The roller-coaster season for Joni Ikonen continues, where you see improvements one week, his coach sees things differently and slashes his ice time the next.
Ikonen (#61) struggled defensively a few times this week and got exposed on a few plays, watching the puck and forgetting his defensive assignment.
The defensive zone is where his game probably needs the most work. Improving there should benefit Ikonen’s playing time and boost his confidence to get results at the other end.
With KalPa currently in the playoffs without having to go through the wild-card round, there is a possibility the team could get a few days off between the regular season and the playoffs, something that could benefit him in the long run.