DeBoer expects more from slumping third line
Struggling Wingels, Hertl were benched in loss to Blackhawks
SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer, having addressed his fourth-line issues by signing Dainius Zubrus, now is trying to jump-start his third line.
He did it with words Thursday after having done it with actions Wednesday night when he benched Tomas Hertl and Tommy Wingels for the third period of a 5-2 loss to Chicago.
“It was a coaching decision,” DeBoer said. “I don’t think either of them got a shift. We have a group there that I have high expectations for and we’re 20-plus games in and it’s time.”
Hertl has gone 19 games without scoring a goal; Wingels has gone 14. But that isn’t DeBoer’s issue with them.
“I don’t measure those guys on goals and assists but the intangibles of the game,” DeBoer said. “Are you hard to play against? Are you playing in the other team’s end? Are you creating chances to score whether or not they go in? That’s a byproduct. Those are the measurables I use with those guys and we need more.”
In addition to his scoring slump, Wingels is now a minus-6 on the season. He was a minus-1 in the first two periods Wednesday and his line spent large chunks of the game pinned into the defensive zone.
“I didn’t deserve to play,” Wingels said. “I had some tough shifts in the second, and he wanted to go with guys who had been playing better. It’s as simple as that.”
The 27-year-old forward admitted he’s struggling with a lot of “little things” right now.
“You don’t need to be told by a coach or sent a message,” Wingels said. “You can evaluate your own game. It’s something we’ve talked about, and it’s something I need to be better at, so I’ll look to be better on Saturday.”
Hertl acknowledged that the frustration of his scoring slump is bleeding into other parts of his game.
“I need to just relax now and play hard in the game and just keep shooting,” Hertl said. “Just play hard like (the) start of the season — just strong on the puck.”
The window of opn portunity could be closing for defenseman Matt Tennyson. Despite Justin Braun’s absence from the lineup Wednesday , Tennyson received just three even-strength shifts in the last two periods against the Blackhawks.
Tennyson’s suited up for 19 of the Sharks 22 games this year, but he has seen fewer than eight minutes of ice time in three of his past four outings, an indication that DeBoer is losing trust.
“The one thing nobody here can say is that they never got an opportunity because of the way the injuries have rolled out,” DeBoer said. “We have a new coaching staff that’s come in here with a clean slate. There’s been plenty of opportunity for everybody, and you either run with that opportunity or you don’t, and he’s one of those guys that we’re still waiting to see.”
DeBoer said Braun (upper body injury) is still dayto-day.
Logan Couture skated n at the Sharks optional practice Thursday, participating in shooting drills with some quick stops in the circles.
“I was able to put my body in some different positions,” said Couture, out since fracturing his right fibula Oct. 15. “I put more stress on the ankle area just to build up the confidence and make myself feel comfortable on the ice.”
Couture returned to the ice Nov. 20 in Pittsburgh after being out of skates for five weeks. He said he still doesn’t have a timetable for his return.