Lemaire: Brodeur's confidence "not at its best"; ZZ Pops gets a boost (post updated and complete)

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire talked a lot about confidence after today's optional practice: guaging it after an 0-2 start, trying to boost it in certain players and how he believes it will improve on the team's upcoming three-game road trip that begins Thursday night at Tampa Bay.

So, I asked Lemaire how goaltender Martin Brodeur's confidence is right now after losing the first two games and giving up some questionable goals.

"Not at its best, that's for sure," Lemaire replied. "But, on the other hand, he's not destroyed either. His confidence is not destroyed. I think he needs a little support right now, which we'll try to give it to him, and he'll be fine."

With no game scheduled for Wednesday, Lemaire used today as kind of a moral boosting/temperature taking day with his team. Seven players -- Jamie Langenbrunner, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Jay Pandolfo, Rob Niedermayer, Dainiuz Zubrus and Colin White -- got the day off from skating because they logged heavy minutes in Monday's 3-2  loss to the Rangers. Those players worked out off the ice.

Some players went on the ice early to work on taking shots from center ice. It doesn't seem to be a meaningful drill until you hear the explanation.

"If you can concentrate and hit the net from there and pick your corners, it's easier to do it when you're closer," defenseman Paul Martin said. "It's good to get some shots. In practices, we don't shoot a lot of pucks."

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Lemaire said he wanted to break things up a little today and work on different things to change the tone a little.

"I think it was a nice day that we could do things like this and I intend to do it every time we'll get a chance," he said. "I think it's good, you know, guys practicing their shots, other guys do different stuff . It breaks the routine of practicing: having drills and all of that.

"I think it's important at this point if anyone would have any doubts or anything on their mind or would think a little negative, which I don't see anyone. But, anything you have in the back of your mind there because we haven't won a game yet, this breaks it."

Lemaire admitted that he was "a little bit" concerned some players might be thinking negatively after the first two games.

"But I always check it," he said. "I go through people that I think, I will get a good response [from]. I had meetings with different guys. Even the worst negative that could be was positive and he would have reasons to be a little negative and he was not. He was very positive."

{Lemaire would not reveal the indentity of  "the worst negative that could be," when I asked which player it is.}

Lemaire also met with the line of Parise, Zajac and Langenbrunner to try to reinforce to them how well they played Monday night. Although that line has not produced an even-strength yet, Lemaire believes they are improving and was also pleased with how well they played in being match against Marian Gaborik's line for most of Monday's game.

"I was very pleased with Travis' line, how they played, very pleased," Lemaire said. "To me, they're playing better and better and I think they know too that they're starting to see each other the way they saw each other last year. They played good."

Being the top line, being off to an 0-2 start and having Patrik Elias out might cause that line to feel more pressure to produce,

"I think we put that pressure on ourselves at all times," Langenbrunner said. "We looked at some video today. We watched some shifts and [Lemaire] wanted us to know that we are doing a lot of good things. We, obviously, would like to score more, but we have to make sure we don't start changing things. We're doing good things and we're creating opportunities and, for the most part, we played against Gaborik last night and did a good job of slowing him down and [Lemaire] just wanted to let us know that. We want to be that line that's counted on and we put that on ourselves."

Is slowing Gaborik down good enough? Does that hurt the Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner line's production?

"You can look at it that way, but it depends on who's getting the chances and who's controlling the play," Langenbrunner said. "I think, for the most part, we played a lot of the 5-on-5 shifts in their end and that makes it a lot harder on them. Obviiously,we'd like to capitalize, but that's coming and we are doing good things out there."

"Our line is expected to score and produce and we know we can do better," Parise said. "We know we can and we know we're going to score. I don't think we look at as we've got go out and score tonight. We don't look at it like that. We know that we've got to play well. We're in the right spots. The goals are going to come."

Lemaire believes going on the first road trip of the season will help the team in multiple ways.

"I think it will be good," he said. "I think it will be good for confidence, which is totally different than what coaches will talk about going on the road. They'll talk about getting the guys together and all of this will be good for the group to be on the road. But, myself, I think it will be good for confidence.

"I think we could get confidence because the guys will be together and they'll talk about the game and they'll build their game. They'll build it in a way that they'll play good and they'll keep going. Things will get back. We're having bad breaks right now. There's no doubt when you don't win a lot of times your team is getting bad breaks, especially when you work."

Lemaire's calm approach during this 0-2 start in asn example of his experience to the players.

"There might be more panic if there was a rookie coach or somebody that hasn't been around," Langenbrunner said. "But that's the last thing that he's doing is any panic. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. He's been very positive and pushing forward and I think making sure that we realize that there are a lot of good things happening and it's a work in progress and it's been very helpful, I think, for the guys in here."

***

Lemaire admitted he was a little surprised at how well Rob Niedermayer has played in the first two games despite getting in only one preseason game and a handful of practices after signing with the team on Sept. 25.

