LONG ISLAND | It is no secret. Nick Suzuki is used to playing big minutes. And he risks taking on even more responsibility with injuries to Jake Evans and Sean Monahan, two other centres.
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Suzuki finished Saturday’s game at the UBS Arena with a game time of 22:52 against the Islanders. He shouldn’t have struggled too much as he scored his side’s only goal in the third game.
Martin St-Louis used his captain for more than 22 minutes for the 16th time this season. To illustrate the importance of the numbers, note that only six forwards have surpassed that mark this season. Suzuki has done it 16 times while Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Monahan and Evans have done it once.
“His intelligence helps him even more than his stamina,” Jonathan Drouin said of Suzuki. It fits well and doesn’t waste energy. It can get intense if you’re playing 22 minutes every night, but it can get there. »
“Nick is a striker, it’s impressive to see him get such great minutes,” added defender Jordan Harris. But it’s also a testament to his great intelligence as a player. There are several defenders with 22 minutes or more, but it’s rarer for a striker. It’s no secret that he’s a big piece of our puzzle. »
Drouin: a good game
St-Louis spoke of juggling on the bench for this meeting with just ten attackers in the last 40 minutes. Drouin took advantage of the changes to appear on the right wing alongside Suzuki and Caufield.
“He’s been playing well lately and deserves more minutes,” said Suzuki. He played well on my goal. I’ve always enjoyed playing with him and if we’re together in the next game we have good attacking potential. »
“I would have liked to have scored with a slapshot, I touched the end of Sorokin’s bat,” added Drouin. I want to unlock. There are games I have a good time playing and other games I don’t. But it’s up to me to find ways to contribute with points or not. I like my game lately. I have played with Suzuki in the past. In the Toronto bubble, I had good matches with Nick and Joel Armia. »