"Young players go through times where it feels like the world is crashing in on you,'' Jovanovski said. "When nothing seems to be working. I told [Kulikov] to have a good practice, make tape-to-tape passes and work hard. Sometimes skill isn't enough. It's not going to come to you, you've got to work your way out if it.

"The biggest lesson is less is more. A young defenseman has the tendency to do a little bit extra and it backfires. Get the puck moving, make your first pass, get it out of the zone and let someone else worry about what happens next.

"He'll come out of it. He's too good a player.''



"He's one of our most skilled defensemen out there,'' Horachek said. "He has all the tools. Right now, it's definitely mental. I think it's bothering him. He has to learn how to let it go and move back into a good place. He's fighting it a little bit and he's going to find his way.''