Does this concern you?

by tiggysiggy on Nov 25, 2011 12:40 PM EST

Ilya Kovalchuk on his shootout goal 11/23 against Columbus (You can check out the NHL.com recap here):

"I had no confidence in the shootout," Kovalchuk said. "I just closed my eyes and shot. The reason we won was because of Marty. He stood on his head."

This is really frightening to me, and not what you want to here from your star player. Kovalchuk is a great hockey player, and has the potential to be an elite player in this league, but he has to get his groove back. Very few times this season I have seen the Kovalchuk that we brought in from Atlanta, the one who gallops through the neutral zone and puts everyone on the edge of their seat, the one who if he had the puck in the high slot that there was a very good chance that he was picking a corner with ease. It is great that he is perfect so far in shootouts, but in order for our team to be successful, we need players like Kovalchuk to step up in regulation, heck, even overtime. In my opinion, in order for Ilya to be successful, we have to put him on a line in which he can carry his linemates and be more selfish. I feel like he feels pressure to dish it off to players like Parise because he is a star as well. If he was paired with players such as Zajac and Palmieri, he would be more inclined to shoot the puck (he does have one of the best shots in the game), and he has players who are trying to set him up more often so than Parise and Henrique grinding it out in the corner. If Kovalchuk had to carry his linemates, he would feel more confident in his abilities. Thats my reasoning on why Kovalchuk is struggling, but I want to here yours. Thanks for reading!

Poll

What should be done to get Kovalchuk is confidence back?

He should play more selfishly, and use his shot more

63 votes

He should change linemates, ones that would dish him the puck more

39 votes

He should play more defensively, which will generate more chances for him

12 votes

114 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Kovalchuk can do as he likes in the shootout

In my opinion, in order for Ilya to be successful, we have to put him on a line in which he can carry his linemates and be more selfish.

Huh? By the way, some numbers:

Zach Parise’s SOG/GP = 3.6
Ilya Kovalchuk’s SOG/GP = 3.4667.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Nov 25, 2011 12:45 PM EST reply actions

Kovalchuk should get more shots than that per game, considering the amount of minutes he gets, if he turns into an Ovechkin like shooter, that can only make the team better.

And Kovalchuk speeds away, great moves, busting through, DID YOU SEE THAT?

by KovyisLove on Nov 25, 2011 1:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Ovechkin is shooting at 3.65 SOG/GP this season, so he’s already an Ovechkin-like shooter.

Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog

by John Fischer on Nov 25, 2011 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

I think he was referring to the 6.68 SOG/GP Ovechkin of the past. Ovi just hasn’t been himself this season.

Marc R.

by devilssan2 on Nov 25, 2011 2:20 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

Im just saying that Kovalchuk tends to work better with players that are more inclined to get him the puck, because he is the superior player on that line, like when he was with Atlanta or when he played with Palmieri and Zajac. Henrique likes to hang on to the puck and use his stickhandling, and Parise likes too keep the puck down low, which i dont think is a good fit for Kovalchuk. Once Zajac comes back, I hope to see Kovalchuk move back to left wing on a different line than zach.

by tiggysiggy on Nov 25, 2011 9:57 PM EST up reply actions

Henrique likes to hang on to the puck and use his stickhandling

Seems like we’ve seen the same game probably.

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Nov 25, 2011 10:11 PM EST up reply actions

Firstly, I think he’s played the last few games still injured but the last one was a real improvement.
Obviously he doesn’t like being a RW but it’s good for the team that he keeps his mouth shut at least. We don’t need some drama and since the Kovy-gate Ilya is already a pretty exposed player, even for some of the Devils fanbase.

Things will change when Travis comes back hopefully but for now he’s got to grit his teeth and deal with it. As we should do as well.

"It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win"

by Elektrostal_Kid on Nov 25, 2011 1:53 PM EST reply actions

Kovalchuk does not look to be the same player on the right wing.

One thing I was paying attention to during today’s game is Kovalchuk on the breakout and the rush…. and what jumped out at me is how uncomfortable he looks in those situations. I surmise that a number of his dekes and crossover-type moves won’t work on the opposite wing from where he’s accustomed to playing, and he doesn’t even try them. It isn’t that he’s not shooting (he does shoot from the right wing, although not as frequently as many of us would like), but he seems to commit to either the pass or the shot before he enters the zone.

It almost seems like he’s overthinking things on the right wing. On the left side, he can use years of instincts and “muscle memory” and probably doesn’t have to consciously think things through. On the right side, it seems like he has to take a moment and analyze the situation before making decisions, and doesn’t deviate from whatever he decides the first time through because it would oblige him to re-think in the midst of the play while he’s trying to work the situation on-the-ice.

If DeBoer isn’t going to change the lines to address this, I’d at least like him to flip Parise and Kovalchuk, putting Zach on the right and Ilya on the left. It would make our best goal-scoring talent more comfortable, and I think Parise could more easily adapt to the right side — heck, he plays on the right side during the PP (whereas Kovalchuk is usually on the left, whether at the point or on the boards near the circle).

by acasser on Nov 25, 2011 9:21 PM EST reply actions

I forgot to mention that. You can clearly tell that when Kovalchuk tries to gain speed through the neutral zone he looks uncomfortable doing it through the right side and has to stop and adjust

by tiggysiggy on Nov 25, 2011 9:59 PM EST up reply actions