Facts and Figures: Flyers shootout struggles continue

Shootouts continue to be a nightmare for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Philadelphia dropped to 0-3 in the tiebreaker this season when
the Columbus Blue Jackets won 2-1
on Saturday, with rookie center Pierre-Luc Dubois scoring the only goal.

The Flyers have scored three times on 10 attempts (30.0 percent) in their three shootouts this season, not much worse than the League average of 32.2 percent. However, they've allowed opponents to score six times on 10 shots; their .400 save percentage is the lowest of any team that's been in more than one shootout.
Philadelphia's lack of success in shootouts is nothing new. The loss Saturday gave the Flyers an all-time record of 40-78; their 33.9 winning percentage is by far the lowest of any team; no one else is below 40 percent. Also, Philadelphia's 40 wins are the second-fewest behind the Carolina Hurricanes (39-57) among the 30 teams that have been in the League since 2005, when the shootout was instituted.
The Flyers' biggest problem in the tiebreaker has been stopping opposing shooters. Philadelphia's save percentage of .595 (161 goals allowed on 398 attempts) is the worst in the NHL. Flyers shooters are 111-for-400, a 27.8-percent success rate that is 28th in the League.
With nine points separating the first-place New Jersey Devils from the last-place Flyers in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia can't afford to leave more shootout points on the table.

Wish you were still here

It's been more than five years since the Flyers traded a 23-year-old goaltender named Sergei Bobrovsky to the Blue Jackets. He's spent that time making life difficult for his former team.
Bobrovsky is 9-2-0 with a 1.79 goals-against average in the 11 games he's played against the Flyers since they traded him to the Blue Jackets in June 2012, including the 2-1 shootout victory at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. He made 30 saves and was 3-for-3 in the shootout. Bobrovsky has been perfect against his former team in Columbus; he's 6-0-0 and hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of those games.

Looking for No. 1

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith has to hope his luck improves after the Christmas break.
Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, has taken 85 shots on goal in 35 games this season without scoring a goal. That's by far the most shots on goal by any player who has yet to score; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is next with 69 shots and no goals.
Brendan Leipsic of the Vegas Golden Knights has no goals on 47 shots, the most of any forward who hasn't scored.

Paying a big price

The Ottawa Senators would rather not be leading the NHL in bench minor penalties; they've taken nine, one more than the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators.
Those nine bench minors have cost the Senators as they've led to seven goals (six scored at 5-on-4, one at 5-on-3), most recently in
a 6-4 loss against the Minnesota Wild
on Tuesday.

Christmas memories

It's been exactly 45 years since the NHL last played on Christmas Eve. On Dec. 24, 1972,
the New York Rangers defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-0
at Madison Square Garden and
the Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs 5-1
at Chicago Stadium before
the Los Angeles Kings held off the California Golden Seals 5-3
in Oakland. Kings forward Juha Widing scored what proved to be the final goal Christmas Eve.
Those games came one year after the NHL played for the last time on Christmas Day. Los Angeles and Oakland also played the final Christmas game, with Stan Gilbertson's empty-netter assuring
the Golden Seals of a 3-1 win
and earning him the distinction of being the last player to score on Christmas. Among the five games played earlier in the evening Dec. 25, 1971 was
the Rangers' 2-1 road win
at the Minnesota North Stars.
New York was probably sad to see the NHL stop playing on Christmas; the Rangers were 25-11-2 on the holiday.