Wild wants forwards down, dirty

David Joles, Star Tribune

Mark Parrish is one Wild forward who makes a living by crashing the net.

Rule changes have resulted in less room in the slot and fewer goals off the rush, plays the Wild's skilled forwards want to make.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: December 12, 2007 - 10:42 PM

ANAHEIM, CALIF. - After watching the Sharks attack the Wild's net during Tuesday's loss, coach Jacques Lemaire took a page out of San Jose's book during practice on Wednesday.

Lemaire stressed to his forwards that the way to score in today's NHL is by jamming the net.

For 30 minutes, three forwards attacked one defenseman and the goalie. It caused intense battles, including a near riot after defenseman Kurtis Foster and winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard got into a heated clash that ended with Foster and Todd Fedoruk jawing at one another.

"Just a battle," Foster said. "I cross-checked [Bouchard]. He speared me. I cross-checked him back. Then it ended."

Lemaire's message got through, at least for one day.

Lemaire has to convince his top two lines, consisting of skilled forwards such as Bouchard, Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra, that they must penetrate the dirty areas to score.

These are players who like to score off the rush, the type of plays being eliminated by tight defensive systems.

"You don't get the nice goals anymore," Lemaire said. "It's very rare when you see two, three passes and a great play. Everyone plays great defensively. You're going to get goals by shooting from the point and having guys tip pucks and go for rebounds."

So how do you convince the skilled forwards to "battle"? Lemaire said, "You show them clips of other teams that do it and the success they're getting. You go over this so it sinks in. You show them guys that play like them and how they score, guys like [Joe] Thornton and [Joe] Sakic, who go to the net."

Two years ago, the NHL made rule changes intended to increase skilled plays. Two years later, the opposite has occurred.

"There's no room anymore," Demitra said.

"You look at games, the scoring areas are so tight," center Eric Belanger said. "Two defensemen, the center and two wingers are all in the scoring areas, so you can't get in there with skill and you can't score from the perimeter. Everybody plays the same. As a center, you get the puck and look up, the only thing you see is five guys sitting and waiting for you."

As the Sharks displayed Tuesday, the way to score is to attack the net. Three goals came from the goalmouth, the fourth from between the circles.

"That's it, man. That's how goals are scored these days," Brian Rolston said. "Gritty, in front of the net and banging away at it."

And the Wild doesn't do this enough. Look at the slumps: Bouchard, no goals in the past 14 games; Demitra, five goals in 17 games; Belanger, two goals in 19 games; Rolston, two goals in 16 games; Gaborik, only two two-goal games; Mark Parrish, one goal in 12 games.

Parrish is known for driving the net, but he didn't get near there against the Sharks.

"He's got to do it. He's got to be there every time the puck gets there," Lemaire said.

If Parrish doesn't do it, Demitra, Gaborik and Bouchard definitely won't."

"That's a responsibility that I take upon myself to get to the net and get those kind of goals." Parrish said "That's what I'm known for. If I'm not doing it, I can't look at the guy next to me and say you've got to do this."

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