No Joke, Scoring’s Up in Hockey

Maybe the new rules are making a difference after all.

After a slow start, scoring has actually picked up in the last few weeks, the NHL says.

In the first 210 games, an average of 5.2 goals were scored. While that may not seem like a lot, it is still better than the 4.7 average after 50 games were played in the league.

In 50-game increments, this is how scoring has gone since the start: 4.7 in games 1 through 50; 5.0 in games 51 through 100; 5.3 in games 101 through 150; and 5.7 in games 151 through 200.

To find a lower figure than the 5.2 average, you’d have to go back to the 1955-56 season when the average was 5.1 goals a game. The average last season was 5.27.

Among the rules changes this season: The goal line was moved out 2 feet from the end boards, the neutral zone was made smaller and the offensive zones were made larger to promote greater flow.

Phoenix Coyotes forward Keith Tkachuk doesn’t think the new rules have had any impact on the game, except for the two-referee system that is being used selectively.

“I think that’s the one rule I definitely notice,” Tkachuk said. “They’re calling a lot of stuff behind the play where one referee could not see.”

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GREAT GOING: The New York Rangers are getting a lot of mileage out of Wayne Gretzky.

Although 37 and in his 20th season in the NHL, the Great One is actually skating more minutes per game than he was at the height of his career with the Edmonton Oilers.

A recent team stat from the Rangers showed that Gretzky was playing an average of 28 minutes a game--six more than he played with the Oilers.

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NHL LOGJAM: Off to their best start in team history, the Ottawa Senators are one of the early season surprises in the NHL. To coach Jacques Martin, it isn’t a surprise--it’s just parity.

Talking to reporters after a 3-1 victory at Philadelphia, Martin noted: “There is so much parity in the league ... the Flyers are one of the best teams in hockey, but every game you play is a hard battle.”

Things have been particularly tight in the Eastern Conference. Going into the weekend, only six points separated the first-place team from the last-place team.

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SHOWING OFF: Los Angeles Kings goaltender Manny Legace is taking advantage of his first time in the NHL.

Called up from Long Beach of the IHL because of injuries to Los Angeles goaltenders Stephane Fiset and Robb Stauber, Legace has shown he can play in the league.

His first game was a 49-save effort in a 1-1 tie with the Florida Panthers. He has kept the Kings in games they had no right being in, and is enjoying his first NHL experience.

“I love it,” Legace said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m playing against and with guys I’ve only watched on TV.”

Legace would love to stay in the Los Angeles organization, but realizes that his time in the NHL will serve him well down the road.

“We’ve got expansion coming up,” Legace said. “If I keep playing the way I am, some team might show an interest in me, though I hope I stay here.”