Slow Starters Look to Pick Up the Pace
Craig Custance - SportingNews.com
Oct 28, 2010
When Ilya Kovalchuk overslept, picked the wrong taxi cab and missed a team meeting.
He was a healthy scratch, ironically enough, during a visit to New Jersey that year.
During his rookie season, in an effort to convince him there were two sides of the ice, then-Thrashers coach Curt Fraser sent Kovalchuk to the press box to show that forwards occasionally do play defense.
"Let him sit back and relax and realize what he has to do," Fraser told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jeff Schultz back in 2001.
Those lapses were part of the growing pain that accompanied the rise of the talented Russian. Growing pain that appeared to be in the past when the team-first Lou Lamoriello traded for -- and then signed -- Kovalchuk.
Kovalchuk's benching last weekend is a warning sign that he's still figuring things out, and it could end up lighting a fire under the Russian winger.
"Kovy doesn't ever want to be embarrassed," said an NHL source close to Kovalchuk. "He wants to be the best player he can."
He's no longer in Atlanta, where his time on the bench was quickly forgotten. He's in New Jersey, with the enormous pressure that comes with his huge contract, mixed with expectations of a Stanley Cup.
But New Jersey's 2-6-1 start is more than just about Kovalchuk.
Defenseman Anton Volchenkov has played only two games because of a broken nose and stiff neck. Martin Brodeur has been inconsistent, and the Devils brought in the dependable Johan Hedberg to ease his load. Hedberg's first start for the Devils lasted 28 minutes.
This team, loaded with offensive talent, has only 15 goals. A franchise known for defense has allowed 15 more than it has scored.
Yeah, it has been rough. But, despite the attention Kovalchuk's benching brought to the Devils, they aren't the only underachieving team.
These three have issues of their own:
Ottawa Senators, 3-5-1
The reason: As usual, goaltending has been a problem for Ottawa. The team desperately needs contributions from Alex Kovalev, and that hasn't happened. Jason Spezza is out because of a groin injury and there has been a lack of secondary scoring in his absence. "We've seen time and time again when he can be the difference in the game," Ottawa coach Cory Clouston said. "We definitely miss him when he's not in the lineup." There were high expectations for both Sergei Gonchar and Erik Karlsson on defense this season and neither has lived up to them yet.
Time to panic? Yes. GM Bryan Murray is making calls and this team could use a serious shakeup. But Ottawa's big contracts don't give him much flexibility.
Buffalo Sabres, 3-6-1
The reason: Ten games into the season, the Sabres still don't have a win at home, which isn't a good thing. Tyler Myers, who was so impressive as a rookie last season, is a team-worst minus-9. It took Thomas Vanek seven games to score his first goal and Tim Connolly's start was nearly as slow. Ryan Miller hasn't been bad, but he isn't playing at last year's level, either.
Time to panic? Maybe. Buffalo will be helped when Jason Pominville gets healthy and any team with Miller in goal will always have a chance. But the Northeast might be hockey's most-improved division. Montreal, Toronto and Boston all are playing better than at this point last year, which means Buffalo's inconsistent play needs to end quickly.
San Jose Sharks, 3-3-1
The reason: It's been a rocky start for the post-Evgeni Nabokov Sharks. There were questions that Antti Niemi might suffer through an adjustment period after leaving a defense with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell in front of him. That appears to be the case. He's just 1-3-0 with a 4.49 goals-against average and .854 save percentage with the Sharks. New captain Joe Thornton is minus-9 through seven games and Devin Setoguchi has only one goal.
Time to panic? No. The Sharks won't be measured until the playoffs, and on some level the players have to realize it. It can't be easy to get motivated for a game in October when people are no longer impressed by regular-season wins. Coach Todd McLellan is concerned that his team isn't mentally engaged yet this season. "Right now with our team, it's not about systems or anything fancy," he said. "I don't think it's going to change until mentally there's some repair work upstairs."
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