After Tuesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed Anthony Stolarz’s participation in a full practice, Max Pacioretty’s return to the lineup, and the first three games of the Morgan Rielly-Jake McCabe pairing.

Practice Lines – Jan. 28

How did Anthony Stolarz look in his first full practice? Where do things go from here?

Berube: He looked good. Conditioning is probably the biggest thing, being out as long as he has. Goalies are the same as forwards and D. They need conditioning.

How do you think he has handled the injury layoff? He was playing so well before this popped up.

Berube: Very well. He has been around. He is a good pro. He has been very positive about everything and has been around us every day. He has been in a good frame of mind.

It is one of those things you can’t control. It happened, and he has dealt with it. He has done what he has to do to get back.

Would you like to see Stolarz in a game before the Four Nations break, if possible?

Berube: For sure, if that is possible. If he is available and ready to go, 100%.

What have you made of the way Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby, and Matt Murray have held down the fort in Stolarz’s absence?

Berube: They have been excellent. Joe has done a great job. He played a great game the other night in Ottawa. We didn’t get the win, but he is giving us a chance to win and doing what we need him to do.

They’re all a part of it. They all stepped up and did a good job.

Do you have a sense of Matthew Knies’ timeline?

Berube: I think he is close. It is improving every day. He was out there today doing more and more. I thought I might see him in our practice a little bit, but that was not the case today.

What will it mean to get Max Pacioretty back in the lineup tomorrow?

Berube: Size and a guy who can get around the net.

We went over some stuff today from the Ottawa game. We had the puck a lot in the offensive zone and did a lot of good things, but we still need to generate some second and third chances around the net a little bit more for some greasy goals. We didn’t do enough of it in that game.

The offense kind of comes and goes throughout the year. You have to keep digging in. We have to keep playing good defense and keep checking. We are doing a really good job of that.

Our offensive-zone time has gone up lately, which is important, too. We are not playing in our own zone, but we have to generate more when we are in there.

You have had some waves of injuries, including to some important players. Is this more than the typical amount of injuries you’ve dealt with in the past?

Berube: I have been around when it has been like this before in different situations over my career. It is just one of those things where you have to deal with it. You need other people to step up and step in to play. There could be some young guys from the Marlies. There could be some veterans from the Marlies.

Our players are stepping up and doing a good job, so I think we have handled it very well. We have to continue to do it. It is what it is.

It has been a lot of injuries, for sure.

Now that you have had a look at it for a few games, what do you think of the Morgan Rielly-Jake McCabe pairing?

Berube: Number-wise, I think Morgan’s numbers have gone up offensively with the chances for. He has been a little bit more involved that way.

A little bit more time is needed with a bigger sample size of it. It’s been three games.

Caber has gone back on his offside. I know he played a lot there last year, but it is still an adjustment for him. He played most of last year on his offside, but he is still adjusting a little bit to it.

How many tickets are you handing out for Saturday night’s return to Edmonton?

Berube: More people come to the practice the day before the game. They love coming to practice and watching practice. They don’t come to the games as much anymore; they’ve been to a lot of them. But there are tickets I’ll have to get for people, but it is more that they love coming to practice and watching practice. I’ll have to dial the guys in that day and make sure it is a good one.

I love going back to Edmonton. I grew up outside of there watching the Oilers for years. A great hockey town and a great town in general. All of my family is there, so I’ll enjoy going back there.

I’ll get a chance to go back to Calahoo and spend a night with my family, which is nice. I don’t see them a whole lot. I’ll see the parents and everybody.

How does an NHL coach view the Four Nations tournament? You have star players going, and you want them to have a good time but come back healthy.

Berube: I look at all of these events that the NHL puts on, whether it is Four Nations or the Olympics or the World Cup, and they’re all great. Any time you get all of these countries together — and I know it is only four in this event — the players like it and want to be involved in it. It is good for the NHL. It is always exciting, especially in Canada.

How are you going to spend the time off during the Four Nations break?

Berube: I’ll go back home and hang out with my family. I’m away from them. I’ll go back and hang out with the kids and spend some time at home in the Philly area.

Kirill Kaprizov might be missing when you face the Wild on Wednesday. Does it change anything about the game plan heading into the matchup?

Berube: Not really. They’re a good team that has played well without him this year and won a bunch of games. He is a great player, and we all know that, but they’ve got a good team with a lot of good players. They play with a good team structure to their game. It is not going to be easy game, whether he is in or out. It doesn’t change our attitude — or it shouldn’t, anyway.

If he is in, he is a great player, and we have to do a good job on him.

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