Sat 12/14/13 9:39 AM

Center Derek Stepan is slumping conspicuously with the New York Rangers, and he says "Olympic pressure" is affecting him. Stepan gets major minutes but has only one goal and eight assists in the past 18 games. He also has scored in only three of the team's 33 games overall. Stepan said he's "trying not to let myself get frustrated with it" and "not going to force plays looking for goals," but at the same time, he acknowledged he's often overcomplicating situations when "shooting the puck is usually the higher-percentage play." He also admitted to having the pressure of making the U.S. Olympic team on his mind as, in his words, "a possible bubble guy."