LEWISTON — Mention goal-scoring to Maineiacs’ defenseman Sam Finn, and his smile widens.

“I’m saving it for an important moment in the playoffs,” Finn deadpanned.

The “it” to which Finn refers is his first goal of the season — He’s the only player currently on the team’s roster without one.

But the better part of that is, he doesn’t care.

“I am pretty proud of (the good plus/minus),” Finn said. “Putting points on the board is not my game anyway, and I don’t stress myself out over that. I could finish with 10 goals or zero goals and I wouldn’t be unhappy either way. My goal is to shut down the best players on the other team.”

That attitude, that resolve and his ability to successfully accomplish that goal has allowed his blueline partner, Sam Carrier, to have a career year on the scoresheet. In 61 games, Carrier scored 11 goals, including seven on the power play, and added 39 assists for 50 points in his 18-year-old season.

“I think that’s good for us, that we can work together well,” Carrier said. “I can bring the puck more on offense, and he can cover me when I do. I think we complete each other pretty good.”

The more important statistic for the pair, and the one that, as defensemen, they look to for reassurance of a job well done, is plus/minus. A fickle stat for many, it awards a player a plus-1 for being on the ice for an even-strength or shorthanded goal for, and a minus-1 for being on the ice during an even-strength or power play goal against.

Combined, Finn and Carrier this season were a plus-81, with Finn leading the team at plus-41. Both were in the league’s top 10 in that category.

“Last year I was minus-nine, and I don’t know how much Finn was (for the record, he was a minus-21), but we were in the minus,” Carrier said. “It’s a big stat for us, because it means we help the team to win five-on-five. It’s something you look at, and we’re both very proud of that.”

The pair anchored what has been a volatile blue line corps for the Maineiacs this season. The group began with seven players out of training camp, but Carrier missed time while attending Washington Capitals training camp, and Finn saw time with the San Jose Sharks’ rookie camp.

Various injuries and suspensions claimed other members of the blue line during the first half of the season, and young prospect Brayden Wood saw a few games.

Rookie Dillon Fournier participated in the World Under-17 Challenge for Team Quebec this season, as well, and Zachary Evans-Renaud went down with a season-ending injury just shy of Christmas time.

To help strengthen the back end, the Maineiacs acquired Jonathan Parisien from Baie-Comeau at the mid-season trade period, but during the team’s stretch run, Finn suffered an injury and missed every game after February 17. He’s been cleared to play in the playoffs.

“I’m so excited,” Finn said. “It’s been like, four weeks, but it seems like it’s been a year. I’m really excited to get back in the lineup.”

With Finn back, the unit will once again — finally — be as strong as it’s been since December.

“It hasn’t been steady pairings since the beginning of the year, and for us to maintain a good record, a lot of younger guys had to step up,” Finn said. “Alex Zafiris, who’s a forward, had to step up and play ‘D,’ and he played pretty well. A lot of the other defensemen had to step up more and play more minutes when some of us were injured.”

“We missed Sam Finn a lot, but I think it helped the younger guys out,” Lewiston coach J.F. Houle said. “Their ice time went up a lot, and in the last month I think those players learned a lot and hopefully that will carry over into the playoffs because I think we need not only two or three or four defensemen. I think we need all six to be playing well.”

They need six, Houle said, but he also admitted having his dynamic duo back at the top of the lineup isn’t going to hurt his team’s chances one bit.

“Carrier showed this year he can not only play offensively and play on the power play, but he can shut down teams, too,” Houle said. “He’s been on the ice a lot at the end of games and on penalty killing, so he’s an all-around defenseman. It’s a nice asset to have. If you have one, you’re very fortunate, if you have two, you’re on a team that probably goes very far.

“Sam Finn, he’s very good defensively,” Houle added. “He didn’t rack up as many points, but to him, it’s pointless. he knows what kind of defenseman he is, he’s not trying to be somebody he’s not. He knows what he gives us and he’s a great leader on top of that. They’re great people to have.”