Glen Gulutzan Says Dallas Stars MUST Get Better At Protecting Leads After 5-3 Loss To Canucks
Yeah, you know what? This has been brewing. You know, it’s been brewing. And if uh if you want to take an objective view of our record 3 and one, it’s probably where it should stand. Um uh the the problem we’re getting into a little bit isn’t so much uh not structure or anything like that. It’s just managing the game. And really, we’re we’re uh we need to manage leads. Leads. So, you go back to the first goal. Um we got beat by a dump out right off of off of a specialy team and our power play has been good but we’ve got five guys really condensed with one second left in that penalty and you know it’s it’s risky right you got to kind of manage that part of the game. Uh they dump it out and get a breakaway. So there there’s one um you know we got something on the blue line there. were trying to force a play and probably the play is down now. It makes it 3-2 and then we, you know, we have a giveaway. Everybody saw we have a giveaway to make it 4-2 and now now you’re pushing to to get back in. Our challenge is is to manage the game right now uh when we’re up. You know, we came out, we started well. Um we looked good. We were we were in control. And then it’s these leads where we tend to flatline a little bit. Uh and that’s going to be our challenge. What is the like the time and space issue or like I said protecting the lead, you don’t want to be too conservative, but you also don’t want to make the mistakes you’re making. Yeah. Yeah. No. Um, you know, if you kind of look at where our chances are and how we’re playing um Yeah. Once with the lead happens, we tend to flatline and uh and you you got to keep playing in the league. I talked this morning about just the parody. So, um, being able to push back when when, uh, when their push is on and and stop their momentum and we we’re not doing that and and it’s without the leads, right? It’s with the leads, so that’s that’s something we got to do better. Do you think that’s because your team’s trying to be conservative and protect the lead and therefore not trying to force more offense or is it are they doing risky plays to try to create more? No, I I I I think we’re not managing it good enough. um you know the if if you look at the goals in my opinion there there’s some risk to them and and when we got counter punched uh where we could be a little bit more uh conservative in those those areas um and when I say conservative that’s the wrong word simple in those areas right you you don’t need to pile on and make it 5 nothing or 71 or three four nothing right away you can chip away usually what happens is if you stay with kind of a simplistic game after you’ve established a lead they take risks and that’s when you you you can come at him. But, uh, we’re taking some unnecessary risks in my mind with leads. What did you see from Casey tonight? Kind of a chaotic game, but it seemed like he had some good stops. Yeah, he had some really good stops and and and it’s hard because we we did control the shots and and the clock for a long period of time and then boom, it’s a it’s a breakaway and then boom, it’s another another breakaway. And and those that’s what we’ve talked about here in preseason to now is is steering away. That’s why there were some system changes from the massive breakdown, but we had we had three tonight, right? So, uh, we got to stay away from those. With with the leads, managing the leads, is any of that surprising to you that that’s been such a struggle, you know? No, no. Um, it’s not. It’s just we’re early in a season. Uh, you get feeling good right away early and, uh, you think everything’s got to be nice and it doesn’t and you got to settle into that type of game. And you know, usually veteran teams settle into that game uh a lot quicker than younger teams, but everybody’s in it right now. Um so we got to get out of it quick. Is any component of that adjusting a little bit to the system you want to implement? Not anymore. They’re scoring the oldfashioned way, right? Some turnovers at the blue line, some not managing the clock has nothing to do with system. It’s all do with mentality. Thomas Harley said he blamed himself for the first and third goals. He’s also been scoring quite a bit this year. How have you seen this game through four games? Yeah. No, uh I I wouldn’t quite go that far uh for to him taking the taking the blame there. Um just there there there’s a there’s a stacking a set of errors. Um you know, at times he’s been very dominant. You can see his puck play big body and then uh you know, we’re getting stung. But again, it’s my job to make sure that we’re managing those situations and making the guys aware of of where we are and uh not sitting back and playing your game, but being comfortable playing uh the way we did in the first period.
Glen Gulutzan talks about the Dallas Stars 5-3 loss Thursday night to the Vancouver Canucks after blowing yet another two goal lead.
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