After practice on Sunday, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed potentially starting the playoffs with Ryan O’Reilly on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, preparing for the matchup game against Tampa Bay, and the decision to keep ROR on the top power-play unit in practice.
Practice Lines – April 16
#Leafs lines during practice Apr. 16/23
Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Tavares-O'Reilly-Nylander
Kerfoot-Acciari-Jarnkrok
AstonReese-Kampf-Lafferty
Knies, Simmonds (on another pad)McCabe-Brodie
Giordano-Holl
Rielly-Schenn
Gustafsson-Liljegren@BodogCA @RinkWideTOR— David Alter (@dalter) April 16, 2023
What do you like about Ryan O’Reilly in the second-line center spot with John Tavares on the wing?
Keefe: He’s got a skill set to be able to play with those guys offensively, but defensively, he is able to take on a lot of the load there. It makes it so you can play that line against anybody.
I liked the chemistry they had together in their time together, whether it was with John or there or even just with Will the other night. I think it just works. It is easy for me to adjust it the other way if necessary.
How do you expect O’Reilly might change the complexion of the team in these big games?
Keefe: I just think that he comes in as a guy with the experience that he has — not just with what he has been through winning but in leading a team through that and succeeding himself. Not just in his Stanley Cup year, but also throughout his career, he has been a playoff performer.
I think he has such confidence about him that it helps keep our group calm. He is a very talkative guy. He is probably the most talkative guy on our bench. I think that is important, particularly a season removed from Jason Spezza. That is important for us.
On the ice, he brings so many things and does so many things in all areas of the game. He gives us such extra depth and flexibility in the lineup. There is a lot to like about it.
The biggest thing for me is just how he has come in and how comfortable he is in himself, but also, he is very aware of his surroundings, how to fit in, and how to help people get better while still focusing on himself.
He is just a very selfless guy. We sat some guys the other night, and we were going to put the assistant captain’s “A” on him. He didn’t want it. “I don’t need that. Give it to someone else.” It is the type of guy that he is. It is all part of it.
It is not just him. Obviously, Acciari comes with great experience. McCabe hasn’t played in the playoffs but has played in the league for a long time. He is very hungry for this. Acciari has been through a lot and has played deep into the playoffs. Schenn has won championships and has been in the league for a long time.
There is a lot of experience we have picked up along the way, not to mention Giordano last season. We have picked up these guys along the way that we think bring a lot to the group and help a lot with our confidence going forward.
There are coaches who love to go best-on-best, and there are coaches who like to form a dedicated checking line to match up against the other team’s best players. Philosophically, how do you approach that?
Keefe: Each opponent is different depending on how they are built. Tampa, specifically, is such a deep team.
I also think it is difficult to stay on any sort of matchup in this day and age. The way teams generally manage O-zone starts and D-zone starts is far different than it was a long time ago.
Most teams are always going to start — in their defensive zone — their best defensive line or best defensive center. If you are trying to stick with your matchup, and you don’t want your best players to play against the other team’s best defenders, you are not going to be able to get them out for any O-zone faceoffs. That is not good or healthy for them.
In general, matchups aren’t quite what they used to be because of how teams manage that. In open play and different things, you are trying to look at it. We, of course, have a bit of a sample from last season of some of the different matchups.
The lines are different this time around. Stamkos played a lot in the middle last year. He hasn’t been playing as much there now.
In general, because Matthews and Marner are two of our best defensive players, I don’t get too concerned about going best-on-best with them. They are so good and so dynamic on both sides of it. We also have to look for windows of opportunity to get them favourable time.
Sometimes, it is not always about the forward matchups as much as it is about the defensive matchups. Sometimes, you focus a little bit more on that and try to make it hard on them to get their best defenders against your guys.
In terms of the pressure on the top players to produce, how much does having O’Reilly in the mix alleviate a bit of the pressure? So much talk here is always about how Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares are going to produce in the playoffs.
Keefe: I think that is the reality of the playoffs. A lot of the tension goes to your top players. It is not unlike the regular season in that sense, but you are going to need goals from lower in your lineup for sure. I also think you need to give your best people every opportunity to be at their best.
