Head coach John Gruden discusses the Toronto Marlies taking a 2-1 series lead against the Laval Rocket with a 6-2 victory in Game 3.
On the team’s performance:
It starts right away with us taking advantage of a power play. That carries over to the five-on-five game as well. I thought they set the tone. All four lines were outstanding, all six defensemen, and the goaltender. We set the tone with everyone, not just a few. We kept it going.
It is important, against this group, to make sure we have the right start. You don’t expect a 4-0 lead after 10 or 15 minutes, but at the end of the day, we did a lot of the right things. Because of that, we were rewarded.
On the power play scoring 11 seconds into the game:
I always find that, especially if a team doesn’t start the five (power-play) guys, they haven’t touched the puck yet. Power plays usually struggle at the beginning of periods and so forth because they haven’t gotten their reps.
For them to be able to execute, a lot of credit goes to Mark Giordano for having them ready for that play. It was a great, great job on his part, and on our players for executing it.
On the team getting 12 goals from nine different goal scorers over the last two wins:
We said it from the get-go. When we are going, we have all four lines going. We have the ability to play four lines and six defensemen. It is a luxury to have.
There are times when we have been missing a lot of players for the right reasons — they were playing with the Leafs — but now that we have all of our players back, it is a luxury to have, especially for us as coaches. We feel comfortable with anyone on the ice. At certain times, we like to get certain matchups, but it is definitely a luxury to have.
On the team’s defensive effort while conceding just four goals in the last two games:
It is a five-man unit. If one guy misses their assignment, Laval is a dangerous team. They’ve scored a lot of goals this year. They have some dangerous players. I think we have done a good job of staying out of the box, staying disciplined, and defending.
All of our transition is coming from our good defensive-zone coverage. We have to continue to do that going forward.
On Easton Cowan’s playoff performances so far:
We talked about it before. He is a young man who has played in two Mem Cups and the World Juniors. He has played a lot. There are the emotions of being in the NHL and then coming back; he only played two games with us before that, I believe.
He is a winner. We knew that, eventually, there would be a showing up. And he’s shown up. He is starting to make plays. He is understanding when to live to fight another day, when to make a play, and when to put it in and go forecheck.
He has grown a lot. It only makes our team better. That whole line was outstanding.
On whether the team is getting better as the series wears on, if Laval is getting worse, or both:
After watching Game 2 back, we weren’t great in the first 12 minutes. We weren’t predictable enough. We weren’t connected.
We were connected today. When we are playing like that, we see what the result can be. You are not always going to score four, but if you are doing the right things and we trust one another, we are a much better hockey team.
On the keys to closing out the series in Game 4:
More of the same. The series is a grind. We will get pushback from them. They are a good hockey team. They’re physical, they’re big, they can skate, and they can score.
We have to keep doing what we’re doing. Obviously, we’re doing a lot of good. You can’t let up. We have to have the same type of start. We might not get the lead, but we have to make sure we’re doing the right things.
On Mats Sundin joining the organization’s front office:
We just heard the news. We are excited to work with him as a staff. His name speaks for itself. He is a Hall-of-Famer and a great teammate. I don’t know him personally, but we are really excited moving forward.
