Five NHL stories flying under the radar: Braden Holtby better than ever
The 2016-17 NHL season has mostly been about the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rise, Auston Matthews' and Patrik Laine’s rookie contributions, Sidney Crosby’s goal binge and the Metropolitan Division’s early-season dominance.
But here are other important happenings that could have escaped your notice:
Braden Holtby sharper this season: After winning 48 games and the Vezina Trophy last season with a 2.20 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, Holtby has a 1.90 GAA and .932 SV% this year at the midway point. He owns five shutouts, two more than he had in 2015-16.
You may have missed that because the Capitals haven’t won as much with Holtby (20-8-4 record) in net, despite being on pace for two fewer points than last season’s 120. Holtby has one fewer regulation loss than last season.
Plus, Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (1.77, .940) is the Vezina frontrunner.
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Big Joe has two goals: San Jose Sharks star Joe Thornton, 37, has always been a playmaker more than a goal scorer. He’s long been one of the game’s most creative set-up artists.
He still ranks in the top 20 this season with his 24 assists. But it’s impossible to ignore that he’s on a pace to score four goals this season. The issue: Thornton isn’t shooting the puck. He has 43 shots in 42 games, which represents the lowest shot frequency of his career. His shooting percentage is 4.7%. Over the past two seasons, it’s been at 12.1% and 15.7%
Red Wings are lower than expected: The Red Wings were expected to have trouble extending their playoff streak to a 26th season. But it wasn’t anticipated that they would be 27th in the NHL standings with 40 points through 42 games.
After falling to the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Thursday night, the Red Wings are only two points ahead of the New York Islanders for the Eastern Conference's lowest point total.
What’s gone wrong? Almost everything. They have played poorly at home (7-10-3), goalie Petr Mrazek has struggled and goalie Jimmy Howard, who was playing well, got injured. The team’s power play is the league’s worst. The New Jersey Devils, at minus-30, are the only Eastern Conference team with a weaker goal-differential than the minus-19 Red Wings.
Vancouver Canucks changing on the fly: The Canucks have refused to fully embrace rebuilding, probably because they still have aging stars Henrik and Daniel Sedin. But the Canucks have quietly experienced a youth movement of sorts.
At 21, Bo Horvat is the team’s leading point producer with 30 points. Sven Baertschi, 24, has become an important offensive contributor. With 24 points, he might finish with 50 points this season. Markus Granlund, 23, is on a pace to score 20 goals for the first time.
At 22, Troy Stecher is the team’s No. 2 defenseman in minutes played. Six-foot-seven, 265-pound Russian defenseman Nikita Tryamkin is getting a shot. Net result: Canucks are one point out of the playoffs
Russian Revolution: If you believe Russian players aren't having a similar impact in the NHL as they’ve had in the past, think again.
While only 27 Russians have played 20 or more games this season, they are having a heavy influence.
Four of the top 11 players (Evgeni Malkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin and Nikita Kucherov)) in the NHL scoring race are Russian.
That doesn’t include Alex Ovechkin who is the league’s most dangerous scorer. Alexander Radulov’s return has added a spark in Montreal. Also: Defenseman Ivan Provorov is already a critical player for the Philadelphia Flyers and Pavel Buchnevich has looked as if he can be a vital player for the New York Rangers.
