POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS Thursday, December 21, 2017

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY POSTGAME On Charlie McAvoy in the shootout… Well, we’re not in a lot of them, so yes, he has moved up the charts. I think last time he shot about tenth and it was just a hunch, so this time, we were going to go with Bergy’s [’s] line and then Charlie or maybe a [Jake] DeBrusk, who has been shooting the puck well lately. Obviously without Krech [David Krejci] and [Ryan] Spooner that are used to going – even [Riley] Nash has good numbers in this league. Good for Charlie. He seems to rise up to these moments, and we battled hard for that extra point. It’s always nice to have a win, even though it’s one point, it always sounds better, and it’s always nice at home, too.

On importance of earning the second point… They all add up. I think, for us in the locker room, when you win, it’s one more point which it can come down to. It’s the way you win. We are missing guys down the middle of the ice; you’ve got guys battling through that weren’t 100 percent playing today, so it always feels a little better when you can suck it up and get it done. It will mean something at the end of the year, but it means more now going forward that the guys know they contributed. A lot of young guys in there; we added another one to the mix tonight in Colby [Cave], and knowing we can count on them, and they can get it done. It goes a long way for their confidence in these games. If you want to play into May, you have to be comfortable in these types of games. You just have to be, where it’s tough going, and good goaltending, and hard defense, and you’ve got to stick with the program, so good for them.

On … I thought his game was fine. I know him from Providence; he is a good 200-foot player. We were one of the, I guess, why hasn’t been up before, will his pace be good enough, strong enough on the puck? I thought he did well for himself in those areas. He did what we asked him to do, so I was happy for him. For me, I thought he did his job and helped us get the two points.

On Jake DeBrusk… I thought Jake, after the first period, his minutes were down. He wasn’t on the kill. I knew we would start with [Tim] Schaller a little more and [Noel] Acciari in our end at times to start the period, so I just moved Jake up there for that reason to get him a few more minutes, because I figured that line would play a little bit more.

On adversity… I think, clearly, experience is the best teacher. We went through it. A lot of different things came up, so the adversity is second nature now. No one feels sorry for you. You have got to plod along. I think they understand, as a staff, we’re not going in there making excuses, and we are going to trust guys to do certain things that they wouldn’t normally be asked to do, and they’re going to have to handle it if we want to have success. Without putting a burden on them or pressure it’s like, here, this is what it is. Have at it. I think the veteran guys have done a good job getting them through it when we sort of push them. You’re seeing more of it now. You saw a little more inconsistency at the start of the year – young guys, perfectly natural. We’re seeing some of the guys get through that now. Other guys might take a little longer. If we were 10-18, we would look at it as, well, injuries, but give the guys credit for not using it as a crutch.

On illnesses… I don’t want to go through the whole room, because we will reevaluate tomorrow, but [] Marchy was one of the worst ones along with Nash and Spooner. He just happened to find enough energy to get out there and play. The other guys hadn’t eaten all day. There’s a few more of them, but like I said, I don’t want to go through the whole room. I don’t think that’s fair to assess everyone now, because we will see how we are tomorrow and Saturday. You can tell it has gone through a few of the guys. Some of them were not quite as bad, I guess. I am not putting down Nash and Spooner. If they could have played, they would have, but they could not digest any food all day.

On special teams… They draw a lot of penalties, and they were able to again. Their power play is deadly, so that was a big part to not have to chase the game. When you are fatigued and a little under the weather, it can be difficult. So yes, a big part of our game. Even our power play started to come around with some action at the last one that almost got us the lead. Special teams were solid. It’s just one of those games that you thought maybe one play here or there was going to make the difference, and each team made one when they had to, and then the saves were good. I didn’t see all of the highlights of all of them, but I thought [David] Backes had a rebound chance, Bergy was in tight there, Marchy’s shot – I don’t know – when McAvoy made that play to him – if it got through or not, but those are high-end chances. Tuukka at the other end, had some great saves in front of the net.

On Tuukka Rask… He knew that we were going to be, I don’t want to say, offensively challenged, but some players out of the lineup, and some players in the lineup that generally give us a lot of offense were going to be fighting it a bit, so he stepped up. That’s part of it. I think team defense has come a long way from the start of the year. We have helped the goalie’s along. When Tuukka came around, I thought we were playing very well in front of him, and on a night like tonight when he had to be a little bit better, he was. It is almost like the guys are looking out for each other on the nights when they need to, and that is the sign of a good team. Those are the teams that end up getting the points and winning. We are in that mode right now, and we want to stay in it.

