Five Tell-Tale Statistics

5. The Boston Bruins have scored 134 goals this season, an average of 2.31 goals per game, ranking them last in the NHL. Last season, the Bruins were second in the NHL in goals for with 270, good for a 3.39 goals per game average. They are on pace for 81 fewer goals than last season.

- What a difference a year makes, huh? Last year the Bruins leading scorer was Marc Savard with 88 points. This year it's Patrice Bergeron, whose on pace for 53 points. Their leading goal scorer of a year ago, Phil Kessel, struck 36 times last season in 70 games. Playing in Toronto this season, Kessel has three more goals and five more points than anybody on the B's. From top to bottom, nearly every member of the Bruins is having a substantially worse season. Injuries and the departure of Kessel have certainly hurt, but the extent of their struggles is still simply dumbfounding. Let's put it this way: their most productive line this season has been the Marco Sturm - Bergeron - Mark Recchi line. Last season, this was their checking line.

4. Over the last year, from February 10th, 2009 to February 10th, 2010, Steven Stamkos has registered 50 goals in 87 games. In his first 50 games he hit twine just six times.

- Confidence is key. Over his first fifty games, Stamkos was struggling mightily to play against the bigger, stronger, and faster competition at the NHL level. A training camp and limited ice-time under Barry Melrose certainly didn't help, either. But, around a year ago, things clicked for the 2008 First Overall Selection in the NHL Draft. Playing with Martin St. Louis, Stamkos has been able to utilize his speed, smarts, and above all, his wicked shot, to become one of the top snipers in the game - especially on the power play.

3. The San Jose Sharks have 20 more regular season points than any team in the NHL over the last three seasons dating back to '07-'08.

- Yet, they haven't been able to move past the Western Conference Semi-Finals. 20 more regular season points than any other team in the NHL has added up to just two playoff series victories over the past three seasons for Joe Thornton & Co. Will they up the ante in the playoffs this time around?

2. Alexander Ovechkin has scored 41 more goals than anybody else since coming into the league as a rookie in '05-'06.

- Simply absurd. Ovechkin had ten more goals than any player in '08-'09, and 13 more goals than anybody in '07-'08. For the foreseeable future, they might as well rename the Rocket Richard Trophy "Alexander Ovechkin's Trophy." "Ovie" is bigger than everybody, stronger than everybody, and faster than everybody. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Perfect player in the perfect system with the perfect linemates (Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble). Even when his linemates were Dainius Zubrus and Chris Clark, Ovechkin still found a way to put up numbers. The guy's a freak.

1. Glen Sather's big name signings during the summers of '07 and '08 - Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Wade Redden - are being paid $1,336,111 per goal this season (Gomez: 8 goals - Salary: $8 million, Drury: 9 goals - Salary: $8.05 million, Redden: 1 goal - Salary: $8 million).

- Insert Laughter here.