Shots From The Point By OEL

GLENDALE --Our team is at the halfway point of the season and we've had three days off from games since our last one. With 41 games to go, there's still lots of work for us to do.
It's very important for us to go game-by-game and not look too far ahead. We also can't start thinking that the season is over just because our record isn't great. The key is to treat the second half as a great opportunity for us to get better as a team and to really start building something here. That's our goal for the next three months.

We've played stretches of good hockey this season, but we've struggled with playing good hockey for 60 minutes. We've talked about that all season and we're trying to figure out why we sit back for the last five or 10 minutes of the game in the games that we're leading or are tied. I think we need more people to step up when the games are on the line. We haven't had enough guys do that. We also have a lot of young players and it feels like some don't want to make a mistake at those key times. That's normal for young players, but you have to learn that you can't take the easy way out. To win in this League you really need guys to want the puck at key times. I'm obviously a guy who always wants the puck, but I know mistakes are going to come from that, too. We all saw that happen to me in the game against Toronto. We all have to be better, but it's important to realize mistakes are going to happen and nobody is going to be mad at you if you make a mistake while you're trying to do something right. I'd rather have teammates who try and mess up than teammates who take the easy way out.

We've been watching the World Junior Championship here at the rink the past few days. It's a fun tournament to watch, and all of the guys are rooting for their home countries. I think the Swedes have a good chance to win it all but you never know with this tournament; one loss and you're out! There's a lot on the line for these kids. I remember playing in it in 2010 and I remember being very nervous. There's a lot of pressure to perform well. Everybody thinks that if you play good on this stage that you're going to be an NHL player and that if you mess up or don't play too good your chance to be one is gone. I really don't think that's the case so my advice to these players is to just go out there and have fun playing the game you love.
I hope everyone reading this had an enjoayble holiday season. I spent a few days with my brother Kevin at Christmas. He drove up to the Valley from Tucson, and we golfed a little bit and spent some time with Niklas Hjalmarsson and his family. We had a nice Swedish Christmas with them and ate a lot of good traditional Swedish food like meatballs and ham. I miss that stuff being over here in North America during the holidays so we're very grateful to 'Hammer' and his wife Elina for inviting us to their home.
Speaking of 'Hammer,' he's been working very hard to get back on the ice after about a month on the sidelines. Not having him in the lineup has been tough for us and tough for him. He's come to a new team and wants to show what he's good at and what he can bring to the table. I know he's frustrated and really wants to get back. As a team, we really need him back. I think getting him back is really going to help us win more over the last 41 games.

New Year's Eve was pretty low-key this year. We had an afternoon game in Anaheim that day and then a practice on New Year's Day so there wasn't much time to get too wild. But it was fun to ring in a new year and leave 2017 behind. That was just an awful year for me so I'm happy to turn the page, and I'm hoping 2018 will be much happier for me and my family. And I wish a Happy New Year to all of you!
Thanks for reading.
-- OEL