After Wednesday’s practice, Sheldon Keefe discussed the latest on Jake McCabe and Conor Timmins’ injury recoveries, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner’s slow start at five-on-five, and the challenge against Boston on Thursday.
Auston Matthews has talked about his line being too “one and done.” Mitch Marner said he would like to shoot more. Is there anything, in particular, you are looking for from those two as they look to jumpstart the offense at five-on-five?
Keefe: More speed, more execution with their playmaking and overall pace. Maybe the playmaking is part of the speed and the pace that would be generated off of that. With that comes more sustained offense and more time in the offensive zone. You put your team or the opposition on their heels more. As a result, if the team is on their heels, it tends to be easier to get the puck back.
It is just that overall speed and execution that hasn’t been at the same rate.
You mentioned that the least of your worries is Auston and Mitch. How much trust have those two built up with you over the years knowing their ability to get going and still play at a pretty high level even when they are searching for it?
Keefe: Lots of trust, of course. These are elite players in the league. We are talking about them because you are expecting such an exceptional standard that they have set. Even when not at their best, they are still very good players. They have been big parts of every win that we have had.
As I said, it is early for those guys. They have played a lot of hockey for us both this season and in seasons past. They are just going to continue to get better as the season moves along. We will continue to talk to them and work with them.
There are other things on the list that we are prioritizing more.
You mentioned after the loss to LA that you are not concerned about Joseph Woll’s ability to shake the loss off. What stands out about his mentality, especially given how young he is?
Keefe: His mental approach, his mental game, and his maturity have probably been the biggest change over the quickest development, especially when we consider that he hadn’t played a lot. He missed all of the training camp a year ago as well as preseason and the start of the AHL season. When he was healthy and got going, he looked like he had grown a lot.
Credit to him. He really put a lot of time into his mental approach to the game while not being able to play. He is just in a good place.
I also don’t think he played poorly yesterday, but it is the first little bump in the road in terms of the number of goals against and losing a game like that. Despite being a young and inexperienced goalie, I feel good about his ability to handle that and move on.
In terms of motivation, is there a better chance of a bounce-back game when you’re facing Boston on Thursday?
Keefe: I think it is pretty obvious and pretty apparent that they are once again the class of the league or certainly the division. It is a chance for us to go in and get a response. We have played well in Boston. A lot of that is because you know what you are in for.
Today is a day for us to continue our recovery and prepare for tomorrow. That is really what it is about. Weighing the pros and cons of practice versus rest, we opted for meetings and rest today. We will get a full skate tomorrow and be ready to go.
Boston is without Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Taylor Hall from last season’s roster. It hasn’t seemed to hurt them in the early going. Why do you think that is?
Keefe: A big part of it is that for the most part, their defense is intact. Their goaltending has been the best in the league. Right away, that gives you a chance to win every single night. They still have a number of great players, a great culture, and great leadership. They haven’t missed a beat for those reasons.
In some ways, it is surprising, but I don’t think we should be surprised at the same time. They haven’t gone away. It is a credit to the culture and leadership that they have there. Their experienced players continue to keep a high standard.
Is there any chance you will get Jake McCabe back this week?
Keefe: I am told he is not going to come with us on this trip. He may get back on skates tomorrow. From what I am told, once he gets back on skates, they don’t expect it to be a long time to get back up to speed considering he hasn’t missed all that much time.
In terms of his availability for this weekend, I would call it unlikely at this point, but we won’t rule it out until he gets back on the ice and we know exactly how he feels. He is starting to move toward the day-to-day category.
How is Conor Timmins doing in his recovery?
Keefe: Today was perhaps his second or third day on the ice now, and it seems to be going well. But he is a ways away from playing.
