Ahead of Wednesday’s game, head coach Craig Berube discussed Jake McCabe’s absence, Fraser Minten’s hockey IQ, strong goaltending through 24 games, and Mitch Marner’s team-leading TOI.
What happened with Jake McCabe, who is out again tonight?
Berube: Just not feeling right. He’s not feeling well enough to play. He will not play tonight.
Do you expect McCabe to be back for the weekend?
Berube: Do I expect? I am a positive guy, so yeah, I do expect.
Listen, it is just about how he feels. Hopefully, he is feeling better and better every day, and we will see. This guy is a warrior. He will play if he can. I am hoping he is back.
How did you think the team managed the game without McCabe on Monday night?
Berube: Pretty good. Our first period was really good, I thought, but in the second period, we got sloppy with our play and our identity. We got a little loose. We got better in the third.
Without McCabe, we did a good job. Our penalty kill was really good in the game. For the most part, I thought we defended pretty well, other than the second period. The second period wasn’t so much about defending as it was about turning pucks over more than anything.
What’s it like having the luxury of two goalies where you can tap either guy and know what you are going to get?
Berube: It’s very good. If you look at this month of the schedule and how many games are packed in with the back-to-backs, — I think there are four of them — we need two goalies. It is great that they are both playing well and doing a good job for us.
What does it do for the skaters in front of the goalies?
Berube: It gives them confidence. When there is a breakdown, our goalies have been there and done a good job for us.
It is all about the team, right? We try to do a good job defending in front of them. The goalies understand where the shots are going to come from and what we are going to give up. It is a combination of it.
It is a team thing. We need our goalies to make saves, but we need to do a good job in front of them checking and not turning pucks over.
What did you think of Alex Nylander’s play with the team so far?
Berube: Just okay. He’s done some good things. He had some scoring opportunities early on when he was playing. He is a skilled guy who scores. There hasn’t been a ton of power-play time for him. The first unit eats a lot of it up.
I’d say, “fair.”
How much is Fraser Minten’s hockey sense learned — he mentioned watching a lot as a kid — and how much of it is innate?
Berube: I think hockey IQ is something you just have, for the most part. You can get better at it. There are certain guys who see things and learn from it.
He is probably one of those guys. He is someone who studies the game and the players, but he just has hockey IQ.
How much do you think Philippe Myers benefited from the conditioning stint before re-entering the lineup?
Berube: I think it was very important. Any time a guy is not playing a lot and he has the opportunity to go down and play some games in the AHL — which is a very good league — it is important for timing, for playing the physical part of the game, and for the grinding part of the game. It is definitely helpful.
Did you notice a difference in his game against Chicago compared to the one against Boston back in October?
Berube: I did. In the Boston game, it was his first game, and it was a tough game. I am not going to lie to you — that was a tough game for everybody. Boston came hard. We were under siege and under pressure for a while. It was a more difficult game.
Definitely, he felt a little bit more comfortable coming into the Chicago game. That time he spent down playing games for the Marlies helped.
Mitch Marner is at the top of the team in ice time as a forward (21:34/game). What have you learned about his engine? What allows him to excel despite the workload?
Berube: He has a great engine. His ice time is up. He plays in all situations; he is out there a lot on the PK, so that is why his ice time is probably the highest. He has a great engine, and I don’t see him get too gassed or lose much energy very often.
Can you remember coaching a team where a forward played the most ice time?
Berube: The only time I can think of where that was maybe the case was Claude Giroux in Philly. At some point, he might’ve led our team in ice time.
What is the biggest challenge the Predators present?
Berube: If I look at their team over the last 10 games, they have really tightened things up, in my opinion. Defensively, they’ve gotten a lot better. I think they’ve had five OT losses in those games. Their record could be a lot better.
They have good veterans over there. I am not going to name them all. They have a really good goalie. It is a challenge.
It’s a desperate team with the situation they are in. We need to be ready to go to match that desperation.
