‘Quickie’ has quickly become a Hurricanes workhorse
Jesper Fast won the Players’ Player Award so many times with the New York Rangers that they might as well have named it for him.
That is, if they didn’t let him go.
The Rangers award, selected by teammates, is given to someone who “best exemplifies what it means to be a team player.” That was Fast, five years running, for the Rangers. And he’s quickly become the same kind of player for the Carolina Hurricanes this season.
“He’s a guy who fits our mold in the way we want to play,” Canes captain Jordan Staal said Thursday on a media call. “He’s just an absolute workhorse. Every shift you see him and he’s never going to quit on a puck. He’s always going to be working. It may not always work out for him, but you know he’s going to give it his all.
“He’s played well for us down the stretch and done a lot of things under the radar that we appreciate as players and I’m sure as coaches.”
The guy they call “Quickie” — the perfect nickname, yes? — had a big-time play Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Jumping on a loose puck in front of the Chicago net, he knocked it off the inside of the post and past goalie Kevin Lankinen for the winning goal in a 4-3 road victory at the United Center.
The play was set in motion by center Vincent Trocheck winning a draw in the defensive zone. The puck went to Fast, who dropped off a pass to Trocheck and then went to the net as Trocheck got off a shot. The puck hit defenseman Calvin de Haan and bounced off Lankinen’s left pad to Fast, who shot as he fell to the ice with 29 seconds left in regulation.
“Got a bit of a weird bounce and I almost missed the puck, too,” Fast said of his fifth goal of the season. “But I was lucky it went post and in. Very happy with that.”
When the Rangers allowed Fast to leave in free agency after last season, the Hurricanes signed the Swedish winger to a three-year, $6 million contract. The price was right and Fast’s acquisition was one of the few offseason additions for the Canes.
His versatility has been a plus for a team that is 24-8-3 and contending for the lead in the Central Division. Fast can play on any line, can be used on the power play and in penalty killing. He gives the Canes another right-shot forward in the lineup.
Fast, 29, now has his first game-winning goal for the Canes and did it, coach Rod Brind’Amour said, by going into the “greasy area” in front of the net. According to the NHL, he became the seventh player in franchise history to score the winning goal in the final 30 seconds of a regular-season game.
“It’s nice to see someone get rewarded for doing all the little things that make the team successful,” said forward Warren Foegele, who scored twice in Thursday’s game. “He’s working hard out there and keeping plays in and giving space to the skill guys.
“Sometimes, he doesn’t get recognized for that. But the team, we recognize that, so it’s pretty awesome to see him get that one and get rewarded.”
Fast was all set to play against the Canes last August when the NHL returned during the pandemic for the 2020 postseason. The Canes and Rangers faced off in a best-of-five format in a Stanley Cup qualifier in Toronto, and Fast was a quick casualty, knocked out of the opening game after just 32 seconds.
Delivering the big early hit was Brady Skjei, one Fast’s Rangers teammates until dealt to the Canes at the trade deadline in February 2020. Fast would not return in the series as the Canes won in three straight games, and his absence from the lineup was felt by the Rangers.
The Canes, with Fast now in their lineup, can see why now.
Injury update
Brind’Amour said Friday he still is unsure how the three-goalie situation will shake out. Petr Mrazek put in a conditioning-stint game with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves on Thursday, facing 45 shots and winning 5-2 in his first game action since injuring his right thumb Jan. 30 against Dallas.
“He hasn’t really said, ‘Hey, I’m 100 percent ready to play,’” Brind’Amour said. “I think he is but I want to make sure that I have a good conversation with him. I think it will be day to day. We’ll just monitor it as we go.” ...
Teuvo Teravainen got in some skating Friday, Brind’Amour said, as the forward continues to recover from a concussion. His return remains indefinite. “Nobody really has a handle on it,” Brind’Amour said. “Hopefully has turns the corner.”
Carolina Hurricanes vs Dallas Stars
When: Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.
TV: Bally Sports South
