After Monday’s practice, Craig Berube discussed Joseph Woll re-joining the team, Sammy Blais practicing but not playing, the McMann-Matthews-Robertson unit, and the status of his injured players (William Nylander, Chris Tanev, Scott Laughton, and Calle Jarnkrok).

Practice Lines – October 27

What does it mean to have Joseph Woll back with the group? What have you learned about him from your time with him in Toronto?

Berube: A lot. We are all excited he is back here. We’re glad to have him on the ice, in the locker room, and around the guys.

He is a very prepared guy. He does a lot of preparation off the ice. He is an extremely hard worker; an extremely hard worker. There were times last year when we had to sort of pull him back in practice a little bit. He is a second- and third-effort guy on the ice in practice.

He’s a very talented goalie. He does a lot of preparation off the ice and is very prepared all of the time.

Why has it taken such a long time for Sammy Blais to get an opportunity in the lineup? What do you want to see out of him when he does get an opportunity?

Berube: I think we’ve had numbers here, right? We’ve been getting Easton Cowan going and some of the other guys. That’s the reason; it is more of a numbers thing than anything. We had our guys here. We picked him up off waivers, which is great, but that is really what it boils down to.

Sammy is a physical player. He likes to throw his body around on the forecheck. From the past time when I’ve had Sammy, he has really good hands; he is good in tight with the puck, and he can do pretty incredible things with the puck. He has a good shot, too. More than anything, he is going to go out there, finish his checks, and try to make the other team uncomfortable.

Where have you seen the growth in Dakota Joshua’s game in the last stretch? 

Berube: I think he’s feeling more comfortable as it is going along here in terms of what we expect from him — straight lines. His line has been good for us; they’re strong down low with the puck, defensively responsible, and they take d-zone faceoffs. They’re doing a good job for us, playing good defense, killing penalties, and capitalizing on some opportunities to score some goals now. We need that secondary scoring.

What did you see from the line of Nick Robertson, Auston Matthews, and Bobby McMann on Saturday?

Berube: Speed. A lot of speed on the wings. They were getting on top of people. It was a good goal by Nicky, coming off the bench and finding that hole there. They made a nice play to him. Nicky has speed, Bobby has speed, and Auston has speed; it’s a fast line.

I want them to be direct. They’ve got to just play direct, do their job in the offensive zone, and make sure they’re responsible defensively.

What is your sense of William Nylander’s status?

Berube: We will see tomorrow. I am glad he stayed out there the whole practice and participated. That is good news. He is getting better, obviously. We’ll see where he’s at by tomorrow morning.

What is Calle Jarnkrok’s status?

Berube: He is day-to-day right now with a lower-body injury. We’ll see. He might be available tomorrow, but I don’t know.

What might the night off on Saturday do for Anthony Stolarz?

Berube: It was a mental break for him. He was thrust into the situation with Woll’s situation, so he has played a lot more than he is normally used to playing. It is more on the mental side; it’s a break for him.

Do you expect Chris Tanev back this week?

Berube: Maybe; maybe by the end of the week, but I am not sure yet.

When do you expect Scott Laughton to be back?

Berube: Maybe in Philly. From Columbus, we have a couple of days in between. Maybe Friday’s practice in Philly, but I am not sure yet.

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