The Province

GOLDY GETS HIS CHANCE

Injuries to key Canucks forwards open the door for Goldobin to show his skill and maturity

- Ben Kuzma bkuzma@postmedia.com Twitter.com/benkuzma

You don’t have to tell Nikolay Goldobin about being in the right place at the right time. Blessed with natural offensive skill and a boyish enthusiasm, the Russian winger is enamoured with everything afforded NHL players. A charter jet. Fancy hotels. Great meals.

Add an environmen­t conducive to becoming better every day on and off the ice — especially amid the scrutiny of Henrik and Daniel Sedin — and you sense a 22-yearold winger with a huge upside is starting to get it because he doesn’t have to look far to see it.

“I’m excited to even sit in the same locker-room because they (Sedins) both have 1,000 points and that’s unbelievab­le and hopefully one day I’ll get that achievemen­t,” said a hopeful Goldobin, who skated on a practice line Tuesday with Markus Granlund and Loui Eriksson and is expected to play Wednesday against the Nashville Predators. The offence speaks for itself. Despite playing just four games this season, there was his effort against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 5 — a strong move to the net and the patience and finish to deposit his own rebound off the post — and that long pass in Nashville on Nov. 30 to spring Brock Boeser for his second goal of the night.

Without the injured Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, the Canucks are minus two of their top-three goal scorers and it’s why they have but four goals during a three-game losing streak. Goldobin thinks he can make a difference and that swagger is what you want.

“It gives me confidence when I get the points and when we get the big wins everything is good,” added Goldobin, who has sat out the last two games. “I think I can help the team if I get a lot of (ice) time and play the right way.

“It’s all about instincts. Where is the puck and how can I make a play? But I haven’t had practices this hard. It’s hard for me.”

It’s those practices and Goldobin’s practice habits that will shape his roster place. After all, the Canucks aren’t sure what they have because he didn’t have a great training camp.

Is Goldobin a 10-, 20- or 30-goal scorer? Was playing the penalty kill in Utica and being forced into puck pursuits and hounding the opposition — as opposed to hanging out in the top of the slot and waiting for pucks — the reason the Moscow native had 19 points (seven goals) in 18 games with the Comets before being recalled last month?

Travis Green doesn’t want to handcuff Goldobin. His work to turn Boeser and Jake Virtanen into more complete players speaks for itself. And because the Canucks coach knows Goldobin isn’t the fastest skater, and it may not look like the effort is there, it sends a mixed message.

“His opinions of working and mine are sometimes different,” Green said. “It’s different how you track a puck, how you backcheck and protect pucks in your own zone. And it’s the pace you play when you don’t have the puck. It’s a big part of the game, especially on winning teams.

“On the penalty kill, there’s the importance of stripping a puck or blocking a shot or paying the price to do something that doesn’t get a lot of notoriety. He did that in Utica. And he has made progress.”

Goldobin was initially aligned with Horvat and Boeser for a reason. Horvat’s strength on pucks, ability to handle tough matchups and find his wingers is a boon for any linemate. You know Boeser is going to play a complete game and his smarts can rub off on any player.

However, if the Canucks don’t put Goldobin in the right position to succeed, it can have an adverse affect. You want to help the player, but that player has to be in position to help the team.

“Will it bring him crashing down if things don’t work out the right way?” Green asked. “There are not many players in the game who take shortcuts.

“The best players work hard all over the rink. We want Goldy to be a full-time NHL player you can win with. I’m not interested in having 20-goal scorers you lose with.”

Boeser is a poster boy for everything that’s right about the organizati­on. And it’s not just the rookie’s 16 goals after 28 games — only Teemu Selanne (23), Eric Lindros (21) and Alex Ovechkin (18) had more as firstyear players in the same game frame. It’s his willingnes­s to get better.

When finally inserted into the lineup after sitting out the first two games, Boeser brought a complete game. It’s another example of what Goldobin can learn.

“He’s a good playmaker and sees the ice well,” Boeser said of Goldobin. “He just has to make sure he brings that compete level each and every day and put in the effort. That pass to me in Nashville, I’m not even sure how he got that through.

“I was kind of shocked when it hit my stick.”

 ?? — GETTY FILES ?? Nikolay Goldobin thinks he can fill in for injured Canucks forwards Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, but he’ll have to convince coach Travis Green of his work ethic.
— GETTY FILES Nikolay Goldobin thinks he can fill in for injured Canucks forwards Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, but he’ll have to convince coach Travis Green of his work ethic.
 ?? — GETTY IMAGES FILES ?? Nikolay Goldobin has impressed Canucks fans with his potential since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, but hasn’t earned a regular spot yet.
— GETTY IMAGES FILES Nikolay Goldobin has impressed Canucks fans with his potential since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, but hasn’t earned a regular spot yet.
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