ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Olli Jokinen's jaw is still slightly swollen. His mouth is full of metal. Some of the 40 stitches from a bizarre morning-skate accident remain.
And he has never looked better as an NHL player.
Jokinen, a liability much of his 1 1/2 seasons in Florida, has been all over the asset side of the ledger over the past month. He's getting points -- 10 in the past 10 games after earning one in the first 29. He's taking and winning key faceoffs. He's making plays in the defensive zone, smart plays in the neutral zone.
In a 2-1 victory at Anaheim late Friday night, Jokinen had the first assists on goals by Pavel Bure and Kristian Huselius; a game-high five takeaways, including an almost Bure-like, sneak-up-and-pick-pocket that kept a forecheck alive; and a game-saving tie-up of Paul Kariya on a last-minute scramble in the slot.
``I was just standing in front of the net,'' Jokinen said. ``Lewie [goalie Roberto Luongo] started yelling at me, `Move, move!' I just saw the white shirts all over the place. I was like, `I've got to stay here. I can't move anywhere.' I was pretty tired because it was a long shift.''
Being on the ice at such an important time is becoming common for Jokinen under coach Mike Keenan, who almost instantly decided to find out if Jokinen was worth bothering with. First, Jokinen's confidence had to be rebuilt.
``When you start playing a lot, scoring goals and having points, you build your confidence,'' the center said. ``You do little things right. When you get the confidence back, your legs start moving better. It's all mental.''
Jokinen rewarded Keenan with points and hustling plays.
For example, Bure missed an empty net from beyond center ice in the final minute of a 3-2 win at New Jersey on Dec. 14. A defensive-zone faceoff -- and faceoff loss to Bobby Holik -- off an icing call seemed imminent, but Jokinen accelerated with Bure's shot and got to the puck first. The Devils had to waste a few seconds getting the puck from Jokinen before hurrying up ice.
Friday's game was full of similar plays. It had been a pretty full day for Jokinen. After the morning skate, he had some stitches removed from his face as defenseman Lance Ward shined a light into Jokinen's mouth.
The Dec. 28 morning skate ended when assistant coach George Kingston's extended stick accidentally clotheslined Jokinen, who spent five hours in the dentist's chair during the afternoon before coming back to score the Panthers' only goal in a 7-1 loss to Boston.
Jokinen wears a protector to prevent further damage after losing several teeth.
``I think it's going to take a little while to go to the steakhouse,'' he joked.