Best Shootout Team in the NHL?

I don't want to sound like a homer but the New Jersey Devils are, in my opinion, the best shootout team in the NHL. I know the Devils have only had 2 shootouts while other teams haven't even had one yet but bare with me for a minute.

First I want to show you our first two shootouts. Both of them were 2-0 shootout victories, the first coming against the Los Angeles Kings and the second one against the Nashville Predators.

And

Zach Parise has scored the 7th most shootout goals in the NHL since the shootout began back in Zach's rookie season of 2005-2006. Keep in mind, however, that Zach missed ALL of last year's shootouts where he would have most likely scored around 4 goals (he is 5 shootout goals behind the leader). He has two go-to shootout moves. The first being a slick forehand-backhand move and the second move is the same forehand-backhand move but he brings it back to the forehand (he used the first move vs. LA and the second one against Nashville.) This combination makes him, in my opinion, the ultimate shootout weapon. And his stellar 46.9% proves this as well. On top of all else he is also a clutch shooter. His 9 game winning shootout goals is the 11th highest in the league.

Ilya Kovalchuk is known to be one of the most dominant goal scorers in the NHL. He has a blazing wrist shot with tremendous accuracy. He also is known for his crafty stick handling, thus making him a shootout threat as well. He is 29.5% with his attempts which is a solid number and he is already 2-2 this year.

The Devils last shooter is usually Patrick Elias. Elias has been a very consistent shootout player for the Devils. He has a decent 14 shootout goals in only 37 attempts (37.8%) and usually steps up in big attempts (he's 30th in the league with 6 game winning shootout attempts.) Elias' is an underrated forward and once the Devils need him, the world will see how clutch he is.

Well how about on the other end.

Martin Brodeur is currently 2nd in the NHL with shootout wins (and lets not forget all of the games he missed due to injury.) He is only two wins away from the league leader Henrik Lundqvist who has 37. But let me tell you what most people don't know. BRODEUR HAS 6 LESS LOSSES THAN HIM!!! 

This is true. Martin Brodeur has an impressive winning percentage of 54%! (this is a statistic I had to come up with myself seeing as nobody else factors in the Winning percentage.) While I'm too lazy to check up every other goalie on the list, I'm certain that few have a better win percentage than 54%. 

Well Brodeur is out right now so let's see how backup Johan Hedberg is doing. He has already stopped all 4 shooters he's faced this season in the shootout and he even stopped a penalty shot the other night.

Well Johan Hedberg is right up there with the best with 20 career shootout wins, 11th most in the league. Additionally, he has a whopping save% of better than .804 which is better than any other goalie who's in the top ten in the league in shootout wins. Hedberg also maintains a very unique way of stopping the puck (shown in the LA game when he stopped Gagne with his two pad stack.)

The Devils as a team have also been very successful in the shootout.

First off, they are HIGHEST in the league in scoring percentage with a 40.2% rate which is 3% more than the second place team. Next, they are 7th in the league in save percentage with .704%, a respectable number. On home ice, they've won a league high 23 times and they're sixth in the league on the road with 21 wins. In all they are third place in the league with 44 wins.

Now there are other good shooutout teams. Pittsburgh and New York are also very capable teams in the shootout as are the Dallas Stars. But right now, I don't think there's a team in the league that can beat the Devils in a shootout.

Post a comment with your thoughts on who the best in the league in the shootout is.