SUNRISE, Fla. — Hello, Vincent Desharnais, So long, for now, Cody Ceci.
Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch continued to shuffle his deck, bringing six-foot-seven defenceman Desharnais out of the press box and on to a pairing with six-foot-four Darnell Nurse for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, which goes Monday night.
“Twin towers,” said a chuckling Desharnais, who was removed from the lineup for Philip Broberg halfway through the Western Conference Final. “Two pretty long sticks, and when we work together, we communicate well, and we make a very good pair. We’re hard to play against and we try to be as physical as possible.”
The move is to combat two things: Desharnais’ big frame works well against Florida’s voracious forecheck; and, the Nurse-Ceci pairing just hasn’t worked, on for both goals against (not the empty-netter) in the Oilers’ 3-0 loss in Game 1.
For the 28-year-old from Laval, Que., this marks a milestone in a journey that wound through the Providence College, the ECHL, the AHL and an Oilers training camp where the No. 6 spot on Edmonton’s defence was Philip Broberg’s to lose.
He lost it, and Desharnais went on to play 78 games this season before Broberg replaced him in the Dallas series.
“It’s definitely something I’m proud of,” he said of the thought of playing his first Stanley Cup game Monday night. “I’ve had my moment to enjoy it, sinking in after Game 6 against Dallas. I talked about it with my family, my friends, and it was really cool to talk about it.
“But I’m not here just to come to the Final. I want to win and I have a job to do tonight. I will enjoy it, but I’ve got to stay dialed in and be sharp tonight.”
Hyman’s ‘Full Circle’ Moment
Zach Hyman vividly remembers the moment he became a Florida Panther.
Tipped off by his advisor (now agent) Todd Reynolds that there was a good chance that the franchise would select him on the second day of the 2010 draft, the hopeful winger flew to Los Angeles with his parents and girlfriend (now wife) to sit in the stands.
Because Hyman’s grandparents lived in nearby Palm Springs, they made the two-hour drive west to be in the building.
The prospect had no clue if he’d go in Round 2 or 7. Didn’t even attend the combine.
And when his name was finally called in the fifth round, 123rd overall, he ran up and gave Grandpa a big hug before climbing down the steps and getting presented with a Panthers sweater.
“It was a huge moment,” Hyman said, now decked out in Oilers gear. “Hey, an NHL team recognized me as a potential prospect to play in the NHL.
“It was an amazing experience.”
As a thank you, Hyman autographed a copy of his children’s book, Hockey Hero, and sent it to the GM who wanted him, Dale Tallon.
Of course, Hyman’s tenure in a Panthers uniform never extended beyond a few development camps, where he first shared a sheet with stud teenager Aleksander Barkov in 2013.
Because Florida was flush with prospects at the time, Hyman wasn’t quick to sign. He stayed in school and honed his craft in Michigan.
“They didn’t want to sign me before that, and I wasn’t ready to be signed during Year 2 or 3 at Michigan. I needed the full four years to develop. Then Toronto traded for my rights,” said Hyman, who has no lasting links to Stanley Cup rival.
Still, there is some symmetry in the 50-goal longshot returning to Florida and trying to realize his Stanley Cup dream in the market that gave him his first NHL stamp of approval.
“Full circle,” he said, smiling.
Is Kane Able?
Evander Kane is walking that line between the courageous veteran fighting through injury, and the injured player who doesn’t have enough game to help his team win.
The sports hernia he was nursing coming into these playoffs — and whatever else he has incurred through 19 games — has mitigated Kane’s production. He has just one assist and no goals in his last eight games, and 4-4-8 in 19 playoff games.
“I’m going to be playing tonight,” Kane declared when asked after a morning skate he did not take part in. “It’s the Stanley Cup Final. There are lots of guys going through different things.”
Kane was observed in Game 1 on the Oilers bench, not sitting down during the game. Whatever his injury is, apparently standing brings him more comfort. He played 15:22 with no shots on goal and two hits.
“There was a sports commentator that was talking a few years ago and it always stuck out to me,” Kane said. “If you’re on the field, everybody expects you to be yourself. If you dress, they expect you to perform like you’re at your best.
“Obviously, there’s reality, but as an athlete, that’s what you expect from yourself. I expect to contribute the way you know I can tonight.”
How They Line Up
Centre Sam Carrick will take the pre-game skate and is a possibility to play, Knoblauch said.
Is he insurance for the nicked-up Kane? Is Ryan McLeod needed elsewhere in the lineup, rather than centering the fourth line? Does Adam Henrique go from centering the third line to Draisaitl’s right wing?
The Oilers skated with these lines at their morning skate, but that was with Kane not participating. We’ll have to wait for Knoblauch to make his call tonight:
Oilers
RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Holloway-Draisaitl-Henrique
Janmark-Carrick-Brown
Foegele-McLeod-Perry
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Desharnais
Kulak-Broberg
Skinner
Panthers
Florida’s lineup is consistent. Same as Game 1:
Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart
Tkachuk-Bennett-Rodrigues
Luostarinen-Lundell-Tarasenko
Lorentz-Stenlund-Okposo
Forsling-Ekblad
Mikkola-Montour
Ekman-Larsson/Kulikov
Bobrovsky
Great Praise
Watching Game 1 inside Amerant Bank Arena, Wayne Gretzky caught a flashback to 1983 and his first trip to the Cup Final with Edmonton.
Gretzky turned to his wife, Janet, and said: “No. 16 is the best defensive hockey player I’ve seen since Bryan Trottier.”
Speaking on the Sportsnet panel, Gretzky couldn’t help but chuckle at the matchup monster Connor McDavid faces in Selke champ Aleksander Barkov.
“I got Bryan Trottier four games,” Gretzky said.
“What did I get? No goals. And what did we get? No Cup.”
The Great One’s compliment was relayed to Barkov.
“Wow,” the humble centreman said. “Coming from him, especially means a lot. Everyone knows what he meant to the game of hockey. When you hear people, especially a guy like that, say stuff like that, it obviously means a lot. I appreciate that.”
Can’t spell ‘Luostarien’ without ‘star’
A major source of belief in the Florida room is health.
And among the players too banged-up to contribute during the 2023 final against Vegas is valuable third-line winger Eetu Luostarinen, who already made an impact in Game 1 by sniping the insurance goal past Stuart Skinner.
“First final game for me, so it was exciting for the start,” the low-key Finn said. “We had fun. And being able to score that goal, too, was fun.
Coach Paul Maurice said Luostarinen’s impact during this run is a case of absence making the heart grow fonder.
“When he missed that series, we really noticed it. It changed so much of what we do. He’s been a big player for us this year,” Maurice said.
“He’s one of those guys on the team that doesn’t get mentioned first, but he’s one of those guys you need. He’s one of those all-around players. He grinds hard. He makes good plays, blocks shots. Probably focused on the defensive side of the game, so he doesn’t get quite as much notoriety — but really important part of our game.”