Ahead of Wednesday’s game in Washington, head coach Sheldon Keefe discussed the decision to healthy scratch TJ Brodie, the play of the Domi – Matthews – Bertuzzi line vs. Flyers, and former Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery’s impact on the Capitals.
Are there any lineup changes in store for tonight?
Keefe: Gregor will come in for Reaves, who has a bit of an eye injury. He took a finger to the eye in that fight, so it is just a little irritated. That is why he came out last night and won’t play today.
Timmins will come in for Brodie tonight.
Why is TJ Brodie the odd man out?
Keefe: We just think it is an opportunity for us to give him a little bit of time off and lighten the workload a little bit. He has taken on a lot for us.
Brods knows he hasn’t been at his best this season for most of the season, and yet he has taken on a lot for us. We have been through a lot with our defense, in particular, throughout the season, and he has consistently been there each night taking on most of the hardest matchups every single night. It has been a lot.
It is a chance for us to give him a night off and also get Timmins back involved. Lyubushkin is not on the trip and is still not available.
What did you think of the Auston Matthews line with Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi when you assembled that combination against the Flyers?
Keefe: I liked it. They made some plays to each other and found each other. That was good and encouraging.
I felt I needed to change not necessarily the Matthews line but some of the other lines in the early going with how things started out and how they were chasing some of the matchups. I had to change the lines. I wanted to be sure I didn’t lose Max in that process. I decided to put him with Auston.
I thought those guys worked well together.
Why did Joseph Woll not dress in Philadelphia?
Keefe: Simply to ensure that nothing that happened last night would affect his performance tonight in terms of injury or performance. We have three goaltenders. It was an opportunity to utilize Jones in that role to keep Joe prepared for today.
What is the message to the group after the loss in Philadelphia?
Keefe: That our game wasn’t nearly good enough right from the start. It was not reflective of the way we have been playing of late in terms of structure and detail defensively from the start of the game and through the first period. It was not nearly sharp enough. It gave an opportunity for the opponent to get a headstart on us. Our push at the end ran out of time as a result.
What stands out about Washington right now as they string together some wins?
Keefe: They have been a resilient group. They have found ways to win and found ways, if it is slipping away, to bring it back. It is a credit to Spencer (Carbery) and his coaching staff as well as the players for how they have bought in.
They are a really good mix of a team right now. They have really solid veterans who have won before. They have young guys who have taken steps and taken advantage of their opportunities. They have gotten terrific goaltending. All of those things have come together.
They are playing loose and free and doing what they can to get into the playoffs. They will be a hungry team again tonight.
Where do you notice Spencer Carbery’s impact on his group?
Keefe: I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to what is happening with their team, so I am not on the day-to-day, clearly. But knowing Carbs and the way that he approaches the game, he is going to be super prepared. He has a lot of passion and energy that he will bring each day.
There have been times when it seems like things have been slipping away a little bit for them, and they brought it back. I think that is a credit to Spencer and his approach to get the group to continue to buy in, see the optimistic side of things, and see reasons to continue to work and push. That is what he brings consistently every day.
Carbery was saying he thinks Auston Matthews is the best in the world at winning puck battles with his size and spinning off defenders in the offensive zone. What have you noticed from him in that regard?
Keefe: I feel like I have answered this question a dozen times. Auston is elite at that, no question. The league is certainly starting to take notice. That is the reason why he gets the puck back as much as he does.
A lot of times, that is where he gets his best looks. Teams feel like they are on offense breaking out, and all of a sudden, he takes the puck off of them and he is in a good spot to score.
Mitch is elite in that area as well, and so is Willy. Those guys create a lot of our offense coming out of those unpredictable situations where they are difficult to defend. When they are at their best, that is what they are doing.
