Coach Todd McLellan said all the right things during the recent losing streak.
He said the team had to play 60 minutes, be smart with the puck, get pucks deep, and be willing to pay the price to make the smart and simple plays. When he was not satisfied with the performances, he stepped up the intensity of practices.
He talked about the process, not making too much of the first couple losses but not shrugging them off or making excuses, either. By the end, he questioned the people saying the adversity would be good for the team, saying you have to emerge from it first and that confidence going into the playoffs would be an issue the longer the streak went on.
He also did not put it all on the players. He changed his forward lines, not just moving one of the the Big Three, but for the first time putting Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley on three separate lines at full strength.
All of this appears to have paid dividends, as the team has responded to their longest regulation losing streak in 13 years with two wins, albeit over teams that already had little chance of reaching the playoffs.
And McLellan has been ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by MJ Kasprzak
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