Trying to fix the kill was some of the coaching staff's most important "homework" for the extended Olympic break, said Sturm upon the players' return to the Warrior Ice Arena for practices last week. The most obvious thing they have to do is cut down on penalties. Their plummet toward the bottom of the PK rankings has - surprise, surprise - coincided with them shooting up in the "minor penalties taken" category.
During their current five-game win streak, which was extended on Sunday night with a 112-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden, they rank No. 1 in the NBA in defensive efficiency, No. 2 in opponent three-point percentage, No. 5 in turnovers forced, and No. 6 in opponent field-goal percentage. It is a significant turnaround from the unit that ranked 29th in opponent three-point percentage and 26th in defensive efficiency during an 11-game stretch in January, when they went 2-9.
Berube is fair to point to a lack of confidence as a factor in why the power play is not clicking at the moment, especially in regards to their shot selection. But the struggles have more to do with their setup being too predictable, along with a lack of urgency. This Leafs team has a difficult time drawing calls to begin with, and it should be imperative to take full advantage of the opportunities they do get instead of killing off the clock.
It was Week 10 of the 2024 season, and Macdonald, a first-time head coach after two years as the defensive mastermind in Baltimore, scheduled a meeting with all three of his coordinators and assistant head coach Leslie Frazier. This was early in the first bye week of Macdonald's tenure, and he made clear the Seahawks were about to "self-scout everything we're doing," as one source with direct knowledge of the meeting recalled.
