After a 4-2 win in Vancouver, head coach Jim Hiller discussed the effectiveness of the Joshua–Sissons–McKenna line, the return of Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev, Anthony Stolarz’s 5-1-0 start, the team’s consistency through 16 games, and Gavin McKenna’s ongoing adjustment to the NHL level.
Hiller on the team’s performance:
First period was just okay. Second period was really good, and third period was just okay.
Hiller on switching his wingers around and the effectiveness of Joshua–Sissons–McKenna:
There were some different things. I actually thought that Sissons, Joshua, and McKenna were really effective. It’s probably the most Gavin’s had the puck in the O-zone in a game, I would think, with the puck on his stick. He was dangerous, so I really liked the looks of that.
There are penalties, so you get things mixed up just a little bit coming out of different penalties. Once we got that going, it looked like it worked pretty well, so we stuck with it.
Hiller on tilting the ice in the second period:
We forechecked, and we made contact on their D, and then we were quick to support it. I think when we do that, we do that well.
There are different times that we just want to rush and try to score off the rush. It’s really difficult to do in the league consistently. If you forecheck, you give yourself a chance. I thought we did that as well as we’ve done it all year in the second.
Hiller on Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev’s returns:
I thought both were good. Both really solid. A little rust on both of them, but I would say both of them were positive contributors.
Hiller on calling a timeout ahead of the five-on-three:
They’d been out for a minute already, so I wanted to make sure they were fresh enough. And it gives Alfie a chance to just walk through it with them and remind them what he wanted them to do.
Hiller on the importance of Anthony Stolarz’s 5-1-0 start:
You’ve got to win games. Whoever wins them, you have to win the games. There are a lot of them; they come at you fast. You need everybody. It’s goaltenders. You need eight D. You need 14 or 15 forwards.
It really takes everybody to win. The goaltender himself doesn’t do it, but we’re happy with the start, for sure.
Hiller on returning home after the road trip and the prospect of more practice time in November:
We’ve had a tough start to the season. It’s been busy. You guys have traveled with us, so you know what that’s felt like. It’ll be good to get home and catch our breath.
We were able to practice yesterday for the first time in I don’t know how long. We have some good practice time in November. I think it’s really important for our team right now.
Hiller on whether the team is establishing a consistent identity:
No, I don’t think so. I think we’ve been inconsistent — too inconsistent.
If there’s one thing that I would point to, it’s that we’ve had some great moments in games, and we’ve had some times where we just haven’t had a good pushback. That has to be addressed.
Hiller on whether that inconsistency was evident again tonight:
Yeah, exactly. It was.
Hiller on McKenna balancing his skill with responsible puck management:
We don’t want him to be one or the other. He’s just got to learn what an NHL player does typically. Those players with so much skill, in the end, get a little bit more rope. We all know that, but you still have to find your way as an NHL player.
He’s tremendously skilled, but he’s finding his way as an NHL player. You learn when to manage it and when not to, and that’s what he’s going through right now.
Hiller on empowering McKenna while managing his usage:
We try to put him in good spots. He’s on the power play — the first power play. That’s a chance to really show your skill there.
Then, different times late in the game, we try to protect the lead. He just doesn’t get as much.
