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How Evgeni Malkin Made An MVP Run
by PuckStopsHere on 08/21/09 at 12:17 PM ET
Comments (44)
In the 2008/09 season, Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins led the league in scoring with 113 points. He finished second in the Hart Trophy voting behind Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Does this mean that Malkin is the second best player in the NHL or did the circumstances of how he was played serve to improve his statistics?
Malkin was heavily played in offensive situations by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, he had the third most prominent offensive zone starter in the NHL last season. This is quite a significant achievement given that Pittsburgh did not have a great season in terms of puck possession. They had more defensive zone faceoffs than offensive zone ones. They finished with a negative team Corsi number. They were a team that got on a hot streak in time for the playoffs, but they had not been dominant in the regular season. In fact, at times during the regular season they looked as though they might miss the playoffs.
Despite those struggles, Malkin was given 125 more even strength faceoff zone starts in the offensive zone than in the defensive zone. This put Malkin in a situation to maximize his offensive ability and to reduce his use in defensive situations. He was given a chance to play in a situation where he would maximize his offensive numbers and where he wasn’t relied upon to play in tough defensive situations. Malkin succeeded in scoring a league leading number of points.
Malkin had a +17 +/- rating to show for the season. This had some people on the blogosphere (though not the award voters) suggesting Malkin should be a Selke Trophy candidate. The problem was that he didn’t play in many defensive situations. Although his +/- rating looked good, his Corsi did not. Malkin had a -156 Corsi to show for the season. This tied Maxime Talbot to be the worst Corsi among the Pittsburgh Penguins forwards last year.
Evgeni Malkin played in a predominantly offensive situation and yet his team gave up more shots when he was on the ice than they took. This does not speak well for Malkin’s defensive play. He was one of the most productive offensive players at even strength and on the power play. He was played in a role where he was given every opportunity to do this. He was not called upon to play in defensive situations and he did not show strong defensive skills. His offence clearly makes him one of the best players in the NHL, but it is not enough to show that he is the second best in the league. For example, his teammate Sidney Crosby was not given nearly as many offensive zone starts and scored nearly as many points and put up a much better Corsi. The third place finisher in the MVP voting, Pavel Datsyuk, had a league leading Corsi Number (although there are problems comparing raw Corsis between different teams) with almost as many points.
I think it is clear that in the 2008/09 season, Malkin was not the second most valuable player to his team. Sure he put up league leading offensive numbers, but he did so in a very favorable role where he was able to succeed without being forced to play much defense. Malkin is one of the better players in the NHL, because of his offensive ability, but he is not as close to the top as his second place finish in the 2009 Hart Trophy race would suggest.
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Comments
I think that’s also called smart coaching. put a player in a position to succeed rather than fail. I would also take the low face off percentage when it comes with leading the league in takeaways. Faceoff wins sometimes have more to do with the wingers getting in there than anything else…
Posted by Greg on 08/21/09 at 12:44 PM ET
Malkin is one of the better players in the NHL, because of his offensive ability, but he is not as close to the top as his second place finish in the 2009 Hart Trophy race would suggest.
Something from The Puck Stops here that I agree with?
Kukla’s Korner may be headed for a disaster of biblical proportions. What I mean is Old Testament, real wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, forty years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 08/21/09 at 12:49 PM ET
The corsi stats is a load of bull and have 0 merits in my view. The reason Malkin aint taking that many defensive faceoffs is that he’s the worst faceoff guy on the team. For stretches of the season he was on the ice, but didn’t take defensive zone faceoffs, specially when he played with another center.
This whole article is a very good example on how to only see parts of the picture and then draw conclusions from it. Gotta love that you’re not mention that he lead the league in takeaways while discrediting his defensive work.
And if defensive play is the reason that Malkin shouldn’t have been second in hart voting then why the hell was Ovechkin who is an inferior defensive player to Malkin first?
You can try to find conveluded arguments to discredit him for all you want, but the guy that looks stupid in the end is you and not him!
Posted by stef on 08/21/09 at 12:55 PM ET
Wow somehow my first comment got kind of chopped up.
