Some numbers from the first half

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

MONCTON - The Saint John Sea Dogs enter the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's holiday break outside the playoff picture.

The Sea Dogs sit last overall in the QMJHL standings with an 11-18-1-1 record for 24 points. If the playoffs started today, the Sea Dogs and Cape Breton Eagles would not qualify.

The good news for Saint John is that they are just two points back (and have played two fewer games) of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, the owners of the last playoff spot. The Armada have traded away many of their best players, something the Sea Dogs could also do in the coming weeks. The bottom of the standings could be in for an interesting finish.

As a reminder, the Sea Dogs traded away their first round pick in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, reducing the few benefits to finishing last.

Here are a few other stats from the Sea Dogs' first half...

• Brady Burns ends the first half as Saint John's leading scorer with 33 points in 28 games. He is followed closely by Cam MacDonald (29 points), who really turned up the offense in the final few games.
• Burns leads the team in goals with 19 followed by MacDonald with 16. No other player has more than seven.
• Defenseman Nate Tivey has been a pleasant find for Saint John, leading the club in assists with 16. Burns has 13 while MacDonald has 12.
• Tivey is 12th in QMJHL rookie scoring and third in assists. He leads rookie defensemen in scoring.
• Vince Elie (15 points) and Cole Burbidge (14 points) sit 15th and 16th, respectively, in rookie scoring.
• Only Burbidge, Connor Trenholm, Nicolas Bilodeau, Pavel Simek and Alexis Cournoyer have appeared in all 31 of Saint John's games so far this season.
• The Sea Dogs are 7-9-0-0 at TD Station but only 4-9-1-1 on the road. Only the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (3-12-0-1) and Baie-Comeau Drakkar (2-10-3-1) have fewer road wins.
• The Sea Dogs are 8-3-0-1 when scoring first.
• Saint John's record against each division: Maritimes - 6-9-1-1; East - 0-3-0-0; West - 3-2-0-0; Central - 2-4-0-1.
• Saint John's special teams were a major issue in the first half. The Sea Dogs have the worst power play (14.8%) and second worst penalty kill (74.8%). On the penalty kill, Saint John is better on the road (7th - 78.2%) than at home (18th - 72.4%).
• The Sea Dogs scored more goals in second periods (38) than any other period. They also gave up more goals in second periods (54) than any other period.
• Saint John is averaging 3.05 goals per game (15th) and 30.04 shots per game (13th). Those numbers could lower if the Dogs deal away many of their veteran forwards.
• The Sea Dogs have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, this we know. The Sea Dogs are allowing 4.71 goals against per game (18th) and allowing 36.03 shots against per game (18th).
• The Sea Dogs have outshot their opponent just six times this season. They have outshot an opponent just once on the road.
• The Sea Dogs when leading after one? 6-1-0-0. When trailing after one? 2-10-0-0.
• The Sea Dogs own the longest road winless streak in the league so far this season at nine games.
• Goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov is unfortunately tied for the league lead in loses with 11. Despite that, Shingarov has collected the most wins (six) of any Dogs netminder this year.
• Shingarov appeared in 21 games in the first half while Nikolas Hurtubise, who has battled injuries since the off-season, has played in 11. Rookie Olivier Brideau has appeared in five matches.