“Have to Be Ready to Play for 60 Minutes” | Don Granato Ahead of Facing Dallas

“Have to Be Ready to Play for 60 Minutes” | Don Granato Ahead of Facing Dallas

Sorry gurgenson and Eric Johnson get their clearance and are they ready to go they are ready to go and I expect both of them in so as you saw the lines today is is uh how we plan it out for tomorrow and pairs as well Don just looking ahead

To tomorrow’s game dallice is sort of a team that can put together a full 60-minute game scoring a lot of goals in the third period what have you sort of noticed from their ability to do so um and what do you expect to see from their from their offense tomorrow night I mean

They’re a they’re a uh very deep team um deep with skill and experience uh at all positions so you know they have Allstar obviously golender um hekinan is proven to be an All-Star defenseman and obviously you know up front between pavelski Ben uh you know Sean historically you know a very very

Talented experienced hockey players um you know I had Ryan Ryan suder on the back end as well um you know that’s not even talking about their top line of the the young guys and younger guys I should say with rupe hint and uh Robertson who’s who’s been incredible the last few

Years so they’re they’re a very deep team um very structured team and uh you’ve got to be ready to play them for 60 minutes as you as you mentioned it’s uh every minute matters because they’re ready to capitalize uh on just the smallest of of uh mistakes know you guys

Have trended up in a lot of areas in these recent games and we saw in California you had some of the was falling behind but you were able to overcome it you had some bad luck in San Jose when you’ve kind of thought about this season in these last 10 days or so

How how do you deal with the issue of the starts I mean it has gotten better in some games but you still fall behind and do you look at it where you have to do something different do you look at it where the players have to prepare different you have to do something

Different in the pregame what what have some of your thoughts been in that area when you look and you break down a game um first of all when you look at start one really simple thing you got to look at is scoring chances to start the game

So if we had six scoring chances and didn’t score the other team had four sometimes and scored so now we’re down and uh you know so you’ve got a number of games where that happened so the start wasn’t bad but the score at the start was not what we wanted we actually

Just didn’t score they scored first so you know when I say when you look at okay did we have a bad start or did the other team score first the other team’s been scoring first uh even in some games where you know we’ve had a better start

We just didn’t score on chances but when you look at the context of everything um we know we haven’t played the way we want to play enough so our focus is more on that you know that that we have full control over we don’t have as much control over which chances are

Scored on you know back and forth so um if we keep getting better as a team that that stuff usually resolves itself as it’s starting to um or it as it has lately and hopefully that’s the I say hopefully that’s starting a trend now um

The other way but um the two games we fell behind in San Jose um and La what I did like about our start is we were dialed in mentally competitively dialed in we were shooting pucks like we talk about we were willing to track pucks we were willing to win battles the

Other team scored first twice but you saw we the mentality was right we’re able to overcome it because we played you know with this right mentality for 60 minutes that’s what we need and I mentioned yesterday uh we lost a couple of key players and Quinn and Samuelson

At the start of the Year we We Lost Quinn for 30 some games or didn’t have them for 30 some games I think we’re in a better place psychologically than we were at the start of the year at any point right now to fill in for those you

Know losses of of those two players um but but we’ll see but I do feel we’re we’re in a better spot than we were a couple weeks ago and that’s what you want you want to be trending you know in the right direction all the time and I

Feel we are lately played you haven’t played in over a week but you’ve had two very good practices here is that enough to kick the rust off and be ready to go on on a Tuesday getting those real good practices yeah I mean I think there’s

Going to be rust for both teams a little bit um but but it is it having two practices is is a big help it’s a it’s a it’s a nice integration into you know game one after whatever it’s been eight days or nine days I don’t even know how

Many days but yeah it’s a long break to not play for not being on the ice for these guys but two skates is really helpful uh in that regard and um but as you mentioned you know as we talked about starting you know that you’re playing a team that’s an 80 some million

Dollar payroll on the other end so it’s it’s not like real life where you get to walk around freely you got no time no space and guys are trying to physically impede everything you do so um you know I I think we had two good skates and tomorrow it’s time to compete

Even harder Dyan one of the reasons you mention your confident just where this group is at that they can overcome the losses Dylan’s played the last five six weeks one of those reasons and how have you seen him navigate the balance of trying to become that better Defender

While also still keeping that you know being able to weigh risk and take those risks and try to beat guys Dylan was pressing um a lot the first 20 games 25 games and you know it’s a different territory in life for him he’s on a he’s

On a different contract and you know you put different expectations on yourself and you know he had lots of we had lots of talks where he he you know he was feeling that you know I I feel like I got to be better and and putting that

Type of pressure on him and uh pulled him you know you know contributed himself you know uh to maybe not playing as well as he’d like he’s really settled in where you see it is on the penalty kill which you need to find a calm on

