Last week I looked at the disappointing performance of Patrik Elias, who despite a goal on Wednesday, hasn't made much of an impact on the score sheets this post-season. This week, I plan on looking at one of the biggest surprises in the post-season, Bryce Salvador. With 11 points in 18 games this post season, he's matched his season's total in points (9) and he's scored more goals in the post season than he has all season. With that being said, this is somewhat of a surprise, seeing as he's been known more for being a physical presence. To take a closer look After the jump there'll be more analysis on his offensive production this post season.
|
Game |
Point Type |
Video |
Description/Notes |
|
4/13/12 vs FLA |
Secondary Assist |
Minimal Contribution |
|
|
4/19/12 vs FLA |
Secondary Assist |
Breakout Pass to Clarkson |
|
|
4/19/12 vs FLA |
Secondary Assist |
Sloppy Pass to Harrold |
|
|
5/1/12 vs PHI |
EN Goal |
Long Distance EN Goal |
|
|
5/6/12 vs PHI |
Primary Assist |
Puck Redirected In by Zidlicky |
|
|
5/8/12 vs PHI |
Goal |
Shot from the Point |
|
|
5/16/12 vs NYR |
Primary Assist |
Puck Redirected In by Carter |
|
|
5/16/12 vs NYR |
Secondary Assist |
Clean Pass to Henrique |
|
|
5/21/12 vs NYR |
Goal |
Softie from the point (LOLundqvist) |
|
|
5/21/12 vs NYR |
Primary Assist |
EN Goal, Scramble |
|
|
5/23/12 vs NYR |
Secondary Assist |
Minimal Contribution |
As you can see, a majority of Salvador's points have been secondary assists (Five out of Eleven). However, in most of those instances, he's actually contributing. Three out of the five times Salvador has had a secondary assist, he had a significant contribution- two good passes and a pass off the boards to Peter Harrold.
As for his primary assists and goals, they all came from getting shots on goal. Two out of his three goals came from shots from the point- one beat Ilya Bryzgalov, while the other was a point shot that beat Henrik Lundqvist through traffic. Two of his primary assists were re-directed shots- one by Marek Zidlicky and the other by Ryan Carter.
Of course, there are two points you could consider "fluke points"- his assist on Zach Parise's EN Goal against the Rangers, and Salvador's SH ENG against the Flyers. Both were long distance shots that went into an empty net. While I wouldn't consider a pass to clear the zone leading to an ENG a "fluke", scoring from your own zone is kind of flukey.
Other Thoughts and Conclusions
When it comes down to it, there's several things you can attribute Salvador's sudden increase in offensive production to. One of those things is Salvador's high on ice shooting % of 11.63%. When more pucks are going in the net when you're on the ice, you're more likely to pick up more assists and more points Another factor I'd like to consider is the Devils performance this post-season. They've done a better job of getting pucks through traffic and creating traffic in front of the net. They've also been a better puck possession team in the post-season as well, which helps too. Another factor which should be put into consideration is that Salvador hasn't been used in primarily defensive situations- Andy Greene and Mark Fayne have been the two guys who have been used in a purely defensive role. For comparison's sake, those two have only combined for 4 points.
With all that being said, it's not like Salvador's re-invented his game. He's just been in the right place at the right time. He's still solid defensively, contributes to the penalty kill and provides a big physical presence. He's just been making good passes and getting pucks on net.