Round 2, Game 3 | Bruce Cassidy Postgame: There’s A Lot Of Hockey Left

Round 2, Game 3 | Bruce Cassidy Postgame: There’s A Lot Of Hockey Left

one, where does that rank on exciting finishes that you’ve seen? And two, for this group to be down two nothing in the first and be the ones on the comeback side, just what does it say about the resilience of the group? Yeah, we know we got good character in the room. So, um, obviously we got to correct some things the way we started. Um, you want to put yourself in that hole, but there’s a lot of hockey left and we know we have the ability to come back. We can score goals. Um, so that part isn’t going through your mind that you can’t do it. It’s more about, hey, we got to put the brakes on what’s going on right here and get back to managing our game better. So, that’s what we were able to do and sure enough, we crawl back in, claw back into it. So, um, checked very well from then on. So, that’s a big positive for us. Dangerous offensive team. They got to be able to do that. Uh, credit to the guys for not opening up the game trying to get it all back at once. you know, you chip away, got 50, whatever it was, four minutes left to do it. So, and then the finish. Yeah, you don’t see too many of them. Good for us to get one going in our favor this year. Regular season, we couple of buzzer beaters didn’t go our way. Seemed like I think it was Dorafia a couple of games in a row. Um, didn’t see it coming to be perfectly honest. Uh, when Willie or sorry, when Carly disappeared from the bench side, you can’t see what’s going on over there. All a sudden the puck comes to the slot. Referee’s waving the goal off. you think another one but got in under the wire. So fortunate because to get a break there because in reality they got a break on the third goal, right? Goes in off our guys. So I guess maybe the hockey gods even some things out. Jesse, Bruce, it it seemed like the the the arena went quiet and it seemed like your bench knew that you had won before anyone else. Can you just take us through the sequence of events and and how that unfolded? Yeah, well we have the monitor down. It’s in real time. So, um, you know, Rogie, our video coach, backed it up and we saw at point4 it went in. So, everyone’s looking at it and, uh, we’re obviously all excited because, you know, listen, it was a hard fought game and we got something to go in our favor, right? Get us back in the series. So, listen, you know, you you leave it all out there and the fractions of a second, you know, can break your heart or do the opposite, right? So, you know, that that’s kind of what happened. Uh, not just the last play, but can you talk about Carlson all night because it seemed like you did a lot for you tonight on as he usually does, but just specifically tonight and then that last play what he can do there. Well, you mean the last play is just a impressive play by Nabber to get the puck off the wall to him to break it out to sort of just get out of our end with eight seconds to go. Right. So now I’m thinking, well, we’ll get the red line, get it in, we’re into overtime, regroup with any attack. So, good heads up play. I think he saw Smitty coming late. Figured, well, throw it through there. What the heck? I mean, those two guys have chemistry. I think they could speak to it better than me, but take that play out of there. Scores the third goal. Um, attacking the net, getting through the neutral zone. But his value in this, you know, you get on the road, he’s a real good player, I find, against top skill. So, we want to use him against McDavid or Dry Cidle or both, depending on how they’re deployed. a little tougher on the road. So, he’s kind of getting moved around a little bit, but he knows that’s a big part of his job to to help with that part of the game to check well, be above people, but never seems to take away from his offense. His numbers were down this year a little bit, but I think that’s all injury related to be honest with you. So, um he’s just a big piece of the puzzle for us. You know, he plays in all situations and very reliable guy. um played wing in the last series for three games and helped turn that around with in a checking role and still create, you know, manage some offense. So, both sides of the puck, coach’s dream, right? Guys that do both. Do you have any update on Mark Stone and then maybe how did you manage the game without him? Well, he he’ll be listed as dayto day. I don’t you know, we’ll see tomorrow how he’s feeling. I obviously didn’t return. We saw that, but doesn’t preclude him from playing the next game. We’ll know more tomorrow. Um, we managed um quite well. It it seemed the guys wanted to pick him up. Uh, and what it does, it allows other players like O’Reilly Smith to get more opportunity and he, you know, he’s a right winger, shoots left Riley, but he got more opportunity to play and took advantage of it. So, we had Nick W on the right side a little bit of time. So, he just used different people. Good for the bench to be sharp. Everyone kind of the line changes because guys were going from the left to right side. So, you know, we didn’t get stuck on a bad change at all with that moving people around. Um, it’s loud in there. My voice isn’t great right now, so I’m screaming at the top of my lungs to make sure they hear the guys. And, um, but like I said, it’s just opportunity for other players to get a few more minutes. Um, we have a lot of good players in our in our team and they stepped up. Uh, we’d like to have Mark back obviously. