March 20, 2006
It's a goal-scorers world
Seven players on pace for 100+ points.
By Wendel Clark

With seven players on pace for more than 100-points this season – and two closing in on a 99-point campaign – the league's offensive production has returned to what it once was.

As Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton – both nearing a 120+ point year – battle it out for the Art Ross Trophy, players league-wide are reaping the benefits of some of the new rules implemented at the start of training camp.

The NHL is now a quicker game thanks to this new system. It is a younger-guy's game – a skating game – and those players are the ones who stand out.

However, you can credit the elimination of the red line and the reduction in goaltending equipment all you want (even though, in being an older player who liked to score goals, I'd rather see the goalies wearing the least amount of padding as possible), the real reason for the influx of goal production and scoring chances falls squarely on the shoulders of the powerplay.

The removal of all the clutching, grabbing and holding in the game has presented teams with far more man-advantages, which have led to a dramatic increase in powerplay goals. In fact, 34.52-percent (2,117PPG of 6,132GF) of goals-scored this season have come on the powerplay. 

Between 1995-2004, players were allowed to beat the heck out of each other in front of the net without getting a penalty and had the opportunity to slow the game down. Now, teams require solid defense, quality thinking and aggressive skating, and that creates a more exciting hockey game. 

That doesn't mean, however, that the days of the big power forward are over. 

While some of the league's gladiators may struggle at times, it is going to take a good season or two to fully adjust to today's NHL. These "power forward" players utilize great skill and great hands, and once they figure out how to play physically within the legal limits, they are going to be one of the hottest and hardest commodities to get a hold of. They are the type of players every team wants; someone who can change the game with their intensity and park themselves in front of the opposition's crease. Once they figure that out, they are going to be huge factors in this new NHL.

On the other hand, the likes of Keith Tkachuk and Darcy Tucker have adjusted quickly. 

Tkachuk has notched 29 points in just 25 games for the St. Louis Blues this season, while Tucker leads the Toronto Maple Leafs with 24 goals.

In Tucker, the 31-year-old plays a very smart game and is an excellent opportunist who can put the puck in the net. He has also benefited from great powerplay time, as 16 of his 24 markers have come on the man-advantage.

Any way you look at it, you have to be talented to play. The more talented you are, the more ice-time you will see, and that is why teams like Carolina and Buffalo have succeeded this season.

The Hurricanes have allowed their younger performers to step up and execute effectively, and they have been rewarded for it. 

Eric Staal, at just 21-years of age, sits third in overall scoring with 89 points, and is on pace for a 50-goal, 109-point season, while his teammate Justin Williams (24-years-old) is closing in on a point-per-game year.

The Sabres, meanwhile, took the time to retool before the lockout. They saw the system that was coming, traded for and drafted the necessary players, and they have been able to come together as a unit and gel at the right time. 

A faster, more open game has also benefited many of the league's up-and-coming superstars.

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby has potted in 31 goals this season, Colorado's Marek Svatos has scored 32 times and the New York Rangers' Petr Pruscha has notched 27 goals.

But the player who stands above the rest is doing it himself in Washington.

Watching his talent, I figured he would be a point-a-game player, but he has managed excel to the next level, thanks in large part to the open NHL.

Alexander Ovechkin, who ranks second overall in the league with 42 goals, can do it all - whether it is hitting, skating or scoring beautiful goals. The Capitals may not be the greatest team, but if you are a fan, you are always going to be jumping out of your seat to watch him play.

As we inch closer to the end of the regular-season, the NHL is on pace for a record-setting year, with 7,482.5 goals-scored prepared to break the previous mark of 7,311 set during 1992-93 season.

It is certainly a different time than it once was for the National Hockey League, and today's game is the type of system I would love to have played in. 

Wendel Clark, drafted first-overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, played in 793 career NHL games with six different organizations. Over his career, the former Leafs captain accumulated 330 goals, 234 assists and 1,690 penalty minutes. Now, as a columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com, he offers his "17-cents" on the NHL throughout the entire season. Check out Wendel Clark's column every Monday, exclusively on TheFourthPeriod.com.