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Boughner Demotes Dahlen: “Hopefully, he gets that message.”
In two games since the San Jose Sharks returned from their extended break, Jonathan Dahlén has struggled to return to form.
“I need to see jump back,” remarked head coach Bob Boughner on Saturday morning.
At Saturday morning’s practice, Matt Nieto skated alongside Logan Couture and Rudolfs Balcers, while Dahlén was moved down the lineup, skating with the fourth line.
#SJSharks lines this morning at practice:
Barabanov-Hertl-Meier
Balcers-Couture-Nieto
Cogliano-Bonino-Gregor
Dahlen-Pederson-Gadjovich-VielAll d-men present and accounted for. Hill not here, so Reimer should get the start versus Vegas
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 19, 2022
“Any time a coach drops you from the top line to the fourth line, it’s a message, so hopefully, he gets that message,” commented Boughner about the move.
“I guess the message is I have to be better,” Dahlén recognized.
“He’s never going to be one of the fastest guys out there,” Boughner noted about Dahlén, going on to mention the switch to put Nieto in Dahlén’s spot gives San Jose Sharks captain Couture a bit more speed to work with. It was a move that worked well Thursday night, resulting in a Couture goal.
Specific areas where Boughner wants to see improvement are in Dahlén’s intensity on puck battles, energy on the forecheck, and a quicker start to his game, specifically referencing Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
“He’s been part of our offense here, and he’s a secondary scoring guy kind of thing, but I thought he started his game slow and lost some puck battles early. Playing on that big line, you can’t do that.”
Boughner is confident that Dahlén is aware of what he needs to work on: “He’s honest with himself and knows his game.”
Dahlén himself seems to agree: “I’ve played okay this year, but I haven’t played that good.”
Should he be in the lineup on Sunday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights — it looks like he will be, per Boughner — Dahlén will have the chance to prove he has taken Boughner’s message to heart.
“It’s obviously the best league in the world and there are going to be ups and downs in the season,” the rookie noted.
AT SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW…
GOTTA SEE IT: Barabanov Sends Sharks to OT with Buzzer-Beater
IN OTHER SHARKS NEWS…
Nick Bonino could thrive in an adjusted role for the San Jose Sharks. (The Hockey Writers)
Jasper Weatherby joins Teal for Change to discuss his history of activism. (NHL)
James Reimer is carrying a heavy workload while Adin Hill remains out. (The Mercury News)
The Top 25 San Jose Sharks players under 25: Adam Raska. (Fear the Fin)
Could Tomas Hertl soon be named captain? (The Hockey Writers)
AROUND THE NHL…
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Noise complaint filed against the US men’s hockey team at the Olympic village. (Sports Illustrated)
Canadian women claim Olympic gold in 3-2 win over Team USA. (The Mercury News)
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— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) February 19, 2022
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