Young guns already shining in post-season
Leafs’ Matthews, Jets’ Laine gaining valuable experience
Auston Matthews got a taste of playoff hockey last season. Patrik Laine has been waiting two years for this.
The third pick in the 2016 draft? Well, Pierre-Luc Dubois is taking a surprising star turn in the spotlight of the NHL playoffs, too.
Matthews, Laine, Dubois and 2017 top picks Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick all look unfazed as they handle significant responsibilities in the post-season.
All are playing top-six forward roles and had combined for five goals and six assists through Wednesday’s games.
“These guys are young guys,” Toronto coach Mike Babcock said after Matthews’ Game 3 winner against Boston on Monday, which was the 20-year-old centre’s first point of the series. “They’re playing against real players and they’re young guys. You’ve got to go through some of these slappings in your life to kind of respond and learn how to respond and do things right.”
These five budding superstars have been doing a lot of things right all season. Matthews’ 34 goals led the Maple Leafs; Laine’s 43 for Winnipeg were second in the NHL; Hischier’s 48 points were second on the Devils; and Patrick’s 30 points and gradual improvement earned him a promotion to the Flyers’ second-line centre spot, then another bump to first-line duty on Wednesday when Sean Couturier sat out due to injury.
Dubois was a bit of a surprise pick by Columbus behind Matthews and Laine at the 2016 draft, and he didn’t break into the NHL right away. Dubois wasn’t expected to mature this quickly and doesn’t get the kind of attention as last season’s top finishers for rookie of the year, but he’s used to that by now.
“I’ve always been the guy kind of under the radar,” said Dubois, whose 48 points were third on the Blue Jackets. “All my life, it’s been pretty much like that. I don’t really look to impress other people. I just want to play well. I’ve never been the guy that everybody talked about, so it never really fazed me.”
Dubois most impressively has earned the trust of old-school coach John Tortorella enough to be the Blue Jackets’ No. 1 centre at age 19. Tortorella uses Dubois as an example to show older players how to handle situations, an ultimate sign of respect from a Stanley Cupwinning coach who doesn’t hesitate to put him on the ice against opposing stars.
“He accepted it, he excelled,” Tortorella said. “He has a mental toughness for a 19-year-old kid, to accept that type of responsibility and want more. You’ve got to be careful with young kids, but he has showed me tremendous progress.”
Ice time isn’t a problem for Matthews and Laine, who are key drivers of play for the Leafs and Jets.
After Laine scored the tying goal in Game 1 against Minnesota in what became the Jets franchise’s first playoff victory, he motioned to fans for cheers before jumping into the glass. The Finnish winger is used to scoring goals — and a lot of them — but in the playoffs, it’s even more special.
“It was maybe a little bit nicer,” Laine said. “I was saving my goals and celebrations for the playoffs. Now I can celly (celebrate) a little bit harder.”