Blue And White Beat: Looking at Versteeg, Stalberg and shootouts
Two of Saturday night’s games were decided in a five-round shootout.
Coincidentally, each game featured a participant from the trade between the Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks in which Kris Versteeg came to Toronto with Viktor Stalberg going to the Windy City.
While Versteeg was one of four Leafs who couldn’t beat Buffalo Sabres rookie Jhonas Enroth in the post-game skills contest, Stalberg was the hero in Chicago’s victory over Atlanta, potting the shootout winner.
Moments after the dejected Leafs players skated off the Air Canada Centre surface – having blown a game in which they were 13.1 seconds away from winning – head coach Ron Wilson called out Versteeg, along with his linemates Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, for not producing.
“We need more contributions from other people in a game like this one,“ challenged Wilson. “We have transition from the Kulemin line and from the Mitchell line. But we need to get the Bozak line going.”
The mood was more festive in the Blackhawks dressing room as Stalberg, playing on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, earned an assist as the defending Stanley Cup champions defeated a Thrashers squad that now employs four members of last June’s winning team.
A peek at this season’s numbers shows Stalberg leading Versteeg in all three scoring categories, with a goals-assists-points line of 4-4-8; Versteeg’s line is 2-3-5. Stalberg has accomplished his production in an average ice time of 11:34, over nine minutes per game than Versteeg who clocks in at 20:43.
Has the deal that once looked lopsided in favour of Toronto when it was consummated on June 30 now tilted towards Lake Michigan?
Is it time to hang Leafs GM Brian Burke in effigy?
Not quite.
First of all Versteeg has played three fewer games than Stalberg so far this year, so as anemic as Toronto’s offence has been, let’s at least give the former Blackhawk a chance to catch up.
Secondly, Toronto fans have seen Stalberg’s clustered scoring from his rookie season (remember his six-goal pre-season?). Versteeg has a pair of 20-goal seasons to his credit. While this November snapshot favours Stalberg, the April figures will provide a more accurate picture.
Finally, Versteeg may not be playing at 100%. He was cleared to play after sitting out a game October 28 against Boston with a sore back, an ailment that doesn’t necessarily go away with a couple of aspirin.
The Leafs loss to the Sabres – the worst team in the league heading into that game – was deflating on multiple fronts. Toronto fell into the habit of making the opposing goalie look like an All-Star; in this case it was Enroth who emerged as a hero in registering his first career win. It’s not a stretch to suggest that had defending Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller not been injured, the Leafs may not have scored at all.
Losing a game with 13 ticks on the clock compounds the demoralization. It was the first time this year that the Leafs have lost a game when leading after two periods, and also the Sabres first victory when trailing after 40 minutes.
And then, there is the curse of the shootout, an eight-letter word that must be as offensive to Leafs fans as two four-letter ones.
Since the inception of the shootout, Toronto’s won-loss record is a feeble 20-31. Only four teams: Calgary, Florida, Ottawa and Philadelphia have worse winning percentages since 2005.
On paper, Toronto’s overall shooting percentage 32.1% ranks 19th in the NHL, and is a fraction below the league average of 32.92%.
In fact, 4 of the 5 shooters used by Wilson in Saturday night’s affair all have career shooting percentages over the league average:
- Kessel 13-for-37, 35.14%
- Versteeg 3-for-8,37.50%
- Kaberle 5-for-12, 41.67%
- Mitchell 4-for-6, 66.67%
Perhaps Wilson would like a do-over of his selection of Clarke MacArthur, now a perfect 0-for-9, perfect for the goalies, that is. MacArthur had been stifled on a breakaway earlier in the game. The absence of Nikolai Kulemin, a career 6-for-14, 42.86% in shootouts, was conspicuous.
During the shootout, the Leafs ability to snipe the puck in the net has never been as much of an issue as keeping it out.
Toronto’s save percentage is a measly .589 all-time, better only than Calgary’s over a five year, one month stretch.
And while we can all stop describing Andrew Raycroft and Vesa Toskala to our psychiatrists, the career save percentages of Giguere (.632) and Gustavsson (.500) both hover below the league average of .671.
“I don’t dislike them, I think they’re entertaining,” Giguere said Saturday following his third shootout loss in a Leaf uniform to go with a single victory.
“I just wish I was better at them.”
For the record, Viktor Stalberg’s shootout winner last night was his first goal in his first attempt.
And this piece isn’t being written out of any ill will towards him; we say thanks for his time as a Leaf and Marlie, and wish him all the best in Chicago.
The betting, however, is that his numbers won’t look as good after 82 games.
But for the Leafs goalies – particularly in the shootouts – the figures do need improvement.
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
Follow TMLfans.ca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmlfansrob
I said this at the time of the trade and I will say it again.
I like the pickup of versteeg, but not at the price including stalberg.
That kind of speed does not come around often and todays game, you don’t trade speed.
I think that we could have substituted for stalberg.
I.M.O V.S will have a better career than either hanson or bozak (the 2 b.b college pickups)
coincidence that stalberg was a jfj pickup, – clearly no coincidence at all