Lafferty the man of the moment as Tocchet shuffles Canucks lines
Grouped with Pettersson and Hoglander, winger expects some `really intense hockey'
Tight margins. Close quarters.
That's how Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet expects his team's first-round playoff series versus the Nashville Predators will go.
And it's with that in mind that he turned to a player he thinks will be up to big things in the days to come: winger Sam Lafferty.
Tocchet spoke openly mid-week about how he figures the 29-yearold Pennsylvanian is made for the playoffs. “Last few games, heavy forechecking guy. I think he can jump on some loose pucks and we'll see how it goes,” Tocchet said Saturday.
The coach's emphasis on Lafferty's abilities were notable because Lafferty was lined up alongside Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander, a spot he's taken up from time to time this season.
Lafferty, who the Canucks picked up on the eve of the season in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs is big and fast.
He scored a career-high 13 goals this season, mostly on the fourth line.
It's what he does without the puck that will be what keeps him on the line, though.
Pettersson is the high-skill driver of the line, while Hoglander has hands and a relentless motor, constantly forcing turnovers and creating opportunities for his linemates.
On paper, you can perhaps see why Lafferty makes sense, his tenacious forechecking and presence are the kind of thing that might click with two highly-skilled linemates.
As a duo, Pettersson and Hoglander have dominated possession together, the Canucks taking nearly 60 per cent of the total shots taken while they're on the ice.
In limited ice time with Lafferty, the Canucks' percentage drops to about half.
Some of what Tocchet sees in the trio's potential is predicated on how he thinks the Predators have improved their game in the second half of the season.
A fast squad, the Predators scored a lot and gave up far fewer goals, the sign of a team that's doing all the little things right.
“Elevated, really intense hockey,” Lafferty said is what he's expecting, no matter who he is skating with or against.
But if it is with Pettersson and Hoglander, Lafferty knows he's there to do some pretty simple things — get on the puck and turn it over, go to the net, keep his stick on the ice.
“It's a lot of fun,” he said of the time he's spent with the two Swedes. He's had time this season on lines with each of them, though not much with both at the same time.
He's going to lean on Hoglander, he said, for further insights on how to read off their centre. And the feisty Hoglander is a player he's really enjoyed meshing with, he added.
“I just love playing with him,” he explained. “His physicality — not just hitting guys but winning puck battles — he's obviously an elite player below the hash marks. He brings a lot of problems for the opposition. And he puts the puck in the net.”
“He's smart. He's got the skill, he kind of has a lot of things going on. Really excited.”