If you want to do this on a consistent basis, you cannot have long shifts. You got to keep your shifts short. I feel like it gives a rhythm to your team, so then the first, second, third and fourth lines, everybody is rolling. You’re not staying two, three minutes on the bench before you get your next shift. It’s about two minutes, two minutes and a half, and bang, you’re back on the ice. I think this is the area we’re going to have to learn to be a lot better.
It’s on everyone, myself included. Sometimes, we’re in the O-zone and the players have been on the ice for about 20-30 seconds and we say, ‘Let’s give them another 10.’ But sometimes that 10 turns into a minute-ten a minute-twenty, so it’s on me as well. We’re together in this.
No one loves losing games. We need to learn to use those losses to make us a better team. That’s what I’m hoping to see.
If we want to match what Carolina does, we can’t stay on the ice as long as we’re doing the length of our shifts. It’s going to be a big part of our game right now.
