Lemaire sends out SOS: We have to work harder

The Wild coach blames his "skill players" for not doing enough to escape the scoring slumps a number of them seem trapped in.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: December 11, 2007 - 12:11 AM

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - With several of his go-to scorers more dried up than a California raisin, Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said Monday it's time for his "skilled players" to work harder to snap out of their scoring droughts.

Heading into tonight's game with the San Jose Sharks -- who happen to be the NHL's best defensive team -- the Wild has scored two or fewer goals in 15 of 29 (51.7 percent) games this season and nine of the past 13 games.

Lemaire called this an "emergency" Monday.

"The workers know to stay in the league, they've got to work," Lemaire said. "They don't have a lot of talent, so they work hard. So, if you go with that logic, if you do have a lot of talent and you're not producing, what should you do?

"It's that simple."

But Lemaire said there's a difference of opinion between what certain skill players think "working hard" means and what the coaches think "working hard" means.

"They say, 'I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm trying,' " Lemaire said. "It's like [they're] trying to convince [themselves they're] trying, [they're] working. But really, they're not working as hard.

"I just feel certain guys could work harder to produce, to play better, to do more on the ice."

Asked which players, Lemaire named names, well, in a roundabout way: "[Brian Rolston] I see him at times when he feels he's not doing well, I see he pushes harder. He's trying to work harder. I see that from [Mark] Parrish.

"We have eight skill guys [including defensemen], so there's six left."

Those would include Pavol Demitra, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Marian Gaborik, Eric Belanger, Kim Johnsson and likely Brent Burns.

Several of the Wild's "skilled" players are in severe slumps: Bouchard, admittedly feeling "pressure," has no goals in the past 13 games, Rolston has two goals in the past 15, Belanger has two goals in the past 18, Parrish has one goal in his past 11 and Johnsson has no goals this season.

Demitra has five goals on 22 shots in 16 games.

To put this in perspective: Gritty minor-league callup Aaron Voros has five goals in 14 games, or the same amount of goals Bouchard and Demitra have scored this season and one fewer than Belanger.

"Doesn't make any sense," Lemaire said.

Or, does it? All five of Voros' goals have come within a couple feet of the opposing net. Most NHL teams play tight defensive systems and goals are down to pre-lockout numbers.

For instance, the Wild might be offensively challenged, but Minnesota's 15 two-goal-or-fewer games aren't at the top. It actually ranks 10th in the NHL, tied with three other teams, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Rangers have scored two goals or fewer 20 times, the Oilers 19 and the Ducks, Islanders and Capitals 18.

The Wild is 5-10 when it scores two or fewer goals and 11-1-2 when it scores three or more.

"Goals are hard to come by this year. I mean, guys are not scoring," said Rolston, whose nine goals is second to Gaborik (10). "Voros, he goes to the net and he gets the gritty goals. That's what it takes to score in this league now.

"Everybody packs it in around the net. It's very difficult to get in there. So, we have to work to get there like [Voros] does."

The big objective for Lemaire is to get his skilled players to buy into that.

"He wants the skill guys to play a little bit harder and do the little things," Demitra said. "We can hit sometimes and we can hold a guy. But obviously, [for] some guys, that stuff's more exciting than other guys. But we have to do the dirty stuff sometimes, too."

Asked if he'd ever scratch one of these "skilled players" for not working hard enough, Lemaire said, "I'm not there yet. I like to talk to the guys until I'm tired. And I haven't been tired yet with certain guys."