Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Islanders, Gavin McKenna discussed sitting for the second half of the Buffalo game, his conversation with Jim Hiller, the support from his teammates, and stepping onto the top power-play unit in John Tavares’ absence.
What was your takeaway from how things went the other night and not playing the last half of the game?
McKenna: Obviously, you want to play, but we had a good talk. We have a good relationship together, me and Jim.
He said it had nothing to do with my play, which is obviously nice to know. It doesn’t really take away from your confidence at all. I appreciated him reaching out.
I trust him. I trust the team. I trust what they want to do. I’m willing to play whatever role this team wants.
What was going through your mind as time passed and you weren’t playing?
McKenna: Obviously, with the penalties, I know I’m not going to go out there and kill any penalties. At the end of the second, you think maybe you’d get a shift, but it didn’t come. Then you sit for a while and get a little bit cold. Obviously, you’re hoping for a shift, but when it doesn’t come, you start to realize you’re going to be watching a little bit.
For me, honestly, sitting there watching, I tried to learn as much as I could. Whenever you have a team like this and you’ve got players like Auston, John, Willie, all those vets, you can learn a lot when you’re just watching.
Auston said the guys all had your back the other night. Did any teammates come up and give you advice to help you work through it?
McKenna: Honestly, I had quite a few guys come up to me and talk to me, and I really appreciated it. That’s how good of a group we’ve got in here. Everyone’s a leader, and they’re all behind me, and I’m behind all of them.
They’ve had good talks with me, made me feel comfortable, and just told me to stay confident. Just shake it off. You’ve got 84 games in a season, so one-off game doesn’t mean the end of the world.
That happened on Thursday, or whatever it was, and we’ve got a game on Saturday, so it’s a pretty quick bounce-back. For me, just shaking it off. They’ve all kind of told me the same thing. I’m just trying not to think about it at this point.
When was the last time that happened to you at any point in your hockey life?
McKenna: I can’t say it’s ever happened, so that was a first.
What does it mean to be on the top power-play unit in John Tavares’ absence?
McKenna: Obviously, I’ve got big shoes to fill there. John, he’s one of the best guys down low. A very smart hockey player and has played well on that power play.
There’s a lot of talent on that power play and a lot of smart veterans out there. I’m just going to try to be confident, get some puck touches, and get a feel for it.
Being a net-front guy, you’ve got to be first to those pucks in the corners. For me, trying to be as hard as I can, win pucks back, and just play my role.
What goes through your mind when you see John leave the game with an injury?
McKenna: It’s obviously scary when you see a guy go down like that, especially a guy like John, who’s meant so much to this team and this city.
He’s a backbone to our team. He’s coming out there every single game, and he’s working as hard as he can every single shift.
To have a guy like him not be in tonight, it’s tough. But it motivates us all to step up and play a bigger role.
What is it like sharing ideas with Daniel Alfredsson about the power play and ways to see the ice?
McKenna: He’s obviously a very smart guy, and he knows what it takes. He’s one of those guys who got to where he got to with work ethic.
He’s helped me a lot, and he’s always been open to sharing ideas and trying to help me, and just make the transition as smooth as possible.
You’ve got a guy like that giving you some tips. You do your best to listen and try to take that advice.
How did it feel with Colton Sissons and Bo Groulx this morning? What do you think you can do together?
McKenna: We’re excited. With John out, that’s a key guy we lost, so we’re going to have to step up and play a big game.
With Colton, I’ve played with him a little bit, and Bo, I think we had a game together.
Both very smart hockey players. Both work their bags off. I’m looking forward to getting into it with them and just trying to build off each other, and make sure we’re working hard and playing simple.
