After practice on Saturday, head coach Craig Berube discussed the matchups shifting on the road, Auston Matthews’ high number of missed nets, Joseph Woll’s puck handling, and the keys to turning the page after a tough Game 3 OT loss.
How did the matchups shifting throughout the game change the dynamic of Game 3?
Berube: Yeah, matchups always change from home to the road. Does it have an effect on the game? It can, but I was okay with the way the matchups were. It is what it is. You try to do your best on the road to get what you want, but I didn’t feel it had a huge impact.
Auston Matthews is leading the playoffs in missed shots. What are you seeing from him? What can he do to land more on net?
Berube: Hit the net.
Listen, he is a great scorer. We all know that. I am not too worried about it. It is what it is. Yeah, he needs to hit the net. He is trying to hit the net. He is not trying to miss the net. He is trying to hit it. I am not going to elaborate on it too much.
What is the key for Joseph Woll when playing the puck?
Berube: It is difficult. A lot of those rims are up, eh? They are not on the ice. That is designed. If they can get a good lick on it, they are going to put it on the glass. It is pretty tough for him to come out and play those. He did get to a lot of them.
They are coming hard. We know that. He is probably going to have to make a decision quickly and move it. That is the bottom line.
Do you have an update on Anthony Stolarz?
Berube: He is progressing in the right direction. He has not skated yet.
On the last shift of overtime, did you see an opportunity for your players to get off the ice?
Berube: They didn’t have an opportunity to really get off in that situation. We got caught out there and kind of got caught standing around a little bit. We have to dig in more in that situation. That is the bottom line.
How do you, as a coach, reset when you need to turn the page after a loss like Game 3?
Berube: You evaluate the game, and you look at everything. It is a tight game. It could’ve gone either way. We had an opportunity to end it in overtime, and we couldn’t do it. That is the way it goes.
I am like the players. We have to look at the things we can adjust and do better, but the game boils down to a couple of different things. Every series does. What kind of series is it? We know what kind of series it is, so you look at a few things with the team, have a chat, and get ready for tomorrow.
That is how you reset. You have to turn the page here.
What do you have to do on a daily basis as a coaching staff to make sure none of the disappointment of losing in that manner lingers with the players?
Berube: And the coaches, haha. After the game, everybody is upset, obviously.
You can really let it go the other way, or you can grab it, fix it, make some adjustments, and focus on getting the message through to the team. Get the message through to the team that we knew it was going to be a long series. We were always prepared for a long series. We have an opportunity to go into Game 4 tomorrow and get a split. That is what we have to focus on.
What stands out to you about where Matthew Knies’ game sits at the moment?
Berube: It is no different than the rest of the season, in my opinion. He is playing his game. He scored another goal right around the net. He uses his speed. He’s physical.
Does your game have to elevate in the playoffs? Yes, it does. I think he has done that.
Is there anything more you’d like to see out of the power play in the series?
Berube: Well, they scored last night. They’re getting the looks. They’re getting into situations where there are opportunities to score. They have been doing a good job. I don’t think you want to overthink it or change too much. It is hard to score in the playoffs on the power play. We got a big goal on it last night.
We have to focus on getting our looks. Traffic is important, on the PP and at five-on-five. Look at how many goals are going in off your own defensemen or the other team’s defensemen around the net. Put it to the net with traffic. We have to get to the net.
You’ve coached some tough players. Where does Chris Tanev rank in terms of his ability to sacrifice?
Berube: He is an old-school type of guy. I don’t know if he is willing to take a hit to make a play every time, but he is a warrior, for sure. He is a competitive person. He is right up there with all of the best ones I’ve been around, laying his body on the line every night, whether it is a blocked shot or taking a hit to make a play. You name it. He is going to lay it on the line.
Does Tanev have to pick his spots at times for self-preservation?
Berube: I don’t know. He has done this for a long time. I am not going to talk to him about changing.
