Matt Carle Turns Shot-Blocking Machine (And Other Non-Boxscore Stats)

Posted by adn_aces

Posted: November 11, 2008 - 5:15 pm

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Guess I haven't been paying close enough attention, but it dawned on me today that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Carle of Anchorage has of late developed into a bona fide shot blocker.

The light-bulb moment came when I looked at the stats from Philly's 3-1 Veterans Day win over the New York Islanders and did a double-take when it was noted that Carle blocked 9 shots in the match. Turns out he's blocked 40 shots in 14 games -- the first 12 games with Tampa Bay, the last two with Philly since he was traded to the Flyers -- and is on pace to trounce his previous shot-blocking totals in his first two seasons.

Last season with San Jose, Carle blocked 62 shots in 62 games -- average: 1.00 per game. As a rookie, he blocked 71 in 77 matches, or .92 per game. Currently, he is averaging 2.86 blocks per game, and his 40 total blocks rank sixth in the NHL. Carle has blocked three or more shots eight times this season.

And while we're talking stats that generally fly under the radar, New York Rangers center Scott Gomez of Anchorage is averaging 22 minutes, 53 seconds of ice time per game, which ranks third among NHL forwards. Gomez's 66 shots on goal tie for the league lead, but the Rangers have played three or four more games than most other teams because they started the season early in Europe. Still, his average of 3.7 shots per game ties him for 18th in the league.

And Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky of Anchorage has delivered 41 hits in 18 games, which ranks tied for 16th in overall hits. That's nothing new for him -- as a rookie last season, he delivered 196 hits in 82 games to finish 15th in the league in hits.

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