Scoring, but not enough

One more note from last night… As noted, Ryan Smyth scored two goals, and has five goals in his last four games. Three of those goals have come at even strength, but the line of Smyth, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams has generated only four even-strength goals in the last four games. It’s not surprising, then, that when asked about the recent performance of that line, Murray had some praise for Smyth but not so much for the line in general.

MURRAY: “They got two goals. I need more, I need better from that line, though, on a consistent basis, 5-on-5. Smytty is around the net. He does some good things with his net presence, but in five-on-five play, I’d like to see more created. I’d like to see more consistent offensive-zone time. They’re skilled players, they’re shooters. The makeup is there. It should be happening on a more consistent basis.”

By contrast, in the last four games, Anze Kopitar’s line has not scored a single even-strengh goal, Michal Handzus’ line has one even-strength goal and Trevor Lewis’ line has one even-strength goal.