“That Was a Rollercoaster” | Don Granato After Beating Oilers in Shootout

“That Was a Rollercoaster” | Don Granato After Beating Oilers in Shootout

What were your emotions to watch that at the end you win you don’t win you’re offside you go to a shootout you win again I mean what was that like yeah that was a roller coaster there’s no no other way to explain it of emotions and

And I thought that our guys work their way back into that game um A lot’s gone on in the last few days uh you know lots of different guys in different positions in in the lineup um we had some challenges very early in the game against a very good

Hockey team uh we took us a while to dial it in and we could could have went the other way at any moment um you know the team scores early like that it could be a barrage and we held it together as long as we uh needed to to get to our

Game and I thought we had some I don’t know how many goal posts we had tonight but hit the post quite a few times uh still weren’t rewarded for it then Bryson ties it up obviously Owen scores that uh goal that was disallowed in in

Overtime so um lots of a good but it took a while to get to good and in the process of it you had to really you know hunker down fight even fight the you know the psychology of things over the last few days and uh all of that made it

A little bit more emotional I guess were you back in the office already or where were you when you found it no we waited uh in the locker room obviously our video crew uh alerted us once we got to the locker room that you know things

Were on hold at that point so um you know we we waited a second or two till we uh you know knew for sure um and then it was uh get back out there and win it again if we have to how do you get everybody’s heads back in the game I

Mean some of them probably had their jerseys and shoulder pads you know that you saw it didn’t have they didn’t have any problem getting their heads back in the game and that was the message let’s go win let’s go win it again so um and and the energy level rose right back up

So you know you you’re you’re you know they’re running a little bit of you know pissed off at that point so use that energy good and I thought they did uh we had a chance cousins had a couple in overtime you know what do they replay

The 20 seconds I think he had one or two chances right there in overtime so they stayed on it immediately uh which was nice your forwards have to be frustrated at times offensively we saw the number of posts today and missed chances they converted in the shootout just how

Difficult is it for guys used to scoring when they get into one of these situations where it’s just hard to put the pocket yeah well Thompson scored a nice goal a second effort on the power play which was which was great but you you

Have to learn to just let go of it and otherwise it just compounds the situation um and I think the energy you saw the second half the the Progressive Energy in the game um you you saw Progressive confidence uh whether the puck went in or not uh they they were

You know they were pretty convicted we were pretty convicted that give me the puck again didn’t go in there but give me the give me give me the damn thing again and you could see that you see that in body language um you know I thought uh bym was was uh key again

Today and and just uh you know we’re going to have a different look with you know you you you have a different lineup now and um I thought he was really effective obviously with dolls and uh Owen and Yoki and and obviously Bryce stepped up big with h Cliffy so I

Thought those sixd were very very good tonight Jacob scor Jacob scores his first goal in well over a year just a big goal what what’s the excitement for him on the bench what’s the emotion I guess when a guy like that scores well you know for for me and and I I had

Written down even after the game just talk to the team you know was uh Rusk joose Olson uh and and Bryce and I probably missed somebody but they haven’t been in the lineup much and haven’t been in the lineup in a while and uh I was very

Excited for all of those guys and then Bryce scores because they’ve they’ve stayed on it they’ve worked hard and they were ready to go today they were ready to take advantage of their next opportunity when they didn’t know when it was going to come and today it came

And they were ready and and they were big part of uh you know our success y today what does it do for the group when LC’s making the sort of saves that he was in the second and third to buy time for you guys and just so you can keep at

It and try to tie that game it’s everything it’s it’s that’s key you know that’s something that uh you know um he’s evolved into that into the goal tender he is today and he makes it look pretty easy he’s very confident under control he’s reading Shooters he’s reading

Situations um but he’s getting those reads off of our defenseman as well or off our defensive system or scheme as well we’re going to give up this shot but you’re going to have to shoot it to the back post because there’s nothing else uh you know there’s no seam above