Malkin seems to lose a lot of draws very cleanly, his FO technique isn’t very refined.
This article puts a lot of emphasis on Corsi numbers, something Malkin hasa natural disadvantage with, given his caliber of linemates.
Ovechkin has Backstrom and Kozlov (now Knuble) or sometimes Semin
Datsyuk has Franzen and Holmstrom
Crosby has Guerin and Kunitz
Malkin gets the left-overs….Fedotenko, Sykora, Dupuis, Talbot—all of whom at points of last season injured, ineffective for large stretches.
IMO from watching Malkin 100 games last season the weakness of his even strength line-mates is the reason for his poor Corsi, not that he isn’t valuable. Not complaining or making excuses, just saying how it is.
Posted by Hooks Orpik on 08/21/09 at 12:55 PM ET
Your “Corsi” numbers are almost meaningless and should not be recognized as any general ranking system in the game of hockey.
It is interesting to use these numbers to investigate very specific situations, but these situations do not rule the game in the same manner as, say, baseball. In additon, one only has to watch the games to realize Malkin is not a Selke candidate and Datsyuk is a better defensive forward. “Corsi” numbers are simply not required.
Posted by D on 08/21/09 at 01:34 PM ET
I think he didn’t take defensive zone draws because he’s well below average on face-offs.
Hence:
I think that’s also called smart coaching. put a player in a position to succeed rather than fail
I couldn’t agree more.
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 08/21/09 at 01:41 PM ET
Malkin doesn’t take many defensive zone faceoffs because he’s awful at faceoffs.
But please, don’t let facts stop you from making stupid conclusions.
Posted by Kstewy16 on 08/21/09 at 01:55 PM ET
I agree that linemates play a particular role in this.
Just looking at the Pens, there is no doubt in my mind that Crosby is a much better defensive player than Malkin (although I would say that Malkin works hard in his own end, but lacks ‘defensive skill’ if that concept even exists…like getting good body positioning, etc.).
This is exacerbated by Crosby having guys like Dupuis, Kunitz and Guerin who are much better defensive players than guys like Sykora, Satan and Fedotenko to some extent. In fact, putting Talbot with Malkin worked well offensively, but also provided better defensive coverage.
I think the effect of linemates would have to be normalized for this analysis to work. Still, I think the general point is correct, although it probably understates Malkin’s offensive contribution since he played with pretty mediocre linemates (even on PP it was Malkin and Crosby and a variety of mediocre options for the third forward).
Posted by catz27 on 08/21/09 at 02:09 PM ET
Honestly, you can’t go by stats to tell you how good a player is. You are supposed to use stats like a drunk uses a lightpole, for support, not illumination. If you watch him play, he’s amazing. He can do anything with the puck, and put it anywhere on the goalie, and anytime you pass him with the puck, he’s skating in the opposite direction for a reason. He’s also nearly impossible to check. Stats don’t tell you that. You have to watch a player to see that. I think that there are only a handfull of guys who could compete for the Selke, and Malkin, Datsyuk, Kelser, and Mike Richards are the most prominent.
And for good measure, Go Pens.
Posted by Zipper on 08/21/09 at 02:16 PM ET
I would say that Malkin works hard in his own end, but lacks ‘defensive skill’ if that concept even exists
Um…of course that concept exists. It’s called playing defense. Yeah Malkin had a lot of takeaways, but he was also like 3rd in the league for giveaways too. Malkin is an offensive machine, there’s no doubt about it, but he doesn’t even compare to the like of Mike Richards, Henrik Zetterberg, or Pavel Datsyuk when it comes to playing defensively in your own zone.
It’s a skill that has to be developed. Some athletes overlook certain aspects of their game because they think what they CAN do is good enough (simply watch Shaq or Ben Wallace shoot a free throw). Face-offs is another thing that can simply be improved if you put the time in and practice.
It’s maddening to think that all these guys have to do is be good at hockey and they don’t put more time in to complete their games. Just 5-10 minutes of face-off work before and after practice would do wonders.
