Scoring, Efficiency Down

Around the NHL

Mario Lemieux has become the NHL’s version of the boy who cried wolf. He has griped so often about opponents’ interference that he has been branded a whiner.

But statistics support his claim that obstruction and interference are going unpunished.

Through Sunday, scoring was down to 5.9 goals a game from 6.6 at the same point last season. Much of the decrease can be attributed to a decline in power-play chances and power-play goals. A year ago, teams had received 1,545 power plays and had scored 260 times, a 16.8 percent success rate. In the same number of games this season, teams had 1,135 power plays and scored 173 times for a 15.2 percent efficiency rate, the lowest since a 16.8 percent rate in 1967-68.

Player of week

Brendan Shanahan, the Detroit Red Wings’ left wing, who scored six goals including two game-winners in four games, is the NHL’s player of the week.

Monday’s highlights

A little Patrick Roy is rubbing off on Craig Billington.

Billington, playing in just his second game of the season, made 40 saves to get his sixth career shutout, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 1-0 win over the Washington Capitals at Denver.

Valeri Kamensky scored less than 2 minutes into the second period.

A new city, new uniforms and the same old Mike Gartner did the trick for the Phoenix Coyotes, a franchise that hadn’t won a game in Montreal in 11 years.

Gartner’s second goal of the game at 1:45 of overtime gave the Coyotes a 5-4 victory over the Canadiens, the franchise’s first in Montreal since 1985 when they were the Winnipeg Jets.