“It's hard to pin down, I don't know if there's anything definitive…I think it's something that translates anytime.”

Before Wednesday's game against Dallas, Sheldon Keefe discussed the slow rebounding of late, the team's inconsistency at home (11-10-5) compared to the road (14-5-6) and the struggles David Kampf and Kalle have created. Jarnkrok's absence.

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When you have a group of players going through an offensive dry spell, what can you do as a coach to help them?

Kif: Only show them the features they are accessing and the features they have. Just stay with it. You can't do anything else.

We had no problems creating scoring chances. In order for him to get over the line, you have to stay with him, you have to be persistent, you have to shoot the puck, you have to be brave and the guys away from the puck have to interfere with the goalie.

Also, while you're going through it, recognize that you need to give up less if you want to win games. A balance must be maintained there. It was not difficult for us to create scoring opportunities. We just have to stay with him.

What do you want your team to focus on in the final 30 games as the game begins to change in the latter stages?

Kif: Consistency. That's really the name of the game for us. If you look at the season as a whole, we've been inconsistent with our play, even within the game. We've played well enough to win and we've played well in games – and playing well enough to win means doing a lot of good things or you're not even in the game – but it's only about being consistent. This is the difference between the elite teams and every other team in the league. This is what we are looking for.

We went through different parts yesterday and this morning that seemed disconnected and disorganized. This opens the door to the organization. But then we show some clips where it looks really good and as expected. We were in control of the game and the game.

We've done that very late – we've been in every game, if we're not leading, it's a tie or a low score – and we've done a good job of managing it. The Winnipeg game is a good indicator of what we can do when we finish the game. It's just the consistency part for me. That's what we talked about a lot – being with him.

How can the group keep in touch?

Kif: It has a mental component. Whether it was late on the game last night or late on the power play, like the power play guys that were there and Liljegren coming on the ice late, there's recognition and awareness. only defender. All of these pieces are there. As coaches, we have a role to play in helping them.

What was the thought process behind moving Nick Robertson to right?

Kif: Someone had to do it, and Gregor was there a lot. I think Gregor was better on the left. With Robertson's skill set and the way he shoots the puck, getting the stick inside and coming off the wall will help him.

If there's one real advantage to playing offside, it's on the break. When most pucks come against the boards pinching, your stick is on the wall and you can protect it. For Robertson, or any young player, wall play is a huge challenge at the NHL level. This is an area that will help him.

It's about weighing the pros and cons of each guy standing on the right wing, because we're Calle Jarnkrok.

How does the absence of David Kampf pose a problem for the defensive zone?

Kif: For me, it's less about the faceoff than it is about the other presence that you can put on the ice in any situation.

I thought I felt it the whole game last night, especially when we tied the game at 2-2. It was down to the last minutes, when you lose guys like Kampf and Yarnkrock, it's harder. We didn't have Jarnkrok in Winnipeg, but we did have Kampf, which I thought was much more manageable.

In the penalty shootout, I thought the guys did a good job there, whether it was Willie stepping up and making the first tackle or the other guys filling in.

We have to get more from the guys down there. This All-Star team is more involved than the Islanders of yesteryear, using four lines. There aren't many easy turnovers against this team. We need all the guys to be good in the squad.

Why do you think the team has had more success on the road this season than at home?

Kif: It is difficult to define. I don't know if there is anything special that makes the difference between indoors and outdoors. When you're on the road, you're in a different routine with different schedules. You sleep in hotels and you sleep at home. You are together as a group.

I don't know if you can show me something. Although we've had some good results on the road, we've undoubtedly played some good games. Whether at home or abroad, there are inconsistencies in both places.

The old cliché part of it is, maybe you're more focused on playing a good, tough road game and taking things easy, but at home, maybe you're trying to do a lot of things – to show well, get leads, and play ahead. Playing on the road requires extra patience, which can be harder to obtain at home.

We've talked about things like that, but I don't know… It's something that translates anytime, I think.