Coming out of the break, DeBoer indicated, “In my conversations with Kevin, he knows it’s about showing your teammates, your coaches that you can be trusted to make the right plays on the road in a tough environment in a 2-1 game in the playoffs. He’s gotta take some steps toward that.”
Last night, Labanc took those steps, and DeBoer rewarded him with more ice time than the 23-year-old has seen in over two months. Labanc played 16:52, his most since, not coincidentally, Dec. 1 in Ottawa. Labanc skated 17:39 in a 6-2 loss widely considered to be the rock-bottom point of the San Jose Sharks’ season.