MacKinnon continues scoring tear, Canada downs Belarus 6-0
Alain Vigneault lamented the “average” performance he got from too many of his Rangers in Saturday’s loss to the Ottawa Senators.
“And at this time of the year against such a good opponent,” New York’s head coach said over the weekend, “you can’t bring an average game to the table.”
Erik Karlsson has been anything but average for the Senators.
The brilliance of the 26-year-old captain has the Sens on the verge of reaching the Eastern Conference final for the first time in a decade. Not much has separated Ottawa and New York through five games — the RangershaveoutscoredtheSenators 18-15 — other than Karlsson, playing through obvious injury, shining brightest.
The Swede, who was drafted a year after the Senators last made the conference final in 2007, has five points in three victories during the series. He has loomed especially large in each of those wins.
“He makes plays that are a step above everybody — like most superstars do,” Sens winger Mark Stone said.
One of those plays came with less than five minutes to go in regulation during Game 1. His shot from an almost impossible goal-line angle beat Henrik Lundqvist and gave Ottawa a 2-1 victory. Karlsson also logged a game-high of almost 29 minutes, blocked three shots and matched Derick Brassard with a team-high five shots on goal.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau was the hero with four goals in a 6-5 double-overtime win two nights later, but Karlsson was also a bright light. Despite exiting briefly for the dressingroomwithinjury,hefinishedwith more than 37 minutes of ice time — topping all players yet again.
Ottawa had 57 per cent of the evenstrength shot attempts when he was on the ice and only 46 per cent when he wasn’t.
Karlsson’s most impactful performance of the second-round series may be the most recent one. There were the 31 minutes and 12 shot attempts in the 5-4 Game 5 win, both of which led all players, and of course, the three critical assists.
Onthefirst,Karlssonrushedupthe ice from his own zone, drew Rangers defender Nick Holden in and then dropped to Clarke MacArthur, who found Mike Hoffman cross-ice for the game-tying 2-2 goal.
Then with just over 90 seconds left in regulation and the Sens down one, Karlsson flung another pass to MacArthur that just eluded preying sticks of Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. MacArthur fired on goal with Brassard batting in the gametying 4-4 rebound.
Karlsson played all but 1:02 of the final six and a half minutes of the third period — this after leaving Game 4 early in some discomfort.
He surveyed the ice from behind his own goal in OT and then whistled a pass off the sideboards to Alex Burrows which led to Kyle Turris’ game-winner and 3-2 series edge.
“You know when he’s on the ice, if you get open he’ll probably find you,” Stone said.
It’s evident that Karlsson, who had six assists in the first round while playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, still isn’t completely healthy. He’s nonetheless up to 11 points in 11 games this post-season, tops among NHL defenders.
Karlsson has also had a large hand in neutralizing the Rangers most dangerous offensive players — of whom Vigneault was likely referring when he noted the “average game” of too many in Game 5.
Most of Karlsson’s even-strength ice time in the Saturday afternoon affair — as far as opposing forwards go — came against Chris Kreider (8:30), who led the Rangers with 28 goals during the regular season, Zuccarello (8:11), who topped the club with 59 points, and Mika Zibanejad (7:51).
Each went point-less and Ottawa had the decisive puck possession advantage when Karlsson was on the ice.
Head coach Guy Boucher said Karlsson’s defensive ability started with speed.
“If you look at what he’s done this year, his back-check has probably been the most impressive stuff I’ve seen,” Boucher said. “Everybody talks about his skill, but going on offence ... and (then seeing) him catch up all the way back to our net, get the puck and take off with the puck (again). “Not a lot of guys can do that.” Karlsson is effective, he added, in managing the gap between himself and opponents, smart in how he positions himself on blocked shots (he has 21 in the playoffs) and “probably his best asset is his stick on puck.”
“I think now he’s using a lot of stick on puck and finishing bodies and getting the puck,” Boucher said. “So that’s a lot of defensive tools that he’s displayed this year and it’s made him a real terrific two-way player now.”
PARIS — Nathan MacKinnon expects to cool off at some point at the world hockey championship. Even if that happens, that doesn’t mean Canada’s offence will be any less dangerous.
MacKinnon and Brayden Point had two goals each to fuel Canada’s 6-0 win over Belarus at the world hockey championship on Monday.
MacKinnon had a hot hand for the second consecutive game and moved into the provisional tournament lead with five goals ahead of Monday’s late games. He scored a hat trick and added an assist in Canada’s 7-2 win over Slovenia on Sunday.
He’s not the only one putting up big numbers for Canada. MacKinnon, linemate Jeff Skinner and defenceman Tyson Barrie each have seven points through three games. Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux are right behind with six points.
“With the linemates I have (Giroux and Skinner), the power play we have, the opportunity I’m getting from the coaching staff, everyone makes it easy for me,” MacKinnon said. “Other guys will step up. I’m not going to get three or four points every night. I’m trying to play well both ways and see what happens.”
Point was named Canada’s player of the game after scoring his second and third goals as part of Canada’s “Kid Line” while his linemates Mitch Marner and Konecny each collected two assists on a line that is showing impressive early chemistry.
“I’m just getting them the puck,” said Konecny. “The passes are nothing special, to be honest. They’re playing really good and they’re finishing all the plays.”
“The kids are all right,” added coach Jon Cooper after the game. “I can’t sit here and pinpoint one guy that has been the engine that’s driven that bus.
“All three of them have just meshed together. I know that any time our team has maybe had a little bit of a lull, that line has sparked us.”
Skinner and Giroux also scored for Canada.
Playing without injured forward Andrei Kostitsyn and Canadianborn netminder Kevin Lalande, the Belarusian team played a conservative defensive game designed to limit scoring chances.
Netminder Mikhail Karnaukhov made 39 saves but was exposed on MacKinnon’s first goal, a powerplay wrist shot from the top of the left circle that beat him high to the glove side and put Belarus down 2-0 at the 4:20 mark of the second period.
Making his second start of the tournament, Canada’s Calvin Pickard picked up his first shutout with 13 saves.
Sean Couturier debuted for Canada after missing the first two games of the tournament with what coach Jon Cooper had deemed a “mid-body” injury. “I felt a little off with the timing, but as the game went on, it got a little better,” said Couturier, who shared ice time on Canada’s fourth line with Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Alex Killorn.
The Philadelphia Flyers forward was strong in the faceoff circle, going 10-2 on draws.
“I just try to go in there hard,” he said of his success. “My wingers were helping a lot too, so that’s huge.”
The two-time defending worlds champion, Canada remains first in Group B at 3-0. Finland and the Czech Republic, both 1-1, met in Monday’s late game in Paris.
In Group A action on Monday, Russia beat Germany 6-3 and Sweden met the United States in the late game.
On Thursday, Canada will line up for its next game against the host team from France. The French are currently 1-1 following their 5-1 upset win over Finland on Sunday.