Has Jonathan Lekkerimäki now played to a place in Vancouver Canuck’s premiere team?
When Edmonton Oilers stood on the other side of the pre -season’s last match, the Swede opened two rocket shots from his favorite position.
-It feels good today, but tomorrow I have to work hard to stay up here, he says after the 3-2 victory.
Already when Jonathan Lekkerimäki set his first goal during the preseason, in the previous meeting with Edmonton Oilers, the question was raised: Could he have secured NHL place?
Tonight it was again last year’s Stanley Cup finalists who were on the other side, now in Vancouver’s genre for the NHL premiere on October 10. Then the former Djurgårdsstalangen stepped forward again.
Canucks secured the 3-2 victory through Conor Garland’s goal in the extension, but without the double hits from Lekkerimäki, they would not have gone there. The first one meant 1-0 in the match, towards the end of the first period, and came after a progress of 18-year-old Braeden Cootes. The second equalized to 2-2 in the third period after Mattias Ekholm went on an expulsion.
Now it is at least a fact that the 21-year-old has done his thing to stay in the NHL team for the premiere.
– It feels good today, but tomorrow I have to work hard to stay up here, says Lekkerimäki To the media after the victory.
– I was just trying to play relaxed and play my game, he continues about whether he felt it was an important match to stay.
Inhibited by infected wisdom teeth
The forward, selected in the first round in 2022, accounted for three goals and three assists over 24 matches in the NHL last year. Thereafter, there were games in Abbotsford Canucks, where infected wisdom teeth eventually made it when the team made it all the way to the final in the AHL and secured the Calder Cup.
Now Lekkerimäki has scored as many goals during the preseason as he did in the NHL last year, as well as as many as he stood for in that AHL playoffs.
– I want to be an offensive player so I obviously try to score some goals, but of course the details are also important, he now says about his game.