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 08/21/09 at 02:23 PM ET
animal drew - are we all to assume then that only the Red Wings put in that extra work? or that you know what players are doing after practice? who’s stays late, and who doesn’t? I dont think Malkin would reach the level he’s at if he didnt work hard at the little things.
comparing him to Shaq and Ben Wallace doesn’t really lend to this example, Shaq especially is just bigger and more physically dominating (or was anyway) so he could get his points by out muscling guys. Hockey isn’t the sport where size translates to success, you still have to work at what you get.
Give Malkin 7 years and people will be embarassed to admit they compared him to Datsyuk and Z…both are great i’ll give you that, but wont be in the same conversation as Malkin.
Posted by Greg on 08/21/09 at 04:40 PM ET
So he didn’t get defensive zone faceoffs because he’s terrible at faceoffs and that’s somehow supposed to alleviate the fact that somehow the player you guys are clamoring should have been NHL MVP wasn’t trusted in certain situations?
Sorry, but that argument is weak. I know Ovechkin doesn’t take faceoffs either, nor does he play defense, so going as it compares the two of them, it’s a moot point. However, Datsyuk takes faceoffs and is a better defensive center. The fact that he is trusted to play defense and still puts up numbers within sniffing distance of Malkins indicates that he’s a better all-around player.
If you want to keep bringing up all of his takeaways, then I’d like you to take a look at the takeaway/giveaway differences as far as figuring out which of the two centers is better with and without the puck.
Keep talking about the way it’ll be in seven years… that has nothing to do with what happened in the 08-09 season.
As far as who’s more valuable to their team, which is what the MVP is supposed to be about? I’ll leave that up to personal decisions.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/21/09 at 05:08 PM ET
in the playoffs for the 08-09 season, Malkin won the Conn Smythe.
Posted by Greg on 08/21/09 at 06:58 PM ET
in the playoffs for the 08-09 season, Malkin won the Conn Smythe.
Posted by Greg on 08/21/09 at 07:58 PM ET
I’m not arguing that Malkin wasn’t the most valuable player in last season’s playoffs. He might have pulled that award even if game seven had gone differently. However, he was not the most valuable player in the regular season nor was he the best player in the NHL for the regular season.
As for what kind of player he is seven years from now? We’ll see. He’s got a great head start.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/21/09 at 07:18 PM ET
I totally agree with Greg… 7 years from now, Datsyuk will be begging for change in Red Square. And Malkin will be anointed the new Tsar of Russia. And we will all feel terrible shame for ever comparing the two.
Posted by yreland from Van Dieman's Land on 08/21/09 at 08:53 PM ET
...7 years from now, Datsyuk will be begging for change in Red Square. And Malkin will be anointed the new Tsar of Russia. And we will all feel terrible shame for ever comparing the two.
Wow. Looks like yreland’s had waaaaay too much vodka tonight.
Now, it might be true that, of the two, Malkin will be the greater “celebrity” hockey player (in the US as well as Russia) seven years from now. But that has as much to do with the fact that Malkin is marketed as a celebrity while Pavel plays the role of the consummate team (and two-way) player.
Malkin probably will be remembered as the “superstar” of the two…an offensive juggernaut. But Pavel will be remembered as the ultimate example of sportsmanship (with four consecutive Lady Byng’s so far) and the ultimate two-way play (with two consecutive Selke’s so far) while still being a Top Ten scorer.
That might not make him as popular as Malkin…but it sure as hell makes him the more valuable player of the two.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/21/09 at 10:39 PM ET
Don’t give me that “crosby has guerin and kunitz” nonsense…Malkin played with better wingers all season, guerin and kunitz were deadline acquisitions (for the most part). Crosby got munched with about half the team (talbot, kennedy, satan, dupuis, etc.) to no avail. Now if I were running the team I would tell crosby to suck it up and move from center to right wing then put stall up the middle and kunitz on the left. I don’t get why guys with such good hockey sense and hands refuse to be scorers…it’s okay to be selfish sometimes (I’m looking at you: Hemsky, Savard, Little, and Sharp).
