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Wednesday, March 29
 
Bourque's numbers don't lie

By Brian A. Shactman
ESPN.com

The Colorado Avalanche have gone 8-2-1 since acquiring Ray Bourque from the Bruins. Most players on the team would say his impact has been far more intangible. He's a legend, a sure-bet Hall of Famer and the rare leader who can change a locker room with his mere presence.

But let's take a look at the "tangibles" and determine just how much of a difference he's made on the ice.

Ray Bourque
Bourque has contributed on and off the ice for Colorado.

In terms of individual performance, Bourque has seven goals and 12 points and is a plus-8 during his 11-game stint. Those are solid numbers for the 39-year-old blueliner, but even more impressive considering his pre-Colorado numbers. In 65 games with the Bruins, Bourque had 10 goals and 29 assists. He was a minus-10. Of course, much of that can be attributed to playing on a bad team. But there's no doubt he's feeling rejuvenated in the Rockies.

When Avs coach Bob Hartley told Bourque upon his arrival that he would kill penalties and see time on the power play -- in addition to the nornal 5-on-5 duties -- he meant it. In his last two games, Bourque has logged more than 30 minutes per contest. So much for allowing the 21-year vet play a complementary role.

  • As a team, the Avs have certainly benefitted, with 38 goals for and 23 against. Pre-Bourque, the Avs scored 183 goals and allowed 171 in 67 games. So, the Avs have been better in both categories, but more dramatically in scoring goals. To produce 3.5 per game in today's NHL is outstanding. The 8-3 drubbing of Calgary in Bourque's first game boosts the average, but 35 in 10 games is impressive nonetheless.

  • On the power play, Colorado has scored 10 goals in 46 opportunities. That translates to a 21.7 percent success rate with Bourque. For comparison, Philadelphia leads the league with 21.6 percent, and Colorado's overall average is 19. It's not a huge increase, but 10 percent is definite progress.

  • The penalty kill is a different story. The Avs season-long kill rate is a solid 84.2 percent. But since Bourque donned an Avs uniform, Colorado has allowed 10 goals on 43 man-down situations, which is a 76.7 percent average. A five percent dip isn't such a big deal, but it's a goal here and there -- which can be significant because games get pretty tight in the postseason.

    Despite the dropoff on the penalty kill, the Avalanche are a better team now than they were two weeks ago. As much as it has been an emotional boost, it cannot be debated that Bourque's performance has contributed a great deal to Colorado's seven wins in its last 10 games.

    Because in the end, the most important statistic is wins and losses.

    Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.






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