Carlyle to Lupul: Shoot more
Joffrey Lupul hasn't scored a goal in his past four games, and Randy Carlyle proposed one possible fix on Monday, before the Ducks departed on a four-game road trip.
"I'd like to see Lupul shoot the puck more," the coach said. "He's a player who can scoot, get around the rink. He should be thinking 'shoot first' all the time."
"I'd like to see Lupul shoot the puck more," the coach said. "He's a player who can scoot, get around the rink. He should be thinking 'shoot first' all the time."
Lupul, who took a season-high six shots in the Ducks' 4-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, said he's already on it.
"I don't get worried when I don't score, unless I'm not getting the chances," he said. "I'm getting them. I know they're eventually going to start going in, and I hope it's on this road trip."
Lupul has been a fixture at left wing with center Saku Koivu and right wing Teemu Selanne since midway through the Ducks' 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 30. That was the last time he scored a goal, and it was a strange one.
But Carlyle gave Lupul a vote of confidence on Monday, calling the 26-year-old "the best fit (on that line) so far." While Koivu and Selanne seem to be finding their chemistry, Lupul says he has adjusted to the speed of his line.
"Teemu's really fast," he said. "Sometimes you have to make the plays quick and get him the puck as soon as possible. It's nice to play with a guy like that because he seems to always have a knack for scoring goals."
"I don't get worried when I don't score, unless I'm not getting the chances," he said. "I'm getting them. I know they're eventually going to start going in, and I hope it's on this road trip."
Lupul has been a fixture at left wing with center Saku Koivu and right wing Teemu Selanne since midway through the Ducks' 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 30. That was the last time he scored a goal, and it was a strange one.
But Carlyle gave Lupul a vote of confidence on Monday, calling the 26-year-old "the best fit (on that line) so far." While Koivu and Selanne seem to be finding their chemistry, Lupul says he has adjusted to the speed of his line.
"Teemu's really fast," he said. "Sometimes you have to make the plays quick and get him the puck as soon as possible. It's nice to play with a guy like that because he seems to always have a knack for scoring goals."
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
Leave a comment