“It’s Possible He’s Back” | Don Granato on Tage Thompson Injury Update
Stage is it possible he could play tomorrow depending on his Imaging or is he definitely out it it is possible yeah um and in the past we’ve had situations like this with him and you you know you don’t know when boom’s ready to go so he’s a he’s ultra competitive he’s
Played lots of games uh you know not at 100% and Below um tomorrow he could resolve but um you know but he’s he’s in a range of no him um and I say that before we have all the details um uh so possibility but uh we don’t know on
Probability yeah is this is this related to the first thing he went through yesterday or is it different in it it occurred in the game yesterday so I don’t know if you I don’t know what you’re referring to the first thing or he went off the I well he had a skate
Lace on one um that’s why I say I I don’t really know um um myself confusing because because he he left the bench for reasons that weren’t injuries yesterday as well and again skate lace was one of them he go you know we talked about how
He oh he left the he left the bench for for stitches too and it’s unrelated to stitches left the three times so that’s why I say now you know why I’m confused so a lot happens on that bench I don’t see what happens behind I just watch the
Ice so so yeah he went off for stitches he had skate lace break and then he had what he’s dealing with now as far stage goes you know we talked about how he didn’t have the best game Tuesday and he bounced back yesterday but this La the
Last couple weeks as a whole has been his best stretch by far this season you know like what’s changed is it as simple as he got the brace off or whatever or I mean what’s changed uh that that helped you know having that he had the broken
Hand uh you come back and you have a restricted Puck handling and shot and everything else um and then you finally get the brace off and you know a couple weeks later and you you know then you got to get back to it uh um so yeah I
Think that’s a big part of it and I just think he’s you know um the line that sell that they they weren’t together for over a month because of different injuries between he tuck and Skinner um so yeah it was a little took him a little while to find a
Rhythm because of those I think those things complicated maybe some others and um now he looks like he’s hit stride he looks a lot more comfortable and um if we can get the power play going where it should be that could help significantly uh but him scoring on the power play is
Big it’s a good feeling for him it’s a good feeling for everybody dyl Dylan cousins was talking about Jordan Greenway on the penalty kill and said it almost seems like he knows what’s going to happen before it happens um knowing Jordan the way you know him how much of
That do you think is Instinct and how much do you think is the way he prepares uh he prepares very well um he knows he’s been in the league a while so he knows he knows power plays uh he knows top players in the league and he knows
Their T Tendencies and he knows how power play can score a goal so he he’s a take charge leader in preparation when we sit in the video room with the whole group before the game he talks to and sends the right messages and he commands
When he’s on the ice you can hear them from the stands uh talking to the three other penalty killers and and uh uh informing them on on on the situation so very very high situational awareness through experience uh in that uh realm of penalty kill something you knew about beforehand
Or has he maybe developed it he’s all he’s become a better leader and a bigger leader as he’s grown his game and matured as a person he was always a person that teammates migrated toward so you’d walk in a locker room and people would be sitting there
Listening to him or hanging out with him he’d hop on a bus and they’d be sitting with him and he’s not a loud guy he’s a very has a very nice calm to him uh he has a presence to him and that’s what people just uh attract to him so he but
He from the leadership standpoint so he’s always had that he’s always been influencing others uh in a positive way but his leadership his confidence in what he’s doing has grown tremendously as he’s learned the game he’s gained experience in hindsight and he’s gone through situations over and over in his
Through his career that he now is very comfortable in and uh comfortable comfortable sharing with others and it’s helped uh it’s helped Dylan cousins on the penalty kill he’s he’s become a very good penalty killer in a very short time because of Dylan or because of Jordan I
Should say he’d been on the penalty kill for two years now in and out and in and out and just didn’t have the feel and Jordan’s really really helped him uh you know narrow the scope to really the the the few impactful things that you can do
As a killer to influence the power play and you know a lot of times you don’t realize that as a killer you’re overwhelmed by the power play Until You Learn the tactics of okay how can I we manipulate the power play you know what’s predictable about the power play
And Dylan’s starting to feel and see that through a lot of help with uh a lot of help by Jordan when doing and samelson are a an effective shutdown pair like they were last night is there ever a Common Thread um to when they are
On you is there ever a a through line between those those positive performances you’ve seen than them yeah usually when we get mad at them I’m kidding I’m not kidding I’m kidding you figure it out but you know you you when you’re not they’re not that
Way you get pissed off as a coach because they’re not playing as well as they can play and they’re to their capabilities and you get on them quite simple you get in their face on it and sit down and watch more video on it and
And you uh you let them know that um they’re they’re not playing to their abil abilities and capabilities and they’re not taking charge enough and when they take charge and and uh Samuelson is physical and assertive is and he’s imposing and when he’s not on usually he’s not physical and assertive
And their gaps are they fall off on their gaps their focus isn’t there and just that you know their first step is back instead of in and uh you know that would be one easy visual you know their first step is back they’re not on their
Game and I’m probably going to be in their face their first step is in they’re they’re assertive they’re aggressive they’re confident and uh um so if you’re asking me what commonalities those those are some of them that I see I know that you don’t get frustrated it’s not like they’re the
Only guys that you would get frustrated with but just the fact that you know what they’re capable of and how important it is to have that a shutdown pair like they can be I mean how much is a coach does that really feed into to like well you really need that like you
Know top teams you got to have two guys you can put out there in those situations we we need that every team needs that and and you know referenc Jordan Greenway again he’s he’s uh born in 97 so he’ll be what 27 years old this year if I have my math right something
