Going Without Goals

Where are your hands, Frans? On the surface, it’s a legitimate question to pose. Twenty-four games into the NHL season, Detroit Red Wings center Frans Nielsen is still without a goal. “I haven’t been in this position before,… Nielsen said. “I know it’s going to come. I’ve just gotta keep playing the my game and hopefully one turns into more. But again, it’s one of those things you can’t control. I mean yeah, you want to get some goals for sure but at the same time I think you can’t get frustrated about it. “You’ve just got to go out there and try and play your game the same every night and just hope that it’s going to bounce your way and it’s going to keep rolling on.… At the same time, with 14 assists, Nielsen does share the team lead in that category with Gustav Nyquist, and he’s tied with Anthony Mantha for fourth on the team in scoring. The longest into a season that Nielsen had previously waited for his first goal of a campaign was in 2007-08, his rookie season, when he scored in his 14th game. “I think since he’s come back he’s been really good,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. Nielsen missed four games in late November with a concussion. “I think he went through a stretch where he wasn’t playing good enough hockey early. Again, he’s another guy that’s self-accountable, so I think he recognizes that. He’s been way better lately. He’s just way more confident with the puck. “I don’t know why the goals haven’t been there. I think he’s had a pretty good impact on a fairly consistent basis, night to night.… There is another noticeable difference in Nielsen’s stat line that likely correlates to his goal-scoring woes. For the fourth straight season, his shot totals are down. And as Wayne Gretzky once famously suggested, “One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.… Nielsen is averaging a career-low 1.40 shots on goals so far this season, down from 1.70 in 2017-18. He averaged 2.05 shots per game in 2016-17, after posting a career-high 2.23 shots per game in 2015-16. “There might be times on the power play where I might look pass instead of shooting sometimes, but five on five I definitely . . . if I can get it there I’m trying to get it to the net every time,… Nielsen said. “I think I’ve just gotta keep having that mentality and like I said, hopefully you get one and then hopefully those keep going in.… The Wings went through this two seasons ago with Riley Sheahan, who didn’t score until netting a pair of goals in the final game of the season. Nielsen isn’t keen on waiting that long, but he also doesn’t intend to try to press the matter, either. “That’s the important part,… Nielsen said. “Don’t start cheating out there because they’re not coming, or don’t play the right way and force offense. I’ve gotta be myself and play my game. “I’ve played almost 800 games now. It’s worked so far, so I just gotta keep playing my game. I know it’s going to come.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer