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Inside the Numbers

The Money Ballers: Week 11 Blowouts

Brenden Thenhaus (left) has been one of this year's top clutch snipers, scoring the winner vs. Edmonton. (Larry Palumbo)

Just like we saw a couple weeks back during a two-game weekend sked, the National Lacrosse League’s Week 12 again saw a couple somewhat easy wins for teams, this time the Calgary Roughnecks and Boston Blazers, both clubs taking early first period leads and putting the nail in the coffin on the W’s in just the second period of both games.

Winners were buried by Josh Sanderson, who maintains his third place spot on the leaderboard, and Brenden Thenhaus, who’s somewhat surprisingly (and even more impressively) tied for fifth in the rundown so far this winter, but we’re gonna give our Clutch Performer of the Week to the same guy that took it during the NLL’s last two-game weekend. Find out who it is (and why), after the jump. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers, head 2 head

National Lacrosse League power-play goals, what they mean to the bottom line

Garrett Billings leads the league with 11PPG, the Rock owning the best PP unit. (Larry Palumbo)

We’ve mentioned it countless times before on Insider, if you can score a man-up, more often than not, you’ll win the game. It’s that easy.

National Lacrosse League success is driven by power-play scoring, plain and simple, even though it’s probably the least exciting aspect of the game, watching five guys casually move the ball around while three or four try and hold their ground. Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, outside shot and then a gimmie goal. It’s no doubt a skill, one some teams have fine tuned to virtual perfection, just not an all that exciting one. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

The National Lacrosse League’s sharp and slumping shooters, starring Mike McLellan

Mike McLellan is again at the top of the charts in shooting efficiency. (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

Mike McLellan has gained a rep in this league for his precision shooting.

Over the past couple seasons, it always seems like the Orlando Titans forward is at the top or at least near the top of the National Lacrosse League’s shooting percentage rundown. And this year is no different.

After the jump, check out this year’s (so far) 20 best shooters, and the 20 that are struggling to find the back of the cage. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

The Money Ballers: John Tavares edition

John Tavares buried a pair of OT winners during the NLL's Week 11. (Photo: Martin Allinson)

Any other week, Luke Wiles would have been an easy Clutch Performer of the Week selection.

The Washington forward was so, so, so money for the first-again Stealth, scoring a goal that pulled the boys from Everett even with the surging Calgary Roughnecks, poaching the winner with under 90 tics left on the game clock  just a few short minutes later.

But then John Tavares happened. And then happened again for a second time in as many nights, sending the Buffalo Bandits from the East basement to just a win away from the same W totals as the East Division leaders. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers, NLL, NLL Insider

Left vs. Right: Breaking down offensive production in the National Lacrosse League

Does offensive production from the right or left make a difference in the NLL? (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

Left vs. Right. No, we’re not talkin’ politics. We’re talking box lacrosse and one of the offensive foundations we see every weekend in the National Lacrosse League. The ideal situation has the right side of the offense clicking with the left side and when they mesh, the result can be devastating to a defense, right? Maybe in most cases, but when we take a look at the NLL numbers for this season, they kinda throw that whole balance theory out the window. That won’t stop us stat freaks from breaking it all down, though, and if you wanna see just how each side has contributed to your team’s success, or lack of it, turn the page. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

The Money Ballers: Kevin Dostie and Tracey Kelusky net winners

Tracey Kelusky's goal helped Calgary get closer to that hardware he's holding. (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

Not the greatest weekend’s worth of ball from The Money Ballers perspective. The Buffalo Bandits and Calgary Roughnecks, the lone Week 9 winners, took the lead on the first goal and never looked back (even though Casey Powell made things interesting at the HSBC). Not exactly the kinda back-and-forth ball that sees much if any clutch scoring. The clutchest players this past week were hands down tenders Kenny Montour and Matt King, both outstanding in their respective team’s wins, but The Money Ballers is about offensive output.

After the jump check out our Clutch Performer of the Week and our fairly untouched leaderboard. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

The Money Ballers: Dan Dawson & Tim Campeau come up big late, Andy Secore nets OT winner

Ryan Ward came up big late against for the Edmonton Rush. (Photo: Cris Anderson)

Two season backs, with Ryan Ward and Andy Secore headlining the Minnesota Swarm’s offense, the two were regulars on Insider’s 2008 Money Ballers, leading a young Minnesota team to arguably their best season in franchise history. Now in Edmonton, the two reunited by Derek Keenan this past summer, they’re back at it, Ward taking an even bigger lead on the top of The Money Ballers, and Secore burying a beauty in OT (Ward not surprisingly assisting on it) to sink the Knighthawks on Saturday night.

But that’s no dig on the Swarm, who might be the hottest team in the NLL, getting clutch scoring from a handful of ball players, including this week’s Clutch Performer of the Week, Tim Campeau, who had two goals in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Mammoth, including the game winner with just about 30 tics left on the clock in yet another 2010 dramatic close-out. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers, NLL, NLL Insider

O’Toole, Vinc tracking down National Lacrosse League records for goalies

Knighthawks goalie Pat O'Toole is closing in on the NLL saves record. (Photo: Rochester Knighthawks)

There are so many ways to measure the success, or shortcomings, of a National Lacrosse League goalie. Goals-against average. Save percentage. Outright saves. Legit, all, and some are gonna argue that save percentage is the truest gauge. But today, we’re not here to argue method. We’re here to check out the madness that is goaltending by examing straight-up saves, pure and simple. Why? Well, there’s Pat O’Toole over in Rochester who’s bearing down on the career saves mark of Dallas Eliuk and besides that, the NLL’s got some serious brick walls this season. So now’s a good a time as any to see how the seasons of some of this year’s top tenders stacks up against the best season of all. READ MORE »

Inside the Huddle, Inside the Numbers

At the dot with the Washington Stealth’s Jamison Koesterer, Who is the National Lacrosse League’s best draw-man?

An NLL rookie in Portland last year, the Washington Stealth's Jamison Koesterer has owned the circle in 2010. (Photo: Matt J. Wiater)

Currently sitting at the top of the face-off charts, the Washington Stealth’s Jamison Koesterer has had a big impact on the Stealth’s early success during the 2010 National Lacrosse League season, most of his work coming in his spherical office found smack in the middle of every NLL court, the league’s current draw leader.

Koesterer’s 142 face-off wins this winter easily leads the NLL, his 63% draw win percentage just a shade under the usually pretty unbeatable, Geoff Snider, when looking at the guys that battle for the ball at the dot full-time.

After the jump, check out the Stealth’s vid of Koesterer talking about the basics of taking a draw in the NLL, and the numbers on all 52 players that have stepped into the cirlce this winter in the NLL. READ MORE »

Inside the Numbers

The Money Ballers: Sean Morris scores legendary double OT winner, Gait & Crawford also have clutch weeks

Gary Gait had his third (league leading) game winner vs. the Wings. (Photo: Larry Palumbo)

The National Lacrosse League’s Week 7 was witness to the longest ever game in the pro loop, which obviously means it was also witness to the latest ever game winning goal in league history too, obviously.

Although the usually very clutch Dan Dawson appeared to have finished things off with a seemingly legit first period OT winner, the called-off “goal” allowed teammate Sean Morris, who was coming off a hat-trick performance a week earlier, to etch is name in the record books, and is also Insider’s Week 7 Clutch Performer of the Week. How could he not with that legendary snipe, right? After the jump, check out who else had strong clutch showings in The Money Ballers this week, complete with our weekly leaderboard, which has a new name at the top of the charts. READ MORE »