Lohrei was late to a loose puck after a faceoff leading to A.J. Greer’s goal in the second, and then was beat down the ice on Eetu Luostarinen’s breakaway tally in the third.
“All you can do is really wake up the next day and kind of flush it and pick yourself back up and just do what you can to regain confidence and go back at it,” said Lohrei.
Marco Sturm said the fact that Lohrei recognized his mistakes is the first step in getting them corrected.
“He’s not perfect. All the other guys are not perfect. I think from Day 1 when I came in, I tried to simplify his game as much as possible and he just has those moments sometimes where he doesn’t do that instead of just making an easy play or being ready, right off the faceoff,” said the coach. “So, there’s some moments in this game, we still have to correct, but he sees it the same way. He cares and so that’s a good sign. But we just have to stay on him, repeat it, and show him and teach him as much as we can.”
Lohrei has taken the coaching to heart.
“If anything, it’s more teachable in the sense that you can’t take even a second off, or a half a second, in this league. You get humbled pretty fast,” said Lohrei. “It was kind of soft mistakes that you just can’t afford to have because it will end up killing you, which it did.”
Lohrei has a definite offensive flair to his game, and while the coaching staff doesn’t want him to lose it, they have preached that his defensive responsibilities have to be his top priority. He’s been working toward that end.
“I thought that definitely throughout the start I’m making a conscious effort to try and play defense first and just work on my game from that end,” he said. “Obviously, [Tuesday] night’s not a great representation, but I guess there’s going to be ups and downs, so all you can do is keep working.”
Sitting a struggling player after a tough stretch is always an option, particularly if a staff thinks it can spark a reset. Sturm said they haven’t gotten to that point with Lohrei.
“So far he’s had some moments, but overall, I think he was headed in the right direction, to be honest,” Sturm said. “Last game was a little bit of an off day for him. So, we’ll see how it’s going to be [Thursday]. We have some injuries. We need him. We’re not as deep on our back end, especially with Hampus [Lindholm] out, so we need a guy like him . . . But sure [benching is] something we have to consider, what’s best for us as a team and for him and his development.”
Lindholm ‘day to day’
Lindholm, who was a game-time scratch vs. the Panthers, participated in the optional skate. The big defenseman has missed five games after injuring his hamstring Oct. 9 against the Blackhawks. Sturm said Lindholm has not been ruled out for Thursday against the Ducks and called him “day to day.” . . . Jordan Harris, who took Lindholm’s spot in the lineup, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. Harris was spotted walking gingerly following Tuesday’s game and was scheduled for some testing . . . Michael Callahan was called up from Providence. The Franklin native, who played 17 games for the varsity last season, would draw in if Lindholm can’t go. “I talked to [Providence coach Ryan Mougenel Tuesday] night after the game and he said right away, he’s our best D by far,” said Sturm. “So, we know what we’re getting. A good defenseman, solid game who can play some [penalty kill], and he deserves to be up.”
Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him @globejimmcbride.