The penalty kill to read and then be decisive and and that’s a real balance um you see that he’s gained that over the last month which translates into five on five game in the power play game that that ability to be calm when needed and the ability to be decisive when and

Aggressive when needed and you know when he adds that with his physical attributes when he gets that that’s that’s experience and when you get that you get that Poise with the skill set he has it’s incredible and um you know so so yes he’s been a much better place and

That’s one guy that I feel I also feel Alex tuck is in a much much better place um and those are two big big time hockey players how much I’m sorry how much you feel the tuck thing is health I mean is more confidence the TU Health it is it

Is Health with Tucky um you know he’s a big guy that but yeah I think that helps that helps there’s no question you know you get a you get in a rhythm and so you know the the hope is obviously he stays he stays healthy but um but it is a big

Part of of his game how can Zach compliment Dyan and JJ on that line um Zach is all the things we can again talk about he’s got hockey sense he’s got grit he goes to the front of the net he creates forces plays and turnovers that those two can capitalize

On didn’t mention JJ JJ had a he’s had a good season all all along but he’s really elevated the last 10 games he’s he’s gone to another level that hasn’t in his career um but I think Benson is is smart enough um and skilled enough uh

To to Really you know contribute on that line you and the players stay in the moment but as competitors as coaches and players are all competitors do you at all remember what they did to you last year in this build yeah absolutely um there’s no you don’t play him enough to

To forget that one first of all but those are tough nights to forget and yeah it was uh it was I think it was 64 in the third period and then it ended up you know we gave up four goals in the last 10 minutes and obviously it goes

From 64 to 104 that’s pretty ugly um I think it went something like that anyways but again a very good hockey team that can take advantage of um takes advantage of mistakes as good as you know they’re a top five team in the league and taking advantage of

Mistakes can you explain your confidence in Zach a little more as far as you know this isn’t a criticis he hasn’t scored in a while but we’ve seen you know but you elevated him we’ve seen the way he’s been able to stabilize lines you’ve used them all over could you just kind of

Explain there’s a kind of a uniqueness in moving a rookie up to you know fill in for a guy like Jack I guess he positionally around the ice he he’s always positioned around the puck the other team usually has to go through him uh so his play without the puck is is is

Exceptional and we get it back faster and quicker our as teammates get it back the defenseman get it back faster quicker easier uh he gets pucks out of the Zone he gets pucks into where they need to be uh he can extend a possession if you send it to him and there’s a

Defender on him and he’s got no support he can usually buy one second two second 3 second which is Elite uh you know much like I talked about middlestead a couple years ago his Elite skill is to buy himself that extra one or two seconds that you don’t get in

The NHL Benny has that type of of uh intuition his very intuitive sense of how to how to um you know manipulate situations uh the scoring is going to come there’s no question it wouldn’t be a surprise if he if he scored and ended up with points tomorrow because he’s

Doing a lot of things that uh uh help enhance your your potential of scoring why hasn’t it come I mean because he’s done all the things you’ve talked about and he’s been a goal scorer all his life in every step of the way getting to this

Why do you think it has yeah I I think a little bit of uh confidence for him at this level a little bit bit of uh strength of shot I mean the goalies are you know you’re playing against NHL goalies so you you you you know you need

A little bit more torque on the puck in a little bit more deception than you would um but again and I think he’s I think he’s playing more responsible he’s not getting caught ever cheating for offense and um he’s he’s working on that Foundation where you know you can cheat

For offense and have if if you’re in his position and maybe have five or eight more goals but you also might be minus5 doing it so he’s he’s so I like where his game is at I do think that the the scoring will follow but to me those are

Some of the components of why maybe he hasn’t scored more what type of opportunity do you think the Samuelson injury can be for Ryan Johnson to to find a rhythm and kind of be an every night player yeah you know I think it’s a Samy is a big

Part of you know when he’s healthy and in the lineup he’s a big part of the game um so I think it’s going to be an opportunity for every every guy because we need to fill those minutes and it’s going to be more than just Ryan Johnson

But you know this is Ryan’s been consistent and he’s been he’s been good um that’s why he’s stayed here we had no plan before the season I can tell you that of of him coming in we just figured he’s a he’s he’s a rookie and you know the Assumption like everybody else was

He’s going to need time in the American League um he he’s he’s here because he what he did he’s he’s played very consistent uh he’s been reliable he’s been you know reliable in you know what you’re going to get when you put him out

On the ice and um so I don’t think he needs to step up um I don’t think he’s going to fill a void for samelson he I think the group’s going to fill the void uh that’s a group thing not not a Ryan thing Ryan just needs to do what he’s

Been doing it’s been very very good thanks

Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato speaks to the media after practice ahead of a Tuesday night matchup with the Dallas Stars. Granato discusses the depth that the Stars have, and how the Sabres matchup against them. He talks about the strong play from the team before the All-Star break and what they need to do after Mattias Samuelsson and Jack Quinn are ruled out with injuries.

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