of a hat trick. Even in the last moments of the game when Modin took the face off in Anaheim territory, Nash tried to get into position for that remaining shot. Modin even strategized before the play about how he would try to get the puck into position.

Fedorov and Leclaire rounded out the three stars, with the goaltender missing the second star spot by about 5 saves.
It was an impressive performance all around by a team that put the pressure on early and kept the pedal to the metal until the final horn sounded. Anaheim, on the other hand, became quite frustrated by the middle of the second period. They continually tried to rough up the Jackets, particularly with after-the-whistle aggression. The Jackets didn't bite, and were able to keep their cool.

Great game. GREAT game. I'm skeptical enough to realize that the whole season won't be this dominating, but hopeful enough to dream that way.

Saturday night in Minnesota wasn't quite as magical. Despite playing hard, the Jackets fell to the Wild, 3-2. I wasn't able to watch the whole game, unfortunately. The bits I caught at the end well illustrated Michael of Army of the Ohio's point about being 'vexed' by the neutral zone trap. The CBJ offense could not get past center ice, barring an icing call. The team seemed to play a tough game though, and that's what matters. Next up is the Phoenix Coyotes at home on Wednesday.

Jackets now 1-1 (.500)
Friday's Scoresheet
Saturday's Scoresheet
(Scoresheets have been redesigned this season)

Two Goalies, One Job. Will Norrena or Leclaire be the #1 'tender?

Both will be, according to today's Dispatch.

As of today, Leclaire gets the start on Friday at home against Anaheim and Norrena will fill the net on Saturday's road game in Minnesota. Neither goalie has proved himself above and beyond the other, so the starter role is going to bounce back and forth for a while. That is, until one netminder dominates the crease, or until one of them is injured.

The tendency for the Jackets organization has been to lean on Pascal Leclaire. The team has invested much time, money and a first round draft pick in 2001 for his services. There's no doubt that the team wants to see a return on this investment, but he's going to need to stay healthy before any results will be seen.

Norrena, whom many chose as the team's MVP last season due to his winning record in the net, is going to keep the pressure on Leclaire. He was intended to be the backup last year, but quickly stole the goalie spotlight when an injured Leclaire played his last game midway through last season. If Norrena can pick up right where he left off last season, there's no reason why he couldn't take the number one spot. Even if Leclaire stays healthy, I predict that Norrena will have played more games by season's end.

However the cards fall, having two healthy goaltenders will keep the competition for the starting role fierce. If one goalie has so much as one bad game, you can rest assured that the other is waiting in the wings for his chance.

An added redundancy to the Jackets goaltender situation is 19 year old Steve Mason, who will be sticking around Columbus in the short term to see how things progress. Seeing as he is only 19, he retains two more years of eligibility in the junior leagues. The Jackets would like to send him back for "more seasoning", but if the time comes, he may just get his NHL debut. Turning to Mason as a third-rung goaltender is better than looking for a Boucher or a Conklin, as the team did last year when injuries emptied the crease. At least with Mason, the team is building a prospect, not just filling a hole in the roster.

Berard and Westcott Join Leclaire and Fritsche on Bench for Remainder of Season

Berard's back pain has returned, despite two surgeries and sitting out 82 games. The former #1 draft pick (1995) has been instructed by his doctors to sit out the rest of the season. After being signed to a two-year $4.5 Million contract, Berard has only played 55 games in a Blue Jackets uniform, working out to roughly $82,000 per game. Ouch. Sources tell Aaron Portzline that Berard is very unlikely to be re-signed for next season. It's also possible that Berard's career is over, though we'll have to see what happens to him in the offseason.

Westcott has made it official that he won't be back this season either. Still suffering from a concussion that occurred months ago, there's no need to get him back in the lineup. His injuries pose to great of a risk, especially when the Jackets are out of playoff contention.

Adding these two to the already-done Pascal Leclaire and Dan Fritsche, we have four CBJ players who we won't see until at least next year, and in the case of Berard, won't likely ever see again at all.

