Laine named NHL’s first star on eve of showdown with Matthews

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This article was published 20/02/2017 (3511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Not that a game against Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs needs any extra hype, but the plot thickened Monday morning when Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine was named the league’s first star of the week.

Tuesday night’s clash between the Jets and Leafs has already been dubbed the rematch between Laine and Matthews, who was chosen first overall — one pick ahead of Laine — in last June’s draft.

It will be the second time the Jets and Leafs have played this season. In the first meeting – a come-from-behind 5-4 overtime victory for Winnipeg on Oct. 20 – it was Laine that got the better of Matthews.

With the Jets trailing 4-0 in the second period, the young Finn erupted to record his first NHL hat trick (he now has three of them compared to Matthews’ one, which came in a four-goal night in his NHL debut), including the game-winner in extra time. Matthews recorded a single assist and was unable to convert on a breakaway in OT (Laine scored on the ensuing play).

In four games last week, the 18-year-old Laine recorded five goals and three assists for eight points, helping the Jets put up three wins and an OT loss over that stretch. Matthews, 19, played three games last week, collecting a pair of goals and two assists.

Laine currently leads the NHL rookie scoring race with 52 points (28g, 24a) in 54 games — three more than Matthews, who has 49 points (28g, 21a) in 58 games.

Starting even before Laine and Matthews stepped into the NHL spotlight, hockey fans and media have constantly debated on who is or may become the better player. Monday’s announcement will surely add to the debate.

Note: Since joining the NHL, neither Laine, nor Matthews have shown the slightest interest in comparing one another. Before the draft, Laine did say he expected to be the No. 1 pick, but, really, what else was he going to say?

However, the popular belief among many – at least those outside of Winnipeg and especially in Toronto – is Matthews is the clear-cut winner.

The two most common arguments in favour of Matthews are simple: because Matthews plays centre he’s a more complete player and although Laine has more points this year, Matthews has stayed close despite playing with lesser talent.

Whichever side you fall on, Laine’s or Matthews’, there is merit to both of those points.

First off, the responsibilities of a centreman do exceed that of a winger, particularly in the defensive zone. Centremen have to do battle in the corners, while are also expected to lead the rush up the ice. Wingers are responsible for shadowing a defender near the blue line, where there’s less work involved compared to battling in the corners.

In short, to be a centreman you need to be a two-way player. It’s part of what makes them so valuable and hard to acquire outside of drafting the position.

As for the quality of linemates, Laine is the clear winner.

Matthews has spent most of the season between Zach Hyman (58GP: 8G, 15A, 23P) and Connor Brown (58GP: 14G, 12A, 36P) on the Leafs’ third line. Laine, on the other hand, has alternated between centremen Mark Scheifele, who is among the NHL’s scoring leaders with 60 points through 59 games; and Bryan Little, who is arguably the Jets’ best defensive forward and has chipped in 30 points in 39 games.

Supporters of Laine will tell you how his world-class shot and rapid-fire release, the kind that rivals that of Washington Capitals star and goal machine Alexander Ovechkin, it what makes him better. You’ll also hear about how, unlike Ovechkin, Laine can make passes that many wouldn’t dare to try look routine.

Perhaps what’s more impressive than his blistering shot and his playmaking ability is his how he’s made the transition from playing in Finland his whole life to becoming a budding NHL star look so easy.

It’s something not lost on Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman and fellow Finn, Olli Maatta, who marvels at what Laine has been able to do at such a young age so quickly in his career.

“It’s never easy to come over here as a young player because you’re playing on smaller ice – it’s really tough,” said Maatta, adding he had the benefit of playing in the OHL with the London Knights as a teen before Pittsburgh took him with the 22nd pick in the 2012 draft.

“People don’t really understand how tough it is. He makes it look really easy which is probably what surprises me the most. I think everybody knows how good of a player he is and how skilled he is and his ability to score goals. But his transition here, it’s like nothing has really changed for him and he’s able to play the same way. He makes it look way easier than it should be.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice said looks would be deceiving when judging how seamless a transition to the NHL it’s been for Laine. He’s put in a lot of work to make it look the way it does.

“It’s been a very difficult thing,” said Maurice. “Part of it is the Finnish system, which has some really good things, makes it easier to play. But some of it makes it more difficult to play.”

In Finland, the ice surface is smaller compared to most European countries and leagues but not by much. There’s also a lot more skill involved, with less physical play.

It was a transition Jets forward Joel Armia struggled with early in his career. When Armia, a first round pick in 2011, was acquired in a trade from Buffalo midway through the 2014-15 season, he had played just one NHL game for the Sabres.

It wouldn’t be until late the following year that he would finally stick. A big part of that was trying to adjust to a whole new game compared to back home. In Finland, it was more about skill, with the physical part always secondary to speed and puck handling.

“I remember the first time I came over I probably never stopped on the ice,” Armia recalled in an interview last season.

That Laine is not only able to keep up with NHL game but also dominate is something Maurice said is a testament to his work ethic, rather than his skill.

“He’s made huge strides in his style of play and none of it that needed to change was a character flaw, it’s just the way the game was played over there,” said the Jets coach. “I think there’s been a lot more work in it than you may know.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton