Getting the Best from the Best: Simple, Smart, and Safe

Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are two of the most talented hockey players on Coach Dan Bylsma’s 2013 Pittsburgh Penguins roster.  Malkin and Letang can often successfully make plays on the ice that other players would never even dare to attempt.

Coach Dan Bylsma needs to get Malkin and Letang to knock it off, immediately.

In the first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders, Malkin and Letang have made both brilliant plays and terrible plays.  The sum result:  decidedly average performance from a former playoff MVP and a current Norris Trophy nominee.    And decidedly average performance from a team’s best players is not a way to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But what does Bylsma need from Malkin and Letang, and how does he bring it out of Malkin and Letang?

Facts

 Evgeni Malkin has won a Stanley Cup, a league MVP, and a scoring title with Dan Bylsma as his coach. 

 One of Dan Bylsma’s first moves upon becoming Pittsburgh’s head coach in February of 2009 was to make then-21-year-old Kris Letang a healthy scratch, being very clear that he expected Letang could be a much better player.  In the years since 2009, Letang has steadily grown from a promising, skilled kid playing protected minutes to a player who plays well enough in all situations to be in the conversation for the Norris Trophy every season.

 Factually, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have produced—to elite levels— with Dan Bylsma as their head coach.

Regular Season Observations

 Ever watch the Penguins during the regular season?   Ever notice how Malkin and Letang can just toy with the opposition?    Ever seen Malkin annually part Tampa Bay’s defense and score an amazing goal?  Ever seen Letang—successfully—deke at the blue line and then set up a scoring chance?

Yeah.   They do that all the time in the regular season.   When there’s time and space to do so.  When teams aren’t focusing their entire game plan on—at playoff-level intensity—ferociously hitting them at every chance because they know exactly what Malkin and Letang can do and they’d prefer they didn’t do it to them.

Ever watched Malkin and Letang when games get out of control?   Ever notice how both players try to do way too much, and cause misery for themselves?   They try to take over with their talent.  They try to do too much; they try to do it all themselves (race up ice to create a scoring chance, thread an impossible pass that gets picked off, and things along those lines).   And they end up making mistakes that don’t make sense for players of their talent: they turn over the puck when they shouldn’t, make an inexplicable decision, or take a needless penalty. 

              

 And in the regular season—the good far outweighs the bad.   And you play Letang big minutes and you play Malkin big minutes and they help your team keep the puck away from the opponent most of the game and they put up points and they’re elite players who help make sure your team is one of the best teams in the NHL. 

Playoff Observations

Have you noticed that both Malkin and Letang are giving the puck away too frequently?  Have you noticed that both players have moments where they absolutely look like elite talents, and other moments where they look like anything but elite talents?

If you—as a fan—have noticed, be sure that the opponents have noticed.   Be sure that the coaches on both sides have noticed.

But what do you do?     When it comes to player who—all regular season long, can just toy with other players and general cover over any errors—what happens when there’s just not the same time and space to do that, the exact same way, and those plays that are there in more open ice just aren’t there for the taking? 

A Game 4 Moment (Replicate, Please?)

Did you notice the play that resulted in Pittsburgh’s third goal in Game 4?   Letang contemplated doing something fancy with the puck, and then he just dumped the puck to a place where Matt Cooke could win a battle and retrieve the puck.   It was the safe, simple, and smart play.  And it resulted in a Pittsburgh goal. 

 But did you notice—of course you did—Letang and Malkin turning over the puck and generally thinking if they just pushed and pushed and pushed, their talent would be enough?

Talent has to learn how to make the safe, simple, and smart play.    Malkin and Letang are capable of doing so.

But getting them to the point where they’re using their talent to make the safe and simple play as a matter of course—and only taking that “risk” when there’s no risk at all—

And getting this to happen as a matter of course in incredibly emotional, tightly contested playoff games. 

             

Suffice to say Malkin and Letang haven’t done that—regularly—in the postseason since the Penguins’ last championship (and that timing—while hardly on those two players alone—is not a coincidence).    Dan Bylsma has to hope video helps.   He has to hope conversations, or a kick in the rear, or whatever it is (because I’m not going to pretend I have a clue about the best way to get through to Malkin or Letang), somehow get through to two of his best players.

Because habits where talent alone wins you games—great as that is.   It’s of little use when the playoffs start.    And that’s when talent has to be disciplined to make the safe, simple, and smart play.

                

No matter what the coach says or does or doesn’t do, Malkin and Letang need to use their talent to execute the safe, simple, and smart plays.    But Dan Bylsma’s got to make it his mission that they understood that’s all they have to execute.  Because, if they do that, well—talent really can take care of the rest.   But no talent is sufficient enough to overcome a regular failure to execute fundamental plays.

And while it’s on the players to start executing, it’s also on the coach to let those players know:  “Use your talent to take what’s there, rather than force what’s not there—and trust that your talent making simple, safe, smart plays will be sufficient to take care of the game.”

              

It’s certainly far preferable than “Take this risk, and take that risk” and “then, since at least one of those risks—inevitably—went wrong, do everything you can to take more risks to make up for that risk you just took so we can get back even or reclaim the lead!”

You don’t want to stifle the creativity of your best players.  But just as Jaromir Jagr didn’t become the best player in hockey until he learned to stop beating the same player 4 times, Malkin and Letang—in spite of their already impressive list of accomplishments—still have growing and learning to do in terms of making the smart and simple plays every time.

And a coach doing whatever he must to get that truth to click in is likely a key for any hope the Penguins have for postseason success.    That’s no easy task for Dan Bylsma, of course—getting gifted players to perform at a level commensurate with their abilities is nowhere near as easy as “gifted” makes you think it should be—but it’s one thing he’ll need to figure out if he hopes to win another championship with Malkin and Letang.