Ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Islanders, head coach Craig Berube discussed the team’s play since Auston Matthews’ injury, the use of iPads on the bench, and the points of emphasis as the team plays out the string.
You emphasized the lack of a response to the Matthews hit at the time. Is it something you’ve circled back on with the team since then?
Berube: It is something we’ve talked about almost daily: getting in there for each other, being physical, and being hard to play against. When someone takes advantage, like the other night with the goaltender in Buffalo, OEL was right in there, and we had everybody in there. That is what we need to look like all of the time.
The team has collected five of six points since Auston Matthews got hurt. How much are you looking back at that event as the one that snapped the players to attention?
Berube: Sometimes, it is a wake-up call. It really is. I can’t allude to that being why, but if I look back from that game on, how competitive we’ve been, and how physical we’ve been, it is a big difference.
Does Bo Groulx’s impact make you think more about what the Marlies could offer the team at this time of year?
Berube: For sure. He has come up and played really well. So has [Quillan]. It is good to see these guys at this point and see what they can offer us.
For sure, your farm system is an important part of your organization. You need these guys throughout the season, right? It is nice to have the [AHL] team right here. It’s close. It is a big part of the game, having a good farm system.
The younger generation of players has grown up with screens. Where do you land on iPads on the bench? Is there such a thing as too much information?
Berube: I love the iPads. These guys want the iPads after a shift when they’ve had a scoring opportunity, but they don’t want the iPad when they screwed up defensively. That is when the assistant coach goes down and shows them. That is really what it is all about, haha.
Is there a benefit to it?
Berube: I think there is, for sure. iPads are very useful for your special teams, in particular. There may be a certain play on the PK where you could’ve been in a better spot. You can show them right away. On a power play, you can show them what we’re seeing. That is nice.
They’re useful. I think they are overused a little bit, personally, but that is part of the game now.
How much have you noticed Jake McCabe’s shot-blocking efforts, especially during Chris Tanev’s absence?
Berube: I agree. That is the compete part, right? Blocking shots is huge in games. It is a big part of how you win in this league — the commitment to doing it, and the guts to do it. He has been a warrior for us all year.
You were pretty animated at the morning skate. What was the message to the team?
Berube: It was a long, long flight home from Minny. After the day off, the guys were a little sleepy. We don’t have a lot of practice time, so when we do some structure drills, I want them done properly, more than anything. And shooting the puck — I’m harping on that a lot. We’re trying to get more shot volume out of our guys.
How much does it bother you that there are so many games where the team is outshot?
Berube: It does bother me, for sure. If I look at these games, there is one period where we get too many shots against us, right? We have to do a better job there. On the flip side, if you look at the Minny game, we had 16 or 17 shots in the second period. It is just about more consistency on both ends of it, for sure.
What led to William Nylander receiving a look on the PK?
Berube: I know he has done it before. We are short on PKers a little bit. If we get an opportunity at the end of a kill to use him… He is the type of player who has such a good stick and such quickness that he can be dangerous for the other team at times.
What is your sense of Nylander’s mindset as he navigates the first time in his career that he is playing out the string, so to speak? What do you want to see from him down the stretch?
Berube: Like I want to see from the entire team — highly competitive. We want to play a certain way. I want the same from Willy. He obviously has the ability to score goals and produce for us. That is part of his job, but the other side of the game is that he is accountable for the checking side, like everyone else.
What impresses you most about what Matthew Schaefer is doing at his age?
Berube: For me, it is his hockey IQ and speed, more than anything. For a young kid coming into the league, to be able to do what he is doing, you need a very high hockey IQ. You also need ability, which he has — his skating ability is off the charts. Very impressive. Very impressive.
How important is hockey IQ to you, as a coach?
Berube: It is important, but not everybody has it, right? And they aren’t going to get it, probably, for the most part. That is why structure and predictability are so important for a lot of players. They can’t go out and make something happen or do something differently because they just don’t have the IQ to do it, a lot of the time. But it is an important part of the game, for sure.
Is OEL in for tonight?
Berube: I am not sure yet. He has spent the last couple of days in the hospital with our wife. He is resting right now. He will give me an update later on it.
Morning Skate Lines – Mar. 17
Lines at St. Pat’s skate 🍀
Maccelli – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Domi – Cowan
Joshua – Groulx – Robertson
Lorentz – Quillan – JarnkrokRielly – Myers
McCabe – Carlo
Benoit – StecherWoll starts
StolarzHost Isles tonight @TSN_Sports
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 17, 2026
