Following North Dakota's last series at Minnesota-Duluth, Fighting Sioux opponents now have
more penalties and penalty minutes than UND.
- UND: 268 penalties, 685 penalty minutes
- Opponents: 270 penalties, 694 penalty minutes
In addition, the gap between UND's power play opportunities and those of its opponents continues to grow. The Sioux have had more or the same number of power plays per game as their opponents 20 times while opposing teams have had more power plays in 13 games.
UND is 12-1-2 when it has more power plays, 3-2-0 when it has an equal number of power plays and 8-5-0 when it has fewer power plays. Therefore, as the stats demonstrate, it's not to UND's advantage to "goon it up."
5 comments:
The penalty situation is interesting...but right now I'm wondering about something else. Losing both Trupp and Genoway (possibly for the rest of the season...who knows) is obviously a blow to the team.
Trupp has been consistent and has scored quite a few big goals for the team (5 gwg?) and Genoway has been absolutely dynamic over the past few months. How does the makeup of the team change with those two out of the lineup? Which is the bigger loss?
It seems to me that we can absorb the damage of losing Trupp at forward, but I'm not sure about defense. I think the series against St. Cloud will be a real test of the defensive depth of the team. I see Marto as a Genoway type player in a couple years, but I'm not sure he's ready to fill those skates yet. What do you guys think?
Nate,
I agree completely with your assessment. As much as I like Trupp and what he brings to the team, I think Genoway's loss will have a greater impact. In the second half of the season, he and Finley had become a very potent pair, both offensively and defensively. The loss of both Trupp and Genoway on the second power play unit greatly decreased its effectiveness in Duluth.
My hope is that Brad Miller will step in and fill in for Trupp. I think he's capable of it. Plus, as a junior, he has something that's very important this time of year - playoff experience.
That's why I think Genoway's loss is potentially greater. However, I've been very impressed with LaPoint and Marto. It's a golden opportunity for them to show that they're no longer freshmen.
Pat,
I agree Brad Miller would be the top candidate to fill Trupp's spot in the lineup - but with all the talent Miller has I feel he really hasn't shown the ability to finish plays this year. I like his speed, and he is deft with the puck, but he always seems to fall short near the net.
Notice the difference between Miller (from early in the season) and Kozek on Oshie's line. Kozek is a pure goal scorer. Miller is more of a playmaker. If Miller could get one or two goals to go this weekend, I'd feel a lot better about it.
Does anyone know how long Genoway is out what the injury is other than a hurt arm or shoulder?
Goon,
I don't know anyhting about Genoway's injury and I wouldn't tell you if I did. There's a good reason that coaches are secretive about injuries, especially this time of year. Why fans are so eager to publicly broadcast injuries to players on their favorite teams is beyond me.
The only thing I'll say is what I heard Hakstol say on the radio on Tuesday morning when he talked about the injuries to Trupp and Genoway. He didn't sound positive about Trupp and he didn't rule out the possibility of Genoway playing against SCSU. Perhaps he will say more about the situation on tonight's Fighting Sioux Coaches' Show.
PCM
Post a Comment