Every team has weaknesses and every team has points they’ve focused on to improve. As the playoffs draw near, coaches will start harping on the smallest details as they work to improve their team. With the Devils just 2-3-0 in their last five games, coach Jacques Lemaire is not happy with the power play.
“Teams protect certains things on the penalty kill and they give you other plays you can deal with,” Lemaire said. “You have to take what they’re giving you and try to use it to your advantage. What we’ve been doing is trying to do is make the plays thyat are not there.
“As an example, if you get a guy in the slot and they have a guy protecting this and you still want to send it there, it will be hard to have success. So, if this guy is protected, someody else is open and that’s where you have to go.”
“I think they recognize it, but they still look for other plays,” Lemaire said. “When you do have success it comes natural to find the right play, the man who is open and to use what they give you to your advantage. If you’re not scoring and not making these passes, you’re pressing. You don’t see all the other plays you can make. It has to come natural.”
I thought this quote from Patrick Elias was amusing.
“I watch tapes after each game. We had a couple of good shots on the power play last game.”