Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Zach Parise in a drought?

Zach Parise has been far and away the best American forward this year in the NHL, but he doesn't have any goals in his last five games. He does have five assists in those games, but scoring goals is what Parise does-he 15 goals and 20 assists in 31 games this year.

Sports writer Tom Gulitti from The record and on NorthJersey.com has this article posted HERE

Zach Parise isn't used to not scoring – at least not for extended stretches.

Last season, when the Devils' left wing finished third in the NHL with 45 goals, the longest he went without one was four games.

Now, however, Parise is mired in a seven-game drought that dates back to Nov. 28.

"Of course it's frustrating," he said Monday. "It always [stinks] when you don't [score]. This probably won't be the last time we're going to have this conversation. Eight years from now, it will probably be the same thing.

"But I know that I'm playing well. I know that I'm making stuff happen out there. I know I'm getting chances. Our line is getting chances. It's just frustrating when you're going through it. But it's going to end.''

Parise hopes it ends in Wednesday night's home game against Montreal. He believes he's doing a lot of the same things he was doing when he scored nine goals in the 10 games before the drought began.

"I think every game I'm getting two good chances," he said. "I don't think I've been shooting the puck as much. I've been looking at that. I don't like to overanalyze it, but I think I can shoot the puck a little bit more."

Entering Monday's games, Parise was one behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the league lead with 135 shots on goal. But in three of the last seven games, he had only two shots.

Parise has five assists during his goal drought. That the team is 5-2 in the seven games and other players such as Niclas Bergfors (five goals), Patrik Elias (three goals) and Brian Rolston (three goals) have been scoring makes it a little easier to deal with.

"It makes you feel a lot better that the team is winning and it's not magnified," he said. "But I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't thinking about it."

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire believes Parise is headed in the right direction.

"I think the last two games he's been pushing more. He's been playing better," Lemaire said. "I think it's going to come, but he's not alone there. But don't forget Bergie is scoring. [Parise] contributes in other ways."

BRIEFS: RW Jamie Langenbrunner, who has been playing through a nagging upper-body ailment, sat out practice again Monday because he was "resting." Lemaire said Langenbrunner will practice today and play Wednesday. … Martin Brodeur is expected to tie Patrick Roy's NHL goaltending record by playing in his 1,029th game Wednesday.

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