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. He’s big part of our team, but guys got to know, they got to dig in. We’ve we missed Pro earlier. We’ve missed Pav. Uh so it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen. Every team misses players this time of year and you got to soldier on. Um Bruce, just want to ask you about the your veter you’re a veteran group and how much does that play a part when you do have adversity, when you go down to nothing, when you give up a late tying goal, uh when you lose your captain. How much does that play into that you guys can overcome things like that? Well, you got to draw on that from previous experience. I think that’s where it comes through. But still got to play the game. Got to get out there and do it. So, um I think our group in general is very cerebral group. I think they’re highly competitive but calm in nature. They’re not they don’t panic when things don’t go their way. Um that’s just the makeup of the group. Some of that is, as I said, they they’ve been through a lot. They’ve won. They’ve lost. They’ve been on both sides of it right to the bitter end. So, you know, they know that there’s ups and downs. Uh I mean, we’ll all take this experience going forward. We give up a late goal and score one. You know what I mean? That’ll be in our memory banks the next time we give up a late goal with two minutes. Hey, this thing’s ain’t over. We got to keep playing. We got to play for the next one or, you know, whatever the situation is. So, that’s what previous experience does for you. And I think we drawn it just fine. We didn’t cave after that. Bench didn’t get, you know, listen, we’re disappointed the puck went in the net, but gota keep playing. Can you take us through uh the Braden McNab situation? seem like he’s doesn’t take the the morning skate and then he’s on the ice for warm-up and plays a bigger role in the game for you. Yeah. Well, Nabber, well, we we saw him leave the game the other night. We didn’t know the extent of the injury. Next day, usually get much more clarity. Um, he’s here getting treatment. Weren’t sure if he’d play. Didn’t put him on the ice because we didn’t want to have him to go through anything that strenuous, uh, shooting pucks, whatever the case may be. So, give it an extra 7 hours, whatever it is, and put him out there for warm-up. If he feels he can play, he goes, was his call. Um, was medically cleared, so if he can go out and do it and handle it, comfortable, uncomfortable, whatever, that was kind of up to him. He came in, said he was ready to go, so he goes in the lineup. Um, happy to have him back. Obviously, when it happened, we weren’t sure. Didn’t look good, but worked out okay for him. Hopefully, you know, we’ll see if there’s residual effect from tonight, but Corors was ready to go in if need be, but uh wasn’t necessary. Just just going off that, Bruce. They they win the other night, go up two go up two nothing, and then obviously it’s like the momentum swings back in their favor, but to get a win like this with Braden coming being the last out of the tunnel, taking warm-ups, eventually playing, winning the game the way that you did, does it I don’t want to ask if it’s the momentum of swings back, but does it feel like this is a win that can propel the rest of the series? Well, it means it it gives us a little juice because, you know, we weren’t sure on Nabber and we lose our captain, right? And we’re able to push through. So, that gives you, you know, your belief gets stronger. You know, when you can pull it off without key members and keep playing so that when they’re are healthy to be able to get back in there, you know, you that’s what’s good about our group. They want to, you know, step up and until those people can get back in the lineup. Turns out Nabber did play. We’ll see on uh Stony, but momentum will disappear tomorrow. we’ll wake up and it’ll be two-1 Edmonton. Uh we’ll get to enjoy it for a few hours. I think that’s the beauty of the playoffs and you kind of get back at it. So, I don’t know about momentum. I think both teams will be, you know, preparing to win the next game. That’s usually how playoff works. You got to park things in a hurry. I think uh can’t get too upset or too high or too low on situations. As I said, we’re we’re excited. We won the game. Thought we played well for the most part. I think that’s what our emotion is right now. And um as I said, tomorrow we’ll start preparing again, talk about a few things, do what we have to do to get ready for game four.

Head Coach Bruce Cassidy speaks to the media following a 4-3 win in Game 3 of the second-round series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.

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