Laine faces music after tough loss

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/03/2017 (3169 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Patrik Laine, surrounded by reporters and cameras, took full responsibility for his part in the Winnipeg Jets’ 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

The 18-year-old rookie had just come off one of his poorest performances of his young career — one that was underscored by an ill-timed pass by Laine late in the game that led to a short-handed, go-ahead goal by the Sharks. The goal broke open a spirited 1-1 game and was an obvious shift in momentum, with the Jets unable to score again until the final seconds and with the chance of a comeback out of reach.

“I think it was just a normal play but those guys that are killing penalties have so much skill that they can take those passes and then just go,” said Laine, following an off-ice workout at the MTS Iceplex after the Jets cancelled practice.

“I didn’t have that much time and I knew that I had to do something. It wasn’t a good decision but sometimes that kind of stuff happens and you just try to move on.”

It’s not often that Laine, a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie with 32 goals and 27 assists in 59 games, has faced questions about what he’d done wrong in a game. Usually the attention around the young Finn follows a highlight-reel goal.

Indeed, facing any sort of criticism has been a rare occurrence for Laine, who far more often this season has been a saviour for the Jets (Winnipeg is 17-3-3 when Laine scores a goal).

But following such a critical loss, at a time when the Jets (30-31-6) are desperately pushing hard to make the playoffs, the questions seemed justifiable.

So, there he was to face to the music. And, as has been the case for any notable play — good or bad — he has made this season, Laine, similar to his approach with the media, dealt with the situation using an open mind and short memory.

“I think I’m pretty good at forgetting those mistakes and just trying to learn every day from them,” said Laine, adding he has watched the film to see what he could have done differently. “That’s my job. I don’t have to think about the game anymore. Just try and work hard and try to be better in the next game.”

Jets head coach Paul Maurice made little noise when asked about the mistake, suggesting it was simply part of the learning process for Laine as he continues to adjust to life in the NHL.

“It’s a play that gets made at certain times and you find that when you play teams with better speed and they’re really aggressive, your risk profile has to change a little bit — and that’s a learned thing,” Maurice said. “That comes from experience — when to cut it off. We have to have Patty Laine and a number of those players with a little risk in their game, because they’re capable of making those plays.”

It’s been a challenge, at times, for Maurice to find the right balance with his budding superstar. While trying to avoid the kind of high-risk, low-reward plays such as the one Laine made against the Sharks, Maurice has also been careful not to over coach on offence, in fear of stifling Laine’s creativity.

“It’s probably been a theme for the year: we can’t take away what they’re great at, but we just want to try and modify it and let them experience it enough so they start making those plays on their own,” Maurice said.

“I think that Patty has a really strong assessment of his game. Really, in all the games, he knows when he’s playing well. If there was a negative to it, he’s probably a little hard on himself. Some of that I think is every time he touches the puck in the offensive zone he thinks he can go in and he might (score). So I understand when he misses a shot he’s an angry man.

“Having a guy at any age that understands his game and where he’s at with it (is impressive).

“It wasn’t his best… we’re really looking forward to seeing him play (tonight against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins) because when he’s had an off night, I think he’s bounced back and played really well.”

With just 15 games remaining on the schedule, and the Jets still five points shy of the final wild-card spot in the West following Tuesday’s games — with Winnipeg having played more games than any other team in the league — the Jets can’t afford to have an off game from Laine or any other player.

“We need the points,” Laine said. “We can’t afford to make those mistakes anymore and we’re going to need all the points that we can get. Hopefully, we can improve our game and win a lot of games out of these last 15.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton