Sheldon Keefe addressed the media after his team’s 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames that improved the team’s record to 26-10-3 on the season and 7-0-1 in their last eight games.
On the 30-second timeout:
I just looked at the opportunity to get the team to regroup. When you give up a shorthanded goal, at the best of times, it is going to suck the life out of your group. The way things were going for our power play, I thought we needed a chance to regroup. We had lots of time to get back out there.
Some of the guys who were out there had already sat down on the bench. They didn’t want to be out there anymore. I just thought it was a chance to get the group together, talk to them, let them know we need to settle down and regroup, and also recognize it is a big moment. The power play had been reeling and trying to find its way. What better time to strike back than right there?
You give up a shorthanded goal, and that is probably as close to rock bottom as the power play can get with the way it has been going. The guys responded beautifully.
On Jack Campbell’s franchise-record-tying nine-game winning streak:
A lot has been said. It has been really well covered. He was good again tonight. He is battling his ass off out there and competing in the net. I don’t know in how many games he has given up three, but he is still battling right to the very end.
He’s been great. He has been dealing with injuries. He has had extended periods of time off and it hasn’t fazed him. He has come back in the net and he has kept going where he left off. It has to be fun to watch that happen, and it’s nice to have him with us.
On Wayne Simmonds’ performance level since returning from injury:
I thought in the third period last night, things started to turn for him. It seemed like the game was settling down a little bit. He had a lot more jump. The puck was settling on his stick a little better. I thought he and his line had some really good moments today.
Huge goal for us. He was at the net doing what he does there. That was good to see. I thought that line was really good.
I thought Engvall and Mikheyev both skated extremely well. Mikheyev, with the way he attacked the net here tonight with his skating and his speed, made a big difference in the hockey game. That line made a big difference for us. Simmer did his part. Getting the goal will make him feel good and he can continue to build on that.
On whether there was frustration about the lack of a call on Milan Lucic prior to the Flames’ 2-1 goal:
For those watching, we kind of made it pretty clear that one might have been missed there. I think we were able to push past it and recognize it changed momentum in the game a little bit with the goal they scored immediately after. We can’t control what gets called and what doesn’t, but we have to make sure we play to the whistle each time. I didn’t like how we gave that goal up. But were able to push past it.
