Malc
03-24-2009, 01:37 PM
By Doyle Potenteau
Mikael Backlund is anxious.
Anxious to start playing again and get a good taste of post-season life.
“I‘ve been waiting for the playoffs since I came here. It‘s why I came here,” said Backlund, who joined the Kelowna Rockets in early January, just six days after helping Sweden to a silver-medal showing at the 2009 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.
Since then, he‘s been helping the Rockets turn the corner on what was an up-and-down season.
Or, more correctly, was helping up until 11 days ago, when he suffered an undisclosed injury in Kelowna‘s 6-4 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. He‘s been sidelined since, and has missed four games, though it appears Backlund may play tonight, for he practiced on Monday and looked healthy. Backlund, who‘s believed to have suffered a concussion, also practiced Saturday, the first time he hit the ice since getting injured.
The Rockets and Blazers resume their first-round meeting with Game 3 this evening, 7 p.m. at Kamloops. Kelowna leads the best-of-seven series 2-0, and could sweep the Blazers with wins tonight and Wednesday night in Game 4.
But first things first: Will Backlund play? The Rockets say maybe. Backlund says he sure hopes so.
“As far as we know right now, yes, (although) it‘s a day to day thing,” said Kelowna coach Ryan Huska. “Mikael looked good on the ice (Monday) and it‘s in our plans to have him in the lineup (today).”
Asked if having Backlund back will boost Kelowna‘s already soaring confidence, Huska said yes.
“Sure it does,” he said. “Getting a high-end player back in the lineup – if we get him in (today) – I think players feed off that. They get excited because he‘s a very dynamic player.”
If Backlund does play, regardless if he‘s 100 per cent healthy or not, he‘ll certainly make a difference. In 28 regular-season games with Kelowna, the 6-foot-1 centre recorded 12 goals and 30 points.
“My head feels good, so...” Backlund said when asked what type of injury he suffered, an answer which didn‘t confirm or deny a suspected concussion. “It‘s sad I missed our first two games, but, hey, that‘s life.”
As for what he saw from the stands at Prospera Place in Games 1 and 2, Backlund said there was plenty to like, though some work needs to be done.
“They were good games, and our team is much better,” said Backlund. “In the second period (of Game 2), we had a lot of power plays, but we didn‘t score. If we can score then, we can shut the game down, so we have to be better on the power play.
“But it still feels like we‘re the better team. We didn‘t play well in the first game and we still won. It‘s good to have confidence, especially in the playoffs, because, without it, you can‘t win.”
Backlund said his undisclosed injury wasn‘t the first time he‘s been hurt, stating he was sidelined for three months after undergoing knee surgery (patella) in his draft season.
With Backlund back in the lineup, the Rockets can boast of having arguably the best 1-2 punch in the league. Normally, Kelowna‘s first line consists of Jamie Benn (82 points) and Colin Long (91) plus a rotating winger, while the second line is comprised of Backlund (30), Cody Almond (66 points in 70 games) and Ian Duval (61 in 57).
“It‘s great to have him back,” said Almond. “He‘s looking good, so it should be fun to play with him again. The three of us fit together pretty well because we get along well; it seems we have chemistry, so, right off the bat, we should be doing well.”
If, for some reason, the trio doesn‘t click, Huska can load Backlund alongside Benn and Long – a trio which one WHL general manager said “That‘s one heck of a line.”
“It‘s good to see him back on the ice,” Long said of Backlund. “We love seeing him at the rink because he has such a great attitude. And anyone who‘s that calibre of a player, you know you‘re going to get a lift.”
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=174071
Mikael Backlund is anxious.
Anxious to start playing again and get a good taste of post-season life.
“I‘ve been waiting for the playoffs since I came here. It‘s why I came here,” said Backlund, who joined the Kelowna Rockets in early January, just six days after helping Sweden to a silver-medal showing at the 2009 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.
Since then, he‘s been helping the Rockets turn the corner on what was an up-and-down season.
Or, more correctly, was helping up until 11 days ago, when he suffered an undisclosed injury in Kelowna‘s 6-4 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. He‘s been sidelined since, and has missed four games, though it appears Backlund may play tonight, for he practiced on Monday and looked healthy. Backlund, who‘s believed to have suffered a concussion, also practiced Saturday, the first time he hit the ice since getting injured.
The Rockets and Blazers resume their first-round meeting with Game 3 this evening, 7 p.m. at Kamloops. Kelowna leads the best-of-seven series 2-0, and could sweep the Blazers with wins tonight and Wednesday night in Game 4.
But first things first: Will Backlund play? The Rockets say maybe. Backlund says he sure hopes so.
“As far as we know right now, yes, (although) it‘s a day to day thing,” said Kelowna coach Ryan Huska. “Mikael looked good on the ice (Monday) and it‘s in our plans to have him in the lineup (today).”
Asked if having Backlund back will boost Kelowna‘s already soaring confidence, Huska said yes.
“Sure it does,” he said. “Getting a high-end player back in the lineup – if we get him in (today) – I think players feed off that. They get excited because he‘s a very dynamic player.”
If Backlund does play, regardless if he‘s 100 per cent healthy or not, he‘ll certainly make a difference. In 28 regular-season games with Kelowna, the 6-foot-1 centre recorded 12 goals and 30 points.
“My head feels good, so...” Backlund said when asked what type of injury he suffered, an answer which didn‘t confirm or deny a suspected concussion. “It‘s sad I missed our first two games, but, hey, that‘s life.”
As for what he saw from the stands at Prospera Place in Games 1 and 2, Backlund said there was plenty to like, though some work needs to be done.
“They were good games, and our team is much better,” said Backlund. “In the second period (of Game 2), we had a lot of power plays, but we didn‘t score. If we can score then, we can shut the game down, so we have to be better on the power play.
“But it still feels like we‘re the better team. We didn‘t play well in the first game and we still won. It‘s good to have confidence, especially in the playoffs, because, without it, you can‘t win.”
Backlund said his undisclosed injury wasn‘t the first time he‘s been hurt, stating he was sidelined for three months after undergoing knee surgery (patella) in his draft season.
With Backlund back in the lineup, the Rockets can boast of having arguably the best 1-2 punch in the league. Normally, Kelowna‘s first line consists of Jamie Benn (82 points) and Colin Long (91) plus a rotating winger, while the second line is comprised of Backlund (30), Cody Almond (66 points in 70 games) and Ian Duval (61 in 57).
“It‘s great to have him back,” said Almond. “He‘s looking good, so it should be fun to play with him again. The three of us fit together pretty well because we get along well; it seems we have chemistry, so, right off the bat, we should be doing well.”
If, for some reason, the trio doesn‘t click, Huska can load Backlund alongside Benn and Long – a trio which one WHL general manager said “That‘s one heck of a line.”
“It‘s good to see him back on the ice,” Long said of Backlund. “We love seeing him at the rink because he has such a great attitude. And anyone who‘s that calibre of a player, you know you‘re going to get a lift.”
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=174071