During the fall, many have had to rub their eyes at Carolina, who is known as a playmaker Teuvo Teräväinen when reading statistics lines. Teräväinen’s statistics, known for his impressive starts, showed 4+0 after three matches and 8+1 after ten matches.
Currently, the column shows the numbers 10+6.
Usually, with Teräväinen, the emphasis is the other way around. In his NHL career, the center forward has never scored more goals than he has assisted, and he hasn’t even come close. The goal record is from six years ago: 23.
Now the pace is 40 hits.
– I have come to think about it myself, what is so rotten about this business, Teräväinen smiles to Urheilu.
The head coach Rod Brind’Amour has coached Teräväi for more than eight seasons and encouraged the player to use his praised shot more often.
Has the coach’s wish finally come true?
– It’s not, the coach laughed earlier in the autumn to the North American media.
– I don’t think I’ve started shooting more. In the same way, I will leave if there is a place. A few in, and it gives you confidence and maybe then you dare to shoot with a faucet, Teräväinen says.
Teräväinen has shot about twice per match, which is in line with the numbers from previous years. The biggest difference can be seen in efficiency. Teräväinen, who has a profile of about ten percent shots in his NHL career, has hit a tight note in the fall with more than 23 percent efficiency.
This also foreshadows a decline in pace.
It may very well be that at the end of the season, Teräväinen’s power readings have turned “right” as usual. A teammate Sebastian Ahok too was satisfied recently after receiving a pass from Teräväise for the goal he scored.
– I’ve been open all season, but Teuvo hasn’t had any assists, Aho joked in the media.
– There won’t be any when I’m so selfish these days, Teräväinen acknowledges with a smile.
Effort at the bottom
The sharp hot bat is an interesting story because last season was the most difficult in the Raleigh years for Carolina’s long-term reliable forward. A rough early fall was followed by an injury, a narrowing of the role, and a finger injury in the playoffs ended the season.
In terms of performance (12+25), Teräväinen’s season was the weakest in the NHL for eight years.
– Last season was tough mentally. There were no successes or a positive cycle at any point, quite the opposite. I lost confidence, I was left in a smaller role and the game became a painful struggle.
Teräväinen carried last season, at least on some level, with him into the summer, and it shows now.
– There was definitely some kind of extra charge for this season from last year. In the summer, I tried to do a little more work than normal. The finger was a question mark entering the season, but it has been surprisingly good. The doctors did a good job.
– Steel finger has been hit, Teräväinen laughs.
The increase also comes at the right time due to the contractual situation. Next summer, for the first time in his NHL career, Teräväinen will be an unrestricted free agent, who will be able to measure his value on the market and choose his club himself.
– How often it happens that players come back to life in a completely new way during their contract period, Brind’Amour joked to the North American media earlier in the fall, referring to Teräväinen.
Teräväinen does not admit that the contract situation is affected.
– Every season is important. You can’t think that you have to play well in a particular season. It’s interesting to be a free agent for the first time, but yes, I want to end my NHL career here. This has become a home where there have always been many Finns around. Hopefully at some point we will come to an agreement, Teräväinen says.
The lines are tight
The casting has also given Teräväinen the perfect opportunity this fall. Sebastian Ahon and by Seth Jarvis alongside. The trio has won their games with five against five 5–0. In the superiority game, Teräväinen has returned to the first team after the previous season.
This has been of great importance to Teräväinen, known as an artist soul.
– On the spiritual side, it helps when you feel that you are needed and cared for. It gives you confidence. When you get to play more on the puck and get a few successes, of course it feeds you.
The lines are still always taut. Head coach Brind’Amour has practically only had one established chain composition this fall (a triple chain), otherwise men come and go even within games. Teräväinen knows that in order to operate in the front line, it doesn’t get better to take off the gas – last season’s fall in the rotation is still on the mind.
– Rod likes to change a lot if things don’t work. You have to play well all the time or you will have to leave, Teräväinen grins.
– After all, it’s also a bit stressful sometimes. The mistake doesn’t have to be very visible at the beginning of the game, so it could be that during the rest of the game, the role of the four chain is available.
Teräväinen, who comes from a joker background, is still one of those players who brings more than power to the table. Reliability without the puck is one of the Finns’ strengths. Teräväinen hasn’t had a negative power rating in the NHL regular season for eight years – never in the playoffs.
The balance of Teräväinen’s power statistics from the previous seven years is +97. There are only nine forwards in the NHL who have collected more plus marks on their account since the fall of 2017.
As a team, the level is high
Carolina, which performed erratically as a team, needs positive markings as well. The group, which has performed in an exemplary manner at times, has sometimes fallen far short of its level. An example could be the weekend’s 2–8 loss to Tampa.
– Not to be stressed, but let’s be aware that we can’t afford to slack off if we want to make the playoffs. We believe in our own thing, and the idea is to be at our best in the spring, but we have to get the game on track quickly, Teräväinen insists.
In last week’s Ikan änäri episode Ismo Lehkonen made an alarming observation about the Finnish defenders and opened up the background of the problem. In addition, there were, among other things, on display Niko Mikkola and Patrick Laine.