Allen Has Some Work to Do – Playoff Prospects By the Numbers, Top Scoring Duos and More

Allen had a rare Saturday off yesterday which means a rare Sunday practice today as the Americans get ready for another four game week with three of them on the road. Here is the schedule:

• Tuesday @Kansas City
• Wednesday @Kansas City
• Friday @Wichita
• Saturday Wichita @Allen

– The Americans played well on the road early in the season but not so much lately. Allen has lost its last four road games and seven of the last eight. It will be a challenging week that will be impacted by roster changes yesterday. First, Goalie Antoine Bibeau was reassigned by Seattle back to Charlotte. That was not a surprise as coach Martinson knew Bibeau was sent to Allen to play a couple of games before returning to the Checkers. If you haven’t been keeping track, Bibeau has played seven games in Allen since the first of the year but just two with Charlotte.

– Secondly, Darian Skeoch was suspended for two games after receiving a game misconduct penalty for slashing in the game against Kansas City on Friday. Like so many of the penalty calls on Friday (against both teams) the penalty didn’t seem to match the crime. Skeoch will miss both games in Kansas City (Tuesday & Wednesday).

– Coach Martinson has talked to me several times how the team takes two steps forward and then two steps back. I decided to go through the blog and pick out some of the dates that included the standings to see where Allen’s points percentage has been this season. Sure enough it shows exactly what Martinson has been talking about. The question that remains is whether Allen can break out of the recent pattern of staying around a .500 points percentage. Here is Allen’s points percentage at various dates this season:

• .600 – November 6
• .433 – November 27
• .406 – December 7
• .543 – January 1
• .580 – January 8
• .485 – January 27
• .513 – February 3
• .512 – February 12

– The question going forward is how much better than the current points percentage (.512) can Allen become? The answer to that depends on a combination of three factors. Can Allen play better and improve the areas that have been problematic this season? All teams have injuries, but can Allen get healthier and avoid losing so many players down the stretch? Finally, can Allen get any help from Seattle/Charlotte as the season progresses? If you can answer these questions you will know what is in store for the Americans in April.

– One big piece of the playoff puzzle is improving on current performance. Allen is now on the outside looking in for a playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Here is how Allen ranks on some key stats if you just look at the Mountain Division. Allen’s rank in the division is in parenthesis:

Goal Differential (tied #5)

• +34  Idaho
• +20  Utah
• Even Tulsa
• -8   Rapid City
• -15  Kansas City
• -15  Allen
• -16  Wichita

Average Goals Scored (#2)

• 3.49 – Utah
• 3.16 – Allen
• 3.13 – Idaho
• 3.06 – Rapid City
• 3.00 – Kansas City
• 2.98 – Tulsa
• 2.94 – Wichita

Average Goals Allowed (#7)

• 2.40 – Idaho
• 2.98 – Tulsa
• 3.06 – Utah
• 3.23 – Rapid City
• 3.28 – Wichita
• 3.33 – Kansas City
• 3.51 – Allen

Average Shots For Per Game (#7)

• 34.98 – Tulsa
• 32.83 – Kansas City
• 32.74 – Utah
• 32.42 – Rapid City
• 31.96 – Idaho
• 31.47 – Wichita
• 28.26 – Allen

Average Shots Allowed Per Game (#6)

• 28.43 – Idaho
• 29.18 – Tulsa
• 30.89 – Utah
• 31.30 – Kansas City
• 33.92 – Rapid City
• 34.91 – Allen
• 37.72 – Wichita

Power Play Percentage (#4)

• 23.1% – Idaho
• 22.2% – Rapid City
• 18.3% – Wichita
• 18.1% – Allen
• 17.9% – Utah
• 17.4% – Kansas City
• 16.9% – Tulsa

Penalty Kill Percentage (#5)

• 84.7% – Rapid City
• 83.2% – Wichita
• 83.0% – Idaho
• 81.5% – Tulsa
• 80.2% – Allen
• 79.4% – Kansas City
• 75.9% – Utah

Shorthanded Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed) (#7)

• +14: Utah (18-4)
• +1: Kansas City (6-5)
• 0: Wichita (7-7)
• -1: Idaho (5-6)
• -2: Tulsa (3-5)
• -3: Rapid City (5-8)
• -10: Allen (6-16)

Overtime Points Percentage (#7)

• .750 – Tulsa
• .750 – Kansas City
• .625 – Utah
• .571 – Idaho
• .417 – Wichita
• .400 – Kansas City
• .250 – Allen

Team Save Percentage (#5)

• .916 – Idaho
• .913 – Wichita
• .906 – Rapid City
• .901 – Utah
• .900 – Allen
• .899 – Tulsa
• .894 – Kansas City

– If you look at the stats above it is abundantly clear Allen needs to improve across the board to not only make the playoffs but play well in the post season.

– The conventional wisdom is Allen had a poor start to the season and is now playing better hockey. The facts show something a little different. Yes, Allen had a good stretch for a month, but if you look at the Americans record the first 18 games of the season and last 18 games it is telling:

• 7-8-3-0: 1st 18 games (October 23 – December 10)
• 6-9-2-1: Last 18 games (January 8 – February 11)

– Allen clearly has the talent to play better hockey and the injury situation is improving. There is little doubt Steve Martinson will make some moves down the stretch to improve the roster and you have to believe help will come from Charlotte at some point. The Americans have just 29 games remaining (16 on the road) to show they belong in the playoff discussion, there is no time to waste.

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teammates with 80+ combined points this season. The ECHL top duos.92 – Blake Winiecki & John McCarron, Florida88 – Chad Costello & Jack Combs, Allen86 – Darik Angeli & Nick Pastujov, Kansas City84 – Dylan Sadowy & Jack Doremus, Tulsa82 – A.J. White & Luc Brown, Idaho81 – Louie Caporusso & Jesse Schultz, Cincinnati81 – Nick Hutchison & Patrick Watling, Wheeling

The post Allen Has Some Work to Do – Playoff Prospects By the Numbers, Top Scoring Duos and More appeared first on Allen Americans Hockey Club.