So sayeth the Muse, "it takes two
to make a thing go right." In the NHL, that translates to elite scorers who rely upon particular playmakers to set them up. Which elite snipers are most reliant on particular linemates? Let's take a look inside the numbers from the 2006-7 NHL regular season.
The following is a list of those prominent goal scorers (anyone with 20 or more goals last season) in order of their reliance on a particular teammate for the 1st assist on their goals. In other words, what portion of their total goals came directly after a specific teammate played the puck? May I have the envelope please...
While it's no surprise to see the Sedin twins atop this list, there are a few noteworthy entries in this table that warrant your attention. Notice, for example, how the Ottawa top line of Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson are intertwined, and how the playmaking skills of Joe Thornton are so vital to the production of both Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Take special notice, as well, of players who have changed teams - how will Dainius Zubrus fare without Alex Ovechkin, or Jason Pominville without Daniel Briere? Will Martin Straka miss Michal Nylander, or Patrik Elias miss Scott Gomez? While it's possible that they'll find new linemates with which they'll develop the ever-elusive "chemistry," I wouldn't bet on it. But what about the opposite end of this scale? Which goal scorers relied the least upon a specific teammate for that First Assist?
Taking the reverse analytical angle from above, it's impressive how these individuals light the lamp without leaning on a particular playmaker, especially leading goal-scorers like Kovalchuk & Ovechkin.
This kind of reasoning leads to some interesting considerations for game-by-game analysis. When facing the Canucks, does it make sense to focus on denying Henrik Sedin the puck, so he can't set up his goal-scoring brother? That might prove more effective than putting a shadow on Daniel. Conversely, those scorers on the second list seem to be more adaptable in creating shots for themselves and deserve the full attention of an opposing defense.
to make a thing go right." In the NHL, that translates to elite scorers who rely upon particular playmakers to set them up. Which elite snipers are most reliant on particular linemates? Let's take a look inside the numbers from the 2006-7 NHL regular season.The following is a list of those prominent goal scorers (anyone with 20 or more goals last season) in order of their reliance on a particular teammate for the 1st assist on their goals. In other words, what portion of their total goals came directly after a specific teammate played the puck? May I have the envelope please...
| Scorer | Goals | Top 1st Assist Man | Assists | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Sedin, VAN | 36 | Henrik Sedin, VAN | 20 | 55.6% |
| Slava Kozlov, ATL | 28 | Marian Hossa, ATL | 15 | 53.6% |
| Jason Pominville, BUF | 34 | Daniel Briere, BUF | 17 | 50.0% |
| Chris Kunitz, ANA | 25 | Teemu Selanne, ANA | 12 | 48.0% |
| Milan Michalek, SJS | 26 | Joe Thornton, SJS | 12 | 46.2% |
| Dainius Zubrus, WSH | 24 | Alex Ovechkin, WSH | 11 | 45.8% |
| Marian Gaborik, MIN | 30 | Pavol Demitra, MIN | 13 | 43.3% |
| Martin Straka, NYR | 29 | Michal Nylander, NYR | 12 | 41.4% |
| Jonathan Cheechoo, SJS | 37 | Joe Thornton, SJS | 15 | 40.5% |
| Michael Ryder, MTL | 30 | Saku Koivu, MTL | 12 | 40.0% |
| Trent Hunter, NYI | 20 | Mike Sillinger, NYI | 8 | 40.0% |
| Martin St. Louis, TAM | 43 | Vincent Lecavalier, TAM | 17 | 39.5% |
| Damond Langkow, CGY | 33 | Jarome Iginla, CGY | 13 | 39.4% |
| Zack Parise, NJD | 31 | Travis Zajac, NJD | 12 | 38.7% |
| Alexei Ponikarovsky, TOR | 21 | Mats Sundin, TOR | 8 | 38.1% |
| Paul Kariya, NSH | 24 | Martin Erat, NSH | 9 | 37.5% |
| Marco Sturm, BOS | 27 | Patrice Bergeron, BOS | 10 | 37.0% |
| Petr Sykora, EDM | 22 | Ales Hemsky, EDM | 8 | 36.4% |
| Alex Tanguay, CGY | 22 | Jarome Iginla, CGY | 8 | 36.4% |
| Mike Fisher, OTT | 22 | Daniel Alfredsson, OTT | 8 | 36.4% |
| Joe Sakic, COL | 36 | Andrew Brunette, COL | 13 | 36.1% |
| Dany Heatley, OTT | 50 | Jason Spezza, OTT | 18 | 36.0% |
| Daniel Alfredsson, OTT | 29 | Dany Heatley, OTT | 10 | 34.5% |
| Ray Whitney, CAR | 32 | Rod Brind'Amour, CAR | 11 | 34.4% |
| Sidney Crosby, PIT | 36 | Mark Recchi, PIT | 12 | 33.3% |
| Mark Recchi, PIT | 24 | Sidney Crosby, PIT | 8 | 33.3% |
| Patrik Elias, NJD | 21 | Scott Gomez, NJD | 7 | 33.3% |
| Jason Spezza, OTT | 34 | Dany Heatley, OTT | 11 | 32.4% |
| Steve Sullivan, NSH | 22 | J.P. Dumont, NSH | 7 | 31.8% |
| Teemu Selanne, ANA | 48 | Andy McDonald, ANA | 15 | 31.2% |
While it's no surprise to see the Sedin twins atop this list, there are a few noteworthy entries in this table that warrant your attention. Notice, for example, how the Ottawa top line of Heatley/Spezza/Alfredsson are intertwined, and how the playmaking skills of Joe Thornton are so vital to the production of both Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Take special notice, as well, of players who have changed teams - how will Dainius Zubrus fare without Alex Ovechkin, or Jason Pominville without Daniel Briere? Will Martin Straka miss Michal Nylander, or Patrik Elias miss Scott Gomez? While it's possible that they'll find new linemates with which they'll develop the ever-elusive "chemistry," I wouldn't bet on it. But what about the opposite end of this scale? Which goal scorers relied the least upon a specific teammate for that First Assist?
