HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE
On the difference between tonight’s game and Thursday’s game:
Very different, of course. The opponent is different, the challenge is different, the whole of the game is different, I thought our energy level was different. We just looked like a tired team out there for a lot of the game, but I liked the fact that we got scored on in the first shift and, while it took us a couple of shifts there to find our way back, I thought we took over the game after that. That was really positive. Obviously, we built ourselves a very nice lead. That’s a good team, they’re going to push, they’re going to make it hard on us and we battled to find a way to finish it off.
On if the team was as excited for Barrie’s second goal:
I think it’s a little more old hat, but certainly we felt good for him. Just the way that it went in and, obviously, we made the switch on the power play and it’s our first power play with that group together and it works out that way. It’s pretty nice.
On the importance of the team grinding out an ugly win:
Wins, in general, are important. I thought, while it was ugly, what it did require was us to really to battle and especially down the stretch to the end of that game. We had some guys out there really competing, really making it hard on the other team in getting sticks on pucks and blocking shots and denying lanes. Being tired, having to fight through that – I’ve only been here a few days, but these guys have been on the road a long time, grinding, they’ve been through a lot. I like how we persevered, how Freddie [Andersen] battled real hard in net. It was a good win, we’ll get out of here with another two points, get home and get a couple of practice days and get back out on the road.
On upcoming practice days as a good opportunity for him to work with the group:
It is. It’s nice, it’s important. Things will settle down from here. Today was really a nice, kind of normal day. It was a little slower, no morning skate given it was a 5 o’clock start so we got to spend a little more time together as a staff in a little more relaxed environment. It’s not going to be like that when we get back home. We’ll work on some things and continue to grow the group, I’ll get a chance to continue to grow my relationship with individual players and, for me, that’s the priority right now. The other stuff will come together in time.
On calling a timeout on a third period power play to leave the first power play group on the ice:
In particular, with our team and the way it is, we have elite talent, so the more we can utilize them when their energy level is good, we’re going to do it. We’re going to take advantage of that. That was sort of the method to the madness of calling the timeout at that point in time. I just thought it was a key point in the game and if we could find a way to score it would be really good for us. We wanted to make sure those guys were fresh.
On if he knew why Andersen was speaking to the officials following his equipment issue after Colorado’s third goal:
I had no idea. I didn’t know what was going on. We were searching trying to figure out if there was goalie interference that we had missed, whether we could challenge something. It was really loud in the building at the time so we couldn’t really communicate with Freddie. I didn’t know the rule and whether he was allowed to leave his net like that. I think that he’s not so they could have called a penalty for leaving the net. I didn’t quite know what happened there.
On the toughest part of his system for players to grasp:
The toughest thing to grasp is just when to hang onto the puck for a little bit longer than you normally would and when to move it quickly. When to utilize speed and just look at things on the ice. That’s the difficult part, is that decision making. I think we have players with really good hockey sense, really good skill and, in time, they’ll recognize the patterns, recognize the pressures that are coming at them. Also recognize the time of the game, the time of the period and what’s happening in the shift. All of those types of things I think we’ll be able to talk them through until they recognize it. I thought one of the nice things that I talked about at the end of the second period – obviously the second wasn’t great for us – but I just thought, this is us as a team, a new system, a new kind of philosophy here, trying to figure out how to play with a lead. That’s a challenge for us and we’re fortunate that we got the win. At the same time, we’ll have lots of good clips and lots of good teaching points to get better this week.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (34 SAVES)
On what the team did to enable him to secure the win:
Just battle. I think everyone was out there battling. I thought we were happy being in the middle, taking away the cross-ice seams as much as possible, eating a few pucks and blocking some shots when it came to it. I thought it was great.
On his equipment issue prior to the third Colorado goal:
Yeah, I don’t know if you could see it but the cage had a huge dent in it. I was trying to get it blown down so I could get a new one on. I don’t know if the ref didn’t see it, I was trying to get his attention.
TYSON BARRIE (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s win:
I think we had a bit of slow start and then responded well in the first and then they were kind of all over in the last two periods there. It was a great game by Freddie [Andersen] and we showed a lot of character gutting that one out in the end.
On the crowd reaction to his video tribute in the first period:
That’s amazing. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel coming back here and whatnot, but it’s been an amazing place to call home the last few years. That really topped it off. It’ll always be special to me and these fans are great. It’s a great hockey club over there so it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch these guys for a lot of years.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On tonight’s win:
I think it just took us a couple of shifts to get our legs going. Obviously, that first shift they were buzzing around and I thought we had a good response with a couple of big goals and just tried to put our foot on the gas. It kind of got away from us a little bit in the second and third. I think that’s just going through the process of changing things up on the fly, so I think it’ll be good to get a couple of practice days in before we get on the road again, and kind of dial some things in.
On scoring early into the team’s first power play:
Yeah, it was good for us – good for [Barrie], too – a big goal coming back here in a place that he spent a lot of time. That gave us some jump as well. Like I said, a couple big goals to get us back in the lead.
JOHN TAVARES (22:31 TOI)
On tonight’s win:
I think as we continue to make some changes there’ll be some growing pains. We had a lot of good things, especially a lot of the first period, I think through many stretches tonight. Just gutting out some wins, especially against a very goos team here today. I think a hell of a job by everyone to get the result we needed. We’ll get some valuable practice time to continue to progress in another big week next week.
On the biggest change head coach Sheldon Keefe is asking for:
Well, I think we talked about controlling the play and I think a lot of that is just us trying to value when we have it and trying to create odd-man situations all over the ice and finding the open areas. Understanding that doesn’t mean taking risk and not being smart about it. I think we have to play a smart game but we also want to be patient and try to control the play.
The view from left field 