(Las Vegas, Nevada) The NHL playoffs sometimes hold surprises about the identity of hockey players.
Regardless of their talent, the real competitors hatch when spring comes. The Vegas Golden Knights, despite their recent arrival in the NHL, have a large representation of players from this category.
However, there is one from which we do not really know what to expect. It is all the more singular that it is about the best player of the team.
Jack Eichel, 26, is playing his eighth season in the NHL. Absolutely no one doubts his membership in the elite of the circuit. However, since he spent the majority of his career with the Buffalo Sabers, one of the worst teams of the last decade, his number of playoff games is still at zero.
He could have lived his baptism last year, but the Knights just missed their qualification. This time, it would take a disaster for their lead in the standings to melt under their feet.
How will Eichel fare in the crucial spring games? Impossible to predict. In the locker room of the Golden Knights, however, we have our own idea.
He is capable of raising his game against the best teams. He had good games against the Hurricanes, the Devils, the Lightning, teams that have good defensive units. I like that he values his game over 200 feet. He was one of our best defensive players this season. It takes a lot of work, and it’s very important in the playoffs.
Las Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy after his team’s practice session
According to Cassidy, the adjustment will have to be made mainly on the mental level. “But we’re not worried about him,” he added.
“The playoffs are a different beast,” added Jonathan Marchessault. The Quebecer cites his teammate Reilly Smith as an example, “a gamer “. A player who does not monopolize the compilations of highlights during the season, but who is the leading scorer in franchise history in the playoffs.
“It’s the reputation you want to have in the NHL,” Marchessault continued. When a player makes a lot of money, it comes with media attention, with a lot of pressure to overcome. That’s how we know you’re not just a good player, but a great player. I’m thinking of guys like Ryan O’Reilly, Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar… I think that’s the main reason we went for Jack. »
defensive support
Marchessault, talkative by nature, did not have to be asked to talk about his center player of the moment.
“Maybe right now he’s not producing as much as Buffalo…”
We interrupt him here to remind him that Eichel still maintains a pace of around one point per game – 47 in 49.
“I think he’s a plus-point-per-game guy,” he replied. His remark, however, was not a reproach, quite the contrary.
It’s not the same Jack Eichel as last year. Sometimes you have to be able to have a little less [de points] and be better defensively. Look at Patrice Bergeron: he may sacrifice 5 or 10 points a year, but that gives his team a chance to win every game. I think Jack is playing like that this year.
Jonathan Marchessault, about Jack Eichel
Defender Nicolas Hague saw the same thing. “He directs the game, he plays hard, he helps us in our zone, he listed. One of his great strengths, thanks to his skating, is to recover the puck in retreat [reload] and relaunch the attack. It’s nice to see him go. »
Eichel takes all of this with a grain of salt. He himself underlines his pride in having seen his game “evolve” over the past year, and in knowing that the coaching staff can “trust him in different situations”. Far from being satisfied with it, he wants, as if to echo Marchessault’s remarks, “to find a way to produce more offensively”.
We feel hesitant to talk about the playoffs. “Nothing is cast in stone yet,” he warns. There are still a lot of important matches left. We want to end the season in the right way and stay in good shape. For now, the Knights sit atop the Pacific Division.
Leadership
Eichel has also proven to be a leader, says defenseman Brayden McNabb. “It seems that he was captain [chez les Sabres de Buffalo]. It’s hard to play this role at such a young age, I’m sure he learned a lot from that. He knows what to say and when to speak. We feel very comfortable in the locker room. »
This is no small feat, especially in such an experienced group. When we approach this subject with the principal concerned, he first praises the ascendancy of some of his teammates. He points in particular to the locker next to his, that of Mark Stone. The Golden Knights captain is currently nursing a back injury.
In addition, he admits that not having a letter on his jersey means “less stress”. His leadership contribution, “I think it happens naturally,” he notes.
And to conclude: “I just try to be myself. »
Already, this freedom has allowed him to refine a new facet of his game. The next revelation will come in a few weeks. When, this time, it will count for real.
Guhle absent against the Knights?
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Kaiden Guhlé
Coming into hard contact with Maxime Comtois of the Anaheim Ducks, Kaiden Guhle appeared to injure his shoulder Friday night. He continued the encounter, but had to undergo treatment late in the evening. Saturday evening, the Habs therefore recalled Frédéric Allard, who could face the Golden Knights on Sunday if Guhle were to forfeit. Allard, a former member of the Los Angeles Kings organization, was traded to the Canadiens on Friday. He played until then with the Reign of Ontario, in the American League, a club established in the suburbs of the Californian metropolis. He was supposed to report to the Rocket, but he delayed his departure to join the CH in Vegas.