Edmonton Journal

Pouliot hopes time off has him primed for playoffs

Oilers forward, back from injury, aims for strong finish after early season struggles

- ROBERT TYCHKOWSKI twitter.com/sun_tychkowski rtychkowsk­i@postmedia.com

It should be a source of inspiratio­n for Benoit Pouliot that he returns to the Edmonton Oilers lineup the same day Justin Schultz comes to town.

And a gentle reminder for fans in Edmonton that it’s not always wise to bring out the whips when a player is struggling to find his confidence.

Schultz, who went from hopeless mess to Stanley Cup champion to one of the top scoring defencemen in the NHL in less than a year, is living proof that a player once deemed worthless by the masses can absolutely turn his game around.

So maybe there’s hope for Pouliot after all as he returns Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after missing nearly a month with an undisclose­d injury suffered (in case you were wondering how his season is going) in practice.

“I hope so,” said the 30-year-old winger, who’ll skate on the third line with Zack Kassian and former Montreal Canadiens linemate David Desharnais. “The whole year has been a struggle. It’s frustratin­g. I get down at times, but I stay positive as much as I can.

“There’s still time left, there’s a bunch of games left and playoffs are coming. It’s a time to redeem and get back to what I’m supposed to do.”

The fact Pouliot’s production barely dropped off at all while he was injured (he had just three points in the 25 games before getting hurt) tells you all you need to know about how tough it has been.

But while Schultz was pushed into his downward spiral by a franchise in disarray, Pouliot is a veteran with nobody to blame but himself.

“It’s me, I have to figure it out myself,” he said. “The coaches have given me the chances all year, they me put on the second line, power play ... they never gave up.

“After awhile you have to do the job and I wasn’t doing the job. I had to pay the consequenc­es. It’s a matter of getting back to what I’m supposed to do and being the player I’m supposed to be.”

Nobody likes being injured, but getting a month away to clear his head might have been the best thing for Pouliot. He can start with a clean slate now that the stretch drive is upon them.

“We’ve got to face facts, he’s struggled this year to this point,” said head coach Todd McLellan. “Perhaps this break will allow him to reset a lot of things and get himself going.

“Do we expect him to be at the top of his game without having played in three weeks? No. But we want to see an energized individual come back.

“If he can get his game back and build it for the last seven, eight, 10 games, at least we’ll get something out of him.

“He wants to do that. He’s a great individual, he just struggled this year for whatever reason. Maybe this is a reset opportunit­y.”

To dismiss him as done and throw him on the scrap heap could be a costly mistake. Pouliot is one of the few players in the Edmonton lineup who has been deep in the playoffs and if he can get anywhere close to the form he showed last season, it would be a massive addition.

With the stretch drive and the playoffs still to come, there is more than enough time to make things right.

“It’s important, he’s one of the most experience­d players we have playing in a playoff push,” said McLellan. “In the past, we’ve been able to see him contribute on a fairly consistent basis, but it just hasn’t been there this year.

“If in some way, shape or form we can get that out of him the remaining 15 or 16 games and he gets back up to a level where he was earlier and his confidence gets back … it’s a great time for him to reset his game.

“I don’t know if he’s going to give us his best game Friday, it’s been a while since he’s played, but let’s build toward it.”

Pouliot, who had five goals and five assists in the New York Rangers’ run to the final in 2014, does feel this time of year can bring out the best in a player.

“It’s a long season, long playoffs and when you get that far, the boys are all together and everything is falling into place, every thing is feeling good,” he said. “It’s a fun ride. Some of the guys haven’t been through that. It’s been a long time since it happened in Edmonton, it’s going to be awesome; they’ll love it.”

There’s still time left, there’s a bunch of games left and playoffs are coming. It’s a time to redeem and get back to what I’m supposed to do.

 ?? IAN KUCERAK / POSTMEDIA ?? After missing nearly a month due to injury, the Oilers’ Benoit Pouliot returns to the lineup Friday against Pittsburgh.
IAN KUCERAK / POSTMEDIA After missing nearly a month due to injury, the Oilers’ Benoit Pouliot returns to the lineup Friday against Pittsburgh.

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