EDMONTON -- More than anything, hockey players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs want to make a difference -- a positive difference.
Edmonton Oilers veteran center Michael Peca is making a difference. Despite playing a largely defensive role, Peca's six goals are tied for second among the Oilers in the playoffs. His 10 points make him the team's eighth-leading scorer and his plus-4 rating is fourth-best.
That last stat is probably the strongest statement regarding Peca's contribution. The best offensive centers on the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Carolina Hurricanes skated against Peca and most of them have gone home.
Peca also is a bear on faceoffs. Edmonton's top three centers have excelled on faceoffs in the playoffs. Jarret Stoll is best with a 55.9 win percentage, followed by Shawn Horcoff, 53.6 percent, and Peca, 52.5 percent. Stoll and Horcoff used to be good on faceoffs. After a year of playing with Peca and practicing against him, they're excellent.
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Schedule / Links:
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| Gm. 1: CAR 5, EDM 4 | Photos |
| Gm. 2: CAR 5, EDM 0 | Photos |
| Gm. 3: EDM 2, CAR 1 | Photos |
| Gm. 4: CAR 2, EDM 1 | Photos |
| Gm. 5: EDM 4, CAR 3 OT | Photos |
Gm. 6: June 17, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Edmonton (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
*Gm. 7: June 19, 8:00 p.m. ET
at Carolina (NBC, CBC, RDS) |
| *if necessary |
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Peca averages 19:11 minutes of ice time per game, third-best among Oilers' forwards. At age 32, the Toronto native shows no signs of slowing down.
Peca is a 12-year NHL veteran. He sat out the 2000-01 season after taking a low hit in the previous season's playoffs that badly damaged his knee. Peca has 160 goals and 234 assists in 693 regular-season NHL games. He's also plus-71, backing up his reputation as a strong defensive player. His 616 penalty minutes are mostly divided between standing up for himself and taking penalties on plays that might lead to goals. He knows the difference between a "good" penalty and a bad one.
Peca's playoff experience is one of the most important reasons why he was sought after by Oilers GM Kevin Lowe last summer. He's played in 91 Stanley Cup Playoffs games and is the only Oilers player who has previously been to the Stanley Cup Final. He captained the 1999 Buffalo Sabres, who fell to the Dallas Stars in seven games.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Rod Brind'Amour appeared to have a slight lead over teammates Cam Ward, the incredible young goalie, and Cory Stillman, the veteran winger as the Hurricanes' top candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy. That is, through three rounds and two games. When Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish began sending out Peca to hamper Brind'Amour, the Hurricanes' captain cooled off some.
"You can play Mike Peca in any situation," Horcoff said. "He can play against any line in the League and you can play him against top lines. It takes a lot of pressure off of us when he's playing against the top line at home. He shuts them down and let's us play against other lines. That gives us opportunity to produce more often."
"The way Mike has been playing in the playoffs, that's Oilers' hockey," right winger Georges Laraque said. "Coming into the playoffs, we knew we would be counting on his experience. Without him, we surely wouldn't be where we are."
After Lowe signed Peca, his new teammates quickly recognized the former Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders captain had the "one-for-all, all-for-one" attributes fostered by the team's management and leadership.
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"He feels strongly for the game and he really cares about his teammates."
-- Oilers' teammate Shawn Horcoff
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"He feels strongly for the game and he really cares about his teammates," Horcoff said. "He's always helping out the younger guys. He's brought 'Teko' (Raffi Torres) a long ways, teaching him where to pick his spots in certain areas and when to play physical. He just brings experience."
"As a young guy, I'd sit out games and would be a healthy scratch behind more experienced players," Horcoff continued. "I never understood why and it would frustrate me. But until you have that level of experience in the playoffs, you'll never understand. Once you do get the playoff experience, you finally realize how important it is.
"Mike just understands what it takes to win games, the little things that it takes. That's one thing we've all learned, as a group in here, during this playoff run, how to win games. There are certain times during the regular season when you need a win and Craig MacTavish has talked about that. Until the playoffs, I don't think we realized just how to do that. But now we've figured it out and Mike played a big role in showing us how."
If it takes one to know one, Peca was made to play for MacTavish. As a player, MacTavish possessed many of the same attributes, although Peca might be the more physical player. Both could shut down an opponent and both could win important faceoffs and both were great with teammates.
MacTavish is very pleased with how Peca has helped Torres and Fernando Pisani improve this season.
"It's been a great line for us," MacTavish said. "... I haven't seen a guy control both ends of the ice and be as impactful at both ends of the ice since Esa Tikkanen was here. I think it's a good comparable for Michael.
"Michael adds the ability in the faceoff circle, too. He's shown us great leadership, great intelligence, good commentary in the dressing room, frames everything the right way. He has got a lot of experience in that respect and it's a product of a guy playing with a lot of confidence at the top of his game."
