Laine has input in power-play usage

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This article was published 23/03/2017 (3157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOS ANGELES — The public debate over how the Winnipeg Jets use sensational rookie right-winger Patrik Laine on the power play was front and centre at head coach Paul Maurice’s Thursday morning press briefing.

Maurice was asked to explain why the club’s top goal scorer is on the second power-play unit and, perhaps just as importantly, why the 18-year-old Finn is playing on the right side of the formation instead of the left, where he was so effective earlier in the season.

Interestingly, Maurice said, the assigned power-play duties have just as much to do with Laine’s wishes as the coach’s.

“I’ll explain that as best I can,” Maurice said. “The first unit runs off the right side of the ice. (Laine) doesn’t want to be on a power play that runs off the right side… So he wants it with some lefties. That’s the shot he wants. They also want to do both. So he wanted to be on his strong side, so we moved he and Nik (Ehlers) around.

“That unit is very young and is going to get very, very good. The other unit goes out first right now because they’re rolling. Mostly, you put the unit on the ice that’s the freshest. So, Ehlers with his speed draws some penalties. If they’re on the ice and they’ve been on for 45 (seconds), they’re not going first.

“The other unit’s rolling right now. They get to go first and they’ve got some pretty good players on that (unit). But (Laine) — and you saw it early in the year — on a power play that’s driven off the right side of the ice… did not excell at that (and) did not enjoy it. So I’m working with Patty on the power play, not working against him on the power play.”

Currently, the Jets’ No. 1 unit includes Mark Scheifele, Dustin Byfuglien, Mathieu Perreault, Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry. The right-handed Laine is normally on a second unit that includes Bryan Little, Jacob Trouba and lefties Ehlers and Nic Petan.

Moving Laine to the point on the right side was a very deliberate tactical move. 

“We like them to do both,” Maurice said. “(Laine) and (Ehlers) were very interested in trying it, so we gave them that opportunity. We’d like to be able to have that unit have more than one look in their approach. And as they develop and get more time in, we should be able to flip those during a game, depending on whether they’re getting their shots off or not or how much pressure they have down low.”

And what did he think of Laine’s performance?

“Middling effect, I think,” Maurice said. “(Laine) rings the cross-bar the other night (against Philadelphia) and that’s the idea of it. The problem with that unit last game wasn’t that setup. They didn’t get the puck off the wall, it was the down low things they didn’t accomplish. There’s three of the four guys up front that are really young players and they’ve been on power plays their whole lives where they’ve had lots of time… they’ve gotta get the puck off the wall. They’ve gotta get control of it to set up and they probably have spent a lot of energy over their career doing that.”

For those who complain Laine should be concentrating his efforts on setting up for one-timers from the left side, Maurice insisted the approach has to be more creative.

“There’s certainly more to it than that,” the coach said.

“There are other plays that have to be made because the one-timer’s not always there. You know who’s really good at reading that is Patty Laine. He does a pretty good job with his shot selection. This guy’s a pretty good player. I think we can have some faith in him. He’ll be fine.”

Laine, who was tied for the NHL rookie lead in goals with 33 and was the top point-getter among rookies with 60 points in 65 games heading into Thursday’s action, said he isn’t frustrated by his recent lack of production. He had gone three games without a goal and had only one point in his previous six games.

“We won three in a row — that’s the most important thing for me and I’ve had some pretty good chances the last couple of games,” Laine said. “I just haven’t been able to score. I’m not concerned about that…

“If it’s not a good chance, I don’t wanna waste it because I might find a passing lane or something (instead).”

He said he had no problem with how he is being used.

“I just want to be on the power play,” Laine said.

“Coach is making the decisions. He sees all the stuff, in his best way, and I think that’s good for me.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14