On an off-day on Friday, Sheldon Keefe discussed his team trailing 2-0 to the Panthers in the series, Matthew Knies’ injury, whether 11 and 7 is on the table for Game 3, and the keys to solving Sergei Bobrovsky.
Do you have an update on the status of Matthew Knies?
Keefe: Knies has been diagnosed with a concussion. He will definitely be out for both Games 3 and 4. We would call him day-to-day beyond that, but given the symptoms and such, I would say it is unlikely he’ll return in the series.
We will give him some time to recover and see how it goes, but he is ruled out for the next two games.
To that end, how do you go about replacing Knies and what he has brought to the lineup?
Keefe: Matt has proven to improve the depth of our team. We believe we are a better team when he is in. All of that said, we were a very good team before he arrived on the scene here.
We will make some adjustments accordingly, but we have full confidence in our group.
2-0 is historically a tough hole to climb out of, but how do you measure it against what you did in Tampa and the fact that you didn’t lose more than two games in a row after November 1st?
Keefe: Both things you mentioned give us confidence. We believe we can play well and win on the road.
In terms of the series itself, it is no different than when you approach Game 1 or Game 2. You can’t look at anything beyond the game ahead. We believe we can win one game.
Winning one game changes things significantly. That will be our focus. We will get as prepared as we can for that one game that is upcoming here.
What is the key to beating Sergei Bobrovsky moving forward? Are you happy with the chances you are getting? Is there anything else you can do?
Keefe: There is always more that we can do for sure, whether there are shots in traffic and such to make life harder on him that way and continue to do that, or we have had a significant number of really clean looks where it is shooter against goaltender — far more than we had in the previous series. We have to find ways to make good on those as well.
It is the combination of the two things — both making it harder on some more distanced-related shots, but obviously when we are in alone, we have to find ways to bury those as well and make good on those chances. We have had significant looks that didn’t come our way necessarily in the previous series.
It is rare to have a series where there is one game in five nights. What impact does it have on the group or series, and are there any advantages there where you can ride the top guys more?
Keefe: That remains to be seen in terms of the impact. I am sure, on Florida’s side of it, they would look at it as an opportunity to rest and recover, but our last series wasn’t a walk in the park.
I think both teams can benefit from some time off. We have some bumps and bruises and things we will allow to heal. In particular, being in a hole in the series gives us ample time to regroup here.
The group has been through plenty of adversity in the playoffs. What is your sense of the group in terms of being hardened when facing this kind of adversity?
Keefe: Our group has been resilient. We saw that hardness that you are referring to in the last series when we were down in games and the guys stayed with it to find a way. It would be a very similar type of mindset and approach.
Today is an off day for our guys, so it is a chance for them to stay away, clear their heads, and get a good day to practice and reset.
I certainly don’t have any doubts in our group. Our group remains confident. Our staff remains confident. There are things that we need to do better and would have liked to have handled better in the two games that we have played here, but those are in the past.
We have an opportunity to go out on the road where we are comfortable and became comfortable and confident based on our results in the last series. That said, it doesn’t make it any easier. Certainly, there is confidence in our group that we can go out, win a hockey game, and look to change the outlook on the series.
Is 11 and 7 something you might consider for Game 3?
Keefe: We consider it for every game. We talk about it. It is a topic in our coaches’ room. We only used it the one game in the Tampa series, but it was a discussion daily. It continues to be.
Today is an off day. It is a chance for us to look at and focus on some other things, but certainly, it will be a topic tomorrow when we go in to get set for Game 3. It is always on the table for us.
Where are you at with Mark Giordano’s game right now?
Keefe: Obviously, the Giordano and Holl pairing was one that didn’t play to the level where it established itself in the past both in the playoffs and the regular season. We changed the chemistry up there a little bit. We feel we had some good shifts and good results in Game 1. Those weren’t the same in Game 2.
Again, with each individual player, you look at their game and you look at a lot of things happening around them as well. With all of our players — and certainly, being down 2-0 in the series — we will look at everything and discuss everything.
We do have time for rest, recovery, and practice — all of the things we are normally not afforded in a playoff series. We will look at some things there and see how it impacts Gio and the rest of our group.
The Bruins talked about being out of their element at times and not sticking with their game plan against Florida. Is Florida’s forecheck creating issues that are leading to this?
Keefe: Certainly, the forecheck is strong. It is a strength of their team. It was in the regular season as well. They are one of the premiere forechecking teams in the NHL in the regular season. That has carried forward into the playoffs.
That said, when I look at our games in Game 1 and Game 2, in Game 1, it wasn’t as much of an issue for us. In Game 2, it was perhaps a little more. It impacted the first goal for sure, but there are some things we want to handle differently there ourselves. We didn’t make the read on it.
On goals two and three, you have to give Florida credit for staying in the hunt and staying on it, but we have full control of those pucks to make better decisions. Those decisions are ones that we got right most of the time in the Tampa series. It didn’t always result in us getting through the neutral zone or establishing our game — it was a real challenge for us against Tampa — but you can at least relieve pressure and put yourself in good spots where you have structure around it.
The nature of some of our turnovers yesterday put us in some really bad spots. That was what was disappointing. That is what we had been seeking to avoid: those big mistakes. Certainly, with the way Florida is playing, how they forecheck, and how they transition — perhaps more importantly — when they get the puck back, it makes it that much more dangerous.
Those are things we talked about avoiding all season long. I thought we did a really good job against Tampa in that regard. It has not been the case here through two games. It is in large part why we sit in the hole that we do. We know we have to be able to score more than we have.
That said, with a 2-0 lead on home ice, we should be able to win that hockey game, even if it ends up having to be 2-1. There is some managing of the game for us that I thought we had taken huge steps in as a team but has not been on display in the early going.
What did you see from William Nylander and John Tavares late in Game 2 that you’d like to see continue on Sunday night?
Keefe: In the third period, William was a dominant player. He was the best player on the ice for either team by a mile, I thought. He really took control of the game and created a number of looks for him and his linemates.
Obviously, he was unable to get it over the line for us. That is the next step, but the way William took charge of the game in the third period shows what he is capable of doing and what we need more of.
