Canes’ Svechnikov’s second season filled with highs, lows and a touch of lacrosse
One night he’s slinging in a lacrosse shot for a goal that quiets most of the good hockey folks in Winnipeg and has the NHL buzzing, again.
A few nights later, he’s sitting in an exercise area in the Carolina Hurricanes locker room at PNC Arena, dejected, his head in his hands after a loss to the Florida Panthers.
Such have been the swings, in his play and his moods, for Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov in his second NHL season. His can be the brightest smile in the room, his personality shining through, his confidence evident, but some losses can eat at him, especially if he feels responsible.
The Florida loss, for example.
Midway through the second period of the Dec. 21 game at PNC Arena, Svechnikov was called for high-sticking the Panthers’ Jonathan Huberdeau. Late in the period, he had another high-sticking call after a run-in with Florida’s Brett Connolly, and both players were assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties,
The Panthers twice scored power-play goals and won 4-2. Svechnikov was spotted after the game with his head down.
“I was a little pissed,” he said of that moment. “A couple of key penalties pissed me off. Sometimes, it’s a good thing when you’re pissed. It means you want to win the game.”
That’s the way Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour viewed it. He likes Svechnikov’s youthful competitiveness. Not the penalties it can cause at times, many of them stick infractions, but the drive, the determination and compete level.
“I love the fact that he cares,” Brind’Amour said. “That wasn’t his best game for sure but he was trying. They (Panthers) got under his skin a little bit and that’s what teams are going to do. He has to understand that and he will.”
So much was new for Svechnikov last season. The second overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Russian winger was in the lineup at 18 and scored 20 goals as the Canes surged into the Stanley Cup playoffs. There was so much to like.
Canes captain Jordan Staal once was the second pick of the draft in 2006. He played as an 18-year-old rookie for the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 29 goals, setting an NHL rookie record with seven shorthanded scores.
In his second season, Staal tailed off to 12 goals. “It was,” he said, “a challenging year.”
Like Svechnikov, Staal learned that it’s not always a smooth ride. Teams have learned your weaknesses and try to exploit them while taking away your strengths. If you show emotion, they’ll try to rattle you. They’re always pushing you, testing you.
In the Jan. 2 game against Washington at PNC Arena, the Caps’ Brendan Leipsic shoved Svechnikov to the ice as the first period ended and the Caps’ Nic Dowd then tossed Svechnikov’s stick into the stands. That was unusual, earning Dowd a 10-minute misconduct penalty. Svechnikov kept his cool and did not retaliate.
“It can be frustrating at times,” Staal said. “Eighty-two games is a long season and a lot of things happen that are not going to go your way. It’s about rebounding and worrying about the next shift and focusing on the present. It’s about sticking with it and believing in yourself. I think ‘Svech’ has done a great job of staying even keel and focusing on what he does best.”
What Svechnikov does best is give the Canes a power forward with different ways of putting the puck in the net. As Brind’Amour said, “He’s got the green light to do pretty much anything in the offensive zone when he has the puck.”
As the Canes (29-18-3) went into the NHL All-Star break and bye week, Svechnikov had 45 points in 50 games. He has 19 goals and five have come on the power play after he finished his rookie season without a power-play score. The Canes are 23-7-0 in games in which he has had at least one point.
“He’s a man already, which you can’t say for many 19-year-olds,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said. “The skill is off the charts. When he puts it all together in games it’s fun to watch. You just sit back and go ‘Wow.’”
That was the reaction this season to his two lacrosse-play goals, long known as the “Michigan” after former Wolverines player Mike Legg pulled it off during an NCAA Tournament game in 1996. Svechnikov was the first in the NHL to successfully score on the play, against Calgary on Oct. 29 at PNC Arena, then did it again at Winnipeg on Dec. 17, both in Canes wins.
Which was better?
“Both were difficult,” Svechnikov said. “People ask which I like best but I don’t care. Like for me, it’s the same thing. For me, it’s hockey, it’s a goal. A good goal.”
Also one that now has been duplicated by Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators, who became the second NHL player to score on it. Svechnkov has seen the Forsberg replay from the Preds’ Jan. 14 game against Edmonton, calling it a nice play while smiling and joking, “I still have one more.”
Before the New Year’s Eve game against the Montreal Canadiens, Svechnikov was being interviewed by Montreal media in the Canes’ room. Asked about the “buzz” he created with the lacrosse shots, he said, “What is that, buzz?”
Told it was the frenzied social media chatter, he nodded and noted, yes, he has an Instagram account and he said it went “a little crazy.”
Another question was posed: was he afraid of having a “sophomore slump” as some players do in the NHL after strong rookie years?
“Afraid of what?” he said. ”I never think of that. I just want to show my best game this season.”
The Canes, who last played Jan. 21 against Winnipeg, resume their season Friday at home against the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll likely have to play the last 32 games without defenseman Dougie Hamilton, out with a broken fibula, but with former captain Justin Williams now in the lineup.
Svechnikov said he popped down to Miami’s South Beach for a few days during the Christmas break. He planned a trip to Mexico for the extended All-Star Game and bye-week break.
“I think after 50 games it helps you so much, mentally more than anything,” he said. “You can come back fresh, and play fresh again, and I think that’s great.”
All the better to handle the highs and the lows.
