At each quarter of the regular season, I will produce two teams of analytics all-stars. Ultimately, the goal with this mini-series is to capture great player performance. Sometimes, there will be obvious overlap between players with great counting numbers and great underlying numbers. Other times, I’ll include players who I think deserve significantly more attention than they’re receiving. FIRST TEAM L – Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks I’m always impressed with players well over the age of thirty who are still caving in the opposition with frequency, mostly because the aging process – even for elite hockey talent – makes that an increasingly difficult accomplishment. The argument in support of Daniel Sedin is the same as it ever was. He, along with common linemate Henrik Sedin, have again come together to form one of the league’s most dynamic top lines. Vancouver’s scoring 57% of the goals and controlling about 56% of play with the twins on the ice at 5-on-5. They’re doing it the same way they have always done it – Henrik Sedin’s largely the setup guy and distributor in the middle of the ice, and Daniel Sedin’s the shot-generating maniac on the wing. The other team infrequently has the puck when they’re on the ice, and as you might have guessed, it creates situations where scoring against the twins is relatively impossible. Unfortunately, there are separate parameters for evaluation here. Daniel Sedin’s compared to other left wingers, and Henrik Sedin’s compared to other centers. So, while performance may be virtually identical and indiscernible away from ‘this guy passes’ and ‘this guy shoots’, Daniel Sedin finds a spot on our team. Henrik Sedin? He’ll have to wait for the mid-season review. C – Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins I think there’s a decent case to be made that Patrice Bergeron’s the second-best player in the world after Sidney Crosby, though guys like Steven Stamkos, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Toews are definitely in the mix. Ten years ago, I don’t know if Bergeron’s evaluated the same way as he is now. It’s a great testament as to why Corsi% can further capture excellent player performance, especially on the defensive side on things. Often times while watching games, we get caught up in the forward (or defenseman) making the diving poke check, or getting off a thunderous hit in the defensive zone. That, certainly, is defense. But, over thousands and thousands of repetitions, defense is really just about consistently putting yourself in a position where you only need to make the unbelievable play on rare occasion. That’s what Patrice Bergeron does. Over, and over, and over. He’s a relentless forechecker, a player never caught out of his tight position in the neutral zone, and a guy who defends with vigor in the defensive third. This year’s been virtually identical by Corsi% dominance standards – Boston’s controlling 59% of the 5-on-5 play with Bergeron on the ice, though that number drops to 51% when he’s off. This year is different on one front, though – Patrice Bergeron doesn’t have a rock to lean on in Zdeno Chara due to injury. For most Bruins skaters in the past, Chara’s been the guy propping them up. For Patrice Bergeron, that’s really never been the case – in years past, or in 2014-2015. The Chara Effect YEAR Bergeron/Chara Together Bergeron Without Chara Chara Without Bergeron 2007-14 57.6% 56.3% 53.7% 2014-15 57.8% 59.4% 55.8% The analytics community has long held up Zdeno Chara as one of the league’s most extraordinary of talents. Withstanding Sidney Crosby, I’m not sure there’s been a more terrifying player since the 2004 lockout. What does that say about Patrice Bergeron, a guy who consistently exhibits the ability to excel with or without Zdeno Chara on the ice? R – Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia’s a lot like Calgary in that the gap between their top-group and the rest of their team is the size of the Grand Canyon. Part of that is because there’s virtually zero competent depth on the roster. Part of it is because the top group has unique, game-changing talent – Calgary’s is the Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie defensive pairing, and Philadelphia’s is the forward duo of Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Giroux’s the perfect pivot for Voracek, but Voracek’s making the most of the opportunity again this season. Through nineteen games, Voracek’s second in per-60 scoring at 3.9, trailing only youngster Ryan Strome of the New York Islanders. A lot of his scoring is embedded in his high frequency individual shooting rates – this year, just a recurrence of what he’s established in years past. The on-ice rate numbers with Voracek are impressive, too. With Voracek on the ice, Philadelphia’s in the black +1.6 goals per 60 minutes, +13.1 shot-attempts per 60 minutes. Now, if only Philadelphia’s second, third, and fourth lines could replicate what Voracek and company are doing. D – Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators Here is a comprehensive list of NHL defensemen with a better Corsi% than Ryan Ellis through the first quarter of the season: Jonas Brodin. End list. A lot of smart people have pointed to a lot of different reasons why Nashville’s so improved this season, and I think each argument has some merit. Coaching influence – Peter Laviolette’s hyper-aggressive neutral