KK Members Blog
James Neal: The New Brian Savage?
by JesGolbez on 10/14/11 at 01:33 PM ET
Comments (6)
After a tweet by NHL.com`s Brian Metzer about James Neal`s stats in October(s), I joked that perhaps Mr. Neal is the new Mr. Savage. Thus far, Neal has 5 points in 5 games to start the season.
Is there something to this comparison?
Let`s look at Neal`s career month-by-month splits (Apologies for the formatting)
GP G A Pts PPG +/- Pct
October 40 19 16 35 0.875 7 0.178
November 29 12 10 22 0.759 1 0.146
December 42 16 11 27 0.643 -2 0.137
January 38 13 7 20 0.526 -7 0.143
February 31 7 7 14 0.452 -5 0.101
March 46 8 11 19 0.413 -6 0.075
April 13 2 3 5 0.385 2 0.067
Hmm, very good totals in October and November, and an obvious, steady, decline as the season wears on. This does look suspiciously like Brian Savage`s career, with a very clear trend.
Still, I think the reasons must be quite different. Neal plays a much more rambunctious style than Savage ever did, perhaps leading Neal to wear down as the season progresses. Also, Neal`s shots-per-game totals are consistent, while his shooting percentage declines. It`s not as if he`s not getting chances, he`s just not scoring.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Pittsburgh Penguins, | KK Members Blog | Permalink
Tags: brian+savage,
james+neal
Comments
Steviesteve,
You might have been better off trading him on December 1 
I’m amazed anyone would have traded you for him.
I found an old blog post on Monsieur Octobre
http://jesgolbez.blogspot.com/2006/09/goodbye-mr-october.html
His November numbers weren’t great, but still decent. After that, it was definitely brutal.
Posted by JesGolbez from Burnaby, BC on 10/14/11 at 01:47 PM ET
It’s been a while, but I think my specific rule was to trade him after he had two pointless games after November 1. Maybe that still left a few points on the table, anyway, but it’s not like his wasn’t a poisonous long-term stock.
And there was always at least one sucker who thought Savage was having a breakout year. Got Hejduk in the beginning of a 40 goal year once.
Posted by steviesteve on 10/14/11 at 02:23 PM ET
Sick brag bro
Posted by dave on 10/14/11 at 06:47 PM ET
More troubling than Neal’s steady scoring drop is the way that reflects in his Plus/Minus. Not only is he not scoring, but he’s also on the ice when more goals are allowed late in the season.
The two combined point to him being a defensive liability who also doesn’t produce either late in seasons. Not a good combo.
Posted by Primis on 10/18/11 at 01:19 AM ET
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I hope not, but that’s a great headline.
Brian Savage (AKA Monsieur Octobre) won me many an October in fantasy hockey, and many an asset when I traded his ass on Nov 1. Every. Single. Year.
Posted by steviesteve on 10/14/11 at 01:38 PM ET