CALGARY — Asked about a player who will almost undoubtedly find himself in the limelight as early as Thursday night, Bill Peters smiled.
“He’s got a little twinkle in his eye doesn’t he?” chuckled the Calgary Flames coach when asked about Matthew Tkachuk. “He’s a big-game player, he likes the spotlight. He likes to be in the trenches and in the middle of everything and I’m sure he will be.”
Of that, there can be no dispute.
Make no mistake, the sexiest storyline heading into Calgary’s first-round matchup with Colorado revolves around the clash between two of the league’s top trios.
But the fact is, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm will very rarely play against Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.
That’s where Tkachuk and his line will enter stage right for a starring role.
The task of shutting down Colorado’s MGM Line will go to Calgary’s 3M Line, which features Mikael Backlund, Michael Frolik and Mr. Tkachuk.
Given the job they did this season against the Avs’ big boys, the better question may be, how will the Avs be able to contain the 3M?
In the Flames’ three-game sweep of the Avs this season, Tkachuk and the lads limited the big boys to four goals and eight points, while posting 10 of their own.
Turnabout is fair play, especially since Backlund scored 21 and Frolik had 16 in an injury-shortened season.
No, their 71 goals can’t match the 106 posted by the Avs gunners, but suffice it to say Tkachuk and Co. won’t simply be out to neutralize.
They’ll be out there to attack as well, which may also include plenty of physicality and a healthy dose of Tkachuk’s antics as the game’s best young agitator.
“We won all three games so we obviously did something right,” said Tkachuk, who posted career highs in goals (34) and points (77) this year to finish 31st in league scoring, ahead of Landeskog.
“Whatever the recipe was, we have to continue that. That line is tough to play against and they’ve got great chemistry. But play them in their zone and they don’t want to be there. I don’t know if they are as comfortable in the defensive zone as they are on offence where it comes naturally for offensively gifted players.”
Highlighted by MacKinnon’s speed and the sublime skill of all three, the MGM Line blew into Calgary in early January when the Flames’ top trio was ripping up the league. Although the Flames won the game 5-3 (despite being outshot 35-16), it was evident MacKinnon’s line was considerably flashier and more dangerous than Monahan’s line.
Little changed after that, although what’s most impressive about the Avalanche’s recent 8-1-2 finish is that they did it without the MGM intact, due to injuries to Landeskog and Rantanen.
Keep in mind, Rantanen led the NHL in scoring a few months in, which is why the Avs hope he’ll be ready to return Thursday. If he does, there’s still no guarantee they’ll reunite.
“I assume we’ll see them a lot if they are together,” smiled Frolik, whose line has largely remained intact for two years as Calgary’s premier defensive go-to.
“It’s a special line for sure. The key is don’t feed them too much and stay above them. Obviously the regular season and the playoffs could be different, but we know we had a little bit of success against them. It’s going to be a big challenge.”
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You wonder if MacKinnon feels the same way given how prolific Calgary’s second line has been.
“We know we’re a good line, and we know we can make it hard on other lines and make them play in their own zone,” said Backlund. “I’m not just going to focus on them. We know we can score too.”
As Frolik points out, Peters isn’t hell-bent on line matchups like some coaches. But you can bet at home for Games 1 and 2 he’ll want MacKinnon and Co. watched closely by his hired guns.
“The game is going to be so fast, in my opinion, it’s going to be a track meet,” said Peters.
“There’s going to be very few matchups because teams are going to be changing and when you half ice a team or get half-iced it’s not about matchups, it’s about getting fresh bodies out there.
“That line for us is very, very important. They know how to play and they’re hard to play against. When Backs and Chucky are skating, that line is as good as anybody as a two-way line. Fro has won a Stanley Cup and he’s comfortable playing with those two guys. We’ll lean on them heavily.”
