Nov. 1: Postgame Interviews

Nov. 1: Postgame Interviews

So Monte, you said that you guys are building the last two games on better habits and good detail and stuff like that. Do you feel like you guys saw that on your viewpoint or how did you feel that? Yeah, I think we thought we played a better game today overall, but um ultimately we’re in a bit of a rut obviously and we need to dig deep and and find our way out of this. Um it’s tough. It’s the hardest one to get uh to turn the corner and and kind of break through and um it’s the one you got to probably work the hardest for. Um, we know we got to dig and each guy’s got to find a little bit more to to get us over the hump. Um, overall I don’t think our our game was that bad tonight. I thought we we finished well and we had plenty of chances there. Um, but it, like I said, it’s just going to take that little bit of extra extra push to get us going. You mentioned kind of that late game push. It seems like a lot of bounces are not going your guys’ way tonight. Maybe for the other team they are. How do you keep fighting through that? Just got to work. You got to keep getting those chances. um you can’t get discouraged. I know it’s tough in the position we’re in and um guys are gripping their sticks and and pushing and trying to to get that next one, but um you got to you got to trust that if you’re getting those chances, they’re going to go in eventually and um they will. We just got to stick with it. You guys last year were never out of any game. It felt like it seemed like tonight, you know, you really had that last push. How do you rebuild that confidence in the room to know you’re in every game? You got to go every day. uh day by day practice um whatever it is, whatever the the task is of the day, you got to build kind of from the ground up and build that foundation. So, so you have that comfort level going into every game knowing that it’s going to be a a tough night. You know, that the group’s going to show up. But, um it’s just work. Um like I said, it’s it’s a something you got to you got to grind with and and uh fight through to to keep building. Um, it’s not a it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon, but we need to find a way to get going here. For sure. So, pretty big push there in the third. It seems like just no bounces are going our guys’ way. How do you fight through that? Yeah, it’s been tough. Um, like you said, third period was uh there was some chances and um thought overall we had a decent game, but didn’t get the job done. So, we got to got to figure out how to win these tight games and um you know continue to generate but uh you know it’s it’s frustrating right now. We got to got to find a way as a as a team and individually we all kind of got to stay with it and um you know it’s a it’s a tough league. You’re playing good teams but I believe in this team. This is a really good squad. So um yeah, we got to we got to figure it out. And I know you’re new to the team, but last year this was really a great team of bouncing back late and never getting out of games. How as a team do you build that confidence? Yeah, I mean, uh, there’s a lot of experience in this room. Um, you know, so I I think that that can help in a scenario like this. Um, so like I said, we just got to dig deep and and and find ways to win these games. and um you know 2-1 3-2 games are are kind of what you’re looking looking at down the stretch. Um, so yeah, I I I think like I said, it was a we played decent enough, but uh, you know, I think one of these days we’ll we’ll uh get the bounce on our side and um, you know, with that being said, you generate your own luck, so you can’t can’t blame bounces necessarily, but uh, you know, it’ll come here and um, I believe in this group. Tonight, what did you like from your team? What do you want to see cleaned up? Uh what I liked was our uh defensive habits were significantly better and I liked our first period and our third period. Uh the the the biggest dislike from the game was too many turnovers trying to go east west against a team that had three back all night long and in the third period we got in behind them and worked and forcheed and we end up generating a lot of scoring chances. Lot of chances especially in the third period there. I think you guys ended with 38 shots. Do you like to see that resilience from the team to try to keep fighting? Well, we’re building in the right way. I mean, the results we’re not happy with, but it’s starting to get better and better. Like, two games in a row where we’re in the high 30s and shots on net. Um, and we continue to do that. We had a lot of deflections that their goalie made really good saves on or they just went wide of the net. So, we’re in the right areas and sooner or later the puck luck’s going to come our way. What’s kind of your message when it is a lot of just really tough bounces not going your way? How do you fight through that? Well, um, you know, law of averages, they’ll come back on our side. But the message after the game was, uh, we’re building it the right way right now. We keep playing, we’re going to get on a roll and because good things are coming from the way we’re playing. And Hoer had a really solid game tonight, more than 30 saves. What do you think of him? He was really good tonight. Sound, gave us a chance in the second period when, you know, I thought that they tilted the ice on us. He made several really key saves and, you know, the goals, there’s not a chance he has on those goals. and you made several key saves to keep it 2-1, 3-1. Fourth line, third line have been bringing a lot of energy lately. Had a goal tonight. Do you think they’re starting to kind of establish their identity? Yes, they do. I thought our fourth line was excellent tonight. Uh, you know, Buchad got the big goal, but Torpachenko and Walker were their usual self that we’re all used to. And then, um, you know, the Sunquist line was really good tonight. And then you had D’vorski out there at the very end of the game taking that last minute face off as he proved himself to be in those big moments. Yes, he’s really gaining our confidence. He’s playing the right way. He looks fast out there. He’s in right support position. He’s making real strong puck management decisions that are leading to offense and leading to us having momentum when he’s on the ice. And you guys have some really good teams coming up on the schedule. When you’re stuck in something like this, do you just take it one game at a time? Do you look ahead? What’s kind of the mindset? Yeah, we’re just going one game at a time. We’re trying to stay in the moment. That’s the way we always are with our process. And uh right now the last two games our process has been good and we continue to improve upon it. You know the results will come.

Hear from Justin Faulk, Nick Bjugstad and Jim Montgomery after a 3-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on November 1, 2025.