Rest vs. rust a key story coming out of Olympic break

With the NHL returning this week, a lot of the focus in the first few days of action will be on players returning from the Olympic break – both players who competed for their country at the Winter Games and those who had some time away from the rink.

Wednesday marks the first night of NHL action since Feb. 5, meaning most players in the league have been enjoying the fruits of their labor. Even those who competed in Milan might feel rested after returning to North America, as most countries were eliminated from competition last Wednesday. It certainly will provide an interesting mix of game shape as the league gets back into the swing of things.

On Wednesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Steve Peters joined Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton to discuss what we could see from players who played in the Olympics, and those who didn’t.

Steve Peters: I think that there is going to be a benefit for guys playing. … It’s good for a goalie to see the puck in game action, and he’s going to play better. You don’t get the same benefit out of practice. You look at a Dostal that got a lot of reps. I think that’s very good for him. I do get concerned for the guys that played in that gold medal game, in the Canada-US game that went all out. I think it’s going to be difficult to come back. You talk about the jet lag. You talk about how many games they had to play and so few of nights. How many bumps and bruises do they have? Then, trying to change your mental approach to the game. Now, I have to play a non-playoff team on a Wednesday night. How do you adjust them from playing at the highest level you’ve played in your entire career to sliding back into an NHL competition?

I understand it’s playoff time and it’s important, but it’s going to be hard. So, I think the mix is those teams that had guys that played, but maybe not as many in the final game. You look at Tampa Bay, only had two guys in the gold medal game. They had their top players still sitting at home. I know Hedman got to play some games and get some experience, but he’s home early. Vasilevskiy didn’t play at all. I think a team like Tampa benefits, but you look at a team like Florida, four guys in the gold medal game. I think they’re going to have a tough transition. I think Columbus is a team that had two guys. One of them was their goalie. I expect Columbus to continue on their stretch, that 9-1 going into this. I think with only Zach Werenski playing all the way to the end, I think Columbus is a team that’s in that playoff spot that could benefit. I do think that the difference between risk and reward, those guys that played in that Canada-US game, it is going to be hard. 

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…