PITTSBURGH — The message from his coach was clear: Don’t stop doing what’s made you successful.
As the Detroit Red Wings picked up again post bye-week with a Saturday matinee against the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, there was a focus on encouraging forward Martin Frk to keep shooting the puck.
There was a scary incident in the last game before the break when Frk fired a slap shot that hit Tampa Bay defenseman Dan Girardi so hard, Girardi dropped and lay motionless for several minutes. Girardi turned out to be OK - tests were negative, but it looked scary.
“It’s something I don’t want to see,” Frk told the Free Press. “He went to block the shot and I shot it a little higher, and it was too bad I hit him in the neck.
“I did send him texts and ask him how he is doing, and he said he is good and he will be in the lineup soon. So it is good to hear that.”
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When Frk had a clear slap-shot opportunity in the first period, he didn’t hesitate to shoot. He finished with three shots in the 4-1 loss.
Coach Jeff Blashill spoke with Frk before the Pittsburgh game.
“The biggest thing I’ve said to Marty is, first of all, that shot is what’s gotten you in the NHL, so, make sure you stay in the NHL with that shot,” Blashill said. "The second thing is, as we’ve been working with him lots for four years, is make sure we hit the net. That puck wasn’t going to hit the net, so let’s make sure we hit the net as much as possible. If he hits the net, it creates such chaos because it’s such a hard shot. So let’s keep working on hitting the net.”
Frk’s shot is incredibly hard – and it’s also inaccurate. Teammates say it’s pure luck when they deflect Frk’s shot for a goal. But even with that detraction, the shot remains an asset.
“It’s a big-time shot,” Blashill said. “He’s got to keep shooting it. If he hits the 4-by-6, chaos will happen and good things happen off that. Any time it’s around that cage, it’s going to be a good thing for us. So its just a matter of continuing, even if he’s got to take a little bit off it to control it – but, he’s a shooter. He can’t overthink it.
"He’s got to shoot. He can’t get shy with that. I don’t care if people block it at times – let’s see if they want to block it again. You can only block those shots so many times before you find your way out of the lane, so keep shooting it.”
Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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