Ahead of Saturday’s game in Edmonton, head coach Jim Hiller discussed the challenge of containing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Nick Paul’s impact, Auston Matthews’ evolution into an elite two-way player, and his confidence in Anthony Stolarz in net.
Any lineup changes tonight?
Hiller: [Mermis] is going to play tonight. Stolarz will start.
Was that a scheduled start, or why Stolarz tonight?
Hiller: Just a decision. Yeah.
You’re very familiar with playoff series against Connor McDavid and the Oilers. In preparing for this game, do you see anything different out of him?
Hiller: Yeah, I don’t know if I see anything different. I see a little different style of play.
I guess the other thing I would say is they’re probably a little fresher than they’ve been in past regular seasons, based on the long playoff runs. They’ve certainly got their legs, and they’ve been tough to stop.
When you coach against them, do you have a preference if Draisaitl and McDavid are together or on separate lines?
Hiller: No, no, I don’t. Listen, they’re world-class. They’re tough to stop, whether they’re together or apart. We’ll just take what they throw at us and try to shut them down.
What did you learn from Mike Babcock when you worked with him?
Hiller: I learned a lot of things. I won’t get into all of them, but, he’s very detailed, very organized, and uderstood the game well.
You know, I said it before. I thought we had a great coaching staff at that time in Toronto. DJ Smith, Steve Briere — just a really good group. We had great hockey discussions. DJ and I went on to spend a lot of time together after he left Ottawa. He helped me a tremendous amount, as well as Babs and Stevie, too.
Anytime you’re coaching, you take from everybody, and so that’s all. Those guys have been an important part of my coaching journey.
Mike Babcock said that he hired you because you had a conversation where you disagreed 100%, like on everything. What do you remember about the first conversation you had?
Hiller: Oh, I remember lots. Nothing that we should talk about here.
When you took this job, one of the things you talked about was having the spirit of the team on the rise. Do you like what you see so far in terms of their spirit?
Hiller: I would say that. I think there were two things I tried to mention. If you watch the game, if you say the Leafs are skating, you know we’re doing something. Two, the spirit of the team is the most important element out of anything. You can reach your highest levels whether you have a ton of talent or not as much talent. If the spirit’s high, it carries everything forward, and we’re starting down that path. I’d like to see it get better. It takes a long time, but I think we’re making progress.
Is a game like the last one something you could see carrying over in terms of the team’s spirit, given the way it went and Troy Stecher scoring?
Hiller: You know what? It’s a long season. There are 84 games. You’d love to think so, but I think I’ve been around long enough to know that each game is its own story. You have to start fresh, and so we’re willing to do that tonight.
Nick Paul seems to have made a big influence, spirit-wise, off the ice with the team. What have you noticed from him this season?
Hiller: We had some pretty good intel on him. He had played for DJ, and Alfie was in the Ottawa organization at that time, so we kind of knew his personality a little bit.
He’s been as advertised. He’s done a great job on the ice, too. The play he made at the end of the Rangers game was phenomenal for us, and he brings a lot of life and a lot of energy.
You talk about building the spirit of the team; those are the players that really help to push it forward.
How would you describe where Auston Matthews’ game as a shutdown player, and as a defensive player, was when you first met him and started working with him compared to now?
Hiller: Well, he had always had the attributes. He’s big, strong, good balance, good hockey sense. But I think with most young players, the priority coming into the league is to score when you’re that talented offensively. Not to say that he didn’t have great details or that was his priority, but I think, for obvious reasons, scoring goals was why he was picked first overall, and he delivered.
As time goes on, you mature your game, and you add more to your game, and now you’re seeing an outstanding two-way player who’s still a great offensive threat.
What stood out to you about how Anthony Stolarz bounced back from that Utah game?
Hiller: You guys made a bigger deal out of it than we did about that. It’s a long season. You’re going to have some ups and downs.
I thought he was really good in Columbus, though, and gave us a great game despite the score. We got up early, and then they pushed a little bit late.
So, he’s good. We have a lot of belief in both of those goaltenders, and I’m glad we have them as a tandem.
