LINE DANCING STARTS EARLY
Travis Green is juggling his lines already, with Micheal Ferland dropping down from the first line and J.T. Miller moving up
For Micheal Ferland, a line change could get him going. For J.T. Miller, a line change could get Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser going.
With just two goals in two games, no wins and nothing to show for 10 power play opportunities, the Vancouver Canucks will sport a new look Wednesday in their home opener against the Los Angeles Kings.
Ferland, who has three shots and no points and was limited to four third-period shifts Saturday in Calgary, skated on a practice line Sunday with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. The alignment could bring out the best in the free-agent acquisition, who’s best when he’s forechecking aggressively and hitting often to spark offensive ability.
Miller has come as advertised. His strength on pucks through the neutral and offensive zones and strong board work should benefit Pettersson and Boeser, who have yet to score, even though Boeser had six shots Saturday. But the bigger concern may be Ferland, who didn’t play the final 7:36 against the Flames.
“We’re trying to find the right fit with him,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “We also have to understand that we may not be seeing him at the top of his game yet. New player, new team and he missed part of training camp and that probably adds up to not being at his peak yet.”
Ferland was sidelined by a virus and played just two pre-season games. Combine that with Boeser’s contract extension holdout and the trio not taking a single exhibition shift together and early struggles aren’t surprising.
“A couple of games in and you start gripping the stick and you don’t play with the confidence that you’re usually used to,” said Ferland. “I’m just trying to get that first goal and make plays after that. Bo and Pearson are good players and we could be good together.
“They like to play with pucks down low and cycle and grind and that’s what I need right now to get my energy going and my feel of things and get myself more into games more. I need to be more physical and use my body more and they are guys who can really help me.
“Sometimes, you have to play on a second or third line to get yourself into games instead of holding on the puck for that extra second.”
Getting Ferland going sooner rather than later is important. He had six goals in his first nine games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season and finished with 40 points (17-23) in 71 games. He was fourth in club scoring and third in hits.
The bad part was he didn’t score in the final 17 regular season games and had but one assist in seven post-season games in which he had nagging injuries. He also had a concussion and lower-back problems flare up in the second half of the season.
The Canucks signed Ferland to a four-year, US$14 million contract on July 10 because the 27-year-old was intriguing as an underrated contributor. Seventeen of his career-high 23 assists last season were of the primary variety and he scored 21 goals with the Flames two seasons ago. He also lined up at times with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen in Carolina and Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary.
Ferland can also be a physical and protective force and knows what it’s like to play in hockey-mad markets where social media can be a major disruption.
“I’ve got Twitter, so people are always tagging me,” he said.
As for Miller, he might be just what Pettersson and Boeser need. He’s strong enough to get to pucks and hold on to them and smart enough to dish them to his new linemates.
“Nothing should change for me — I’ve learned that in my career,” said Miller. “Those are two really skilled guys. If I try playing like them, I’m getting away from my game. I have to make sure I’m playing northsouth and get the momentum and get it (the puck) in and their skill will take over after that.”
Green tossed in a mini game and a shootout to finish practice Sunday with some levity so his players could gain that scoring feeling — even though Pettersson and Miller were the only ones to have shootout success.
OVERTIME
Tyler Motte (upper body) returned to practice and is a roster option.
“We miss his tenacity a bit and his strength on the puck and his quickness,” said Green.
The coach also addressed the three two-many-men penalties in two games.
“The first one was a good play by (Oilers goaltender Mike) Smith. He saw us making a change and threw it (puck) right into the pile. The second was just a bad one that shouldn’t happen. The third was just a coincidence that a defenceman takes off the first forward. Petey was coming into that bench and everyone stood up and (Chris) Tanev thought he was coming into the bench, so he went on the ice and Petey decided to stay.”