| Scorer | Goals | Top 1st Assist Man | Assists | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Sharp, CHI | 20 | 6 players | 2 | 10.0% |
| Ilya Kovalchuk, ATL | 42 | Slava Kolzov, ATL | 6 | 14.3% |
| Scott Walker, CAR | 21 | Eric Staal, CAR | 3 | 14.3% |
| Miroslav Satan, NYI | 27 | Viktor Kozlov, NYI | 4 | 14.8% |
| Shane Doan, PHX | 27 | Steve Reinprecht, PHX | 4 | 14.8% |
| Mats Sundin, TOR | 27 | Kaberle & Tucker | 4 | 14.8% |
| Matthew Lombardi, CGY | 20 | 4 players | 3 | 15.0% |
| Martin Havlat, CHI | 25 | Keith & Vrbata | 4 | 16.0% |
| Erik Cole, CAR | 29 | Stillman & Whitney | 5 | 17.2% |
| Alex Ovechkin, WSH | 46 | Dainius Zubrus, WSH | 8 | 17.4% |
| Mike Modano, DAL | 22 | Lehtinen & Lindros | 4 | 18.2% |
| Patrice Bergeron, BOS | 22 | Marc Savard, BOS | 4 | 18.2% |
| Alexander Semin, WSH | 38 | Alex Ovechkin, WSH | 7 | 18.4% |
| Lee Stempniak, STL | 27 | Bill Guerin, STL | 5 | 18.5% |
| Chris Drury, BUF | 37 | Daniel Briere, BUF | 7 | 18.9% |
| Mike Sillinger, NYI | 26 | Trent Hunter, NYI | 5 | 19.2% |
| Nathan Horton, FLA | 31 | Olli Jokinen, FLA | 6 | 19.4% |
| Bill Guerin, STL | 36 | Doug Weight, STL | 7 | 19.4% |
| Alexander Frolov, LAK | 35 | Mike Cammalieri, LAK | 7 | 20.0% |
| Jaromir Jagr, NYR | 30 | Michal Nylander, NYR | 6 | 20.0% |
| Chris Clark, WSH | 30 | 3 players | 6 | 20.0% |
| Brad Richards, TAM | 25 | Martin St. Louis, TAM | 5 | 20.0% |
| Ryan Getzlaf, ANA | 25 | Chris Perry, ANA | 5 | 20.0% |
| Stephen Weiss, FLA | 20 | Martin Gelinas, FLA | 4 | 20.0% |
| Gary Roberts, FLA | 20 | Olli Jokinen, FLA | 4 | 20.0% |
| Dan Boyle, TAM | 20 | Lecavalier & Richards | 4 | 20.0% |
| Mike Cammalieri, LAK | 34 | Anze Kopitar, LAK | 7 | 20.6% |
| Dustin Penner, ANA | 29 | Marchant & Perry | 6 | 20.7% |
| Pavel Datsyuk, DET | 27 | Tomas Holmstrom, DET | 6 | 22.2% |
| Ryan Smyth, EDM | 36 | Shawn Horcoff, EDM | 8 | 22.2% |
Taking the reverse analytical angle from above, it's impressive how these individuals light the lamp without leaning on a particular playmaker, especially leading goal-scorers like Kovalchuk & Ovechkin.
This kind of reasoning leads to some interesting considerations for game-by-game analysis. When facing the Canucks, does it make sense to focus on denying Henrik Sedin the puck, so he can't set up his goal-scoring brother? That might prove more effective than putting a shadow on Daniel. Conversely, those scorers on the second list seem to be more adaptable in creating shots for themselves and deserve the full attention of an opposing defense.