Glen Gulutzan doesn't want to be a coach that micro-manages his players, especially when the mistakes they have made are evident.
But after a problem-filled second period doomed the Dallas Stars on Monday in their loss to the Calgary Flames, Gulutzan did decide to talk to his team about the level of play that will be necessary going forward.
``It's a tough time of the year and you do what you can as a coaching staff,'' Gulutzan said. ``We talked to them a little bit today, but this time of the year you don't want to have 10 meetings either. We got them all at once with a 10-minute meeting, and that'll be our last one until playoff time. We're going to refocus and get back at it. We've got six games left and we're in a playoff spot.''
Gulutzan added that last night's game was just one game, and to focus on any individual miscues is probably overkill at this point. He'd rather keep the focus looking forward to the season's final six games.
After the jump, more on tonight's game against the Oilers, do the Stars need to add more offensive firepower and the Vancouver police aren't about to have a repeat of last year's riots.
- Reilly Smith had all his visa paperwork go through on Tuesday and will be available to play tonight. With Radek Dvorak and Eric Nystrom both day to day with a messed-up ankle and a laceration respectively (and yes, that is a technical term). There is room in the lineup. But there are also plenty of guys like Ryan Garbutt who have cases to get back in the lineup as well. [ESPN Dallas]
- In his paywalled advance, Mike Heika goes further into his own opinion about how the Stars managed the minutes of Mike Ribeiro and Steve Ott after some costly mistakes against the Calgary Flames. [DallasNews.com]
- So the secret for afternoon home wins is to have a motorcycle rally before the games. Somehow, I think Craig Ludwig could live with that. [DallasStars.com]
- Newly signed prospect Alex Chiasson talked with the Boston University student newspaper about his decision to go pro and forgo his eligibility for his senior season. [The Daily Free Press]
- Despite some notable contributors in the first half of the season, the secondary scoring for the Dallas Stars has been a real issue as of late. I guess if you've got a cap floor team, that isn't entirely surprising... [Hockey's Future]
- Rick Gosselin makes his case that, playoffs or not, the Stars need to add some offense in the offseason. [DallasNews.com]
- I'm linking this not because of any particular connection to the Dallas Stars but because it's a wonderful example of how not to match a photograph with a story. [Canada.com]
- Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues is on some sort of roll at the moment, and he posted his third consecutive shutout with his team's 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators. [NHL.com]
- Ilya Bryzgalov will take a few maintenance days to try and deal with a small chip fracture in his right foot. [Philadelphia Daily News]
- The Toronto Maple Leafs were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt, which brought out the amusing list of exactly how long its been since they've been to the postseason. [Backhand Shelf]
- Meet the enemy, part the first: Taylor Hall will not be a player for the Edmonton Oilers tonight or for the rest of the season. The winger, who has been sitting out a concussion, had tear in a shoulder labrum and will be out 5-6 months after surgery. [USA Today]
- Meet the enemy, part the second: While I do understand the point the columnist is making in this story about how the Oilers need to respond when players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins get nailed, I also think some of the solution is that Nugent-Hopkins and the other young Oilers need to learn to bounce off hard hits without letting it faze them. After all, no matter the comparisons the author tries to draw, it's not like they're Wayne Gretzky. [Edmonton Journal]
- Around the Pacific Division: Oh look, the San Jose Sharks have figured out how to win again. Will it stick this time? [San Jose Mercury News]
- I'd be interested in the Nucks Misconduct perspective on this, as the Vancouver police announced their playoff plans to prevent a repeat of last year's riots. [Puck Daddy]
- Gulutzan talks about if and when the Stars might play Reilly Smith, his talk to the team about being better at the details and how much rope to give certain players.