Bruce Boudreau has fielded a lot of questions about Jakob Silfverberg this season. The one that's been asked the most: Why hasn't he been scoring goals?
The 24-year-old Anaheim Ducks right winger had only 13 goals in the regular season. He came to the NHL to just that, didn't he?
It's easy to say that there's a cause for concern just by looking at goals scored. But really, there's no concern because there's more to hockey than just scoring goals. Boudreau has said all season that Silfverberg has been one of the more underrated players on the team.
Silfverberg, a player who does all of the little things (26 assists, 39 points, plus-15 in the regular season) saw his hard work rewarded with 19 seconds left in Game 2 of the Ducks' opening round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets Saturday night, scoring the game-winner on a wrist shot from the left circle, so quick that when Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec blinked, it was in the back of his net.
It might have been the spark needed that to fuel the scoring fire but at the same time, that's not necessarily his priority.
"When you show up in the scoresheet, obviously that helps," he said. "And getting that goal (Saturday night), it's a huge confidence boost. But it's a team game and we have another game in two days and it's back to square one."
Silfverberg can do a lot more than just score goals, and sometimes, that's what the team needs more than a score. An all-around forward that is becoming more and more complete each season, he can skate, forecheck, hit and he's helped the Ducks kill off all seven of the Jets' power play opportunities.
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"He was playing great. He had a couple opportunities to shoot early on and he missed the net," said Ducks' coach Bruce Boudreau. "He was rewarded. He played a great game, killed a lot of penalties and he was rewarded with the goal, so good for him."
While is coach would argue that he's been visible on the ice all season, as the second half of the season began, Silfverberg became a lot more visible on the scoresheet. After parachuting in for the playoffs with Ottawa four seasons ago, he's become more assertive and more aware of the nuances on the smaller ice surface.
More sure of himself and suddenly emboldened by a big game-winner, Silfverberg is just doing just fine, thanks for asking.
"Obviously, it does a lot for me and for the team as well," he said. "For me, getting a goal helps with my confidence. I'm going to shoot the puck even more than I've been (shooting) and hopefully get a few more bounces."
True North Proud and Loud
No offense to the sellout crowds that have represented the Honda Center well throughout the first two games of the series, but the most anticipated game of the series is yet to come.
Winnipeg, a once proud hockey town, will finally see playoff action for the first time in 19 years. The MTS Centre is expected to be shaking at decibel levels previously unknown come Monday night.
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And the hometown team, coming back in an 0-2 hole, plans on giving the crowd a show.
"We know we've got a lot of fans that have been waiting a long time to watch playoff hockey and we're looking forward to getting back into that building and turning things around," said Winnipeg winger Drew Stafford. "We can feed off that energy, use it to our advantage."
The Ducks, on the other hand, plan to take that advantage away.
"Hopefully, we'll take the crowd out of the game by scoring early," Silfverberg said. "You always get kind of surprised, even though you expect (the noise) the first couple of minutes. But after that, your head is in the game. You don't really think too much about it."
Business as usual
The Ducks had an optional skate Saturday morning at the Honda Center, before departing for Winnipeg. Only a few skated and lineups and injuries will be updated after the morning skate Monday, at the MTS Centre.
