Bruins forward wants to keep rolling against his former team
Erik Haula played a major role in the Golden Knights' improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017-18.
Tonight, he gets to visit the T-Mobile Arena, a rink that can be pretty intimidating to opponents. But for Haula, it'll feel just like home.
Left unprotected by Minnesota prior to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, Haula was immediately claimed by Vegas and found instant chemistry with his new teammates. He'd finish his first season in Vegas with career highs in both goals (29) and points (55).
The 30-year-old Finnish forward went on to play in all 20 playoff games that year, picking up nine points to help the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Since then, Haula has suited up for both the Hurricanes and Panthers during the 2019-20 season, played for the Predators in 2020-21 and eventually signed a two-year deal with the Bruins as a free agent in the off-season. He has never registered more than 12 goals or 22 points in a season since leaving Vegas.
«It's one of those things that you have to prove to yourself, prove it to others and then you want to do it again and again and again and be consistent», said Haula of being labeled as a gifted goal scorer. «That's the difference between the so-called 20-, 30-goal scorers. I consider the guys who do it year after year [as] impressive. Obviously, ever since then, I've been striving to do that and haven't got there. But that year was obviously special, things clicked and the puck was going in.»
After a tough start with the B's that led to him being healthy scratched in November, Haula seems to be finding his groove these days. It certainly helps that he's now playing centre for superstars Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.
«It's me having a little more defensive responsibility, creating room with pace for those guys to handle the puck. Knowing that Taylor is more of a drive and look and delay [player]. And David, you can find him in the slot and he's always in the shooting position. That's what makes him such a good goalscorer. He finds a way to get open and uses his shot that's all-world. I think it's been clicking that way and we're starting to find each other and know where we are. That obviously comes with time and just the communication overall. They expect a lot out of me and we expect a lot out of each other.»
After starting February is a little bit of a slump, Haula has picked up the pace offensively as of late, producing two goals and three assists over his past four games. Haula will kick off Thursday's game against Vegas with seven goals and 15 helpers in 51 games this season.
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