Krog's scoring keeps Wolves on the attack
Jason Krog has the kind of slumps other players could only wish for.
And right now, he's in one.
Having gone without dishing out an assist or putting the puck into the net for two straight games, Krog tied the longest pointless streak he has had since donning a Chicago Wolves uniform.
In 98 games with the team, including the playoffs, this is only the second time Krog has been scoreless for this long.
In the other 85 games? Well, he has been dominant. Krog has had 156 points during that span, leads the AHL in points this season, and has put together points streaks of 10 games or more four times during his two years with the Wolves.
Right before this recent "slump," Krog had a 14-game streak in which he had 9 goals and 22 assists.
Few in the AHL or the NHL possess comparable numbers, yet to the 32-year-old Krog, one of the team's most reserved players, the numbers are nothing extraordinary.
"My job primarily comes in offensive situations," he said. "I get opportunities to get points. Every night I know I'm going to get chances."
It really isn't that simple, however.
Krog has chances, but so do plenty of other players. What separates Krog and Wolves captain Darren Haydar (last year's AHL points leader) from others is their ability and intelligence.
"Obviously, his skills are very good, but he's a very smart hockey player," said Wolves general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. "Right from when he played college, everything you heard was how he was really good on the power play. He's really smart. He makes good things happen because of his vision and things like that.
"When I go around the league and I watch players and look for prospects, one of the hardest things to gauge is their hockey sense. When you watch guys like Krog and Haydar, it's one of the easiest things.
"They make those plays. They know where the puck should go. That's why at this level here they're a little bit ahead of everyone."
Krog and Haydar have a lot of similarities. They played together on the same line at the University of New Hampshire in 1998-99, leading the Wildcats to the NCAA finals.
They were reunited last season with the Wolves, and each produced points in the team's first 26 games. Together, they finished with a combined 202 points.
In addition, both haven't been given much of a shot at the NHL over the last couple of years.
Haydar got his first extended stay this season -- 16 games with the Thrashers before being sent down. Krog has played in 198 NHL games but hasn't been up this season and played in only 23 games last season.
"For him, it's just tough," Haydar said. "I went through it last year. It's tough that he hasn't had an opportunity this year. He believes he can be there. I believe I can be there.
"You're just in that situation where he's doing well and he can only control what he can control. Being consistent on every night is all he can do."
Krog has been around long enough not to be obsessed about it.
"The more you think about the stuff, the more you can't control it and the more it affects you," he said. "All you can really do is take care of playing as well as you can and try to help this team to win. Everything else is out of your hands.
"If you do get called up, that's awesome, but you can't be expecting it or worrying about it."