That and so he’s reading things like that as an example um you know he knows okay it’s it’s it’s if there’s going to be a play to the net it’s going to be now and it’s most likely going to be here and he’s he’s ready for it you see

That confidence and you see the confidence in the group around too you know where in the past pucks thrown to the N or seams you’d see us give up a second or third chance and get rattled and running around and um you know our our group is pretty darn

Confident uh in those areas now so it’s it’s both it’s I think it’s a defensive group and mindset and and oopie uh combined Dom young players make mistakes and there certain ways to handle them what do you do at this point with Skinner the overtime in Toronto the two

On0 today I mean it’s a veteran guy making troubling plays and his ice time reflected it today but how do you get him out of that yeah I I think think he’ll get out of it I think he’s um you know he’s he’s

Got a lot of pride in his game and he he he cares and and he’ll work his way out of it there’s no question you know the decision today was you know with with less ice time for a couple guys I the other guys are going and and the other

Guys could I felt could win us a game you know I felt uh you know the game didn’t get out of hand early and it it was one of those games it looked like it could have and and I felt you know the way op’s been playing the way we’ve been

Confident defensively even though these pucks went in early um I think if we got to ch chance to win this game just stay in it stay in it and uh I thought you know like I said that line of Joost really stepped up today and you’re

Playing to win so you know the decision today was certain guys had it more than others they’re going to play because we’re in a we’re in a you know need to win situation obviously and um you know there’s some nights where you don’t have anybody going or you know there is no

Discrepancy between and it’s hard to go to certain guys and limit others because there’s not much discrepancy um you know and and today I felt that Joe S was really at a high high level and that’s the difference so that was Sol the issue with JJ cuz he didn’t play all the last

I think it was 30 minutes of the game yeah I mean it was it was again you’re shorten of the bench there’s such a discrepancy I thought between the guys that were going and the guys that were we’re a little more challenged to go tonight um and it’s just again you’re in

A two to one game and it’s winnable and you know you you know you got a chance to win it obviously we did and um it’s it’s night tonight you know you you can’t you can’t bench guys all the time you can’t sit guys all the time

It’s night tonight and it’s it’s you know um you know you you you you hold players accountable different different ways and do different things at different times based on the situation and tonight with th with other those other guys going again there was such a discrepancy I felt in Line to Line it

Was uh decision was was easier as a result what did you notice about the psychology of the group when you walked in today coming off the deadline and walking in the room for the first time without their Captain you know I think Dylan cousins had an incredible game um

Thompson you know he wasn’t 100% Today I mean I think everybody knows that and made sure he was in the lineup I me he wanted to go in the lineup um and you know I think those and and dolls and I think these guys want to make a you know

They they they want to rise and and and so I thought that they attacked lots of guys attacked that attacked the situation and and want wanted to really Elevate um knowing that uh we need to elevate in absence of you know some of the guys that were uh were good players

For us started Ras and in overtime uh is that something that was just a matchup against McDavid and dry CLE or does Bowen open up those opportunities two defenseman great question it was no matchup it’s something we’ll do I mean it’s it’s those two watching those two

Players delene and uh Byrum together um they’ve did a lot of very special things out there tonight a lot of subtleties that you know I think will become more and more noticeable consistently the way they the way they move pucks up the ice and through the neutral zone and then uh

Put put the defensive team on their heels in the offensive zone they did a lot of subtleties together you know they read the situation offensively and um even defensively breaking pressure uh very very uh high intelligence and and obviously High skill level and it backs

The other team off so um yeah that is that wasn’t just thing that we’ll do tonight when you have that it’s it’s an asset and you’ll use it uh certainly in that situation

Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato speaks to the media following a 3-2 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers. Granato talks about the goal from Owen Power that was called back in overtime and how the team had to regroup and come back to win it in a shootout. He talks about the play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and how he handles ice time for certain players.

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