It can be quite difficult to find your game, especially after being a healthy scratch for 13 consecutive games. But Olen Zellweger looked like he hadn’t missed a beat when he made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Game 4 of the Ducks’ series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Zellweger registered a primary assist in Game 4 on defensive partner Ian Moore’s game-winning goal and provided the equalizer late in the third period of Game 5, which helped send the game to overtime. You wouldn’t be able to tell he hadn’t played in a game in more than a month.
“Just practicing hard,” Zellweger said when asked about how he was able to stay in game shape despite not playing in a game for so long. “We’ve got extra time, extra workout sort of thing. You kind of know what it takes to stay in game shape, so I think all the guys who aren't playing are doing a pretty good job of that.”
Assistant coach Tim Army works with healthy scratches after morning skates, putting them through rigorous conditioning skates once the skaters in that gameday’s lineup have left the ice. He also frequently works with players after practices on improving their skills, whether it’s faceoffs, puck recoveries or board battles.
“He’s been awesome. He does a great job,” Zellweger said. “We do a lot of game-like things. A lot of things that keep us in game shape, too, with skating and tempo over speed sort of stuff. So it was awesome. He's always in a great mood. He's awesome to work with.”
Zellweger said there were a lot of things that went well in the Ducks’ 4-3 win in Game 4, which helped them even the series heading back to Vegas for Game 5. He pointed to the different perspective that he had while watching games from the press box and how he would envision himself in those game situations, to better prepare himself for if he were to end up being down there at any point.
“Overall, I felt fine. I think my timing felt pretty good. Just trying to communicate and get to my spots. When I'm watching from above, I'm trying to see the situations I'd be in, so I didn't feel like it was that crazy. It was a lot of time (being out), but just wanted to go out there and play direct, simple and help the team where I could.”
Between Games 3 and 4, head coach Joel Quenneville said that he wanted to incorporate the defensemen offensively as much as they can, and see the team skating at a higher level and doing things quicker. The insertion of Zellweger surely did that.
“I think when there's those opportunities, especially with the skill we have, it can be dangerous for the other team,” Zellweger said. “Jumping in where I can, still having the discipline with our structure. But I think it's harder to defend when we're active, especially at the right times.”
“I loved the shot,” Quenneville said of Zellweger’s Game 5 goal. “He was active, he was skating. He had some possession time, too, as well off the rush or endzone. He was a factor, and good to see him respond in the last couple of games after watching as much as he did. It was a great response.”
“Zelly made a great play there and was able to get himself open and make a great shot,” Cutter Gauthier, who set up Zellweger’s goal, said. “He’s been extremely disciplined with how he carries himself on and off the ice this whole season. When he heard his name called these last handful of games, he was ready to go. Kudos to him for having a great mindset these last few months, it pays off with the big goal.”
Zellweger received more ice time down the stretch in Game 5, which led to him being on the ice for that game-tying goal. He played nearly 17 minutes, with almost all of it coming at even strength.
“Commend him,” Quenneville said. “That’s a great attribute to show, his competitiveness. Stayed with it. Professional for a young kid, knowing that you lose your lifetime dream of not playing in a playoff game. And then he bided his time, he worked his tail off, getting himself not just conditionally ready for it, but mentally. That was the thing that we were all appreciative of, how he approached it mentally and prepared himself to be a part of it and contribute in a meaningful way, and he did more than we were expecting.”
Anaheim is facing elimination for the first time this postseason, entering Game 6 down 2-3 after falling in overtime to the Golden Knights in Game 5. Confidence has been unwavering in the Ducks locker room, with a sense that they can push the Golden Knights to the brink.
“Yeah, a ton of confidence. I know this group is going to bounce back,” Zellweger said. “I think we have all playoffs long. We're going to take a few lessons from this one, and then ready to go.”
“Everyone knows it's an elimination game in the room, but it's not something that's really talked about or said if everyone knows it,” Gauthier said. “Everyone’s gonna give just a little bit extra to try to get the win and force a game seven, so I’ve got confidence in the group that we'll get that job done.”
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