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Coach and player interviews following Monday’s practice.


Mike Babcock

Babcock: Andie is not playing tomorrow. Mac is playing tomorrow. Sparks is here on an emergency [loan]. Freddie felt good today. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.

So it’s a good Monday, is it Mike?

Babcock: We had a good practice, getting ready to play. Obviously, we get to watch Florida play on TV tonight and get ready for them. They slapped us around last time they played us, so we should be more prepared.

What kind of sense of relief is it around Freddie that it isn’t long term?

Babcock: It doesn’t appear to be long. Obviously, that’s great. The way I look at injuries all the time is the same. It’s an opportunity for Mac here. He has to get prepared and play. We’ve got to play real well and give ourselves a win.

Kapanen get in tomorrow?

Babcock: Yep.

What exactly happened with Andersen?

Babcock: Got bumped into.

What would you expect from Kapanen tomorrow?

Babcock: Just do what you do. We watched him a lot. We probably could’ve had him up sooner, but he got injured. He was tearing the league apart and then got injured. He provides real good speed. He’ll make Martin and Boyler way quicker. There is no one on our team as quick as him, obviously. So get in on the forecheck, be real good on the penalty kill for us, and just be quicker.

Anything about Curtis you’ve learned that makes you feel confident he can handle the moment?

Babcock: He’s just a good pro. He’s done a good job for us. We like him. Goaltending is so important in the confidence of the team. We got the win the other night in New Jersey. It wasn’t his best start, but we need him to find a way to play like he’s capable of. That’s all we need.

Hockey Canada has announced an initiative that beginning next season kids five and six years old are going to have to play on smaller ice surfaces; half ice surfaces. As a coach, how important is that for kids’ development?

Babcock: It’s huge. It’s a great announcement. It should’ve been happening a long time ago. There is nothing worse than pack hockey. You see five chasing the puck here and five over here. It’s a waste of time. The more structure we can get, the more good practice time, the more cross-ice games, the better it is. I think it’s obviously real important for the development of hockey and we have to continue to grow the grassroots hockey in our nation. It’s important the kids get good coaching and that we, through Hockey Canada, give good mandates to help the kids out. I think it’s a great thing.

Was it concussion protocol that took Andersen out the other night?

Babcock: It’s just the doctor’s protocol. The beauty about the injury department around here is that I’m not in charge. It makes it easy for me. They tell me when the guy is back. They told me he wasn’t available today but that things are real good.

The guys were saying there isn’t much of a difference – or shouldn’t be – when there is a different goalie in net. Is that kind of the sense you’ve got?

Babcock: I don’t think there’s much that way. We just have to get out there and play right. We weren’t very pleased with our effort there the other night. We didn’t do a very good job in the neutral zone. Didn’t break out well. We weren’t on the puck. We’ve got to understand that. It was a great off-day for us. We haven’t had an off-day in a long time. To come back in and practice… this was probably our last real practice of the year. The rest are touch-ups. It was a good opportunity for us today to get dialled in.

I know you normally stay focused on the smaller picture, but there are eight games in 13 days to end the year. Is there any sort of bigger plan to handle that grind?

Babcock: I mean, we’ve been going through that for quite a while. I can’t remember… I thought we had 18 in 34 or something a while back. We’ve been monitoring it ever since. We’ve had our program laid out accordingly. I don’t think that’s any different. Our focus here remains the same. We play Florida tomorrow and that’s all we really have to worry about. Live in the present and do what we’re supposed to do.

Any update on Leivo or Soshnikov?

Babcock: Leivo didn’t skate with us and neither did Sosh. That’s what I got.

You had a chance to see the Marlies yesterday. Did you appreciate the depth and the opportunity to bring up somebody like Kap and what he can do and what the organization has for you down there?

Babcock: Yeah, I was real impressed. They’ve got a real good team. They’ve had some veteran guys to really help them down there. I thought they looked real good yesterday. I was impressed with some of the kids down there in Dermott, Valiev and Nielsen on the back end. Obviously, Leipsic is a real good player. Kappy. These are guys that are looking like they’re knocking on the door for us. That’s a positive. The more you have in your system, the better off you are. We’re going to have a hard team to make in the next couple of years. In saying all of that, the more push you have from the bottom the better off you are. Those guys have got to take someone’s job.


Kasperi Kapanen

On the callup opportunity:

Kapanen: Obviously, it feels good. I think I’ve played a pretty good year this year. I had that injury which was a bit of a set back, but I think I worked hard and I feel close to 100% right now. I’m just really happy to be here.

Do you feel comfortable here? Obviously, you know about half the team. You played with them last year.

