Jonathan Drouin may be Lightning’s Game 2 spark

TAMPA – Jonathan Drouin watched Teuvo Terevainen score a critical goal in the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup Final Game 1 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 19-year-old healthy scratch couldn’t help but wonder if that could have been him.

“He’s 20 or 21. So you definitely want to be out there. Hopefully it happens, but again it’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to play my game and make sure I’m ready,” he said.

Drouin says he’s ready. Coach Jon Cooper says he’ll be in warm-ups, if not necessarily in Game 2 on Saturday night.

“He's a talented player. We've watched him grow this season. He gives us a different look when he's in the lineup. It's hard to sit here and say what you expect,” said Cooper.

“I'm going to sit here and say, I expect every single guy on our team to have a hat trick tonight and to win, what would that be, 60-0? It doesn't work out that way. We expect our guys to produce, stick to our structure, play as hard as you can, look in the mirror at the end of the day and say, I have no regrets. If he's in, that's what I expect.”

The No. 3 overall pick in 2013, Drouin had 4 goals and 28 assists in 70 games this season. By the end of the regular season, his ice time would fluctuate between 11:30 and 14:30.

Drouin has played in three playoff games. The results haven’t been great. He scored zero points in the following games: 8:42 on April 23 against the Detroit Red Wings, and a minus-2; 9:54 on May 6 in Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, and a minus-1; and then 14:56 in Game 4 against the Habs, with a minus-1.

There’s been a growing advocacy for Drouin from some parts of the media that respect his accomplishments as a Canadian junior player and wonder why he hasn't drawn in for a game since May 7. They’re usually shouted down by those who watched him with the Lightning this season, seeing a boundlessly good offensive talent that simply doesn’t have the defensive chops yet to play a prominent role on the team.

Which makes his playing in one of the biggest games of the Lightning’s season a little specious.

Drouin is ready for the challenge, even if he found the wait tough to handle at times.

“It is frustrating. But again, there’s two teams left here in the Cup Finals. I’m 19. Definitely learning a lot of stuff even though I’m watching from up there. Hopefully I get a game in today,” he said.

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