‘FOR A LITTLE GUY, HE HITS’
Oilers like what they see in Caggiula ... when he’s on
When Drake Caggiula is on his game, he’s in the game.
The second-year Edmonton Oilers winger is difficult to play against, and easy to play with, because there are equal parts commotion and emotion to his game. When he does his thing, like he did against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, he’s very effective, and not just because he scored the game-winning goal with 49 seconds to play.
It’s been a pogo-stick type season for Caggiula, who’s endured nagging injuries (a bruised foot, concussion symptoms) and been a healthy scratch five times. He hasn’t put up numbers good enough to remain among the team’s top nine forwards, considering what he showed in the playoff run last spring.
But when he’s on, he’s really on. Against St. Louis, he played just over 16 minutes, the most ice time he’s had since Nov. 3 against the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Place. He fired three shots at Blues’ goalie Jake Allen, including the gamewinner. Earlier, Allen robbed him point-blank on a setup from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. His contribution also included three hits and two blocked shots.
His winning goal — the puck floated over Allen like a soft chip shot — was a nice ending to a hard night’s work.
“He hounds pucks, he strips guys on the forecheck and he breaks plays up, keeps plays alive, and for a little guy, he hits. I think the gamechanger last night was Drake going in and smoking (Vince) Dunn in the corner,” said linemate Patrick Maroon, who along with NugentHopkins, helped set up the winner. “The guys get so excited about that sort of thing because we know he can bring that intensity. There’s a lot of potential there, he can be a really good player in this league.”
Caggiula knows he has to hit to be a hit with the coaching staff.
“The hits early get my body and my mind into the game,” he
The hits early get my body and my mind into the game. When I’m playing physical and getting under guys’ skin, that makes me better.
said. “When I’m playing physical and getting under guys’ skin, that makes me better.
“It’s not running guys over, it’s getting in scrums in front of the net. Being a bit of rat out there.”
It’s easier to do that when you’re in the lineup every night, of course. You get into a rhythm, you can do your own thing, and you’re not tentative.
“If I guy gets in my grill, I’m not backing down,” Caggiula said. “I had an older brother who used to beat the crap out of me, and I’ve always had a bit of a pit bull mentality.”
Oilers head coach Todd McLellan has always liked Caggiula, but without that consistency night in and night out so far this season, he’s been a healthy scratch for some games. Caggiula has five goals and nine points in 24 games on only 35 shots.
“When Drake’s on his game, he’s skating through people and he’s getting his shots through, rather than blocked, so the goalie has to work,” said McLellan.
When he was sitting out, Caggiula talked to the coaches. Becoming a trustworthy National Hockey League player isn’t always linear. There are steps forward, and sometimes, a couple of steps back.
“You want to know why you’re not playing and what you can change to play,” he said. “Most of it was because I wasn’t producing.”
Some of it was because he wasn’t anywhere near 100 per cent.
“No excuses, just nagging injuries.”
And the winning goal? Next week or next month, it will be a swashbuckling, coast-to-coast rush when he describes it for people, rather than a floater that didn’t exactly dent the twine.
“The hockey gods were with me,” said Caggiula. “(Mike) Cammalleri was telling me a story about the regression of the mean and what that is, that things all even out. In fact, he told me that two shifts before I scored. Pretty ironic.”