Couturier’s skill in faceoff circle paying dividends
PHILADELPHIA » When Sean Couturier lined up as a wide-eyed teenaged center for the start of the 201112 season, he didn’t have much of an offensive game, but he certainly knew how to use his defensive skills to full effect. He was just 18 at the time, so clearly there was much time to improve. It took a while. Much chronicled this season is the way Couturier finally has broken out as a scoring center with his move to the top line, which pushed Claude Giroux into his first real work on a wing since junior hockey. But Giroux has taken to left wing much in the same way Couturier has so effectively assumed the status of top-line center; he went into the season’s 32nd game Saturday night against the Dallas Stars having already tied his career high in goals with 15.
First with Jake Voracek by their side and more recently with Wayne Simmonds as the top-line right wing, Couturier and Giroux have been a dynamic pair this season. But that’s not true only from a production standpoint. They’re both primarily responsible for the Flyers being one of the best faceoff teams in the NHL.
According to puckbase. com, which tracks the top 100 players in the league by faceoffs taken, Giroux was ranked sixth in the league at 57.9 percent wins, and Couturier was 23rd at 54.3 through Friday.
What’s more, with a supporting cast that includes Valtteri Filppula, Scott Laughton and Nolan Patrick, the Flyers are overall the third-best faceoff team in the league, checking in at 52.7 percent. At home, they are No. 1 in the league at 56.3, just a smidge above overall leader Nashville in that sub-category.
“With (Giroux) being a righty, that helps a lot,” Couturier said. “He can take a lot of faceoffs on the right side, and on the left you have me, Laughts, (Filppula) and a few other guys who can take draws. There’s a lot of guys that are strong on sticks and strong on faceoffs. It’s a big part of our team.”
Along with his offensive uptick, faceoffs have also become a big part of Couturier’s arsenal. He admitted it took him a few seasons of hard schooling to get better at faceoffs, needing to not only improve his physical strength at the dots but also his perspective.
It takes a lot of cunning and a touch of sneaky nastiness to succeed at this facet of the game. That’s why from time to time at training camps over the years, a certain Hockey Hall of Famer skilled in the art of sneaky-nasty (and two-way hockey) would drop by and give Couturier and other Flyers some tips.
“I remember two or three years ago Mr. (Bob) Clarke came in and gave us some tips here and there, and obviously it helped a lot,” Couturier said. “But at the same time as the years go on you get more experienced at it; you get a little more leverage between the dots.”
Asked if some of that gained leverage comes from occasionally using the stick to full effect on opponents’ extremities during puck drops, Couturier grinned and said, “Yeah, that was (Clarke’s) type of game.”
Now winning faceoffs has become a big part of the Flyers’ game, with Giroux as one of the league’s most skilled specialists in the art, and Couturier getting better and better.
“It’s something I take pride in and try to get better at,” Couturier said. “The first few years coming in, being below 50 percent, that’s something that you want to (change), to be over 50 percent. I put in the necessary effort in the offseasons and tried to get stronger the last few years. These last two years that seemed to help a lot.”
While much has been made of Giroux moving to left wing and Couturier being the center of that line, Couturier said the two have taken so well to playing next to each other that positioning doesn’t really come into play.
“Ever since he moved to the wing, he’s seemed to be comfortable,” Couturier said of Giroux, who entered the Stars game with 13 goals and 34 points. “It was probably an adjustment for him at the start, but when we’re out there, there’s not really a position where I’m the center and he’s the wing. It’s more like whoever’s first on the puck or first down low, you kind of fill in each other’s roles. And offensively, if we have the puck most of the night, there’s not really (strict) positioning. You just try to create some plays offensively and make things happen.”
*** The Flyers had won five straight games to improve to 13-11-7, but still they were wallowing in a tie for last place in the Metropolitan Division. While a 10game winless skid was primarily responsible, the improvement by other teams in the division had much to do with it. The Flyers’ record would place them fourth if they were in the Atlantic Division.
That’s why making a playoff push will be all the more difficult this season.
“It’s a long ways ahead of us but I think what’s going to make a difference is our record within the division,” Couturier said. “Every night is a big two points, but when you beat your division opponents it’s points you take away from (them) that they can’t get back.”
Pointing out the Flyers are 1-0-3 against Metro Division teams, Couturier added, “Obviously the OT losses kind of suck, but we have to get some wins within our division. I think that’s going to be huge throughout the year.” HURRICANES 2, BLUE JACKETS 1 » Noah Hanifin scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period, Scott Darling stopped 35 shots and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Eric Staal also scored for the Hurricanes, who won their third straight in their first home game after a two-week trip.
Alexander Wenneberg had the goal for the Blue Jackets. RANGERS 3, BRUINS 2 » Mats Zuccarello scored a power-play goal 1:56 into overtime to lift the New York Rangers to a victory over the Boston Bruins.
Michael Grabner and J.T. Miller also scored for the Rangers, who won for the ninth time in 13 games (9-3-1) overall and beat the Bruins for the seventh straight time. Henrik Lundqvist, playing back-to-back days, made 33 saves.
Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen scored for Boston, which lost its second straight after winning nine of 11. Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots.