Jack Quinn Confirmed To Re-Enter Buffalo Sabres Lineup Against Ottawa | Coach Don Granato

Jack Quinn Confirmed To Re-Enter Buffalo Sabres Lineup Against Ottawa | Coach Don Granato

Okay guys I’ll start with an update uh Lucas rusik getting the news back it’ll be a couple of days um for for that to resolve and then uh Jack Quinn is uh looks like he’s ready to go so I would um expect to see him in the

Lineup when you uh look at the schedule and look at this home stand how how much easier is it given where you are on the standings to just worry about your games really fret about what happened last night because you’re not one or two out

You have to just go win your games yeah you we we’ve felt we’ve been in that situation of you have to take care of uh your own business and uh so yes um it’s obviously um nice to be back home and to be on home ICE um and we’ve got to take

Advantage of that as well talked a lot about the psyche of the team this year here and how that’s kind of evolved how did you see that up close within that pressure you know moment there heading on that road trip just how that factored into the

Performance yeah I I thought I felt uh you know the Edmonton game we got frustrated late you know almost after the fact as it as it wound down um you know the Detroit uh game mentioned and what I remember we we we generated a lot

In the first we had a really good start uh could have been up by a couple we weren’t um and uh you know that was that was a battle but the psyche to me is still um in a good place do you want it stronger you’re always going to want it

Stronger so um but but it’s not in a it’s not in a bad place it’s not in a negative Place uh if if that’s what you’re asking um I think it’s it’s solid and um you know but you never settle you want more and we want to be better in

All areas of our game and that’s one of them this is jack’s first game back would it be too much to ask to put him on your special teams or do you want to throw him right in there and penalty killing especially what makes him such a

Good penalty killer is this his smarts yeah he’s he’s uh he’s effective in any situation because he’s an intelligent player um he is um one of our smartest players uh has a feel for the game for situations for you know depth and reads and and everything that comes with it

He’s got a lot of hockey sounds so uh and as far as how we’ll use him tonight it’s always gauge in game uh we’ll see what his you know what his energy level looks like and um but you know he he he will probably get time

In all of those uh spots slots or or situations and we’ll see how much time when you had the you’ve talked a lot about the situation in Edmonton you had a couple days off after that game for calary how important was that to just Happ that break at that

Time to maybe get your guys get the psyche back ready to play the next game as tough as that one finished yeah it it that it was a tough finish um and to you know sometimes you come in there and you say the best thing you always deal with

Circumstances so if you played the night the next night you’re going to say okay the circumstances we’re playing the next night this is great um we had two days in between we used those two days for different types of meetings individual meetings uh line meetings uh special

Team meetings whatever it is and an overall team meeting it is a luxury when you have uh two days in between a game when you have one day in between a game you’re cutting down film from the game the night before and you’re cutting film

Of your opponent of the next day and so you’re combining what just happened in the last game and trying to figure out should we move on from the last game and just move to tomorrow’s game or is there stuff from last night so so there’s so much to to

Compile uh you know in a 24-hour period um closure on the night before and getting ready for the next night when you have two games two days in between it’s it’s a it’s a dream in that sense you you know the next morning you can get closure on the night before and look

At those Clips wash it and the next day you have one full day to get ready for the next opponent and Target things so two days uh is is always a luxury and then you talked yesterday about about this game a little gauging it gauging their legs how

Important for you as the coach is the first period tonight just in terms of gauging where they are leg wise mentally wherever coming off that trip first few the first few shifts are really uh telling um you know to to how your guys feel uh and then you know you’re you

Play 82 games you are not going to feel good every night it’s it’s learning how to execute and and adapt to when you don’t feel good when you don’t have your legs um and that’s uh you know that’s an ongoing thing uh I think with everybody with you

Know how it’s part of evolving as a player evolving as a team is is learning how to still succeed on nights where you you know you’re not as proficient or as or as you know efficient and um you know so regardless of how you feel the

Objective is to win and you may have to go about that a different way if you feel differently and but the hope is obviously uh the intent is to have energy and play our style which is which is uh with a greater pace and uh greater pressure got that opportunity to play

With Alex Tu and Thompson what does he get out of that what do he JJ I will say he didn’t get that opportunity he earned it he worked he’s uh worked on lots of details you know uh growth uh for me you have a player that’s as talented as

JJ um you know he can score he can can score at this level um but there’s lots of things that you can learn that are going to make you a better overall player uh you know a better plus player not just a you know trading chances and trading goals player but uh winning

Games um and I think he’s he’s worked on a lot of he’s added a lot of detail to his game that helps you win games you know um he’s uh positionally better to get pucks back to defend less um so you know he’s he’s earned it and you can see just

In the games his positioning created lots of goals you know uh or or the goals that were created were you know he he he was involved in those over the last couple games uh the Edmonton game I think he had two is positioning and forcing the opposition in the areas

Where tuck and Thompson could take advantage of it and then convert was uh was a significant impact so what he’s done before the goals and before the chances that he’s created is uh some subtleties that he’s really evolved his game uh to become a better and wiser

Player without the puck what does he get from those I’m sure they sit on the bench and talk to uh you know just to be on the ice with air of guys like those two what does he get from them well he I’m sure sure and certain that he likes

The fact that he’s playing with Tage Thompson and Tuck because of their skill level um but I think he he offers as much as he gets as well um so you know I think they’re getting some you know a guy with speed a guy that can finish a

Guy that’s quick on pucks uh so I think it’s equal so I think that you know the conversations go back I don’t want to sit here and and and tell you that um you know it’s almost uh you almost feel like you’re insulting him by saying what what’s he getting from them he’s

Giving something back to him otherwise I wouldn’t put him in that situation either you know I’m not uh uh putting you know uh uh him there um and saying you you two guys have to lift this guy I I’m putting him there because I think he can help

Those two guys we’ve seen that look um he’s helped those two guys over the last couple games so um that that’s what comes to mind when you ask me that question of what those two are giving him I think it’s equal um what’s a low Tage to get even beyond

The goals and points just the last few weeks whatever month Maybe It’s JJ right it’s but he’s he’s gone he’s gone to the net uh shot more pucks I think his his intentions his focus is a little bit more direct to answer your question I think

He’s I think Tage himself is a little bit more direct with his game and I say a little bit he can be more direct um I still think there’s opportunities that he’s um you know he he’s he’s not seeing as much as you know he could although

He’s in the process his his work ethic his commitment is Drive is all there I mean this is a guy that is unwavering in work ethic and commitment to to to find ways um and he’s this is part of him evolving in a better player every day a

Few different guys on in that spot um with Tage and Tuck how have you seen that maybe create some competition because I’m sure guys you know love the chance to play with those twoo and have you seen it not just for the guys that have gotten the shot but for Jeff you

Know kind of create some hunger and competition in the lineup uh for for Skinner you’re asking or for everybody including Jeff that you know that spot’s sort of um almost there for the taking in some ways yeah um I mean it’s all about you know getting more out of our

Guys and our group and I didn’t obviously didn’t feel we were getting enough um specifically with that line so you’re going to you’re going to say okay what can we do what what can we tweak or change and um you know Greenway was there and gives a different thing if and

Again it depends on some matchups if you’re on the road and you know we don’t have the matchups maybe Greenway is a better fit for that game itself for different reasons than JJ would be a fit um so you’re you’re you’re tweaking you’re not just tweaking based on just you want to

Tweak you you you’re tweaking on your competitors but um but it is it is really nice I guess the easiest way to to say Matthew is when you put somebody in there like JJ and they perform they just elevated the bar for the next guy that’s a dream that’s a dream for a

Coach when you when you have Personnel that can Elevate the bar and create the competition for you um is significant you know everybody will tell you as a coach it’s the generic thing more accountability more accountability more accountability you as a coach you have the weapon of accountability the more

Skill you have on your team let’s face it if if the guy thinks he can be replaced that’s the best accountability there is but you got to have the guys that can replace the next guy and challenge the next guy and push the next guy taking their ice time and so if JJ

Goes there and he’s successful he just raise the bar for everyone else that’s a that’s the biggest accountability you’re ever going to have is is players raising the bar to their peers and uh you know in JJ his performance the last couple games certainly he raised the bar to the point

Where he has to keep that up as well uh which is great for a hockey team what’s the plan with de going forward um you know do you have one or kind of well we have the the thought right now is is gauging that back to back that’s coming

Up um you know as as mentioned who be his esta lished himself as as our number one guy right now and and um you know when you look at it back to back the question is okay you know do we how do we feel about playing him in that back toback based on

The workload the first night and you know if not um it’s all probability Devon would would slide in there what kind of benefit did you see him get now that you’ve had him here for I don’t know a little over a week just from the the time he spent down there what sort

Of difference have you seen I think just natural maturing through the course of a season uh in Rochester is a is a tremendous resource um for many reasons uh coaching and and uh for the player himself um and you see the impacts of just another day at the professional

Level for a young player that is engaged in his own development he’s he he’s here and he’s soaking up things so he’s going to be more mature and better the next day and if you send him there he’s doing the exact same thing and a very you know

Uh in a great environment um so you’ve just seen the progression of maturing with him as a player as a person as a pro athlete uh day by day as The Season’s gone along

Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato spoke with the media after the team’s morning skate on March 27, 2024. He confirmed Jack Quinn would re-enter the lineup after a long-term injury.

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