Ahead of Sunday’s game in Seattle, Sheldon Keefe discussed Ilya Samsonov’s mindset heading into his start vs. the Kraken, his lineup changes, and the keys to improving the recently struggling special teams.
What are the lineup changes in store against the Kraken?
Keefe: Timmins will come in for Giordano. We’re just managing Gio and getting Timmins in. We needed to take someone out to make that happen.
Similar to our last back-to-back, McMann is going to be out. It is part lineup decision and part of managing a situation he has been dealing with. Also, more importantly for me, it’s just getting Robertson in.
What is the key to overcoming fatigue in a back-to-back situation against a rested opponent?
Keefe: Just being resilient, and convincing yourself that you are not tired and that you have lots of reasons to push through. Last night was an emotional game that required a lot of emotion and energy, especially when turning the game in the second period. It was not an easy game to play last night.
Rather than looking at it as any sort of fatigue, let’s look at it as we had to get to a higher level to compete in that game. Let’s carry that forward to tonight.
How do you see Ilya Samsonov’s mindset and readiness for this start?
Keefe: To me, he has been stacking good days and has been hungry to get back in the net, which is what I have been wanting to see. When he was not feeling as confident in the net, you could see it in the practices. When that is the case, he almost looks like a goalie who doesn’t really want the net. He has been hungry for the net on this entire trip here. That has been good to see.
We have had discussions daily about when is the right time to get him back in. We’ve been sticking with Jonesy to this point, but Sammy has been eager to get back in there.
What are the keys to improving a struggling penalty kill?
Keefe: The overriding theme is just extending too far away from our net. It opens up seams and spaces in those decisions. We need to be able to extend from the net to apply pressure on loose pucks, try to disrupt, and get some clears out of your zone, but the recovery of getting back in and the reads on when not to extend too far are where we need to continue to improve.
Keep things to the perimeter and give our goalies an easier task; that is really it. On our first PK to start the third period — and not just because we scored — was really well done. And then you add the second and third right on top of it while using the same people… It is a lot, but we can manage it a lot better by staying home a little bit.
What are the areas for improvement on the power play?
Keefe: Execution has been off. When execution is off and passing is off, entries aren’t as clean. You don’t spend as much time in the offensive zone and don’t put as much wear and tear on the opposition. That is really it.
At four-on-three, we did a tremendous job in Calgary. We really liked that. At five-on-four, we have to do a better job for sure.