I'd like to say that these guys would make a good golf foursome and would have the advantage of early season prices, but with their particular injuries it looks like the only golf they could play would be Tiger Woods PGA Tour on Playstation.

The Photo is of Berard and Wags and/or Elliot from QFM96. I think the two of them look like they're ready to kick someone's ass. Perhaps that of Wags or Elliot... whichever is not in the picture. And why is he leaning on Berard? He has a bad back!

Leclaire Done for Season, Westcott likely to Follow Suit

After only 24 games as Columbus' starting goaltender, Pascal Leclaire has called it quits on the season. The decision comes only after months of a reoccurring injury to his knee that started back in December. We all had hopes that Pazzy would be back in crease before the end of the season, but the attempt he did make to return just reignited his ailing leg.

Leclaire, just 24, is said to be one of the great futures of the CBJ organization. He's said to have the skills and potential to lead this team since joining the Jackets' organization via the 2002 NHL draft.

Pazzy has played a total of 59 games in the Columbus sweater, including call-ups from previous seasons, his back-up duty under Marc Denis, and this season's starter spot. In his 24 games this season, he posted a 2.97 GAA with a .897 save percentage. While those numbers are short of spectacular, the GAA has decreased in recent seasons. That's shows promise, I suppose.

Duvie Westcott is also still out on injury. He hasn't played since January 6th, and his return isn't looking good. His concussion still affects him, particularly when his heart rate gets up.... clearly an issue in a fast-paced full contact sport. Until a few days ago, Westcott hoped to return to the lineup this week. When his headache problems sprung up on Tuesday, CBJ medical staff decided it would be best to postpone his return and go see a specialist.

While I would love to see either of these players get back on the ice before the end of the season, there's no sense in multiplying their risk of further injury by rushing them back onto the ice. The Jackets don't have anything left to play for with the playoffs out of the picture, so taking it easy is the way to go for the injured Leclaire and Westcott.

Leclaire on IR (again)

The Jackets have placed Leclaire on IR again after "re-aggravating" his knee injury from December. The reports on CBS Sportsline and the CBJ website don't give much more detail than that.

Just when we thought Pazzy was back to stay a while, he ends up on IR again. The front office has already recalled Conklin to Columbus to fill the bench while Norrena works the net. It's too bad the Jackets don't have a better goalie to call upon when one of the dedicated NHL tenders goes down. "Conks" is touting only a 3-12-2 record this season, but is running a 2-3-1 when playing for Columbus. Percentage wise, that's actually better than Pazzy, who has only managed 6-15-2 in 24 games this season.

In the same press release, the Jackets announced that they will also be calling up Curtis Glencross from Syracuse. (A package deal on airfare for the two?) If you don't recall, Glencross was the other player (besides Zenon Konopka) traded from Anaheim earlier this season in exchange for Mark Hartigan and Joe Motzko.

(Photo from TSN)

Hitch used the 'P word'

He said it first, not me.

According to a Dispatch article, Hitchcock used the 'P word' following Sunday's game against Ottawa. As much of as a believer as I want to be, I'm not sure I'm there yet. Let's finish off December, then regroup. Then there's the all-star break, then we'll talk.

The CBJ machine is in Dallas for tonight's game against the Stars. Leclaire is at home, hopefully only missing a week's worth of games. His lower body injury turned out to be a mere sprain. In his words: "I’ve been told not to put any weight on it. I’ll spend a few days watching movies and playing video games. And I’ll try to be back as soon as possible." Good news for the young netminder, who will hopefully be back in action next weekend.

Foote's injury is considered to be day-to-day, so he'll be out tonight and hopefully back in time for Phoenix on Thursday. We'll have to wait and see on that one. Don't forget, Duvie Westcott is still out with a finger injury and Brian Berard has still yet to play a single game this season. Those two are amongst our best on the blue line, though there will no doubt be some competition for starting positions when they get back.

In other injury news, Modano and Ott won't be playing tonight in Dallas. Modano has a hip/groin issue and Ott broke his leg. Well, that's two less Dallas staples the jackets have to defend against.

