In the Vegas Golden Knights’ improbably run to the Stanley Cup Finals of their inaugural season in 2017-18, Erik Haula was very a lot part of the magic.
Left unprotected by the Minnesota Wild within the growth draft, Haula had the very best 12 months of his profession with Vegas, notching 29-26-55 totals and making the Golden Knights a right away Sin City success story.
Haula, with three completely different stops (Florida, Carolina and Nashville) between Vegas and Boston, returned to the scene on Thursday because the B’s confronted the Knights at T-Mobile Arena and remembered that standout season that has now seems extra like an anomaly.
“It’s one of those things that you have to prove it to yourself, prove it to others and then you want to do it again and again and again and be consistent. That’s the difference between the 20-, 30-goal scorer (and everyone else),,” stated Haula after the B’s morning skate. “The guys who do it year after year, that’s impressive. Ever since then, I’ve been striving to do that and haven’t got there. But that year was obviously special. Things clicked and the puck was going in.”
The 30-year-old Haula has not capable of attain these heights since then. His subsequent season was completed after 15 video games due to a knee harm after which was restricted to 48 video games the next season with Carolina and Florida.
In 51 video games with the Predators final 12 months, he had 9-12-21 totals. After signing within the offseason with the B’s, Haula obtained off to a horrible begin, sufficient to earn him a wholesome scratch in November, however the hope was at all times that he’d come round. And he has completed that, largely attributable to start granted the great fortune of attending to middle Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.
“(Predators coach) John Hynes is a good friend of mine in Nashville and he gave me a lot of insight into how Erik played for them last year. He got better as the year went on. We’re seeing that here. Maybe that’s a trend of his. It takes a while for him to get comfortable. But at the end of the day, he’s finding his game,” stated coach Bruce Cassidy. “Obviously after that year, he’s thinking ‘OK, I got 29 this year, I’ll get 35 (the next year)’ and it hasn’t quite gone that way. But he’s certainly capable of scoring goals and I think when you’re healthy – and he had some health issues after that that didn’t help him – and playing with good players, it’s a lot more probable that you’ll get closer to that number. I think he is healthy and he’s playing with good players. He’s a long way away from that now, but his game is trending well since he was moved into the middle with Hall and Pasta.”
To say Haula merely has to get out of the way in which and let Hall and Pastrnak do their factor can be unfairly minimizing what his job is. But he is aware of he’s there to facilitate for the massive weapons. He obtained a style of the glory within the B’s 7-0 win in Los Angeles with two late objectives, together with the a centesimal of his profession. But being a “puck-hog,” as he stated, will not be within the job description for him
“It’s me having a little more defensive responsibility, creating room with pace for those guys to handle the puck, knowing that Taylor is more of a drive and look and delay (kind of player) and David , you can find him in the slot and he’s always in the shooting position. That’s what makes him such a great goalscorer. He finds a way to get open and uses his shot that’s all-world,” stated Haula, who had 7-15-22 totals in 51 video games heading into Thursday’s sport. “I think it’s been clicking that way and we’re starting to find each other and know where we are. That obviously comes with time and just the communication. They expect a lot out of me and we expect a lot out of each other.”
When the B’s had been wanting into signing Haula, the velocity he confirmed earlier in his profession is what stood out to Cassidy.
“That’s the one thing we ask of him. Play with pace, keep up with your wingers, play a 200-foot game,” stated Cassidy. “When his legs are going, that’s when he’s at his best. It’s one of his best assets. Like Jake (DeBrusk) in that regard. Yeah, you’ve got to have details in your game but when you play with pace, you can back people off. It’s probably what allowed him to score all those goals in Vegas, getting open ice. You probably have to have shooting percentage go your way when you get a number that high. But at the end of the day, that’s what we see when he’s skating, he’s a more effective player.”
Indeed, Haula had the very best capturing proportion of his profession in Vegas, connecting at a 16.57% clip. Considering he’s at a 7.8% clip with the B’s, there may be room for enchancment there, too.
This and that
Curtis Lazar missed his fourth straight sport on Thursday with an higher physique harm, however he might be obtainable on the journey finale in Columbus on Saturday.
“He needs to get contact,” stated Cassidy. “I think he’ll be cleared after (Thursday’s skate).”…
Saturday’s match in Columbus would be the first time the B’s will face previous pal Sean Kuraly, who signed a strong cope with his hometown Blue Jackets (4 years at $2.5 million per season). He’s obtained 8-10-18 totals in 54 video games and his subsequent aim will probably be a profession excessive.
Source: www.bostonherald.com