'Revert To Shot Volume'

No one said it was easy.

But the message from Head Coach Ryan Huska as he evaluates the play of struggling sniper Andrei Kuzmenko is, indeed, a simple one:

When in doubt, shoot the puck.

“I remember a few games last year – I think it was the night he had two goals – and he took a shot from just inside the blueline and scored,” Huska said. “So, I wouldn't consider that a high-danger chance from there, but he's got a very hard shot and when it hits the net, there's something that's going to come off of it – whether it happens to find its way in, or there's a rebound for someone else.

“For me, when a guy is struggling to put the puck in the net, when that is part of his game, I would revert to shot volume.

“And that's where we do push him.”

Kuzmenko, to his credit, knows the quandary in front of him. As a talented marksman – one who’s lit the lamp 39 times in a single season at this level – he clearly has a good handle on what makes a goal-scorer … score. He doesn’t like ‘wasting’ a shot with a lobber from distance; instead, trusting his unique ability to open up seams and beat goalies 1-on-1.

But therein lies the dichotomy.

While he’s never been a volume shooter like, say, Alex Ovechkin, getting back on pace is a must.

In 2022-23 when he tore up the goal-scoring charts with Tuesday’s opponent, the Vancouver Canucks, Kuzmenko averaged 1.77 shots per game for a shooting percentage of 27.3.

Unsustainable?

Perhaps.

But the math couldn’t be clearer.

After a slower start with the Canucks last year, he arrived in Calgary and immediately bumped his shots-per-game average from 1.5 to an even 2.

And the goals came in bunches – to the tune of 14 in his first 29 spins in Flames silks following the January trade.

This year, Kuzmenko has one goal and is averaging only one shot per game.

The 28-year-old drew back into the lineup on Sunday against the Golden Knights after sitting the previous five as a healthy scratch, but was unable to record a shot for the fifth-consecutive outing.

He knows that has to change.

“I'm tired of not scoring in a lot of games, a lot of months,” Kuzmenko admits. “But I don't worry, I understand. Every player (goes through this).

“It's not easy. If I shoot every game, three, four a game, is it a dangerous shot? Yes, I understand I score. But now, maybe, I don't play (well), because I need more shots, I need more dangerous moments to score. Dangerous shots, not simple shots; because if you shoot simple shots, how many will I score?

“I like dangerous shots.

“But before dangerous shots, I need a good position for shot.”

For Huska, that’s what it all comes down to.

While he’d prefer Kuzmenko to use that lethal release more often, it starts with his 200-foot play to make those opportunities possible in the first place.

“Hey, we all want him to shoot more because we know the type of shot he does have,” Huska said. “For me, it's more important that he's around the puck; because when he's around the puck, he's going to put himself in positions where he can use his shot.

“The concern comes when he's not touching it – and that's where I think part of the issue comes into play.

“So, how you go about getting the puck more or getting around it more, and for me that's about skating and making sure you're competitive to be there on loose pucks; you're competitive when it's you and someone else fighting for it.

“That's what he needs to focus on and then the shots will come.”