On Patrik Laine… I expected him to come down and rip one in the shootout. That move surprised me. I don’t know if Tuukka knew it was coming or not, but I would suspect even if you know a guy like that that shoots it that hard, that you still got your hands full. He had one shot on that one he did score. Let’s face it, we were in scramble mode after we lost possession of the puck. I think Tuukka was rock solid, and whether he knows the guys or not, I think he was ready to go tonight.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK On whether guys being out sick changes his thinking going into the game… I’m one of those guys, so a little bit yeah, but sometimes it works, you know? I’m fine. It’s just going around a little bit.

On whether he was considering not playing tonight… No.

On whether Zdeno Chara is playing some of the best hockey of his career… Ask him, I don’t know. But he’s playing good, yeah. You know, he’s always solid defensively. That’s what he’s been doing for forever. You know, he takes pride in that, and you know, we try to work together on the defensive side, but he wants to go up the ice too. And you know, I was yelling up there the last seconds in regulation to go coast to coast, and you know, he tried it, so that’s good. But he’s playing great yeah.

On whether he and Anton Khudobin are feeding off each other… Yeah, I mean you’re always, we’re rooting for each other, but I think the way our team has played in the past month or so, you know, I think it makes our job a lot easier. You know, we’re defending a lot better than we were, you know, the first month and a half or what not. You know, when you do that and you defend as a team, keep most of the shots outside, you know, the chances are that you know the goals against are going to stay down, stay low, so that’s been the case lately, and you know, I think it’s just an overall team effort.

On whether this game felt harder from the second period on… It didn’t really feel like it. I mean there was a little, you know, a few minutes in the second when we kind of, we made some mistakes in our own end. We didn’t get the pucks out and they had their chances, but you know, other than that it didn’t feel too… you know they had a lot of shots I guess, but it felt fine.

On the quality of their shots not going up as the game went on… Yeah, they did. They did. Yeah but, you know, whenever the breakouts happen then the quality chances I guess happen too and become dangerous, so it happened a few times today, but we battled through and survived.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD NOEL ACCIARI On if there was a point in the game in which the Bruins were just hoping for a point tonight… I think we just kept preaching, just stick the game plan. They’re a good team and we had a close game. Stick to our game plan and good things will happen. And that’s what we did. And a nice goal from Torey [Krug] and Tuukks [Tuukka Rask] played really well and had a good shootout.

On his physical style of play… It comes with the game. Taking hits, giving hits. But it definitely helps. Especially when I’m giving hits. It just boosts the guys and gives them energy. And that’s what I bring with my game. And I am going to keep doing and help the guys in any way I can.

On having one more game before the holidays… We’ll focus on that first game against Detroit, that’ll be a good one. But we definitely want to have a good game there and end the year right. In that aspect, in the first half. It would be nice to go home for a bit to Providence and visit the family and it’ll be nice little break.

On if the trip home is long… No, no, not at all.

On his thoughts about how his former teammate, Colby Cave, played tonight… I thought he played really well. Nerve-racking getting into his first game, but I thought he handled himself really well and he played a good game. He was hard on the draws, hard on the puck and I think he did really well.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CHARLIE MCAVOY On his game winning goal being the cherry on top of his birthday… Yeah, definitely. Cherry on top of a great effort by our team. You know, no matter who’s in the lineup we, you know, we look at our chart and we say that’s the winning lineup. Regardless of who’s hurt or, you know, who’s sick or what’s happening in our room, we always feel like we can win if we play the right way, and tonight we did for 65 minutes and played good, and we were trying to stick to our identity there and, you know, it goes all the way there, the distance, and you know, we were able to come out on top. We feel really good about ourselves in here.

On whether his plan was to snipe it in the shootout… You know, I know that the ice wasn’t particularly great there at the end. I know it’s, you know, a little bit more of a high percentage play for myself to try and shoot it versus a deke, especially when the ice is the way it is. I tried to change the angle right away, not come down on him. Just straight up kind of make him change his own angle a bit, and you know, I saw some room on the blocker side and I just wanted to shoot it there before he was able to recover.