And one more tidbit of NHL news. The St. Louis Blues fired their coach yesterday, replacing him with none other than Blue Jackets candidate Andy Murray. I'm glad we got first dibs.

Jackets faithful, this will likely be my last post for a few days as I'll be out of town until Sunday. I'll be keeping tabs, as no doubt you will, on the team. Go Jackets!

Turned Tables

How 'bout dem Jackets?

Last night's 6-2 victory at home against the Ottawa Senators is the latest of what is now a four game winning streak. In those same four games, the Jackets have outscored opponents 18-3. An unbelievable stat when we recall what this team looked like before thanksgiving.

I watched all or part of this winning streak, and I can firmly say that is coming as a result of a full team effort. Across the board, each line is making its presence known, and usually felt as well. Checking has improved, shooting has been more numerous and more accurate, and the special teams lines have been phenomenal. Last night against the Sens, the Jackets managed five power play goals. Five. Up til now, it's been hard to get five goals at all, let alone from special teams. Needless to say, the five power play goals performance is a franchise record.

Fritsche has been playing like a man possessed- I've been blown away by how much of an impact he has made on recent games. For someone as young and relatively under the radar, he's certainly doing his share. Frtische doesn't have the spotlight in the way that Zherdev and Nash do, but he certainly knows how to control the puck.

Whatever magic Hitchcock is using, it's working. Plays are being made that wouldn't have stood a chance a month ago. The forwards are moving the puck up ice and not seeing it go the other way immediately. Defensemen are getting into the play, and Hainsey is making plays from the point. Eriksson too is having some of his best career games.

The down side of last nights big game, which included six Jacket goal, a failed Ottawa penalty shot and five minute major penalty against the Sens, was injuries. Foote and Leclaire both came off the ice earlier in pain. Foote is departing with the team today to Dallas for this weeks' road trip, but Leclaire is staying put for treatment.

Pascal Leclaire came out of the net in the second with what has only been described thus far as a 'lower body injury'. In his place, Thomas Popperle has been called up from Syracuse. While Leclaire's injury does create some concern, I have confidence that Norrena will to a fine job in his place, and hopefully this able Jackets defense can provide enough cover for Popperle if he starts.
Get the full story on Jacket injuries from last night from Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch.

Despite the great play by the penalty kill lines, the next thing Hitch needs to work on is keeping our players out of the penalty box. We've been struggling with hooking and tripping calls in particular.

Jackets are now 10-16-2 with 22 pts and are 4th in the division.

Sat: Jackets win 5-1 at St. Louis
Box Score

Sun: Jackets win 6-2 at home v. Ottawa
Box Score

***(Update: Contrary to the Dispatch article, BlueJackets.com reports that G Ty Conklin, not Thomas Popperle, will join the team for the road trip. Also, D Filip Novak will travel. He'll play pending on Foote's injury)***

Jackets get 'Luongo'ed

Despite a stellar performance by Leclaire, the Vancouver Canucks stopped the Jackets last night. With a final score of 1-0, and the top two stars being goalies, it was truly a defensive battle.

I watched the first two periods last night, and the Jackets were playing tough hockey. Valiant efforts by Carter and Fedorov in particular came up with naught. Leclaire was all over the net though- a herculean effort for a goalie still so young. He went post to post many times to stop the Sedins and Naslund from getting more than one goal.

The singular goal came from Markus Naslund, the NHL all-time leading scorer against the Jackets. In what can only be described as miscommunication by Tollefsen and Eriksson, Naslund stole the puck, slipped between the defenders and went one-on-one to beat Leclaire.

Besides another game under Hitch's CBJ belt, last nights' battle demonstrated the effectiveness of Leclaires' goaltending. Since the beginning of the season, I've been a skeptic. Leclaire is still young and is playing lead goalie without a veteran backup. If he can continue to play as he did last night, he'll do just fine.

Mid way through the second period, the Jackets did have a goal waved-off. The video replay, which was reviewed by the boys in Toronto, appeared to conclude that the puck just crossed the Vancouver goal line. Not so, ruled the hockey officials.

Jackets lose 1-0
Still in the basement.
Box Score