Minnesota Wild's Jason Pominville during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013.Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press
If Team Canada honcho Steve Yzerman set his PVR to record last week's Tuesday nighter at the Bell Centre - which feaured Olympic hopefuls Marty St. Louis, Carey Price and P.K. Subban - Team USA counterpart David Poile will surely be doing likewise this week.
It's more or less a given that Minnesota's Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will be wearing the star spangled sweater in Sochi, and there's a decent chance the Habs' Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk will receive invites too.
But what of the USA player who has scored the most goals in the NHL this season?
That would be Wild forward Jason Pominville, who has potted 12 in 21 games in his first full season in Minnesota.
It's tied for the fourth highest total in the NHL.
Though he was born and raised in suburban Montreal, Pominville is a dual citizen and has previously played for the U.S. at the world championships.
"Of course it's always in the back of your head, but my focus is on helping this team, that's how you force them into making difficult decisions," he said before Tuesday's game against the Habs (7:30 p.m., RDS). "I wasn't invited to their training camp last summer, but I'd certainly like to force their hand into bringing me along to the Olympics, it would be an incredible adventure."
Pominville has gone on torrid streaks at other points in his career, but the timing for this one is particularly good.
It's the sort of thing that might prompt a few superstitions - anything to keep it rolling - but Pominville doesn't care for that sort of thing.
"I often do the same things, but more out of habit and routine than superstition, I don't usually change things up, even when I'm not going so well," he said.
Things have gone rather well for Pominville against the Habs, earlier this season he scored a pair, including the winner, in a 4-3 victory in Minnesota.
Poile might want to keep a close eye on No. 29 in white and green when he sits down to watch the game tape.
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