Analysis

Lottery Pick Update: January 24, 2011

Now that management has acknowledged that a rebuild is underway and a high pick is a top priority, it's time to go from looking at the playoff race to looking down at the very bottom of the standings.

Yes, it's time for the inaugural Silver Seven Lottery Pick Update:

Team	Rank	Record	P%	Odds	Last-5	Last Week
New Jersey	30th	16-29-3 (35p)	.365	48.2%	4-0-1	-
Edmonton	29th	14-25-8 (36p)	.383	18.8%	0-4-1	-
NY Islanders	28th	15-25-7 (37p)	.394	14.2%	2-3-0	-
Ottawa	27th	17-25-7 (41p)	.418	10.7%	0-4-1	-
Toronto	26th	19-23-5 (43p)	.457	8.1%	1-3-1	-

30th	New Jersey Devils - 16-29-3 (35p), .365
	The fact that the Devils still have the worst point percentage in the NHL is a testament to just how bad they were to start the season. New Jersey has quietly put together a 6-0-1 record in their last 7 games - 13 of 14 possible points (.929) - but they still have some ground to make if they want to break out of last place. The Devils are 6-2-1 since trading captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Dallas Stars.

29th	Edmonton Oilers - 14-25-8 (36p), .383
	Edmonton is on an elevator headed straight for the basement. Since December 21, the Oilers are 2-11-3 - 7 of a possible 32 points (.219). Injuries to Ales Hemsky and Jordan Eberle haven't helped much, either. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk, amazingly, is 2-1-3 during that stretch. That means Nikolai Khabibulin has lost 10-straight games in regulation time, allowing 34 goals on 281 shots (.879).

28th	New York Islanders - 15-25-7 (37p), .394
	The team that got spurned by Evgeni Nabokov (who is currently listed on their official roster) has actually been above .500 in their last 19 games (10-7-2) - 22 of a possible 38 points (.579). This is pretty stunning considering this is the same team that only won a single game out of 21 earlier in the season. Rookie Michael Grabner (43 games) and Milan Jurcina (26 games) are the only players without a negative +/- rating (they're both even).

27th	Ottawa Senators - 17-25-7 (41p), .418
	It's been an atrocious few weeks for the Ottawa Senators, a miserable 1-8-3 in their last 12 games - 5 of a possible 24 points (.208). The Senators hold a league-worst -51 GF/GA differential in only 49 games. Their leading scorer is Daniel Alfredsson, who only has 14 goals on the year (by comparison, Alfredsson would be tied for 3rd on the Islanders in goals). Last year's mid-season hero, Mike "Not Martin" Brodeur has gone from a 3-0 record with 1.00 GAA and 0.970 SV% in 2009-10 to 0-1 with a 4.33 GAA and 0.833 SV% this season. Robin Lehner is the only Senators goalie with a win in 2011.

26th	~~Toronto Maple Leafs~~ Boston Bruins - 19-23-5 (43p) .457
	The Maple Leafs have four players with more goals than any Ottawa Senator (Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin, and Clarke MacArthur). Rookie goaltender call-up James Reimer has a sparkling 4-2 record, 2.26 GAA, and 0.933 SV%, meaning that without James Reimer, the Leafs are 15-21-5 (.427). Boston owning their draft pick is the magnet for all commentary and criticism of the Toronto Maple Leafs right now, but don't let that overshadow the fact that the Leafs are a better team than most people think. Kind of. If MacArthur scores.