On moving up the depth chart in the shootout… Scary [laughing]. When Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] missed there, I, you know, I was wondering what was happening. I had no idea I was going to be going that early. I figured we’d have to go like 10 rounds again to get a chance, but it’s nice to see that they have some confidence in me. I mean that’s pretty special, so I didn’t want to disappoint. I wanted to, you know, to help our team get the two points and to show that hey, you know it’s not a bad choice to put me out there, and like I said, it’s an awesome opportunity. Saw some net and I just wanted to put it in there. Very glad we got the two points and we feel real good in here.

On how good it feels to be stabilizing defensively… One of our identities is how we play defensively. As a forward and a D group and a goalie group. As an entire team, we like to take care of the house, make sure that we have guys picking up sticks and shots from up top. Picking up sticks all over, grabbing guys, boxing them out, things like that. We want to be a tough team to play against. We want that to be our identity, that no one’s going to get easy goals on us, and you know, if you make plays like they did tonight, tough play and then [Nikolaj] Ehlers makes a great pass. It’s an open net, so you know, there’s nothing you can do there, but we want to keep establishing that we’re going to be a really hard team to play against, and when you come to play against us or we come to you, the one thing we’re going to do is play real hard defensively and we’re trying to keep that up.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD COLBY CAVE On if he was excited… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I think not having nerves means that you don’t care. Obviously getting the win put the cherry on top of things. It’s a dream come true, getting the first out of the way. And hopefully I can stick around here.

On getting the call up today… I was actually on the ice down in Providence. We were getting ready for practice and the coach gave me a tap and said don’t skate too long cause you got to play tonight. It was still kind of up in there air. I knew there were a few guys sick and stuff, I think there were a few guys who were game-time decisions. You never like to see guys go down, but I’m obviously honored for the opportunity. It was a great win by the team.

On how he thought things went when he got out onto the ice… It was good. Got a little anxious there. Took a on the first or second shift. But I got a good group of guys out there and they killed it off for me. It felt good. A couple of touches with the puck. Anybody you play with on this team, you’re going to have success. I had some good linemates that were supporting me. It’s a very supportive team. Pretty happy.

On if his approach changed tonight due to the lack of time to prepare… Not really. I just kind of kept my routine the same. Got to the hotel, got a nap in. got the same pregame meal in. Kept that pretty similar.

On if having Jake DeBrusk around made it more comfortable to be here… Yeah, definitely. I mean even coming into the dressing room and stuff, just seeing a familiar face. This is my third year with the organization, so I’ve seen a lot of faces. The staff and the trainers, and everybody around the rink. It’s nice coming to familiar faces and it takes the nerves off a little bit.

On skating with Jake DeBrusk during juniors and if he thought they would be in the NHL together… I had no idea. Fortunately, right after my overage season, I ended up signing a contract with Boston. I was watching that draft closely and I saw Jake’s [DeBrusk] name get taken and I was super excited and through the roof for him. Obviously, it’s pretty cool looking back on the times we had in junior and fast-forwarding to now and playing in the NHL together is a dream come true.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN TOREY KRUG On whether this is a game that they will look back on as the type of game they needed to win… Yeah, it sure is. You know, a couple bodies go down for us and good teams find a way to win games, and you know, you didn’t know what it was going to take tonight. If it was going to be a 5-4 game or a 2-1 game, and you know, Tuukks [Tuukka Rask] stood tall for us and made a lot of key saves, and the guys stepped up that had the opportunity to, so it was good.

On what his thoughts were when he got the puck given how well both goaltenders played… Waiting for traffic to happen. Get in his eyes and make him make a save with his hands. He’s a good goaltender. He made a lot of good saves on me throughout the game, and I thought this time we got a little bit more traffic and I was just trying to make him make a save and the guys did a great job, so take his eyes away and see what happens.

On whether their defensive game plan changes when guys are sick… You know, we try to be the strength of this team. Night in, night out we know that, you know, if we’re not playing well, not doing our thing, then our team doesn’t have a great chance to win. Our forwards do a heck of a job doing what they do, but you know, it starts from the goaltender out and we take a lot of pride in that, so we know it’d have to be a big effort out of us and we did a good job.

WINNIPEG JETS HEAD COACH PAUL MAURICE POSTGAME On what he liked about his team’s performance tonight… It was a good grinder. I mean it was hard to move the puck. Both teams had some chances that they just couldn’t complete the pass or make the play to get it going. That’s a grinder and no fun to play and we did a good job of staying in on it.

On how important it is to stick to the gameplan… Yeah you know what, when you get into a game like that, your first reaction is to open it up or the stretch plays that didn’t work in the game when we tried to run them so we were pretty consistent with it. I think the effort was right, they competed real hard, it was a hard game. We won’t like what we gave up, we’ll like what we got but it was a slow, bit of a grinder out there for sure.

On Blake Wheeler making the sacrifice at the end of the game… Yeah he’s been doing that all year. I mean that’s his game and he’s been just great for us.

On any particular reason why it was so hard to move the puck… Well sometimes you hit a night like that where it’s not smooth and it wasn’t very smooth out there.

On his assessment of the ice conditions… I got leather shoes on so it didn’t affect my foot work. It looked like both teams had some plays that they may have been able to make if it was a little smoother out there for sure.

On switching back to Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers… Well I like their game so it wasn’t a negative in that. A little more experience with [Mark] Scheifele because we knew [Patrice] Bergeron would play against the whole line, they are such a dangerous team. Nicky [Nikolaj Ehlers] did some great things defensively that helped but we got to a point where we took a little more risk, put a little bit more offensive maybe away from the Bergeron line and it paid off.

On Jacob Trouba’s game… We’re asking a lot of this back end. We’ve missed those two important pieces but they have done a good job and we’ve been on the road and this is a heavy heavy schedule. Tonight for our team you saw the cost of the last four games that we played. Not so much the Chicago game but the two St. Louis games were really heavy and then in to Nashville for quite a grind so the back end has some miles on it and they, again it wasn’t easy to move the puck, there weren’t a lot of easy plays to be had, they were grinding pretty good.

WINNIPEG JETS GOALTENDER CONNOR HELLEBUYCK On the game tonight… You know, both teams were playing good, they were playing that hard grinding game and sometimes you run into that game and I’m glad that we kept to it and played the right way the entire time.

On being able to make the stops on his end and watch Tuukka make some saves at the other end… Well I like making the stops, I don’t really like watching them at the other end. It was a good game. He played pretty well.

On if they can feel good about getting out of this game with a point… Yeah we always feel good about a point but it’s happening a little too much to my liking, especially in the shootout. I take shootouts personally and I don’t like losing them so we got a point but we want more.

On if he could have done something differently in the shootout… Well I could have made two saves but that’s being hard on myself. You know I want those and I’ve been working hard at it and I’ve been practicing pretty hard on my breakaways and sometimes they make a good shot and sometimes they get a little bit of luck.

On feeling comfortable at this arena due to his experience at UMass Lowell… Yeah I guess you could say that. I like this arena. The ice is a little bit soft and it’s kind of good for my edges and I don’t know, I seem to find a liking here.

On the ice being a little choppy out there tonight… You know I can’t speak for the players because I kind of like that, that thick ice but yeah I don’t know, you’d have to ask one of them and their take on it.

On his thoughts about his goalie situation moving forward… Yeah I haven’t really looked too far ahead. I like the start we’re on and I like that we’re winning a lot more than we’re losing but we got to continue that and we have to come back from this break with a little energy and get right back on the horse.

On what he attributes his success to this season… Yeah you know I improved a lot last year. I could see my game improving a lot and then over the summer I worked really hard to find my confidence and I changed to a new trainer and he brought biomechanics and that’s how the goalie moves and that really helped my game. It helped me replicate it and it helped me get quicker, faster and stronger.

WINNIPEG JETS DEFENSEMAN JACOB TROUBA On if the condition of the ice had any effect on their play… No I didn’t notice anything too much. Nothing different than what we’re used to I don’t think.

On the defensive play by the Bruins… Yeah they were quick, especially on the forecheck, they have good sticks and they were in passing lanes. I thought that we knocked down a lot of pucks too. It was a tight game, it came down to a couple bounces, a couple chances but I don’t think there’s anything to be disappointed in with how we played.

On answering right back after the Bruins scored… Yeah I mean we were talking about which team was going to crack first, who was going to make that first mistake but we responded really well, came back with a goal and that’s a tight game that could go either way.

On if patience is important in a tight game like this… Yeah definitely. I think when you try to cheat the game or open the game up a little bit is when they attack. They are a good transition team and we knew that going in. Try not to feed that but at the same time then they take away from your chances off the rush, creativity a little bit and get that puck down low and play that game down there and get pucks to the net and I think we did a decent job, we got some good chances doing that. There’s not much to be super disappointed about. It went down to a shootout and that is what it is.

WINNIPEG JETS FORWARD PATRIK LAINE On the game tonight…. We played really good hockey but when it goes to a shootout, it’s a whole different game and today we didn’t score enough goals in the shootout but at least we got a point.

On if he felt at any point that they weren’t going to be able to beat Rask based on his play… Well I mean he was playing well. We had some good chances to score before my goal but he was good tonight and it was hard to get the puck past him.

On the mindset of the team after the Bruins opened the scoring… Yeah it was an unfortunate goal. He just shot it to the net and I don’t know how it went it. Unfortunate goal but we found a way to bounce back but it was overall a good game and it’s good to continue to New York.

On if he thought he almost had the shootout goal… Yeah I mean I think I almost had it. It was open but I don’t know I just lost the puck but yeah I almost had it.

On what Boston was doing that made it so hard for the Jets to get going… I think it was the same thing with both sides. I think overall we just need to get a little bit harder passing and try not to fall as many times as we did but I think overall it was a good game from everybody.

On if it makes a difference that Tuukka Rask and he are familiar with each other… Yeah I mean I basically know what he’s trying to do and I think he has the same kind of idea of what I’m going to do but he’s a great goalie and it’s just always hard to score on him.

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY PREGAME On David Krejci… He is still day to day – upper body – will not play tonight. We’ll see how it is tomorrow.

On Adam McQuaid… Adam is not in tonight either. We’re balancing practice time prep with the whole group versus how the lineup is going again. I think the extra days can help Adam, so that’s where we’re at right now with it. Saturday, he could be potentially in, but out tonight.

On Brad Marchand and Ryan Spooner’s illnesses… [Riley] Nash, as well. All three are ill. We’ll see how they do later today around five o’clock. There’s a bit of a, I guess a food bug or something, so we sent them all home.

On potentially playing with seven defensemen… We could. We’ve done it before. It’s certainly a possibility. Right now, there’s a little uncertainty because of those guys. I can’t sit here and say, they’re absolutely in or absolutely out so we’ll have to manipulate the lineup – may involve a recall. That’s all stuff we’re going to work through this afternoon.

On the team’s play in Buffalo… I liked the ending a lot. I liked the way Anton played. I liked that our fourth line gave us high quality minutes. Big empty net game. Jake’s goal, obviously they didn’t play as many minutes as the other lines, but still were productive. So, you’re getting goal scoring from outside of the power play and your top guys, so that always helps – secondary scoring. Discipline – we stayed out of the box against – I know their numbers aren’t good, but they still have offensive threats over there. I thought, even in the third period when most teams will give you a hard push, they had their moments, but so did we. So, we didn’t just go into a shell and hope that Dobby held down the fort. I thought we tried to extend leads, had opportunities to do that – just didn’t finish. I think, again, we hit three posts, so we’re around the net. Hopefully, we start finishing a few of those.

On … We would be comfortable at times against – like, we’re not yanking him off as soon as their first or second lineup comes over. That is not how we’re going to see the matchup every night. We all know Zee is going to see their top line. That says something itself, that we can live with it if it happens on the road. We can control it more at home. I think why, because he moves the puck from below the goal line – those loose puck scrums. He is able to move it out and make a good breakout pass, so he is not stuck. That’s where he will get in trouble, we figured. Against bigger opponents, he can get worn down. He hasn’t been in those positions a lot because of his ability to move the puck. I like that he has closed quickly when necessary in the neutral zone. Again, is not forced to defend a lot in his own zone. He has passed off coverage well in his own end; he doesn’t chase guys all over. If a guy does separate from him, our next layer, if it’s moving away from the net, our center has been able to switch with him well, which is our system. I guess all of those things have allowed him to play to his strengths, and not necessarily what could hurt him, so that is good hockey IQ on his part.

On Grzelcyk’s play to Patrice Bergeron versus Capitals… It was a high-end play. I am sure he was surprised to find the puck on his stick. I think he just tried to make a forehand backhand move if I am not mistaken and had Holtby poke check him. He may have been surprised originally that, ‘wow, I am all alone,’ but I don’t think he was surprised once it got there. I think it was a good play by Grizz. I don’t know if you want to call them sneak attacks, but just pre-pinches where he can sneak up or catch a guy unaware because he is quick and got a good stick. He has to play that way as long as he is not stuck on the wrong side of those battles. I think that was part of the issue before – a little hesitant. Now, in his overall game, he is more assertive. Why? He is more comfortable, more confident at this level – understands how he can be successful. I think that is the biggest thing.

