Calgary Flames' Sam Bennett, left, and Michael Ferland celebrate Ferland's goal against the Winnipeg Jets during first period NHL action in Winnipeg on April 11, 2015.JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
They were in the spotlight Tuesday morning for different reasons, Micheal Ferland and Sam Bennett, two rookies who – after having little impact on the Calgary Flames' magical run to the playoffs – are suddenly key figures now that they're two rounds into the postseason.
Ferland, who missed the second game of the Anaheim Ducks series after getting injured early in the opener, said he was ready to return for Tuesday's third game of the best-of-seven Pacific Division final, though the final decision is not his to make.
"It sucks watching," said Ferland, "so I hope I get in here and can help the guys. I feel good – 100 per cent."
According to coach Bob Hartley, Ferland will be a game-time decision.
Bennett, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 entry draft, is scheduled to be in the lineup for his 10th NHL game, an important contractual trigger for the 18-year-old.
Under terms of the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, passing the 10-game threshold means the first year of Bennett's NHL entry-level contract is officially over. That puts him one year closer to a bigger pay day than he otherwise would have been if he had played nine or fewer games.
Hartley confirmed Tuesday that Bennett would be in the lineup and that defenceman Rafa Diaz, who was playing regularly for the Flames before an injury sidelined him, would return in place of rookie Tyler Wotherspoon and be an option on the team's power play.
Bennett played one regular-season game for Calgary – the meaningless finale against the Winnipeg Jets – after spending most of the year recovering from early season shoulder surgery, but he has been a revelation, adjusting to the pace and pressure of NHL playoff action in a relatively seamless manner.
"Our slogan from Day 1 has been, 'always earned, never given,' " said Hartley. "We came a long way as an organization because we've stuck to our plan. Is it a perfect solution? No. But we've been consistent with it and Sam Bennett deserves to play.
"From a management and ownership standpoint, they want to win. They always tell me, 'go – never mind contracts, you coach to win.' For me, that's the only thing I want to hear."
In theory, the Flames – down 2-0 to the Ducks and in danger of seeing their miracle season end as early as this Friday – could have pulled Bennett out of the lineup, but that would have sent the wrong message; that they were waving the white flag at a time when they believe the home-ice advantage could help them get back in the series.
So Bennett is in – and they'll deal with the long-term financial consequences of the decision down the road.
"Definitely, it's nice that nothing to do with the contract is going to stop me from playing," said Bennett. "It's a nice feeling that they believe in me enough that I can help the team. I just look to keep trying to make a difference."
The good news is that no matter how deep the Flames go in these playoffs, Bennett will play fewer than 40 NHL games this season, which is the other important contractual trigger point for players in the CBA.
Players who play 40 or more games in their rookie seasons, such as Aaron Ekblad, the Florida Panthers' No. 1 pick in 2014, are a year closer to unrestricted free agency as a result. While the Flames will now have to negotiate a second "bridge" contract with Bennett after the 2016-17 season, he will not be eligible for unrestricted free agency for another seven years.
If Bennett achieves his massive potential, the Flames will likely be more than happy to open the organizational wallet and pay him what he's worth.
Hartley called the experience all his young players are receiving in this series priceless. "You fight through adversity through the regular season: 82 games, practices, travel, it's a grind. But when you get in the playoffs, you're basically playing every two nights. You have to fight through ice bags and treatments and the pressure of the playoffs.
"This is a totally different pace than what we saw in the regular season."
Any hope the Flames have to get back in the series will hinge on them playing a full game the way they did the final 30 minutes of Sunday's Game 2 loss, when the ice finally did not appear tilted in Anaheim's favour the way it seemed in the first 90 minutes of the series.
According to Calgary defenceman Deryk Engelland, the key will be eliminating the turnovers that gave the Ducks too many odd-man rushes.
"The second half of that game, we started getting pucks in deep and getting back in on the forecheck as we did against Vancouver and creating some havoc and turnovers down there," said Engelland. "Against this team, we have to keep it simple."
And while there is a natural tendency to try and do too much when you're playing from behind, as Calgary was for long stretches of the first two games, less is often more at this level.
"One hundred per cent true," said Engelland. "When you're down in a game, some guys will take it upon their shoulders, where it's a lot easier to keep things simple and do the things that have worked. The second half of that game showed that that will work against them."
As for Bennett, who has the only goal for Calgary in the series, off a lucky bounce in the waning minutes of a 6-1 loss, he believes the loud Scotiabank Saddledome crowd can make a genuine difference in Game 3.
"When you have the support from the fans, it helps so much in terms of the momentum," said Bennett. "Even when we're down in this building, the fans never give up on us, and that's definitely a nice feeling for sure."