Taking a look At Islanders' impressive January: Part 1

Last Month Keys To Success Check

1) Improved Save Percentage - Check

2) Keep out-shooting opposition early - Check

3) Veteran players continue to take pressure away from first line - Check

Month By Month Performance

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Islanders hockey is coming off of its best statistical month this season.  The power play has improved for the fourth consecutive month.  Penalty killing for the third, and the best GF/GA differential this season.  January also boasts the first month where the Isles consistently out-shot its opponents in the early going with a Estimated Fenwick Close of 53.154.  The question, however is how much of this can be sustained going forward.

Shot & Saves Analysis

The differentials are slimmer than what they were in December but that is not cause for alarm.  This team has been shifting from routinely getting out shot to one that is doing more of the shooting, even on losses.  Shooting percentage was down this month from its' season average of 10.48 per cent. 

Trend: Save percentage

Mason McDonald saw his best month as a QMJHL goalie in January.  Posting numbers of 2.30 goals against average and .922 save percentage including one shutout.  McDonald played a key role in reducing this teams goals against average which helped them gain points on eight of eleven games.

PIM & HIts

Charlottetown averaged almost nine less penalty minutes a game in January with an average of 14 and saw the number of hits increasing to 18.54 (Up 2.3).  Less penalty minutes means less work for the penalty kill crew had a great month.

Special Teams

Power Play

Sprong - Chlapik - Goulet - Kennedy - MacKinnon

Johnston - Kielly - Cooper - Deschenes - Weber/Thompson

The Power Play has been very respectable the last two months.  Utilizing the opportunity to play four forwards against the lessened risk of a goal against has allowed coach Gordie Dwyer the opportunity to have forward Daniel Sprong play among the best offensive facilitators this team has to offer.  The first power play unit has been very successful this past month while the second has chipped in on occasion. The result?  Charlottetown now has the seventh best power play in all the QMJHL

Penalty Kill

Getson - Quinn - MacKinnon - Rioux - Legault

Quinn - Rydstrom - Henley - Weber

Cobbold/Getson - Quinn - Thompson/MacKinnon - Henley

As mentioned earlier,  Charlottetown for at least one month was able to significantly diminish the amount of penalty minutes occurred by the team.  The result?  A penalty kill that works more effectively because it works less often. The penalty kill has almost always been respectable unless it is at home.  Charlottetown owns the sixth best Penalty Kill in the QMJHL and is first overall on the road.