Calum Ritchie takes Pete DeBoers Islanders benching message in stride as he sticks on second line
TORONTO — Pete DeBoer used the stick — in this case, the bench — to make his point to Calum Ritchie on Thursday night in Ottawa.On Saturday against the Maple Leafs, it was more about the carrot. Rather than demoting Ritchie off the second line, DeBoer kept him there, having gone over video with him the day prior to reinforce the message that Ritchie’s puck management needs to improve.
The overall message, though, was one of faith in the 21-year-old center. “It’s all part of the process,” DeBoer said.“I had Wyatt Johnston in Dallas.
I had Thomas Harley.They all went through this.
They all had great games and they had games where they took a step back.You had to sit and watch for a little bit.
This is all part of that development.” Of course, that has the added benefit of being true.Things worked out pretty well with Johnston and Harley, and the safe bet is that they will with Ritchie too. Ritchie, scoreless in four straight games going into Saturday, seemed to take the message in stride. “I think I’ve been forcing some plays offensively a little bit,” he said pregame Saturday.
“I’m just trying to generate offense and I’m forcing some things.Just trying to hold onto pucks.
Making smarter plays is a big thing and obviously, I think just battling harder.Winning more puck battles.
I think those are the two biggest things probably.” Making better decisions with the puck has been a near-constant refrain from DeBoer at the start of the season, with Ritchie far from the only player to struggle doing so.Given their speed deficit on the blue line when Matthew Schaefer is off the ice, and their lack of offensive firepower, giving away high-end chances that stem from turnovers simply isn’t something the Islanders can get away with. The giveaways from Ritchie, along with taking a penalty, irked DeBoer enough on Thursday night to sit him for the last 11:30 of regulation and all of overtime in an eventual 2-1 defeat to the Senators.�...