I think that we are set up pretty good with our third and fourth lines with guys I can put out in different situations. The Kampf line with Lafferty and Aston-Reese may have been our best line over the last six weeks or so. Certainly the last month, that line has really come on and scored some big goals for us. In Boston, Lafferty scores the only goal for us.
With those kinds of things, you are hoping you can still get the offense from those guys. They need to contribute. David Kampf scored some big goals for us last year in the playoffs. You want that to continue.
Setting us up the way we are now is good. We are a very quick adjustment away from getting a different look. I think we will see that at different times.
What did you think about the way Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner ended their season playing at the top of their games?
Keefe: It feels like Mitch was at the top of his game for most of the season all the way through. Certainly, it seemed Auston found another gear down the stretch. I think he is really excited about an opportunity to start another season now.
For all of our players, really — whether it is Auston, Mitch, or anyone else — there is the anticipation of the challenge ahead but also the opportunity that our team has knowing that you work all season to put yourself into the playoffs and into a position to compete and be in a good spot as we are.
There is lots of excitement there. Both guys feel good about their game. More importantly than just the individuals, collectively, we feel our game is in a good spot.
We have talked a lot about it over the last number of weeks here. The cohesion of our team — and how connected we are — is in a really good place. That has us all excited to get going.
While most fans felt like they wanted to just skip ahead to the playoffs, you were emphasizing at the start of the season that the regular season is important. What do you think you were able to get out of it?
Keefe: You get a lot.
First of all, it goes without saying that you can’t go to the postseason unless you get organized and play to your potential or exceed your potential in the regular season. You want to put yourself in the best position possible.
We are in a very competitive division. It is very difficult to finish where we did. We dealt with a lot of injuries. I think our team grew through that and got better through that. We had some adversity this season that we didn’t really have to face last season, but we found our way through it.
Once again, as we went through the trade deadline, we added some very important pieces to our team. We had to grow through that as well. I think we have done a good job of that. We like how it has all come together.
That is all part of the journey and process. The great thing about winning is that you have been through so much together. You don’t get that without the regular season. It is not quite the same if you throw together a team and you go play together for a week or two or a month.
The beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs is that it has been a long journey to this point and it only gets more difficult from here. All of the things that you go through along the way are what make it extra special.
While you recognize the importance of the playoffs, you don’t want to skip steps. The journey is the best part of it.
Preparation in the playoffs is different for a coach. How do you approach this series against a coach on the other side that has been to the Finals so many times?
Keefe: I don’t approach it any differently in that sense. For me, every coach in the NHL is a high-quality coach and has likely won a lot on their journey to get to where they are at various levels.
The unique piece of it is that you are going against the same team and the same coach game after game after game. There is a lot of stuff that is happening inside of that in terms of subtle adjustments, matchups, and things of that nature.
In terms of the coach on the other side, I don’t overthink that. I just try to focus on our group and be conscious of what they are doing. Make the necessary adjustments, but make sure we remain connected to who we are as a group.
We are a very good team, and when we play at our best, we are a lot to handle. That is really where our focus is.
The power play has had a lot of success this year. What has made you want to continue with the new look with Ryan O’Reilly in the bumper and William Nylander on PP #2?
Keefe: There are a couple of things. O’Reilly’s injury didn’t allow us to give that a look earlier and longer than we would’ve liked to.
We have a huge sample over multiple years with that group. We can go back to that at any time. I do think O’Reilly has brought a lot to that group over the short time that he has been there. I think the power play has done well and has sort of gotten new life into it when we made that switch.
I think Willy has played better since we made that switch, too. All of those things have me feeling like I don’t have to go back to it quite yet. The sample of them playing together is so large that we can go to it at any time.
For right now, having the two groups like that — with O’Reilly’s presence on the first group — I see value in it. We are going to stay with that.
What can Matthew Knies take away from his first full practice?
Keefe: He wasn’t in the regular line rotations today. It is difficult that way. It is the challenge of trying to get him experience and keep him involved but also make sure your players are getting the reps they are used to getting as well. It is a tough balance for us.
I think it is important. Every experience is a good one and a new one for him. It was his first full practice out there with the group. I was talking to him yesterday, and he hasn’t even seen the ice at Scotiabank Arena, let alone skated on it. All of these things are new to him still.
Every experience he gets is going to help him. With the talent that he has shown, he is a guy that can help us. It is another great option for us to have.
