Rookies deliver under pressure
Young guns making monster contributions to post-season runs
ARLINGTON, VA.— The Washington Capitals have never used more rookies during a single post-season than the half-dozen who helped Alex Ovechkin and Co. reach the Eastern Conference final.
They’re contributing in various ways, including with secondary scoring and a freedom from the past playoff failures that became a burden for Capitals veterans.
“Man, they gave us a big boost with their energy and enthusiasm,” said Matt Niskanen, a defenceman in his 11th NHL season. “It’s infectious.”
It’s part of a league-wide trend, too: The 50 rookie skaters in these playoffs are the most since teams used 54 in 200506. That could be a reflection of teams having greater trust in young players arriving from junior hockey or college, or the need to stock rosters with cheap talent as a greater percentage of the salary cap is devoted to the elite.
“The way you build your hockey teams, those kids get a chance to play all season long. They get put in positions where they can succeed,” Vegas Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “Over the last 10 or 15 years, they’re more prepared.”
The Capitals advanced to face the Tampa Bay Lightning — and took Friday night’s opener, 4-2 — after using five rookies during a clinching 2-1 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. One of the fresh faces, Nathan Walker, assisted on a goal.
In Washington’s Game 5 win over Pittsburgh, another rookie, right winger Jakub Vrana, was bumped from the third line to the top one and delivered an assist on the tying score before putting the go-ahead goal in the net. And to think: Vrana played a tad less than seven minutes in Washington’s opening playoff game, then was a healthy scratch for the second. Played every game since, though.
“I got an opportunity and I was ready,” said Vrana, a 22year-old from the Czech Republic. “I didn’t get a whole lot of minutes at the beginning, but even if I get eight minutes, I still go out there and do my best and try to make those eight minutes count.”
Similarly, defenceman Christian Djoos sat out Washington’s first two games but played in the other 10.The Lightning’s trio of rookies combined for 12 playoff points through two rounds: Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde and defenceman Mikhail Sergachev. Cirelli has played a key defensive centre role after getting into just 18 regular-season games.
There are fewer youngsters in the Western Conference final.
Alex Tuch, who turned 22 on Thursday, has four goals and three assists as the sole postseason rookie for the Golden Knights. Winnipeg has three rookies, but only one has logged regular playing time — left wing Kyle Connor broke out with two goals and an assist in Game 5 of the second round against Nashville, then had two assists in the Jets’ 5-1 victory over the Predators in Game 7 on Thursday night.