Mike Babcock met with the media after practice on Wednesday, discussing Auston Matthews‘ status for Thursday’s game against New Jersey, Nikita Soshnikov joining the big club, Connor Brown‘s versatility, the adjustments the team has made recently, and more.
On Auston Matthews’ injury status and whether winning has helped them take their time with it:
Babcock: There’s two different questions there. Obviously, good to have Matty on the ice today. I don’t know if he’s playing tomorrow, to be honest with you. We’ll see tomorrow morning at the skate. We’ll see how he handled it and all of those things. The medical guys will tell me what’s going on there and then we’ll make our lineup accordingly.
As far as the wins, I think we’ve played well here. We’ve won four in a row. We’ve got a chance to play New Jersey, who slapped us around last time. Sometimes, when you get a few days off, you relax. Nothing wrong with relaxing physically, but we need to be engaged mentally and we need to be dialled in here tomorrow. They play fast and they play well and we’re going to have to play well. But, ideally, we’ll get all hands on deck and get playing.
Auston was saying, after 10 days off – or whatever it was – he almost forgot how to stickhandle in a way. What sort of challenges is he facing coming back?
Babcock: Well, for sure. I saw today, and he was fine, but he wasn’t like he normally is. Just the power and explosiveness and the fitness… it’s amazing — anybody knows, if you get too many days off in hockey, it takes you a while to get her back. That’s the way it is. But he’s a good player and he’s determined, so I don’t think there should be any issues.
What has allowed someone like Connor Brown to be so versatile and also at the same time avoid any sort of sophomore slump?
Babcock: Well, he’s that good and he works that hard. You know, he laughed. I said to him today, “Did you check out the lineup? You’re getting screwed again.” He just laughed. He knows he isn’t going to be there for long. That’s for warm-up, right? You’ve got to put him somewhere. The other thing about him is that he’s mentally tough enough that it doesn’t bother him. He brings it every single day and he’s a good player. I don’t know how many goals he’s gotten, but he checks, he scores, he competes every day. That’s what you want from guys. So, he’s like money in the bank. That’s the way I look at it.
You’ve got Soshnikov back up now. Is he in a situation here he has to, sort of like Leivo, take somebody’s job?
Babcock: Yeah, but I mean, Sosh was flying out there today… Sosh obviously had the head injury, or whatever you want to call it. Concussion, or whatever that is. He spent the whole summer trying to work his way back. It took way more time than he probably expected and he didn’t feel as good. Now, I don’t know enough – none of us know enough – about those things, but, obviously, we gave him good time and then told him right away that you’re going to go back and get your game going and get feeling good. He’s been really good down there, so it’s time for him here. When he gets his opportunity, you’ve got to make good on your opportunity. Does that guarantee you stay in? No, but it sure gives you a chance. We think Sosh is a real good player and we like him a lot. It’s good to have him back. He lifts the intensity level in practice.
Have teams slowed you down compared to how you started in the first part of the season?
Babcock: Well, what part is them and what part is us? We got in our own way there for a while. Any way you look at it, we just had four days off, or whatever we had right here. You played every second day or more than that, and traveled back and forth. The schedule is unbelievable. Now, there is no excuse for the schedule, but sometimes the schedule is what the schedule is and you’re running on vapour. So you’ve got to use your brain. When you put that together with not using your brain, it makes it hard, so you look slow and you don’t look that smart.
Can you guys get back to that speed while still playing the way you want them to play?
Babcock: I think so for sure. That’s our plan. We have to if we want to be a good team. I like a lot of the things that have happened when Matty hasn’t been playing. You have to dig in a little bit and play a different way. We gave up shots when he was away but our scoring chances against were way down, especially our high-quality chances, which is important for us. It gives your goalies a better chance to be good. Now, are we coming back, as soon as he’s back, and racing to 10 again? Ideally not.
How much clearer are things compared to where you guys were going into Winnipeg on October 4th?
Babcock: I mean, you know more. There is a change that goes on as young guys get better and they take over more and more responsibility. There is a change there, but I think our depth is good. We’ve still got lots of work to do here. We’ve got to get way better on the back, and I think we can with the people we have here. I think we can be way more efficient up front and use people better. We’ve got lots of work to do. We understand that as a coaching staff, and that is on us to figure that out. We’re excited about the opportunity. Our guys should be fresh. Let’s get at her.
