Chris Clegg
NPHL.com Writer
The final week before the Christmas break, except for GP, who started their break after the Saturday win over GRIM. They don’t play until Jan. 3, a break of 19 days. Meanwhile it’s not all bad for winless HP. Every team makes the playoffs and HP has only four more road games left after their trip to FAL this week: FAL and MAN, and GRIM twice with one game at PR. Seven are at home. David Temple, former NPHL linesman and avid NPHL fan, sets the lines. To his credit, Temple called the GRIM upset over GP last week.
Grimshaw at Manning (Fri., Dec. 21)
LINE: Manning by 1 1/2
It’s the third of six meetings this season and features second and third place teams in the East. Each team has won at home this season: GRIM 5-1 and MAN 5-3. GRIM’s stats are very good and suggest a better record. GRIM is first on the PP, third in PK, and second in both shots on goal for and shots on goal against. Yet, GRIM has been outscored by 10 goals this season in 10 games. Go figure! Penalties could play a big part in this game and expect a lot of them. GRIM and FAL are the two most penalized teams in the NPHL [GRIM is 28.50 PIMS per game and MAN at 29.00 PIMs per game], and they are also the two teams that draw the most penalties against [GRIM at 30.80 PIMs per game and MAN 32.58 PIMs per game]. Yet, combine the two and MAN ranks second at +43 while GRIM ranks third at +23 PIM. With that said, both teams excel on the PP: GRIM is first at 38% while MAN is third at 75.46%. MAN ranks last in shots on goal for per game [29.92] and shots against [44.58] so they are always playing with fire – it’s a bad combination to have. Despite teams with better records, GRIM [1-5] and MAN [1-7] are the only two teams in the NPHL to win a game when trailing after two periods. Other than goals scored in the first period, both GRIM and MAN rank fifth to seventh in goals scored and goals allowed in all three periods. GRIM had won three straight at MAN and five of six before this season’s loss. Both teams have been very inconsistent. GRIM defeated GP at home but were whipped in GP, but were in the game until late. MAN climbed back to .500 last week before losing two straight, but it was to FAL and FSJ. I think GRIM rebounds from the earlier loss in MAN. GRIM to win and take the goals.
The Season Series
1. Fri., Nov. 2 – Manning 1 at Grimshaw 5
2. Fri., Dec. 7 – Grimshaw 3 at Manning 5
3. Fri., Dec. 21 – Grimshaw at Manning
4. Thu., Jan. 10 – Grimshaw at Manning
5. Thu., Jan. 24 – Manning at Grimshaw
6. Fri., Feb. 1 – Manning at Grimshaw
The Stats Pack
[Ranking in Parenthesis]
Category Grimshaw ManningRecord 5-4-1-0 [2-East] 5-7-0-0 [3-East]
Power Play 19-50, 38.00% [1] 13-55, 23.64% [3]
Penalty Kill 10-45, 77.78% [3] 13-53, 75.47% [5]
Shots For 41.20 per game [2] 29.92 per game [7]
Shots Vs 36.20 per game [2] 44.58 per game [7]
Shots Diff +50 [3] -176 [7]
PIM For 28.50 per game [6] 29.00 per game [7]
PIM Vs 30.80 per game [6] 32.58 per game [7]
PIM Diff +23 [3] +43 [2]
Scoring 1st 40.00% [7] 58.33% [T1]
Record Scoring 1st Goal 2-2 [4] 3-4 [5]
Record Allow 1st Goal 3-3 [5] 2-3 [T4]
Lead After 1 Period 4-1 {4] 2-1 [5]
Trail After 1 Period 1-3 [T5] 2-4 [T3]
Lead After 2 Periods 4-0 [T4] 4-0 [T4]
Trail After 2 Periods 1-5 [1] 1-7 [2]
Goals Scored in 1st 2.10 per game [2] 0.83 per game [7]
Goals Scored in 2nd 1.70 per game [4] 1.42 per game [6]
Goals Scored in 3rd 1.80 per game [4] 1.18 per game [7]
Goals Allowed in 1st 1.70 per game [6] 1.58 per game [5]
Goals Allowed in 2nd 2.60 per game [6] 1.92 per game [5]
Goals Allowed in 3rd 2.40 per game [7] 2.25 per game [6]
Goal Diff in 1 +4 [T2] -9 [6]
Goal Diff in 2 -9 [6] -6 [5]
Goal Diff in 3 -6 [5] -14 [7]
Come From Behind Wins 30.00% [T2] 25.00% [4]
Blown Leads 20.00% [4] 33.33% [2]
Team Stick Fouls 4.00 PIM/Game [3] 4.08 PIM/Game [4]LAST WEEK’S RECORD STRAIGHT-UP: 5-2
LAST WEEK’S RECORD AGAINST THE LINE: 4-3
SEASON RECORD STRAIGHT-UP: 27-12
SEASON RECORD AGAINST THE LINE: 25-14