Ahead of Thursday’s game in Florida, head coach Craig Berube discussed the return of Dakoa Joshua to the lineup, Easton Cowan’s lack of game action in the last month, and the challenge against the Panthers.
What are you expecting from Dakota Joshua coming off a long layoff?
Berube: I just like the size against these [Panthers], for sure. I wanted to get a little more size in there tonight. He had a good week of practice. He just has to keep it simple and get his feet moving. Those are the two most important things for me tonight. I am sure he will run into a little bit of a wall at times, but he just has to fight through that. It is his first game in a long time, but we’re excited to have him back.
He had a really good week of practice. He got better and better as the week went along — more comfortable, feeling better — but again, this is different. It is a game. He will run into times when he is a little gassed, for sure, but that is part of getting back to playing. There is not much else you can do. I’ll manage that and see what he is looking like out there.
Easton Cowan hasn’t seen any game action since late January. What is your sense of his mindset right now?
Berube: What does he have, 40-something games this year played for us? At the time I took him out of the lineup, I felt he hit a bit of a wall. We won three in a row, so I kept the same lineup going into the game against Tampa last night.
These are decisions I make as a coach. I don’t believe his development is being hurt. I believe he has improved this year as the year has gone along. He still has the swagger that is needed. He is a confident kid.
In saying that, he has to get in there and play. That is our job: to get him in there at some point.
How will you go about that with Cowan?
Berube: We have to make decisions here on people. That is basically what it boils down to.
How much do you get involved with the trade deadline decision-making, and is it any different here than it was in past years in St. Louis with Doug Armstrong?
Berube: As a coach, whatever team you’re with, there are always conversations you sit in and listen to. A GM is running people by you and (asking) what you think will help the team. That is always a part of it. It is no different here.
Do you have any sense of whether the deadline is weighing on the players at all?
Berube: I don’t get that sense. It is obviously human nature to think about it. If you look at all of the talk and noise that goes on, it can affect you, but this is part of being a pro. You can’t control that stuff. It is [for other people] to talk about. You just have to worry about playing. You’re a Leaf right now. You have to focus on the game tonight, and that is it.
What is the message to the team after the loss in Tampa?
Berube: We need a short-term memory, a little bit. We have to learn from our mistakes and what we need to do better, but at the same time, we can’t focus on that. We have to focus on tonight’s game. These are two teams fighting for the playoffs. It is going to be a hard game. It always is against Florida. We’ll turn the page and focus on the Panthers.
These two teams went to seven games in the second round last season before the Panthers won their second straight Cup. Now, you’re both fighting for your playoff lives. How different are these teams compared to the two that played each other last spring?
Berube: They’re different than last year, for sure, from injury level to new faces on both teams and the different looks. It’s a big difference in terms of where each team was at and how the hockey was played.
