Coyotes captain owning mistakes
Oliver Ekman-Larsson knew where the questions were headed.
Unprompted, he acknowledged what everyone saw take place in Sunday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, where Ekman-Larsson lost his footing, fell to the ice, and allowed his man to skate to the front of the net for an unimpeded goal.
The captain's unfortunate tumble was just the latest struggle for Ekman-Larsson this season, but it also helped illustrate a broader perspective about what might be going on inside the head of the Coyotes' longest-tenured player.
"When you fall down in a 2-on-2," Ekman-Larsson said, "yeah, it's going to look bad. It's going to happen. I will get better. I am going to be fine. I would be more concerned if I wasn't bringing the work ethic every day. Then I'd be in trouble. I'm battling to get over that struggle, if you want to call it that."
It has been an inconsistent start to the season for Ekman-Larsson, who has been quiet offensively with just two goals and nine points in 25 games this season. In his last 14 games, Ekman-Larsson has just two assists while accumulating a minus-5 rating.
Defensively, Ekman-Larsson has been the victim of some poor footwork and suspect decisions in his own zone. But the second-year captain has been here before, and he isn't hanging his head in the dressing room.
"It's a long season," said Ekman-Larsson, who has had some strong games this season mixed in with some uninspiring spurts. "I feel like I'm a guy who is going to make plays, but I'm going to screw up and I'm going to fall down. I'm going to not score for 20 games and then score five games in a row. That's how it works, but at the same time I've got to keep working hard.
"I go out there and battle every night, no matter if I'm putting up any points. I feel like that's something I'm always going to bring to the table."
That doesn't mean the Coyotes don't need more out of Ekman-Larsson, because they absolutely do. Especially without Niklas Hjalmarsson for at least another
month, they need Ekman-Larsson to play air-tight defense as much as they need him to command the top powerplay unit.
More than anything, Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet wants to see Ekman-Larsson assert himself as the dominant force he knows he can be,
"When Oliver is playing an aggressive style," Tocchet said, "it's not so much going at people as much as it's closing on people, walking the blue line and shooting, or getting up in the play. It's about being more aggressive in your mindset. I think that's when he's at his best."
Analyzing a player's struggles can be an impossible chore, and it can seem frivolous to search for a cause to the effect. Ekman-Larsson isn't the type of player or person who would admit to a physical ailment or emotional trauma as excuses, although nobody could blame him if he did.
How is Ekman-Larsson's health after undergoing a procedure on his knee this offseason? What about the lasting impact left by the death of his mother, Annika, in 2017 — or the fact that his brother, Kevin, no longer plays for the Coyotes' AHL affiliate in Tucson and is now back in Sweden?
Anyone can see that Ekman-Larsson has had some struggles on the ice. But nobody can see what he might be struggling with off the ice.
Regardless, both Ekman-Larsson and the Coyotes know that consistency
The Coyotes (14-8-3) look to rebound from a shootout loss over the weekend when they host the Ducks at Gila River Arena . ... This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season; the Coyotes suffered a 2-1 loss in the season-opener on Oct. 3. from the captain is not a recommendation but a requirement for the team's success in 2019-20. For Tocchet, the road to improvement should be focused less on the past and more on the future.
"At the end of the day," Tocchet said, "he's been in the league 8 or 9 years and he's our captain. We're here to help him. He knows it's on him and he wants to play more consistently. He knows it and everyone knows it. I'm not worried about the last 15 games with 'O'; I'm worried about the next game."
Ekman-Larsson is receptive to it. He does not disengage with criticism, as evidenced by his willingness to discuss Sunday's incident. And as he battles to find consistency in his game, EkmanLarsson has learned to accept that there will always be flaws — and that's just fine with him.
"Nobody's perfect," Ekman-Larsson said. "The day I play a perfect game in this league is probably the day I'm going to retire."