Slumping Giroux pressing

NASHVILLE - Flyers center Claude Giroux has blossomed into one of the NHL's elite players, but he is trying to get through his first prolonged slump of the season.

Maybe he's trying too hard.

You can hear the disappointment in his voice after games. You can see his frustration as he slams his gloves on the bench after a goal-less shift.

Giroux, an ultra-intense competitor, has one goal in his last 10 games.

"It's not really about the stats, it's that I know I can play better," Giroux said after he and his line mates, Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr, were shut down by defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter in Saturday's 4-2 loss in Nashville. "I want to help the team win. And the last few games, that's not the case. I think I just have to go back to doing things simple."

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette senses Giroux has been pressing lately.

"I'm sure you get frustrated a little bit. We're trying to talk him out of that," Laviolette said. "He's a terrific talent and I think all players [go through it]. I've said this before, there's always peaks and valleys. There's the ebb and flow of things. It'd be great if teams and players only experienced great things through the course of 82 games, but that's not the way life is."

Giroux, who entered Sunday tied for second in the NHL with 49 points, isn't in a slump because of a lack of effort, and he is helping out in other areas, such as the penalty kill and face-offs. He had five shots, won 52 percent of his face-offs, and played a team-high 25 minutes in Saturday's loss.

"I just have to find a way to battle back," said Giroux, an 18-goal scorer. . . . I just have to keep working harder and things are going to come back to what it was. Like I said, I'm pretty frustrated about my game right now. I'm trying to work hard and outwork other players."

Since missing four games because of a concussion, Giroux has two goals and eight assists in 11 games. He had a goal and three assists in his first game back.

Giroux, minus-6 in his last four games, said he has had no ill aftereffects from the concussion.

"I feel good," he said.

Winger Wayne Simmonds, who scored his 12th goal on Saturday, watches Giroux's work ethic and doesn't think his slump will last long.