"He's been very solid," Lemaire said. "It is surprising, but rignt now we're using him more in a defensive role, which is easier than Travis' line. He doesn't come into the game thinking he's got to get two goals tonight or I haven't scored for two games. He comes in [and thinks], 'I've got to do my job.' I've got to do my job in a sense that I have to be really good defensively and do the things that he's doing every night. And then on top of that, if he gets a chance and scores it's a huge plus."

{THE END}

Comments

[KenF]

awww, Brodeur needs a hug.

[ronmexico3]

oh boy, this story begs to be trolled by ALF/AveryRule/HaHa, who are all the same person by the way.

[Devilswede]

Marty Brodeur has never lacked confidence, that's why he has always been able to bounce back from bad games. He's always believed in himself. If he's lacking confidence right now then something is wrong and there's reason to worry.

[rob]

this is almost laughable. brodeur's confidence is low right now? so he had a couple stinkers, he's still the greatest of all time. that's like saying ron jeremy isn't confident in his ability to slay hoes....

[M&M]

I would imagine it couldn't be too high considering that, not only did he lose two games, but it was against two rivals.

[ronmexico3]

"that's like saying ron jeremy isn't confident in his ability to slay hoes..."

best quote ever. i literally LOL'd at my desk.

[Faulksy]

in the past he was never blaming others when he stunk. He admitted it moved on and was great the next game.

Then in the playoffs and at the end of last season he really blamed other people for everything.

IMO, I think its good that he is shaken and saying hes not playing well as opposed to the god-like persona he seemed to develop last year....I'm sure if he gets a game or two where the puck hits him he will get back into rhythm and be okay. Rigth now the puck is finding the holes and he just has to battle through it.

[Jason]

Players get old. Brodeur now is not the Brodeur of 2003. There are probably 5 goalies i'd take over Marty right now because they are better RIGHT NOW.

[mmarques]

Go nail your sister-in-law or something...

Oh wait. LOL. Confidence? This guy gets paid insane amounts of money, I get scored on in my adult leagues and I bounce right back.

I hear the waaaaaahmbulance on its way.

[Dan D]

Yes, because your adult leagues have the same pressures as the NHL.

[Speedz]

to break tension:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yxLlZkknv0

[gooball420]

Marty and I have so much in common.

My confidence level isn't at it's best either. I'm not destroyed, but feelin kinda vulnerable.

I just want somebody to hold my hand.

[NJromano]

SPEEDZ-my comp sux... what was the video of?

[Warren]

mmarques: I play in the adult league too. Have been for years. You know what it has in common with the NHL? NOTHING. ZERO. LESS TAHN ZERO!!!

The next time you want to make a point...pick something lucid and intelligent. (We'll wait while you go look up those words...!)

[airsilks]

Marty needs to watch NHL network at a rerun of Broduer- Better than the rest...or whatever the title of that was...

[Sal from Garfield]

SPEEDZ, it's a vid of mark messier delivering a dirty hit to mike modano and knocking him out.

I feel just a tad rotten for saying this, but I laughed @ 1:19 of the video. I won't spoil it!!

[Damian]

Adult league and pressure lol, when the only person in the bleachers is your girlfriend... those leagues are like open hockey, you pay to play and try to have fun, what pressure can you have???

[TG]

I didn't watch the video, but is that the one when they drop Modano off the stretcher?

And they announced on the PA as they were wheeling him off, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Modano."

[My Yellow Kicks]

Just blame it on the ice

[2P]

"In practices, we don't shoot a lot of pucks." - Paul Martin

This is clearly translating into games. They can't hit the net, when they do it goes into the goalies breadbasket and Brodeur is clearly getting beat by soft goals. Why don't they shoot a lot of pucks at practice? Isn't that one of the most important things in hockey?!

[JJ]

You guys are heartless. It's not like Marty is saying "my confidence is low", it's his coach's assessment of him. Every player goes through confidence crises in their careers, especially when they start getting towards the end. When an older player struggles there's always the "maybe it's my age" thought in the back of his mind, whether it actually is or not.

[RickyM2]

2P..lol it defenately did transilate in to game time. The 5 on 3 PPs were a clear indication. They passed the puck around like a hot potato. But nobody seemed to know when to shoot it

[RickyM2]

Well, we got plenty of time to screw up now and fix it. I still say Marty has to sit more. Imagine they gave Marty 50 games?? Weekes would plant his middle finger in the camera lens on the next show he does

[loulam.proboards.com]

I was at Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant the night they dropped Modano. They had it on the televisions. My friends and I have rarely laughed as hard as we did then. Which is kind of sick because we weren't even sure if Modano was ok.

[loulam.proboards.com]

That quote by Martin about not shooting a lot in practice is kind of stunning.