Shootout Wizards: Where Does Your Favorite Player Rank?

With the landscape of the NHL ever changing, the shootout has become a major factor in determining which teams get into the playoffs. With that in mind, let’s take a look at this past seasons shootout wizards.

First, a little preface. In order to qualify for the list each player needed to have five attempts in the shootout. Each player received consideration based on success rate, overall skill and intimidation factor.

Best

Wojtek Wolski (Col)- Yes, Wojtek Wolski is the NHL’s best shootout performer. Wolski went 5-for-5 at Home and 5-of-7 on the Road, good enough for a 83.3 percent success rate. Wolski is all but unstoppable, and when you consider who is left off of this list, that’s impressive.

Vyachaslav Kozlov (Atl)- 2-for-3 at Home, 6-for-8 on the road, 75 percent success rate. He may be one of the NHL’s older statesmen, but he is still a factor.

James Neal (Dal)- a paltry 0-for-2 at Home, but he was an incredible 5-for-5 on the road. His 71.4 percent success rate puts him right up there with the leaders.

Jonathan Toews (Chi)- Known for his offensive prowess, Toews doesn’t disappoint in the shootout. 3-for-6 at Home, 3-for-4 on the road, good enough for a 60 percent success rate. Might want to keep that in mind when selecting your team Canada roaster for the 2010 Olympics.

Blake Wheeler (Bos)- 0-for-1 at Home, 4-for-6 on the Road, equates to a 57.1 percent success rate. One of the better young guns in the NHL.

Daniel Alfredsson (Ott)- Maybe his success is due to all the added speed he gets now that he doesn’t have all the hair to slow him down? Whatever the case, Alfi was 4-for-7 at Home and 1-for-2 on the Road. Sadly, his 57.1 percent success rate is good enough for the NHL’s top ten.

Ryan Getzlaf (Ana)- 2-for-3 at Home, 3-for-6 on the Road. His 55.6 percent success rate is better than many other NHL superstars.

Mike Ribeiro (Dal)- The second member of the Dallas Stars on this list, Ribeiro went 3-for-6 at Home and 6-for-11 on the Road, good enough for a 54.6 success rate.

Corey Perry (Ana)- Second member of the Anaheim Ducks to make the list, Perry was a paltry 0-for-3 on Home ice, but his Road numbers were great at 5-for-7. His 50 percent success rate won’t intimidate many, still, it’s good enough for this list.

Palvol Datsyuk (Det)- I could have put a number of players in this spot, this is where the “Intimidation factor” comes into play. Datsyuk was 2-for-5 at Home and 3-for-5 on the Road, but I bet every goalie that faces him in the shoot out is sick to his pants when they see Datsyuk flying in at them. Fifty percent success rate, not too shabby.

Honorable Mentions

I selected a couple of defensemen as my honorable mentions.

Ville Koistinen (Fla)- There are not many defensemen that get involved in a shootout, Koistinen is the NHL’s best. Koistinen was 3-for-4 at Home and 1-for-2 on the road, his success rate of 75 percent is impressive.

Jack Johnson (Lak)- Johnson was 0-for-1 at Home, but he managed to redeem himself on the Road with a record of 3-for-5. His 50 percent success rate is impressive, especially when you consider who is not on the list.

Where Are The Stars?

By now you have read the list and are wondering, where are all the “Superstars”. Well folks, apparently the shoot out is tougher than we give it credit for. Here is a look at some of the NHL’s best and how they fared at the shootout.

Sidney Crosby (Pit)- 3 for 10= 30%
Alexander Ovechkin (Wsh)- 2 for 7= 28.6%
Patrick Kane (Chi)- 3 for 9= 33.3%
Evgeni Malkin (Pit)- 2 for 7= 28.6%
Vincent Lecavalier (Tbl)- 3 for 11= 27.3%
Patrick Sharp (Chi)- 1 for 4= 25%
Steven Stamkos (Tbl)- 1 for 5= 20%
Jason Spezza (Ott)- 3 for 10= 30%
Alexander Semin (Wsh)- 3 for 7= 42.9%
Mike Richards (Phi)- 4 for 10= 40%
Rick Nash (Clb)- 4 for 11= 36.4%
Henrik Zetterberg (Det)- 3 for 9= 33.3%
Teemu Selanne (Ana)- 3 for 7= 42.9%
Alexander Frolov (Lak)- 1 for 6= 16.7%
Bobby Ryan (Ana)- 1 for 6= 16.7%
Patrice Bergeron (Bos)- 0 for 7= 0%

Clearly, when it comes to the shootout, there is much work to be done by the NHL’s elite scorers. If I missed your favorite player go here and check out the stats.

Until next time,

Peace!