Like that 27 years old he’s in now now he’s finally in the prime of his NHL career he has this hindsight of Life at 27 and hockey at 27 in the NHL and he’s consistent we’re talking about two guys that are five years younger or more that
Are that’s what it’s going to be about that’s that’s an experienced player consistent be able to bring and hit the repeat button game in and game out recognizing oh this situation is familiar um and or this pattern is familiar or my routine is you know I
Didn’t I’m not on my rout why did I have not have a game at the peak level and um and that’s part of gaining experience unfortunately and uh yes it is frustrating because it’s process and you’ve got a you know the coaching side you just keep pushing and pushing and
Pushing and you know that uh you know slowly it’s it’s it’s happening these players around the NHL at that age are gaining valuable experience Jordan said the last time he played center was before he was in the NHL but he did say he wanted to do it and there was no
Question in his mind he could do it what made you comfortable with it knowing he hadn’t played it in a long time I mean I I’m very familiar with him as a player but uh much like the penalty kill he his situational awareness in the league and
Um he sees and picks up patterns and consistency I mean you know the game might look random it’s not it’s it’s even though there’s flow in hockey uh there’s there’s situations that are are that that repeat everywhere up and down the ring yeah um and he’s he’s had
Enough experience now in games under his belt that he recognizes situations and his responsibility within it whether it’s Wing or Center he’s picked up for the centerman you know these guys aren’t always in position with the flow of the game Wingers have to pick up Center’s responsibilities you know if he trips
Down the ice you’re picking up that responsibility so it’s not he hasn’t might not have played the position but I’ve watched him pick up those responsibilities without without any effort whatsoever and stress there’s no stress to it uh no anxiety that he carries and so for that reason um you
Know he’s he’s he’s very effective on the defensive side now you know the question would be on offensive side side what does this do for us and for him offensively does it free him does it does it make him better in other ways you know and that is’ll take time to see
That but in the defensive side he’s very very responsible and should be very effective for us there you look at JJ halfway through this year he went over his last year’s goal tool already last night just what stands out to the most what’s changed for him from the rookie
Until now I guess maybe um you know some guys have a really really good rookie year and they come back and and uh it’s it’s hard to repeat you know um you know you think of guys that even were up for the Rookie of the Year we We Know and or
W rookie of the year last year it’s ch it’s challenging you know as a young guy you don’t have a breath of experience but for JJ his year was was you know there was plenty to be excited about but plenty that we could challenge him about
Last year you got to be better you got to be better even our year end meeting was you know was one of you know don’t be content with your year and don’t be satisfied with your year um and I thought he took that to heart over
The summer to come back here in the mindset last year was not good enough and he’s kind of carried that in you know sometimes when you think you had a good year last year your appetite for more and you don’t have an appetite for more you got nothing you’re going to get
Slapped pretty you’re going knocked down pretty fast in this league and he’s had an appetite for more teams pay more attention to him showing more respect you think this year um I think yeah that’s how you’d have to ask other teams I I don’t I guess I don’t see I see that
They pay attention to that as a line you know when you put cousins p and Quinn together we were able to do that um the other night uh you know Seattle wanted to match up their top de pair and when I when we did split tuck and
Thompson um and then the cousins line was going they jumbled their D all over the place they didn’t know who to match up against and we created a lot of chances we just couldn’t cash in on but we got we got different we got away from their you know what the other team
Wanted for a matchup real early with some changes so um I do see that when we have three line depth it’s hard uh for teams they have to kind of pick a pick your poison because we we have three lines and could score and that was part of Shifting Greenway you know
Middlestead backup with Thompson and Tuck last night so we have two lines at least that I real command respect of scoring the other team and then Greenway and Krebs line could be got lines that could grind it and push it and wear tear on the other team um you know so we
Didn’t spread it thin from from a scoring threat standpoint and uh you know JJ cousins and Petco when they’re together yes I haven’t noticed when separate by any means but um together they’re great look the right to get his second straight start you’ll have to
Watch for that one I guess but he has he’s played very well and he’s played consistent and he’s played well at home and lots of factors that uh that we all see um uh so yeah you’re you know you’re you’re processing the way you’re uh the way you’re bringing it
About Mojo confidence last year they didn’t have it they struggled they fought it all year last year and uh they were were tight and now they’re just they’re free they’re going they’re skating they’re you know they make mistakes they don’t even realize they’re making mistakes they just go and um
Obviously Demco has been really good in net I’m too familiar with Thatcher and and uh and Quinn Hughes uh you know couple guys I had that uh you know are definitely big parts of that team and um they have many many more talented guys but yeah I think they’re they’re they’re
Playing free without the baggage that they were mentally last year what made the Eric zus and pton so effective last night what you think about uh their the base was work and uh simple direct and hard they put pucks where they could pursue them they pressured them they uh
They played a responsible game and a hard game and um you know dating back to to Pittsburgh where the trio scored the winning goal I think um the same way just for check simple low to high to the n like I said you know shifting Greenway
To Center you know the bottom two lines now uh have have the ability to grind for us and wear on another team for us so you either want them to be able to score and and and win a matchup against a third pairing Dee or or wear the other
Team down a little bit with time in the zone and Puck possession extended and and fight and battle and scrap to maybe you know make room for the the other couple lines uh and KB’s line is down a very good job in that thank you
Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato speaks to the media after practice on Friday. Granato gives an injury update on Tage Thompson after he left yesterday’s game against the Senators with an injury. Granato speaks on the success of the penalty kill and the play of Jordan Greenway recently. He also gives a preview of the Vancouver Canucks.
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