‘Turbo’ no Canes tough guy but the Finn is tough enough
Teuvo Teravainen agrees with the notion that the more physical he is in games, the better he plays.
“Sometimes I really get into the game, am strong with the puck and in the battles, and that helps my game for sure,” he said Saturday.
Remember, we’re not talking Micheal Ferland size or tough-guy temperament. Teravainen is listed at 5-11 and 191 pounds and the only time the Carolina Hurricanes winger drops his gloves is between periods or after the game.
But Teravainen played with both skill and a little snarl Saturday against the Minnesota Wild. It was noticeable. So was his line as Teravainen, center Jordan Staal and rookie Andrei Svechnikov combined for three goals and three assists in a 5-1 win at PNC Arena.
Late in the game, when Svechnikov took a pop from the Wild’s Ryan Donato near the benches, it was Teravainen who stepped in, having a few words with Donato, defending his teammate.
The damage had long since been done by then, with Teravainen in the middle of much of it. In the second period, his give-and-go with defenseman Justin Faulk and a deft backhand pass set up Faulk for a shot. Staal and Svechnikov had gone to the front of the net, positioned like twin sentries, the puck going off Staal’s skate and past goalie Devan Dubnyk.
In the third, the Canes won a board battle in the Wild zone that ended with the puck on Teravainen’s stick in the right circle. He again pirouetted through traffic for a quick backhander to Svechnikov, who ripped a shot past Dubnyk for the rookie’s 19th goal -- all at even strength -- this season.
“Pretty impressive high-end plays,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He’s also taken his game to another level this year on the defensive side of things.”
With the Canes leading 4-1, Teravainen made a quick break in the neutral zone to pick off a pass by the Wild’s Greg Pateryn. He swept in on Dubnyk, who first tried to poke the puck away, unsuccessfully, then gave his paddle a hurl at Teravainen and the puck.
The goal was Teravainen’s 19th of the season and the Finn known as “Turbo” to his teammates now has 51 assists. Make it a three-point game -- Teravainen’s 21st multi-point game of the season, a team best -- and another two points for the Canes (41-26-7), who host the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
“I feel like I played pretty good every shift,” Teravainen said. “I feel like I’ve played pretty strong and when I play with the confidence, that’s what usually happens.”
Being used on the penalty kill along with Sebastian Aho, a move Brind’Amour made in December, has given Teravainen a more aggressive demeanor on the ice. And Brind’Amour’s more recent decision to move Svechnikov to the Staal line has been a good one.
Teravainen said the game Saturday was their best as a line, and Svechnikov has benefited from Teravainen’s playmaking ability.
“They’ve been solid every game and I think it’s helped Andrei kind of get his feet under him, to play with those guys,” Brind’Amour said.
Teravainen, like the rest of the team, feared the worst Thursday when Staal took a hit to the head from Yanni Gourde of the Tampa Bay Lightning and left the game. Staal’s concussion problems have kept him out of a lot of games this season.
Gourde would receive a two-game suspension from the league. Staal has had two goals, returning in the Tampa Bay game to score and then scoring again against the Wild.
“It’s scary, especially since he’s had some issues,” Teravainen said of Staal. “You never want to see a man go down. It’s great to see he’s good.”
And Brind’Amour said it was good seeing Teravainen step in when Svechnikov went down from the Donato hit.
“I don’t know that he knew what he was doing,” Brind’Amour said. “But the guys on this team play for each other. It’s one thing where I don’t necessarily think we want him doing that really, but to me it shows what the mindset is.”
