Why Patrick Roy Chose To Call Out Maxim Tsyplakov Through The Media
Patrick Roy is hoping that Maxim Tsyplakov got the message.
EAST MEADOW, NY — New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy doesn’t love to throw his players under the bus during media scrums.
But, when he does, like we used to see with former head coach Barry Trotz, it’s to make a point to the player — not to us.
Following Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Roy described LA’s winning goal in which Maxim Tsyplakov made two mistakes.
“Tsyippy had a horrible turnover, actually two on that same play when we just scored to make it a 1-1 game, so he needs to be better at that.”
So, when the Islanders hit the ice for practice on Thursday, it wasn’t a surprise to see Tsyplakov skating with the extras. However, Roy confirmed after that Tsyplakov will indeed play against the Edmonton Oilers.
Tsyplakov hasn’t lived up to the goal-scoring tag in his first NHL campaign, with just seven goals in 59 games. However, he’s proven to have a high hockey IQ and an innate ability to get to the slot and the net.
But, the biggest issue that’s held him back from being effective, consistently, has been his turnover numbers, as he’s tried to do too much.
Tsyplakov has 64 giveaways in 59 games, with that number likely missing a handful.
“It’s something that he's been doing since the start of the season, you know? And we want to fix that,” Roy said. “I don't like to go in the media after a game, but, sometimes, you have to do what you have to do. I think that when we make the trade for Nelly, we said, everybody needs to step up, and Tsyppy is one of the guys that needs to step up as well.
“We need everybody, and everybody needs to bring their games. It's how we gonna find a way to make the playoffs. This is how we're gonna do it. If we’re all playing well together, we're gonna make the playoffs. But if we don't, then we're gonna [miss]. Tsyppy needs to step up, and it's time for him [to step up]. We have less than 20 games left in the season. We can't make those mistakes at this time. This is playoff hockey. Every night we're playing a playoff hockey game. And I mean, I know a lot of people think we don't have a chance, but we do believe in ourselves. But in order to do that, we need everyone to step up.”
If it has been a problem all season long, what more can Roy do to get Tsyplakov to play a smarter game?
Here’s what Roy said about that: