NASHVILLE — Dustin Byfuglien busted out his dance moves for a little celebration of his latest big goal, which may have caught many people by surprise.
Not his teammates.
"He's so loose before games," Winnipeg
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Byfuglien is making a big impression on the NHL playoffs on both ends of the ice as the Jets have muscled their way to within one win of Winnipeg's first berth in the Western Conference Final. Timely goals, rugged
His journey back to the
Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler considers Byfuglien a "great equalizer" and unlike anybody else in the NHL.
"Having him on our team gives us an advantage no matter who we play," Wheeler said. "That's the type of player he is and from Game 1 of the playoffs, he has just dominated. You can't stop it."
Byfuglien is making the most of his deepest
Not only has he been a strong counter to Nashville by outplaying a group often considered the NHL's best top four
Byfuglien started the Jets' rally in Game 3 against Nashville from a 3-0 deficit by scoring the first goal and his tying goal prompted his little dance. He wound up with the game-winning goal in Winnipeg's 6-2 victory Saturday night that put the Jets on the verge of clinching only their second series — all this
"What makes him unique is he can, I don't know if 'take over' is right, but he can make an impact in a game in just about every single way possible," Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. "He can defend, he can play real physical, nobody wants to drop the gloves with him, and then there's an offensive side, it's a perfectly placed shot, quick hands, all the other things that he can do offensively."
And Chicago gave all that potential up in 2010. Byfuglien switched from
But the Blackhawks were strapped for salary cap space after contract extensions for Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith on top of pricey deals for Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. Byfuglien was traded away to the then-Atlanta Thrashers, a franchise that relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.
"There's only one Dustin Byfuglien, and you want him on your team," Little said. "You can't imagine what it would be like playing against him. There's only one of him. You can't really compare him to anyone out there."
Winnipeg has become home to Byfuglien. The town is just 115 miles as the crow flies from where he grew up in Roseau, Minnesota. Since the franchise moved to Winnipeg, Byfuglien married, and has three children. The Jets rewarded him in February 2016 with a five-year, $38 million contract to make him a key piece of the Jets' future.
He just isn't a big talker. Asked where his dance came from in Game 2, Byfuglien said he didn't know.
He sure is talking to his teammates, trying to share his experience from that 2010 Cup run and offering advice on how to handle what they hope is a two-month run.
"We've obviously talked as a group," Byfuglien said. "It's not going to be an easy ride. It's just take one game at a time, one shift at a time, and just believe in each other."
Having Big Buff around certainly provides a confidence boost,
"Any time he's on the ice, it's dangerous," Little said.
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Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press