Laperriere a Tough Loss for Flyers' Penalty Kill
(from CSNPhilly.com)
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
April 28, 2010 - The playoffs are about attrition.
As one series evolves into another, players drop by the wayside with injuries.
You can replace a goal scorer with a couple of guys who can score goals. Then hope one of them makes a difference.
But it's not the same with a penalty kill specialist.
You don't just pluck one of your "Black Aces" off the reserve squad and tell him to block shots, lay out and take a puck in the face like Ian Laperriere did in Game 5 against New Jersey.
A number of players, and coach Peter Laviolette himself, emphasized on Wednesday that the Flyers had to accept Laperriere's loss just as it accepted the loss of Carter and Simon Gagne, both of whom have right foot fractures.
"We could have hung our heads and cried once Gagne and Carter went out of the lineup," Laviolette said. "Nobody cares. Nobody cares whether we're down or up. Guys have been in terrific spirits … they're excited to get going again. We wish he were in the lineup because he's a valuable asset to the team. But that's not the case."
Truth is, Laperriere is one of the handful of guys in the National Hockey League whose courage and skill set on the PK unit is difficult to find.
That makes Laperriere – "Lappy," as he's been nicknamed – harder to replace than Carter. Why? Because while Carter may not be scoring goals every game in a series, Laperriere is absolutely certain to be on the ice seven or eight times every game killing penalties.
Even more, what Laperriere brings to the team is not something you can get from a rookie or reserve player. There is no one outside of Chris Pronger on the Flyers with 16 years NHL experience to replace Laperriere.
And then there's what Laperriere brings to the dressing room.
"He's had a little hand in a lot of things this year," said Flyers captain Mike Richards. "He's always a team-first guy and that is what you need around a locker room to settle things down.
"It's always disappointing to lose a player, but a guy like him, he would do anything for a teammate. That makes it that much harder."
This is Richards' fourth trip to the playoffs with the Flyers, and he admits he'd like to say just once that he was part a playoff run where the Flyers didn't lose multiple veterans to serious injuries.
"People are obviously going through it," Richards said. "The freak injuries occurring, the broken feet back to back … Kimmo [Timonen] had a blood clot a few years ago which I had never even heard of that in a hockey player before. I guess if you pull through the adversity and come up on top, it makes it that much sweeter."
Blair Betts and Laperriere were more or less twins on the penalty kill, and on the Flyers' fourth line. They played 63 games together, tops among the forwards. They were also the No. 1-2 penalty-kill duo on the ice among the forwards.
For Betts, losing Laperriere is sort of like losing his right-hand man.
"We've been together all year on the same line, the same penalty-killing unit," Betts said. "He's a great guy in the dressing room. He provides a lot of leadership, always keeping everyone focused but loose at the same time. He'll be missed. That's the way things go.
"You definitely get comfortable with one person. It will take a little more execution and communication on the ice. Killing penalties is about blocking shots and working hard and limiting other team's opportunities, and I think everyone understands that. We shouldn't have a problem."
Laviolette said that Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux and Darroll Powe will all see their penalty-kill minutes increase. He also said there's a chance he'll use Andreas Nodl, from the Phantoms, who he feels is best suited for that specific role among the "Black Aces."
Powe replaced Laperriere on the kill in Game 5 when the latter went off the ice after being struck in the face by a puck. Powe worked with Betts.
"We've [with Betts] played a little bit together this year," Powe said. "Once you get out there, you have to talk and sort things out."
Powe has one skill Laperriere lacks: speed. That could add a different dimension to the Flyers' penalty kill units in Round 2.
"If there's a loose puck, it's who gets there first," said Powe, who is widely considered the fastest skater on the Flyers. "If the puck stays in or puck gets out, that [speed] can definitely help on the penalty kill."
Powe said he learned a lot this season watching and listening to Laperriere, who sits adjacent to him in the dressing room.
"Just playing with him the last couple of months, being on his line, he is always telling you tips on how to position yourself in shot lanes," Powe said. "Basically, how to compete every night. He's done it over a decade now.
"For [Laperriere] it was about sacrifice. Getting into that lane and making sure the puck didn't get to the net. He's been doing it a long time. I always saw him and Betts talking before the game where the d-men are going. There's a lot that goes into it, but he's one of the guys who's figured it out."
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net