On allowing shorthanded opportunities… I have found teams have become more aggressive in zone, less aggressive up ice, so some of our entries were tougher against four guys back. I think part of it is, they’re forcing some plays. Because A: We don’t start with the puck as much off draws as we have in the past, and we are not recovering as many pucks, and the stats back that up. We have limited chances, and I think then you get antsy when you do have it. When you have it more, you kind of settle down, let the plays develop in front of you. So, I think it’s been a problem. There’s a level of frustration because of that – less o-zone time. So, give credit to the other team. Some of it is us. We have to accept what is there, not force plays. Part of that is, we would like to run little plays on the power play. In the past, we have been successful. The onus becomes on the players and staff, which is myself, to make the necessary adjustments. We’re going to try a few different things tonight. I have always said, I think they’re cyclical at times. They come and go; sometimes the puck goes in. The chances against are a problem. You don’t want to kill your momentum. The other night was a good example of that. It could have cost us. You might not score even when you have the lead. You might be a little more protective, but you’re not giving the other team juice, and that’s been a bit of an issue.

On Jake DeBrusk’s ability to bounce back… Well you want your message to get through as a coach or you’ll be out of work, so that helps. I think he has learned to respond to that, so that’s how a player-coach relationship develops. Some players, less so, others, they enjoy that. They like to be pushed and challenge. You’ve just got to, I guess, figure out how much, when, what tool to use. I’m happy the way he has responded. When he plays well, we all look good. That is what you want out of your players, so, so far, so good in that regard. Let’s hope we find a level where there doesn’t need to be as much of a challenge; it comes from within the room, where he just knows, ‘hey, this is what a pro does every night.’ We understand it’s his first year in the NHL, so there will be some of that, but hopefully he can pass that off. I think you see that with Danton [Heinen] a lot more now. He kind of accepts or knows when has done something wrong. His linemates pick him up, and off he goes; he puts it behind him. Jake and Anders [Bjork] we’ve got to get there. I think Charlie [McAvoy] is very good at that and we’ll see with Grizz. I think Grizz has been pretty steady; we haven’t had to go through down there that much with him. And [Sean] Kuraly, he is another one. He seems to be able to bounce back fairly well. Now, he is a little older.

On David Krejci’s injury… I don’t want to get too much into it, to be honest with you. I think we’ve been pretty upfront with most of our guys. It is upper body right now. He is trying to, every day, get better with it, and we will see where he is at, but right now, he is out, and we miss him.

On Jake DeBrusk doing the little things right… It has, and it will probably back up a little and will remind him and hopefully, it gets to the point where he knows when he can get away with stuff and when he can’t. That’s just it for those guys. I think the start of the goal, he was moving his feet; we want him to do that. He didn’t try to beat a guy one-on-one in a kind of exposing the puck way. He did it by using his feet, chipping it by a forward. He didn’t have a good angle, now he is attacking a D with a bad gap. Hopefully he recognizes how to get his offense. Marchy does that so often, where he just chips the puck to space area and gets inside position and goes, so maybe he has watched some of our better players do that, as well. I like when he gets rewarded for that, because all of a sudden he thinks, ‘hey, I can score playing this way. It doesn’t have to be stickhandling around a guy. I can get a puck by him and go.’ That is what Bjorky [Anders Bjork] needs to understand, too, at this level, because he has got so much foot speed. That is one area of details, with the puck and without it. I think Jake has come a lot way since the start of the year. – both of those kids have. They had some defensive plays the other night. It’s just managing the puck, I think, for the young guys.

On the Winnipeg Jets… We know that they’re dangerous offensively – high-end power play. We have got to keep their top two lines in check. We have had some teams come through here when we have played well – Tampa, the Islanders, Pittsburgh, that have that ability, and we have done a good job limiting the chances, so that will be our game plan. In all of those games, we managed to score enough goals to win, so we have got to be mindful of that. Take advantage of transition opportunities. Offensive teams like to make plays, so if our layers are good, hopefully we get some stuff in transition. That is how we are approaching the game. We will talk about the individual players in the room, but as a team, it is a good hockey club – no real weaknesses. We like to think we are becoming that team as well, so it should be a good matchup.

#12/21/17#