Ken Hitchcock wants Vladimir Tarasenko to play mad.
The St. Louis Blues' dynamic, ultra-talented forward was upset over his ice time in Game 6 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, and head coach Hitchcock wouldn't have it any other way - especially with Game 7 looming.
Tarasenko was visibly displeased with Hitchcock after the second period Saturday night. The Blues went into the frame with a 3-1 lead, but headed to the dressing room down 4-3, having allowed the Blackhawks to get up off the mat.
"That's what happens when you've got a guy like that that wants to make a difference," Hitchcock said, according to ESPN's Craig Custance. "I love it, I love it in him."
On Sunday, the bench boss explained what happened Saturday:
"(Tarasenko's line) just came off a long shift and they were tired. I was trying to cheat to get time, to give them a rest, but the referee wouldn't let us cheat. So he wanted our players out there right away."
Hitchcock pointed out that Tarasenko plays shorter shifts than other star players, so his cumulative ice time doesn't really tell the tale at the end of the night. The coach wants him out there more often, but in shorter spurts.
"He's a big body that plays a lot, he gets leaned on, he leans on a lot of people," Hitchcock said. "It's very wearing. The game he plays is a physical one."
Tarasenko has four goals and two assists to go along with nine hits in six games in the series. However, with the Blues' season - not to mention Hitchcock's job - on the line, there's no way No. 91 can play 16:56 in Game 7 like he did in the previous outing.
| Game | Ice Time |
|---|---|
| 1 | 18:30 |
| 2 | 16:05 |
| 3 | 16:33 |
| 4 | 15:14 |
| 5 | 21:28 |
| 6 | 16:56 |
With the season in the balance, Tarasenko has to see over 20 minutes on Monday. Period.
