Acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets, in a trade involving three teams on April 10, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman David Savard perfectly fulfilled the role that had been reserved for him, that is to say, playing physically.
Since the start of the playoffs, the Quebecer has been the second most defenseman for the Florida team in body hitting, with 30, tied with Mikhail Sergachev. Only Erik Cernak has more (35), but he and Sergachev have played three more games.
Savard managed to apply as many shoulder shots despite being one of the least used defenders in head coach Jon Cooper’s roster, averaging 14:43.
«[Savard] is at his best when playing aggressively and that’s what he did [dimanche] evening, Cooper said, by videoconference at the end of his family’s training session. He’s going to get the puck, he puts an end to opposing attacks, no matter how tall the player is in front of him, and then he returns to attack. “
“We acquired him because he does this stuff. He is excellent. He is one of the players who provides us with physical play and that helps us. ”
Savard is not afraid of anything, even though he suffered an upper body injury that caused him to miss the first three games of the series against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Game 1 of the series against the New York Islanders, a 2-1 victory, the 30-year-old knocked out five opponents.
“It was tough for him because he was injured and he came back in a grueling streak against Carolina. I take my hat off to him for surviving his first game and he’s only gotten better since then. ”
However, on the offensive side, Savard has still not blackened the scoresheet. Even if it’s not his main role, he will have another chance to do so on Tuesday as part of the second duel of the series.
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