zone system, in particular – seems to fit the roster beautifully. A bunch of smart, cheap signings by David Poile gave him the arsenal to enact such a strategy. And the growth of younger forwards like Colin Wilson, Filip Forsberg, Craig Smith, and so on have given the team plenty of attacking options. The improvement of the blue line cannot be overlooked, though. The young defenders are finally starting to put together sequences of favorable offensive zone time, and it’s turned Nashville into a legitimate playoff contender. Chief among those improvements have been with Ryan Ellis. Now, the Ellis/Mattias Ekholm pairing are certainly receiving favorable usage – they’re starting 57% of their shifts in the offensive zone, and by most quality of competition standards, they’re getting the softest minutes. But, it’s important to remember that there are many, many, many other defenders getting comparable zone starts and competition – none of whom are playing as strongly as Ellis. I pulled out some deployment comparables for Ryan Ellis, and have noted the Relative Corsi% for each defenseman -- or, the difference in the shot-attempts a team receives with a player on the ice versus the shot-attempts a player receives with a player off of the ice. You’ll quickly notice that one of these players is not like the others. Zone Start Comparables PLAYER Off. Zone Start % QualComp (Corsi) RelativeCorsi% Mark Streit 59.3% +0.24 +5.6% Brent Seabrook 58.4% -0.24 -2.6% Tim Erixon 58.1% +0.19 +4.5% Ryan Ellis 57.8% -0.25 +11.84% Jason Garrison 57.7% +0.58% +0.51% Kevin Shattenkirk 57.5% -0.16 +5.41% Torey Krug 56.8% -0.26 +0.11% Tyson Barrie 56.5% -0.64 +4.33% Michal Rozsival 55.8% -0.12 -0.09% This is sort of a random spread of talent, but I think it does well to illustrate just how dominant Ellis has been in those lofty offensive zone minutes – even compared against guys who are enjoying similar usage rates. D – Nick Leddy, New York Islanders I think there’s going to be an interesting debate – if one plagued in hindsight – about whether Chicago made the right move in dealing Nick Leddy to the New York Islanders, theoretically to preserve a player like Johnny Oduya. Leddy’s underlying numbers are sparkling. He’s played most of his minutes with Johnny Boychuk, and the two have formed one of the league’s most effective pairings through the quarter season mark. How is he doing it? Well, part of it may be attributed to his excellence in the neutral zone, something recently discussed by Garik16 at Lighthouse Hockey. Click through, and you’ll find that Leddy’s sort of a carry-in extraordinaire – a player who refuses to dump the puck in as he comes through the neutral zone, and perhaps not surprisingly, a player that tows a ridiculous 60% Corsi% on the year. G – Jonathan Quick, LA Kings This year’s been a bizarre one in Los Angeles. It’s the first time in what feels like forever that Darryl Sutter’s club, at least at even-strength, has struggled to control play. It’s an issue we talked about last week, and one that warrants further investigation. The middling performance would’ve probably crippled the Kings in the standings, had it not been for consistently strong goaltending – another unexpected development. It’s odd considering his reputation, but there are very legitimate criticisms about Jonathan Quick and his consistent mediocrity at stopping shots. Despite a glowing reputation, Quick’s usually paled in comparison to the league’s elite on the save percentage front, drawing the ire of many from the analytics community. But this year, when his team has really needed it more than ever before, he’s been sensational. Among regular goaltenders, Jonathan Quick ranks #4 in EVSV% at .939, trailing only Brian Elliott, Pekka Rinne, and Roberto Luongo. Expand the sample of data to account for all shots faced (primarily those on the penalty kill), and Quick moves to the top of the SV% list at .931. Based on the years and years of data we have, one should be cynical about Jonathan Quick’s ability to maintain such impressive splits. But, to his credit, he’s been sensational this season, and probably the biggest reason why the Kings are still pulling a playoff-caliber point-per-game pace. SECOND TEAM L – Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning C – Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins R – Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues D – Zbynek Michalek, Arizona Coyotes D – Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames G – Michal Neuvirth, Buffalo Sabres Chris Sabo Jersey .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. Custom Cincinnati Reds Jerseys . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Tony-Perez-Kids-Jersey/. The Raptors two leading scorers were never able to co-exist the way they hoped or the team had envisioned, but individually DeRozan was thriving, in the midst of a career season. Scooter Gennett Jersey . -- For one night, Nick Calathes provided a big reason to believe the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to withstand the loss of Mike Conley on a short-term basis. Reggie Sanders Jersey . Leverkusen said on Friday it signed Schmidt on a two-year contract. He guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season.WASHINGTON -- Opening another legal attack on the NFL over the long-term health of its athletes, a group of retired players accused the league in a lawsuit Tuesday of cynically supplying them with powerful painkillers and other drugs that kept them in the game but led to serious complications later in life. The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages on behalf of more than 500 ex-athletes, charges the NFL with putting profits ahead of players health. To speed injured athletes return to the field, team doctors and trainers dispensed drugs illegally, without obtaining prescriptions or warning of the possible side effects, the plaintiffs contend. Some football players said they were never told they had broken bones and were instead fed pills to mask the pain. One said that instead of surgery, he was given anti-inflammatory drugs and excused from practices so he could play in games. Others said that after years of free pills from the NFL, they retired addicted to painkillers. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, in Atlanta for the leagues spring meetings, said: "We have not seen the lawsuit, and our attorneys have not had an opportunity to review it." The case comes less than a year after the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of retired players who accused it of concealing the risks of concussions. A federal judge has yet to approve the settlement, expressing concern the amount is too small. The athletes in the concussion case blamed dementia and other health problems on the bone-crushing hits that helped lift pro football to new heights of popularity. The new lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco and names eight players as plaintiffs, including three members of the NFL champion 1985 Chicago Bears: quarterback Jim McMahon, Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent and offensive lineman Keith Van Horne. More than 500 other former players have signed on, according to lawyers, who are seeking class-action status for the case. Six of the plaintiffs also took part in the concussion-related litigation, including McMahon and Van Horne. "The NFL knew of the debilitating effects of these drugs on all of its players and callously ignored the players long-term health in its obsession to return them to play," said Steven Silverman, an attorney for the players. As a result of masking their pain with drugs, players developed heart, lung and nerve ailments; kidney failure; and chronic injuries to muscles, bones and ligaments, the lawsuit alleges. According to the lawsuit, players were routinely given drugs that included narcotic painkillers Percodan, Percocet and Vicodin, anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, and sleep aids such as Ambien. Toradol, which can be injected, was described as "the current game-day drug of choice of the NFL.dddddddddddd" The medication may raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure or intestinal bleeding. After receiving numbing injections and pills before kickoff, players got more drugs and sleep aids after games, "to be washed down by beer," the lawsuit says. Kyle Turley, who played for three teams in his eight-year career, said drugs were "handed out to us like candy." "There was a room set up near the locker room and you got in line," Turley said. "Obviously, we were grown adults and we had a choice. But when a team doctor is saying this will take the pain away, you trust them." McMahon said he suffered a broken neck and ankle during his career, but instead of sitting out, he received medication and was pushed back onto the field. Team doctors and trainers never told him about the injuries, according to the lawsuit. McMahon also became addicted to painkillers, at one point taking more than 100 Percocet pills per month, even in the off-season, the lawsuit says. Van Horne played an entire season on a broken leg and wasnt told about the injury for five years, "during which time he was fed a constant diet of pills to deal with the pain," according to the lawsuit. Former offensive lineman Jeremy Newberry retired in 2009 and said that because of the drugs he took while playing, he suffers from kidney failure, high blood pressure and violent headaches. On game days, Newberry said, he and up to 25 of his San Francisco 49ers teammates would retreat to the locker room to receive Toradol injections in the buttocks 10 minutes before kickoff. The drug numbed the pain almost instantaneously. "The stuff works. It works like crazy. It really does. There were whole seasons when I was in a walking boot and crutches," Newberry said in an interview. "I would literally crutch into the facility and sprint out of the tunnel to go play." Newberry said he never considered not taking the drugs because he knew hed be out of a job if he didnt play hurt, and the only side effect he was warned about was bruising. He said he could tell which players on the opposing team had used Toradol because of the bloodstains on their pants. After he retired, Newberry said, he saw a specialist who reviewed his medical records and found that for years, the protein levels in his urine had been elevated, a precursor to kidney problems. Newberry said he got blood work during a team-sponsored physical every year but was never told about any problems. "They said, Youre good to go, you passed another one. Youre cleared to play," Newberry said. Associated Press sports writers Barry Wilner in Atlanta and Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report. 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