‘IT’S DESPERATION TIME’
Antoine Roussel finally dragging himself back into team’s fight
Antoine Roussel is trying to drag himself into the fight. It’s a stark departure for a gritty guy who treated the opposition like a piñata last NHL season. He poked and prodded and did everything to drag everybody into the fight.
However, a torn anterior cruciate ligament on March 13 followed by surgery and a long rehab put Roussel on the shelf until Dec. 3. And aside from an adrenalin-rush return — three goals in his first two games — the Vancouver Canucks’ feisty winger has struggled to regain his game and sparkplug persona.
When the mind is willing but the body isn’t, you can’t provide pace and pressure to be effective on the forecheck and also avoid reaching and grabbing and bad penalties.
However, what really jolts any wavering resolve are the standings.
A month ago, the Canucks were atop the Pacific Division and riding a 6-3-1 run during a 15-6-1 stretch. No. 1 goalie Jacob Markstrom was healthy and had a dozen wins over that span, including four where he saw 43, 51, 49 and 40 shots, to lead a parade to the post-season.
Now, not so much. “It’s desperation time,” Roussel said of five losses in the last six outings. “We’re in a spot where we have everything to lose now. You have to show up when the team needs you. And you have be careful because you can really take the fire away.”
Roussel did that March 1 in Columbus. His late-game tripping minor was part of the unravelling from a 3-1 lead and led to the winning goal in a shocking 5-3 loss to the Blue Jackets.
“I shot the team in the foot and I want to get back to my game,” vowed Roussel.
Roussel is starting to get noticed for the right reasons. In an alignment with Adam Gaudette and Zack MacEwen, he’s getting there on the forecheck. He got to the net to score the winner against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and then did the spade work behind the net to feed Gaudette to make it 5-3 in what would be a 6-3 triumph.
A span of six games in which Roussel has two points, eight hits and 10 shots isn’t headline material, but it’s a decent sidebar. The Canucks rely heavily on their top 6 mix, and secondary scoring is imperative — especially in this final 14-game push to end the regular season.
Roussel had five shots against the Arizona Coyotes last Wednesday and knows there’s more gas in the tank to build on 13 points (7-6) in 40 games because he did amass a career-high 31 points (9-22) last season.
However, at age 30, it was going to take Roussel longer to rehab and months to find his real mojo.
“I felt like in my summer training, I was rehabbing the leg but wasn’t training like I used to,” he said. “I felt like it was impacting me a bit. I tried different stuff. I tried speedball training and I’m even doing different stuff now to help the confidence.”
Travis Green is also seeing a quicker Roussel and that should keep his intensity up and penalties down.
“A big part of his game is getting off the mark with speed and tenacity and being around the puck,” said the Canucks coach. “He went through a stretch where he might have been a little late and we talked to him about it when we got back from the (last) road trip.
“You want open communication, but the onus always goes back to the player. He has to respond and do things better. He’s going to have dips coming off surgery, but I’m seeing him now taking away time and space. And when he’s on top of his game, he’s very effective and drives the play with his energy.
“And at this time of year, games are tight. Your details have to be sharp and we need guys to raise their game.”
Roussel doesn’t have to look far to understand the playoff-push grind. He was an impressionable 22-year-old when the Dallas Stars went on a 12-5-2 run in February and March and then slipped to a .500 clip in the 2013-14 season. They snuck into the final wild-card spot by just two points before dropping a firstround series to the Anaheim Ducks in six games.
“I was a young guy and at the time, you think you’re going to make it every year,” Roussel said. “Then you realize it’s not that easy. Games are on the line now and you try to spread that experience to the younger guys.”
MacEwen’s improving presence, including a two-goal outing Friday that also included four hits, has resonated with Roussel. He believes MacEwen doesn’t need guidance, he just needs encouragement.
“I don’t really have to say anything,” said Roussel. “He’s playing for his life right now and he’ll get a goal and an assist and fight. He has everything going for him and I want that kind of linemate. That fire is hard to find and we’re the kind of line that can make a difference.”