Posted by stoneman from vegas on 08/22/09 at 07:53 AM ET
Datsyuk is without a doubt one of the top all around players in the league, however…I still feel he needs to start eating his wheaties (bulk up) and start hitting.
Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 08/22/09 at 07:55 AM ET
Datsyuk is without a doubt one of the top all around players in the league, however…I still feel he needs to start eating his wheaties (bulk up) and start hitting.
Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 08/22/09 at 08:55 AM ET
Datsyuk led the Wings in hits during the 08 playoffs and might have done it again in 09 if it weren’t for his injury. He hits a lot more and a lot harder than people give him credit for. The only thing that could make it more noticeable that he’s hitting people is if he were as tall as Malkin. Unfortunately, no amount of Wheaties is going to do that for a guy.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/22/09 at 08:39 AM ET
Datsyuk led the Wings in hits during the 08 playoffs and might have done it again in 09 if it weren’t for his injury. He hits a lot more and a lot harder than people give him credit for.
No kidding, JJ. There are a lot of guys around the league who’ve learned the hard way that they can’t take a “run” at Pavel without getting a stiff shoulder before they ever deliver their own hit. And he’s not shy about taking the initiative himself when the hit is there.
Here are just a couple of his hits:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8rf5vw-ww0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmQ2SZYjs5Y&NR=1
And relative to this particular thread…
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TLrTa3FIIk 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/22/09 at 10:16 AM ET
JJ From Kansas…i agree with what you’re saying, sorry if my previous one sounded d!ckish…
If i had a choice between the two right now, not planning ahead 7 yrs like i originally said, i would have a tough time deciding on either. Sounds like a cop out, but both are incredible…hopefully for Pens fans, Malkin can step up his defensive play like Datsyuk has, and if he progresses as much as he has in his previous 3 yrs, there is no reason to think it wont happen.
I can’t say i am a fan of the Wings, but after the past two years, especially the past two playoff runs, i think i have more respect for what they do than any other team.
Posted by Greg on 08/22/09 at 12:22 PM ET
Oh please.
Anyone seriously thinking longer than a nanosecond on who they’d rather have, Malkin or Datsyuk, is living in a Detroit dream world and has serious issues with their eyes and brain.
Malkin is a kid and can already out-gun Datsyuk even skating with linemates so inferior they shouldn’t be in the same league.
Get a grip Wings fans.
Posted by Downtown on 08/22/09 at 02:41 PM ET
With all due respect, the more I read your articles, the more I think you write them to purposely piss people off….
This really should be a discussion on what the criteria is/should be for MVP, but it has evolved into the best two-way players, so I’ll continue on that path.
And if I continue with that discussion, then I’m not evening mentioning Ovechkin. Not only is he an inferior defensive player, he’s a downright liability defensively. Is he MVP worthy ?? Obviously, he’s in that discussion, but we’ll save that for another day.
But back to Malkin. “He did not show strong defensive skills”, yet he can lead the league in takeaways ?? “He did not show strong defensive skills”, yet he’s among the top handful of two-way forwards in the league (and yes, I include Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Richards in there) ?? How does that possibly add up ?? You’re gonna throw his faceoff numbers out there as ammunition ??
Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 08/22/09 at 03:00 PM ET
@ Tony - Amen
Posted by Greg on 08/22/09 at 03:56 PM ET
tony
Malkin led the league in give aways too lol
didnt kill penalties either. sure he is a defensive star like dats, kessler, richards or z-berg
Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 08/22/09 at 04:38 PM ET
First of all dingbat, the argument being made was about his DEFENSE, and instead you want to talk about his giveaways… That’s bright….
Secondly, Malkin didn’t league the league in giveaways, in fact he was 11th….
Here’s a link, in case there are other stats that you’re mistakenly aware of….
Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 08/22/09 at 04:43 PM ET
great blog puck and @ Cindy go get a life and stop whining. secondly that was an assumption i made bout malkin after i saw him play. Lastly truth is always hard to swallow.
Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 08/22/09 at 05:04 PM ET
Malkin is a kid and can already out-gun Datsyuk even skating with linemates so inferior they shouldn’t be in the same league.
Get a grip Wings fans.
Man, I’ll sure be glad when school is back is session and these 9th graders have more to do than spew out their ignorant ramblings. And just for the record, Downtown, Malkin “outgunned” Pavel by a whopping 16 points last year while averaging three minutes more per game…with a lot of those extra minutes coming on the power play.
Maybe if Malkin ever becomes a two-way hockey player instead of a hot-dog “superstar”, he might find it a bit harder to lead the league in points. At that point he might be worthy of carrying Pavel’s jockstrap from the bus to the locker room in the next Olympics.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/22/09 at 05:19 PM ET
@Tony
It’s also worth pointing out that that giveaway total is less than that of Richards, who isn’t being described as a “hotdog” one way offensive player by anybody in this thread.
Posted by steve on 08/22/09 at 08:00 PM ET
Right… For now I’m focusing in Malking not having “strong defensive skills”, which was the original premise of the blog….
Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 08/22/09 at 08:16 PM ET
...that giveaway total is less than that of Richards, who isn’t being described as a “hotdog” one way offensive player by anybody in this thread.
The fact is that Richards hadn’t been mentioned at all in this thread. The “argument” here, foisted by a Pens fan, was that “(a)nyone seriously thinking longer than a nanosecond on who they’d rather have, Malkin or Datsyuk, is living in a Detroit dream world…”
Try and keep up will you, steve.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/22/09 at 08:23 PM ET
Malkin led the league in give aways
Posted by Oilers Rock
Malkin didn’t league the league in giveaways, in fact he was 11th
Posted by Tony
..that was an assumption i made bout malkin…
Posted by Oilers Rock
OR,it’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid then open it and remove all doubt! 
Posted by OilerUsedToRock on 08/22/09 at 08:27 PM ET
I agree with Greg that the Malkin/Datsyuk decision is actually a tough one. On the one hand, Malkin is a beast with a ton of upside. On the other, Datsyuk is a team leader (who is noticeably cheaper in the salary cap era). I would say that if I knew that there was only going to be hockey for another couple years, I’d take Datsyuk, but I may consider taking Malin for the long-term.
For those who think it’s obviously Malkin, here are some stats for you that you may not be aware of:
Points per 60 minutes played:
Malkin: 3.67
Datsyuk: 3.74
Faceoff percentage
Malkin: 42.4%
Datsyuk: 56%
Takeaway/Giveaway Difference:
Malkin: +13 (94 takeaways, 81 giveaways)
Datsyuk:+39 (89, 50)
Like i said, it’s not an easy choice between the two. These stats are only a small piece of the entire context about the two players. The point I’m trying to make is that saying the decision is easy doesn’t really do justice to one player or the other.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/22/09 at 09:20 PM ET
OR,it’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid then open it and remove all doubt!
Posted by OilerUsedToRock on 08/22/09 at 09:27 PM ET
You should have listened to your own advice, OUTR. It’s not “...then open it…”. It’s “...than open it…”
As you said, sometimes it’s just better to keep your mouth shut.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/22/09 at 11:05 PM ET
“The fact is that Richards hadn’t been mentioned at all in this thread. The “argument” here, foisted by a Pens fan, was that “(a)nyone seriously thinking longer than a nanosecond on who they’d rather have, Malkin or Datsyuk, is living in a Detroit dream world…”
Try and keep up will you, steve.” Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 08/22/09 at 09:23 PM ET
“Yeah Malkin had a lot of takeaways, but he was also like 3rd in the league for giveaways too. Malkin is an offensive machine, there’s no doubt about it, but he doesn’t even compare to the like of Mike Richards, Henrik Zetterberg, or Pavel Datsyuk when it comes to playing defensively in your own zone.“Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 08/21/09 at 03:23 PM ET
Could have used ctrl+f and looked less stupid.
Posted by steve on 08/23/09 at 11:58 AM ET
It’s not “...then open it…”. It’s “...than open it…”
OTC, That’s all you got. Or is it “have”. My grammer ain’t that good.