Kapanen: Yeah, I know all the guys. They were really nice to me today. Like I said, I’m just really happy to be here to hopefully get a game in tomorrow.

What kind of message did you get from the coaching staff when they called you up?

Kapanen: I didn’t talk to them too much. Just going over some penalty kill stuff, and just some tactical stuff. They just told me to relax and have fun. That’s what I’m here to do.

Did they tell you you’d be playing tomorrow?

Kapanen: I believe so, yeah.

How important was training camp? I know Halifax seems so long ago, but you had a good camp and brought it back here as well in terms of setting the tempo for the season you’ve had.

Kapanen: At training camp, you get to know all the guys and the structure and the way we want to play. If you get that callup, you kind of know what to expect. Down with the Marlies, we have the same structure, too. You’re used to it, but it’s a whole different world up here. I’m just excited to be up here.

These guys have surged of late, as have the Marlies. What has been the keys to the Marlies success to the point where the club is now at the top of the North Division?

Kapanen: I think the first half of the season we played kind of okay, but then we started picking up the pace. I’ve been playing with great linemates all year, and they’ve been helping me out a lot. I’m just trying to be a better player every day, and I think I’ve been taking big steps from last year.

What kind of strides do you think you’ve made this year? I know you’ve killed penalties this year, that kind of stuff.

Kapanen: I just think I’m a more complete player. I feel bigger and stronger and faster compared to last year. That’s just a big confidence booster.

You’ve talked about trying to improve your defensive game to try to complement your offensive game. Where do you feel like you’re at defensively?

Kapanen: Pretty good compared to last year. It’s just something you have to take care of first. Once you take care of defensive zone, you can go and try to score some goals and make plays. I think they’ve really made me bear down in the defensive zone. I feel like more of a complete player.

You’ve had a good chance to watch your buddyWilly. What’s the biggest difference in his game as you’ve seen him from the Marlies last year to what he’s done with the Leafs?

Kapanen: Willy is just so patient with the puck. He just sees the ice so well. He’s got one of the most underrated shots in the league. He can really shoot that puck. I think once he gets going and gets a little bit of confidence, he’s been really turning it up this year. I’m really happy to see that.


Frederik Andersen

What happened on Saturday?

Andersen: I got bumped pretty early in the game and I didn’t feel great the rest of the period. We discussed with the medical staff and the doctor and decided to play it safe.

Did you consider leaving during the period or just wanted to wait until the intermission?

Andersen: I just felt a little bit off and wanted to see what happened at the intermission.

It’s not easy to predict, but how long do you think you’ll be out?

Andersen: We don’t know. Like you said, it’s tough to predict. We’re taking it slow. I felt pretty good today but I’ve got to take it one day at a time.

Any correlation between your problem in September and what happened in Buffalo?

Andersen: I don’t want to get too into detail. Just want to see how it goes tomorrow.

What were you looking to accomplish today on the ice?

Andersen: Just to see how it felt on the ice. You sit out a day and you want to get that feel back and see how it goes.

Was that always the plan to go half way or did you feel something?

Andersen: Yeah, that was the plan.

Do you feel it was the right call to come out just as a precaution?

Andersen: Yeah, I think we did the right thing. Didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. You want to do the right thing and that’s what we did.

Do you have any symptoms associated with a concussion?

Andersen: I don’t want to get too much into that. I just want to make sure I get back into the net as quickly as possible.

Was it when Kane fell on you there?

Andersen: I don’t think it was that one. I think it was pretty early in the period.


James van Riemsdyk

An opportunity to see Kasperi get called up. Just further credence to the depth of the organization, isn’t it?

JVR: Yeah, definitely. He had a really good training camp. I think the thing that sticks out about him right away is how fast he is. He can use that speed to his advantage. I’m not sure what is going on for tomorrow’s lineup, but, like you said, we have a lot of depth in our organization. These sorts of things show that.

Hard not to look at two weeks ahead and where you might be at that time, given the importance of a game-by-game basis moving forward?

JVR: It’s one day at a time. It’s one game at a time. We know exactly where we’re at in the standings and what we’re trying to fight for here. You can’t afford to get too far ahead of yourself.

Is there a difference in the way that the team plays based on who is in net?

JVR: I don’t know if there is anything to that. I think we’re trying to focus on playing within our structure and doing the right things out there. I think we want to try to be interchangeable no matter who is on the ice or who is in the net. We want to try – structure wise – to play the same no matter who is out there; line one, line two, line three, line four, or whatever it is. I don’t know if there is anything to that.

That said, how much confidence do you have when you look at what Freddie has done since the start of March? He seems to be really hot.

JVR: He’s been great down the stretch. He gives us a chance every night and makes a lot of huge saves for us. You can’t say enough good things about him.

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