Ahead of his return to the lineup in Columbus, captain Auston Matthews discussed his injury, the team’s struggles in his absence, and the keys to turning around the team’s fortunes.
What has the last little stretch on the sidelines been like for you, and what are your feelings about getting back into the lineup?
Matthews: It is exciting. This is a great opportunity for us on the road with six games or so to really come together as a group, find our game, and find our rhythm, starting tonight.
This is a team that has been really good against us. They’re good at home. They’ve been playing some good hockey. We just want to come out and play the right way. We don’t need to do anything special; just play hard, compete, communicate, and take it one step at a time.
I am definitely excited to get back in there.
How are you feeling physically?
Matthews: Good. Really good. It has been a tough couple of weeks, but over the last four or five days or so of skating and practicing, I am starting to feel really good day after day. Stacking some positive momentum going into it, I feel like I am ready to go tonight.
Is the injury something you’re going to have to manage going forward?
Matthews: I don’t think so. It is just one of those things that needs time to heal. Over the next couple of days or so, I am sure it will continue to feel better. I feel really solid. I feel really solid and ready to play.
How does your shooting feel? Do you have any difficulty getting your shot off?
Matthews: No. Early on, it was a little tough, but over the last four or five days — the last week — the strength and everything has come back. Every day has been a positive day and a better day than the day before. It has been good.
What was your view of the Nikita Zadorov hit on you in Boston?
Matthews: I mean, I am three feet away from the boards, and he hits me in the numbers…
I know his game. He likes to play hard. You respect that, but at the same time, maybe I could’ve put myself in a better position, knowing he is out there.
In the end, it is hockey. You go through it. It is all good. It was a couple of weeks ago. You move past it and do what you can to get back. As I said, I am feeling good and excited to get back into the lineup.
What has it been like having to watch from the sidelines when the team has been struggling on the ice?
Matthews: It is never easy, regardless, but today is a new day. It is a great opportunity for us. We are excited to be on the road and be out here together for an extended period of time. It is a great opportunity for us to find our way through adversity.
What is the mindset of the team, given that you and Matthew Knies are returning, and knowing the team has to rally?
Matthews: You feel like your back is kind of against the wall. Things haven’t really gone the way we wanted them to, especially as of late. It is just a great opportunity to rally together and fight through that adversity. It doesn’t have to be anything special or pretty. One line after another, it’s about every guy taking care of their job individually and just going out there, working hard, and competing. It starts with one game. That is it. That is the main focus.
Why do you think the team has struggled to find its rhythm early in the season?
Matthews: I don’t know. It could be a number of different factors. You never want to use excuses like the overall health of our team and the guys we’ve had out for extended periods of time; it’s kind of that next-man-up mentality, and stepping in with guys who have more opportunity for bigger roles.
In the end, it has been the consistency of our game. We have talked about it a lot throughout the first 20-plus games. There are stretches where we have really good moments throughout games, and there are stretches where we really fail to be connected throughout the whole ice, and it really shows.
That is the main focus: taking care of your line, taking care of your job, and competing. It doesn’t have to be a special play every single shift. It is just about winning your shift, going from there, rolling over all four lines, and being able to compete over a full 60 minutes. That is what we are looking for.
For me, it is always easy when you are watching to see how the play unfolds, but before I got injured, that was kind of the messaging and what we felt we were lacking: consistency. It is hard, and it is never going to be perfect; you are never going to play a full 60 minutes where you have the puck in their end and are possessing it the whole time — there are going to be momentum swings — but it is about getting it back on your side as quickly as possible. That is something we can do better at.
