Canucks move Buium to third pair and off power play
Vancouver reduced Zeev Buium’s role against the Islanders; the defenceman finished minus-two in 16:32.
Vancouver coach Manny Malhotra moved Zeev Buium to the third defence pairing and removed him from the power play for Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders, Sportsnet reported. The adjustment paired Buium with Luke Schenn as the Canucks tried to help the 20-year-old regain consistency.
Buium played 16:32 and finished minus-two in Vancouver's 3-2 loss on Oct. 13. Those figures are recorded in the NHL's official boxscore. Sportsnet described the ice time as his lowest of the season.
The reduced workload did not prevent a costly mistake. According to Sportsnet's account, Buium's attempted pass along the boards was intercepted during the sequence that led to New York's second goal at 15:50 of the first period.
Buium told Sportsnet he wanted to contribute more and was trying to find consistency from shift to shift. Malhotra said the coaching staff wanted to manage expectations while directing his attention to the areas that needed improvement.
Schenn said his message on the bench was to keep skating and keep playing through mistakes. He also pointed to good breakout plays from his new partner.
