OTTAWA – The challenge is greater for Erik Karlsson against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is still playing slightly half of the game, but he’s doing it against Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel.
That helps explain why it was natural to come away from the first two games of the Eastern Conference final feeling as though the Ottawa Senators captain hadn’t made his usual impression.
The stakes are high and the games are tough. He’s shouldering a lot of responsibility.
"I think this series, he hasn’t hopped in the play as much," teammate Clarke MacArthur said before Game 3 on Wednesday. "It’s a harder job this round, just to take care of your own end than getting the offence. We’ll see if he starts popping in once and awhile, a little more."
It may be required to get past the Penguins in this series.
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Karlsson was stuck in neutral throughout most of Game 2. The Senators had an unusually difficult time controlling the puck and creating chances with him on the ice during the 1-0 loss in Pittsburgh.
There is always a fine line for the Swede to negotiate within the game – knowing when to take chances and jump into the play, and when to stay back and create a deterrent for opponents who want to carry the puck on his side of the ice.
Karlsson was not in a reflective mood on Wednesday morning – "It’s been good," he said, when asked about his play – but did acknowledge the need for the Senators to chase the game far less than they did in the previous outing.
"It’s been a long year and fatigue and the mental toughness is going to play in," said Karlsson. "If you have the puck a little bit more and you play a little bit more in their zone everything gets a little bit easier."
There isn’t a hockey player on the planet who has played more than him this year. He logged the fifth most minutes during the regular season and is the leader in the playoffs, with a total of 2,471 minutes and 20 seconds overall.
When you factor in the fact he played through two hairline fractures in his left heel during the first round and may still be managing that issue, it’s been a demanding stretch.
However, for Karlsson, it’s also been an enjoyable one. He woke up on a sun-splashed May 17 and had a game to play.
"It feels good," he said. "It’s a little different, something new. This is what you want to do and something that you’ve been dreaming of doing so we’re just going to cherish this moment and try to make the most of it."
Much ink has already been spilled on how much he means to the Senators. He’s been on the ice for all nine game-winning goals they’ve scored this post-season.
The Penguins have tried to build a game plan around limiting his impact and Karlsson’s yet to find the scoresheet in this series. In some ways, it’s a tougher task than trying to shut down an all-world centre.
"If it is a forward you can try to have a tighter gap and give him a lot less space," said Penguins defenceman Ian Cole. "As a defenceman, he kind of intrinsically has more space to jump up. And he’s such a good skater that he can really get through that space really quickly. He’s a great hockey player and he’s certainly a challenge."
The message to Pittsburgh’s forwards has revolved around being mindful when Karlsson is on the ice and pressuring him from behind if he joins the attack.
"Any time you can get a bump on him and make him stop, the more exhausting it is," said winger Carter Rowney. "It’s hard to play that way. At the same time, you have to be aware of what he’s capable of doing. He’s shifty. He’s so dangerous on that rush, joining late.
"It’s something you gotta be aware of."
Unless the feel of the series changes dramatically, Game 3 will likely be another tight affair. A game where both teams guard against making mistakes.
For Ottawa to grab a 2-1 lead, they’ll likely need Karlsson pushing the play and tilting the ice.
It’s no easy task.
"You look at Pittsburgh, they’ve got all-stars, and all the games are (tight)," said MacArthur. "You defend them well. It’s not like the old days where, I don’t want to say they didn’t key on the top players, but you’re keying on the top players now. Like you’re literally building your shift around keeping them off the scoreboard.
"I’d hate to be one of the top guys. It’d be tough."
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