Ahead of Saturday’s game in Vancouver, Sheldon Keefe discussed the difficult schedule ahead, Timothy Liljegren’s play since returning from injury one month ago, and the challenge of being a hockey dad at home amidst the demands of life as an NHL coach.
The schedule gets a lot more difficult in this next stretch, and over the second half of the season, you have one of the tougher schedules in the league. When you are playing at your best — the hockey you want them to play — what does the team look like and how close are you to that?
Keefe: It feels like the tough schedule has already started here. Since coming back from Christmas, this has been a tough month. This is already our second trip in January out to the west coast. The competition on this trip has been really tough all the way through.
In terms of how we play when we are at our best, there are all of the different elements that top teams have, but really, it is a mindset and a consistency of how you play, defend, and protect your net. You give yourself chances to win and don’t do things that contribute to losing. It allows your best players to make the difference, and then you need your depth scoring to chip in for us.
All of those things were on display the last time we played Vancouver. Most of our scoring came from our depth that night. Those are the kinds of things that you need along with stable goaltending and good special teams. Those are the elements we are working toward every day.
I do believe a number of those things have been on display. There has been a lot of attention on our inability to close some third-period leads of late, but when I zoom out on it, since coming back from Christmas, we have been one of the top defensive teams in the NHL and given ourselves a chance to win and be in control of games.
We just need a little bit more in some cases and a little bit less in some cases in terms of consistency or mistakes. I think we are really close to being a team that I think other teams know, when we come in, that we have the capability of playing at a very high level.
I think we have done that. We are probably five or 10 points shy in the standings of where we could be because of some of those inconsistencies.
Where are you at with Timothy Liljegren’s game now that he has had a whole month since he came back?
Keefe: He is a guy we talk about daily in terms of needing and wanting more out of. We have to help him through it. We think he has more to give us. We have to get him in a groove and get going.
It is an interesting thing, right? He was injured and missed a good chunk of time. That in and of itself is a challenge and is difficult. During that time, someone like Simon Benoit comes in and has done a tremendous job for us in most defensive situations.
As we talked about, we have been leading a lot and in control of games. There has been less opportunity for Lily to get into those spots, but we need him to skate, move pucks well, get pucks to the net, and defend the rush really well. I don’t think he has done that to the level that we expect or have seen.
He is a guy who, no doubt, we would like to get more out of and help him work through that. Mike Van Ryn had a good meeting with him yesterday. We continue to work on that.
On Hockey Day in Canada, is there a moment you look back on as a young coach or a young player that helped you get to where you are?
Keefe: I don’t know if there is any particular. I just know I am forever grateful for what I have been through as a child all the way through with all of the support my family gave me to help me still be in a position where it feels like hockey day every day or is hockey day every day. That is pretty special.
Also, back home, both of my boys are in a hockey tournament right now. My wife is running them around from rink to rink in Oakville. I know they are enjoying the game a lot. As a hockey dad and a hockey family, it is pretty special to watch. Technology being what it is, I am even able to check in every now and again and watch some of the games online.
It is pretty great. I am fortunate to be in this position and to be able to wrap up hockey day for people to gather around TVs and watch their favourite NHL teams play.
Is it difficult to be away when your kids are playing?
Keefe: It is quite difficult, yes. We are fortunate that technology is what it is. I can check in and feel a little bit more connected to it and have something to talk to them about rather than them having to tell me everything.
It is hard not to be there, but it is part of the deal. We are pretty fortunate to do what we do. That is certainly the other side of it.
What are you seeing from the Canucks that has allowed them to sit atop the NHL standings?
Keefe: They are just playing a good team game all the way through — four lines, six defense. They have a good mix throughout and have all the elements that top teams have: strong goaltending, some elite forwards who lead the way, good depth that plays hard, and elite puck movers on the backend along with some real big guys who make it hard to get to their net.
It is a good mix. They are playing with a lot of confidence. We are most focused on our team as always. We are looking to build on the good things we did [in Calgary] and the good things we have been doing for the last little while that haven’t always gotten us a good result. The good feeling [from Calgary] is something we hope carries forward to today.
It is a long time since we played them last — 30 games ago or so — but as we have shown whenever we play these top teams, we can play with anybody in the league. I think we have made that clear. The difference throughout the league is small. Every shift matters.
They are a team that starts really well. We had to work our way through the first period. We took a couple of penalties in the early going that put us on our heels.
We know we can play with anybody in the league. It is just a matter of going out and playing at a high level.
