Ruff on Sharangovich's Turnaround | BLOG

After only three points in his first 13 games of the season, Yegor Sharangovich has seen his play pick up and that was no more apparent than on Wednesday night when he had a goal and an assist to help lead the Devils to a 4-3 win over the Sabres.
"He's skating a lot better. That's the major reason. He got off to a tough start. I didn't feel like he was moving his legs well enough. His play away from the puck - not necessarily defending but when we were moving up ice it didn't get him in the positions he needed to be in," said Devils head coach Lindy Ruff.
"The small ice compete has been better and when you win those small ice battles you get more opportunities."
After his early-season struggles, Sharangovich spent a lot of time with Devils assistant coach Chris Taylor to try and reclaim his game from last season when he had 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games.
"I think the shift was the constant review. He had constant review with Chris Taylor, going through his shifts. If you want more ice time, you've got to be involved in these areas of the ice," Ruff added, noting the methods Taylor used to work with the Belarusian forward.
"Supportive. Demanding to the sense that if you want more ice time and you want to be involved in this part of the game, you've got to go earn it. Shara realized that."
In his last 15 games, Sharangovich has five goals and nine points which would be on pace for a 27-goal, 45-point season over 82 games.
"He knew his play was sub-par at the start of the year, I have to give him credit," Ruff added. "He's battling to get back to where we think he can be an effective goal scorer for us."