Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Higgins highlights list of snakebit NHL forwards

Chris Higgins

For Chris Higgins, it was pretty much the way things have been going so far this season...

That huge miss (and clutch save by Curtis McElhinney) Sunday in Columbus was Higgins’ 37th shot of the season. Only nine NHL forwards have more shots than that. And Higgins only has two goals.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, Higgins has company in the lots-of-shots-not-enough-goals category -- teammate Daniel Sedin has 38 shots and just two goals; teammate Ryan Kesler has 39 shots and just three goals.

In a related story -- and one that suggests there’s more than bad luck to this tale -- here’s what Vancouver coach John Tortorella had to say after the 3-1 loss to the Blue Jackets: “Don’t let the shots fool you. I don’t think we played enough in the areas (you have to) to score goals. They’ll let you play on the outside all night long. For most of the minutes, that’s what we did.”

Other notables from around the NHL:

Phil Kessel (2 goals on 36 shots): Not quite as snakebit as he started last season, but almost.

Patrick Sharp (1 goal on 31 shots): Had a season-high six shots Saturday versus Toronto. Didn’t score.

Drew Stafford (1 goal on 30 shots): His shooting percentage was 17.3 when he scored 31 times in 2010-11. It’s 3.3 after 10 games this season.

Tomas Fleischmann (1 goal on 28 shots): And reportedly one of many Florida vets that general manager Dale Tallon is willing to trade.

Jamie Benn (1 goal on 26 shots): Has five assists in his last four games though.

David Perron (1 goal on 26 shots): Used up all his shooting luck in the preseason apparently.

Jarome Iginla and Matt Read (0 goals on 24 shots): Among NHL forwards, no one has more shots without a goal. Clarke MacArthur (23 shots) and Anze Kopitar (22) right behind them.