I do love how you came to the defence of your younger protege. I love how a good mentor doesn’t let the facts get in the way of a miscalculated argument.
Oh yeah, did you see what I did with username?
Come on that’s funny, admit it.
Posted by OlderThenChelios on 08/23/09 at 01:38 PM ET
Stats shmats, Corsi number? PLEASE! Fact is Malkin is one of the top forwards in the game and still has a few years before he hits 25, which is the beginning of a player’s prime in the NHL. Datsyuk is fantastic but he is almost 30, and his experience pays off in his defensive game. Dead Wings fans can look and look, but the result still reads SCF Game #7 2-1 Pittsburgh, SCF Series 4-3 Pittsburgh. THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ARE THE REIGNING STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!! Let’s go Pens!
Posted by Pens Fan in DC on 08/23/09 at 11:51 PM ET
Fact is Malkin is one of the top forwards in the game
Agreed and not argued here. The point is that he’s neither the best nor the most valuable player in the game.
Datsyuk is fantastic but he is almost 30, and his experience pays off in his defensive game.
Datsyuk is 31, and his coaching has paid off in his defensive game.
Dead Wings fans can look and look, but the result still reads SCF Game #7 2-1 Pittsburgh, SCF Series 4-3 Pittsburgh.
Absolutely right, can’t argue that. As that pertains to the subject at hand (Malkin), it’s really helpful that he committed a penalty that carries an AUTOMATIC suspension that the league half-assed their way out of in order to keep a big name playing in the series. You tell me that Tyler Kennedy wouldn’t have sat for the same thing and I’ll call you a liar.
Besides, we Wings fans all know why Detroit lost the finals. Iz becuz Maryanne Hossa is cursed ROFLMAO!!1!!one!
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/24/09 at 08:12 AM ET
Besides, we Wings fans all know why Detroit lost the finals. Iz becuz Maryanne Hossa is cursed ROFLMAO!!1!!one!
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 08/24/09 at 09:12 AM ET
Migraine confirmed.
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 08/24/09 at 08:28 AM ET
You tell me that Tyler Kennedy wouldn’t have sat for the same thing and I’ll call you a liar.
Tyler Kennedy wouldn’t have sat for the same thing. Evidence: two weeks earlier Scott Walker wasn’t made to sit for essentially the same thing, except much worse.
The only guy who ever seems to get suspended under that rule is Boynton, who happens to
a. Violate that rule repeatedly
b. Bark at the moon frequently
Posted by steve on 08/24/09 at 05:16 PM ET
I won’t hold it against you.
Honor must be upheld.
Posted by steve on 08/24/09 at 09:30 PM ET
@ Tony
So Malkin is 11th on the giveaways and somehow that ain’t bad defensive play? The first Detroit player is Rafalski at 84, Datsyuk is at 86.
A giveaway is a bad play that can lead to an offensive chance, thus a giveaway is a bad defensive play… in my book anyways. Ofcourse, it’s also a bad offensive play.
A Takeaway is a good defensive play because it takes away (hence the name) a possible chance, it’s also a good offensive play ‘cause it can lead to a good offensive chance.
Hockey, it’s such a refined and subtle game…
If I have to choose between Malkin and Datsyuk, right now, I’ld take Datsyuk. An no, I’m not a Detroit fanboy (though I like their team a lot) I’m a Sabres fan. (nr 3 in giveaways; Derek Roy, I wanna like him, but he makes me hate him)
Posted by fish from Hoboken, Antwerp, Belgium, Europe on 09/02/09 at 02:55 AM ET
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Interesting argument. Not many point to +/- as a measure of defensive play. Malkin lead the league in takeaways and he backchecks hard and plays the whole rink, factor’s I’d take over the +/-. Still the
I don’t think Malkin’s an elite defensive forward (he stinks on faceoffs) but I do think he’s probably a little better away from the puck than this article concludes.
Posted by Hooks Orpik on 08/21/09 at 12:31 PM ET