Canadiens need commitment from Laine, urgency from Roy to spark offence

VANCOUVER — “You’ve got to earn your ice time around here. That’s how you win.”

Those were the words Rick Tocchet used late Sunday night when asked about the (limited) time on ice allotted to his three best offensive players — Elias Pettersson (16:05), Brock Boeser (15:49) and Jake DeBrusk (12:45) — in a game his Vancouver Canucks lost 4-1 to the Dallas Stars.

They’re also the words that apply to one high-scoring Montreal Canadien who wants more ice time and needs to earn it.

Because Patrik Laine can make a difference for this team right now. As Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes put it after last Friday’s trade deadline passed, “He brings offensive talent that isn’t found around the league,” and that’s offensive talent the Canadiens need coming off a 1-0 loss. 

Laine can’t access that talent as much as the Canadiens need him to, however, if he doesn’t take care of the other parts of the game that will get him on the ice as much as he wants.

The 26-year-old didn’t see any ice time in Saturday’s loss to the Calgary Flames because he was sick and couldn’t play. He didn’t get on the ice for Monday’s practice in Vancouver, and we’re not sure yet if he’ll be feeling well enough to play against the Canucks on Tuesday.

But if — and when — Laine does suit up, he needs to commit to playing the way the Canadiens expect him to rather than just playing the way he wants to.

“Whether it’s forechecking, backchecking, taking a hit to make a play, your defensive responsibilities in our zone,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, “these are all actions that are very important to our group, and I think Patty knows that.”

“We have to trust him on that side of the puck,” St. Louis continued. “And it’s not just one period, one shift, one game, it’s doing it consistently. I think if he does that, he’s going to put himself in a better spot to earn more ice time.”

Laine may have 14 goals and 24 points through 34 games this season, but he hasn’t earned himself much more than 13 minutes of playing time in any of the last four games he’s suited up for. He played a season-low 10:18 in the last one — a 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers last Thursday — and must look inward to understand why that was the case.

If he does, he’ll realize it wasn’t just because St. Louis didn’t want to expose rookie centre Owen Beck to matchups against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl; it was also because Laine hasn’t consistently managed his risk with the puck accordingly and hasn’t done enough away from the puck to ensure the Canadiens get what they need out of his shifts.

It’s not as if Laine can’t do it.

We saw him do it to great effect from the third line of Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, in a tournament-saving game against Sweden that saw him produce two assists and left Aleksander Barkov saying, “He battled, he made plays, he was great,” and that he was “the best Patrik Laine you can have.”

The Canadiens need that guy as soon as he’s well enough to play, and Laine must be that guy from that moment through the end of the season to improve their chances of playing in the playoffs.

Joshua Roy must bring urgency to tap cerebral game

It’s what Roy couldn’t do the last time he was with the Canadiens, but what he must do right now to be effective.

“I think just being more implicated and wanting the puck,” Roy said after flying to Vancouver early Monday morning to participate in the Canadiens’ afternoon practice. “I think I’m good with the puck, so I have to work hard to get it and just play good defensively and offensively and play that pro game.”

The 21-year-old got four games in at this level between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2 but wasn’t nearly as noticeable in them as he was over the 23 games he played for the Canadiens last season.

Back then, we saw a level of urgency in him that put him in spots to take advantage of his greatest asset.

“It’s his smartness,” said Canadiens forward Emil Heineman.

Both he and Roy played together in Laval last season, and he considers Roy’s hockey sense to be elite.

But Roy can’t tap into that if he doesn’t apply himself the way he has in Laval this season.

He’s been particularly strong of late, scoring six of his 20 goals on the season over his last nine games.

Looking at how Roy has scored them, they’ve almost all been from him arriving in the slot at the right time.

“That’s where you score goals,” Roy said. “You’ve got to be there to score.”

It’s not where he was through most of a disappointing training camp. But Roy is determined to be there on Tuesday.

It will require urgency on his part, and it will also require him to tap into that elite hockey sense.

“To me, when I think of Josh, I think of his touches,” said St. Louis. “I think he’s got good touches for a guy who hasn’t played a long time in the NHL. You can’t have great touches if you don’t know what’s next before you touch it. So I think for Josh’s sake, gathering a lot of information… he can’t play in the present, he’s got to play in the future. When he’s at his best, he understands that.”

The Canadiens need Roy at his best right now.

Centred by Alex Newhook, flanked by either Laine or Brendan Gallagher, who skated there Monday, they feel he can make a difference.

“We need as much offence as we can get,” said Josh Anderson, “and I think he can bring that to our team right now.”