Ahead of Friday’s game in Detroit, head coach Craig Berube discussed the status of Auston Matthews and Chris Tanev and the goals for the team coming out of the holiday break.
What is Auston Matthews’ status after missing the morning skate? Could he be available for Saturday’s game?
Berube: He is doing better, so we will update you tomorrow. He is doing better, which is good.
I would say no to tomorrow, too, but again, he is doing better, which is good.
Is there any concern about whether it is going to extend longer?
Berube: I can’t give you any more than that. I will update you more tomorrow and see how he is doing tomorrow.
Is it encouraging to see Chris Tanev fully participating?
Berube: Yeah. He is feeling pretty good, so it will be a game-time decision.
What does it do for the team to get a few days’ break over the holiday?
Berube: You get some rest, right? We’ve played a lot of hockey and have had a lot of back-to-backs. We’re starting out again with a back-to-back, but we got to rest and energize. The energy should be good.
With three days off, there are timing issues and things like that — execution — so we have to simplify our game tonight, play a pretty simple hockey game, and make sure we are predictable to each other. It is about competing, working hard, and playing hard.
How much could you shut off your coaching mind for a few days, while still taking a look at the last few losses before the break?
Berube: You look at things and think about things — lineups, what we can do better coming out of the break, and all sorts of things that coaches look at and stay with throughout the break.
What areas are you looking to see improvement in coming out of the break?
Berube: We always talk offense, offense. We had chances to score in the last couple. It didn’t go in, but it is the other side of the puck that is more concerning for me.
We gave up three goals to Winnipeg that were easily corrected, in my opinion. I talk about details, stick details, and the little things we have to be better at. That is the focus here.
What sort of challenge does it present to play a team that just went through a coaching change?
Berube: They’ll want to impress the coach for sure. It is a little bit of a new lease on their hockey life. They are a talented team over there. We all know that, and we have talked about it before. There are a lot of good players over there. We are expecting a hard game tonight.
What stands out about Todd McLellan as a coach?
Berube: Very successful coach over a number of years and a great head coach. He has been around a long time and has coached a lot of hockey.
