Sheldon Keefe discussed William Nylander’s status after he missed Friday’s practice, starting the playoffs with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on separate lines, and Game 1 preparation for the Bruins.
Practice Lines – Apr. 19
via TSN’s Mark Masters
Forwards
Bertuzzi – Matthews – Domi
Knies – Tavares – Marner
Robertson – Holmberg – Jarnkrok
Dewar – Kampf – Reaves
Gregor
Defensemen
Rielly – Lyubushkin
Benoit – McCabe
Edmundson – Liljegren
Giordano – Brodie
Webber – Timmins
Goaltenders
Samsonov
Jones
Woll
Absent: William Nylander
What kept William Nylander off the ice in practice? What is his status moving forward?
Keefe: We kept him off the ice today. He and Bobby McMann stayed off the ice, but both are possibilities for tomorrow. That is it.
Tre has made it pretty clear to me that there will not be daily injury updates or anything like that. Our guys are available. That is it.
Is it an injury or illness situation?
Keefe: As I said, the guys are available. That is all you are going to get.
Why is TJ Brodie starting as the odd man out on the backend?
Keefe: I haven’t made any lineup decisions that we’ll talk about here. We have lots of good options on defense.
What is the feeling around the group coming into this after a couple of days to prepare for the Bruins?
Keefe: The feeling is good. Guys are excited. It is good to turn the page on the regular season. It was kind of dragging on for a bit. Once you know who you are playing, you can hone in on it a little bit more. The excitement builds that much more.
From a player and coach’s perspective, you are digging in on the preparation. There is not a whole lot of time. Our schedule has been tight. You want just to drop the puck and get going. It is the most exciting time of the year.
How easy was the decision to place Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on different lines?
Keefe: Very easy. That decision was made weeks ago. I have liked what we have seen from that. I like the options it gives our guys and the rest of our lineup. It was quite easy.
How much will Calle Jarnkrok help the bottom six if he is available?
Keefe: A lot. Jarny does a lot of things for us. He is very versatile and helps us in a lot of different ways. He gives us an additional right-handed shot as well. It is good to see him progressing toward a return.
Ilya Samsonov sat the last two games of the regular season. In the one before that, he was up and down. What gives you the confidence he is in the right headspace?
Keefe: He has had a good season for us. He is in a good place. Any time he has slipped up, he has bounced back. He has lots of experience. We have a lot of depth in goal with lots of good options. We feel good about it.
Woll hasn’t played as much in the last couple of weeks, but he had his run before that. He got some time in the net. As I said a few weeks ago, we didn’t know how we would end up there, but our plan was for it to be a split by the end–not necessarily rotating each game, but in the last 11 games, we had six for Sammy and five for Joe. There was good work for both guys, and Jones got in as well.
We feel good about our group there.
Jim Montgomery is not revealing his starting goalie for Game 1. Does this have an impact on your team’s preparation, if any?
Keefe: Zero. The preparation is about finding ways to get through their team to the goalie. The goalie is an afterthought for us.
Matthews finished at 69 goals, but he talked about raising his level even higher in the playoffs. What could that possibility look like after a 69-goal season?
Keefe: The sky is the limit, right? He has shown that. He is playing well and feeling good. If anything, the fact that it is a quick turnaround into the playoffs should benefit someone like Auston. He has been in such a great groove and is feeling good.
Obviously, it is a different time of the year. He is going to be a focal point of the opposition. It will be exciting to watch him play, but most importantly, our team game and how everyone supports one another is going to be what it is about.
I have a feeling, with this group, that we are equipped with a lot of different options — a lot of depth scoring, competitiveness, grit, physicality, and toughness. I am excited to get going.
You are coaching in one of the biggest markets in the league in the regular season, and it steps up a level in the playoffs. What is this time of year like for you?
Keefe: Every day feels like playoffs when you are in this position, quite honestly. It is probably a better question for others. I am speaking in terms of the media and such. It doesn’t change anything for me.
It is the time of year when you are most excited to compete. First of all, you have to earn your way here. It has been a journey and a process for us to get to this position. 16 teams are not in this position, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Of course, we know what the goal is here. Tomorrow is a chance to take a step towards that.
What have you learned from your regular-season meetings against Boston that you can take into your series?
Keefe: We have learned what doesn’t work.
