12/3 PHI vs. BUF Pregame: Rick Tocchet

12/3 PHI vs. BUF Pregame: Rick Tocchet

Uh, uh, yeah, he’s in. And then looks like back in Z will go back in. Yep. You mentioned Monday the team maybe dragging a little bit, a little tired. Do they look more refreshed after a day off yesterday? Uh, I think so. I mean, uh, you know, was we needed it. Um, but like I said, there’s no every team goes through it. So, you got to you got to be able to push through those things. You guys have have avoided, you know, lengthy losing stretches, right? It’s only once you’ve had the two to is that is that how welcome of a sign is that for you and how have you been able to do it? It’s a bit it’s a it’s a really I know as coaches you really look at that. Um, and I commend the players because, you know, if you have a sub subpar effort, um, you try to teach, you know, why you could come up with why is it, you know, we obviously Pittsburgh, we didn’t win many battles. Our edge battles weren’t good. Um, we didn’t take they they, you know, a couple times Pittsburgh overforeed. We actually had four times where we could actually had a threeon-one or three on two, but we were just late. So, um, we showed them that today. Um, so there’s a solution to that. So hopefully they take the they have been taking the information and apply it the next game. So you know this is actually it’s a this is a good test for us where our team is mentally. Looks likein’s going to get an opportunity a little further up the lineup. What are you hoping to see out of him uh in that role? Yeah, just good decisions. You know skate like you know sometimes when he gets the puck he doesn’t move his feet. Um but for him I just want him to play you know mind free but he’s got to skate. He’s got to hold on to pucks. How do you How do you help him with I We’ve talked a lot about how he came to you and said he was overthinking maybe a little bit too much. How do you help him with that? And and especially now that it looks like he’ll get some runway in terms of playing higher in the lineup for longer stretches. Yeah. I mean, he just came from Russia. He was in the Myers last year, right? I mean, he’s you know, it doesn’t happen overnight. you know, you know, there’s a there’s certain things, practice information, like, you know, day-to-day stuff that we see. U I the solution isn’t just, oh, just let him play and see if he makes mistakes. There’s a there’s a process to it. Now, he’s got to do the process, but do I feel like he’s ready for it? Yeah, I do. I think he’s ready for it, but there’s a process to it. The way you practice, the way you take information, that’s the way it is. Do you remind him of that? Like, hey, this is only your second year. You don’t have to do everything like 100% like we understand that it’s only your second year. Yeah. I think a lot of it too for him is practice is like you know perfect example last game you know in practice when he has two ones he slows down and he tries to pass the puck. So Pittsburgh he had all day to go in and you know fire the puck but he waited and he tried to make a pass and the guy picked it off. So we talked about it and then today his two ones are outstanding. Hopefully he can apply that in a real game. That’s that’s the information that players got to, you know, to be an NHL player, you got to take that information. So hopefully he gets a two-on-one tonight and he he moves his feet. I I mean, I think he will because he did it today in practice. Uh with with regards to, you know, the Tyson Forester injury, obviously Gerbankin’s the guy who’s stepping up into that role, but it’s not just going to be him who who’s trying to to make up for for Tyson’s absence. Are there anybody in particular that that you’re looking for to to really step up and make up for the fact that you guys are absent one of your better players right now? Yeah, Charlie, I don’t think it’s just one guy. I think everybody can can everybody give themselves 5% better. You know, you add all those up, you know, it helps, right? I always feel, you know, you can’t do too much obviously, but for me is we we have a few guys that can play better at five 10% better to help out. You know, Tyson’s a very smart guy. He’s a PK guy, power play guy. You know, he’s a hockey player. So, when you lose somebody like that, it’s a committee thing. I know it’s a overused word, but it is a committee. we, you know, there’s not one guy that can like, you know, make up for a loss. It’s to me it’s a team thing. So hopefully everybody has 5% better. What’s your your coaching style in situations like this? You guys have been surprisingly pretty healthy before this this season, but you know, when something like this happens where an important guy and also a really well-lit guy in the room, goes down, is going to be out for a while. Are you hands-on? Do do you do you talk to the players or do you let the room handle it? How do you how do you prefer to do it? That’s a good question. I think it’s a a big leadership thing, you know. Yeah. I mean, obviously coaches have to leave, but it’s a dressing room thing, you know, it’s it’s the next man up. Um, it’s not letting excuses in that room, you know, when the coaches leave. It’s like, hey, we got this. So, we really rely on a chunk of leaders to really, you know, the messaging, hey, we can still be a good hockey team. We can still win games. We can still do a lot of things. He, you know, the poor is me stuff that can’t linger in that room. Look like you were talking to rest of line a little bit today. Yeah. Are you guys starting to try to get him up to speed on how you guys want to do things for whenever he does come back? Yeah, it’s we’re not quite there in the contact stuff, but uh once you know right now, now he’s with the NHL coach. Before he was with the development guys skating, now he’s he’s graduated to the NHL guys. Re skated him today and yesterday on our day off. Um I’m not quite sure when the contact’s coming, but it’s coming. I don’t know. I can’t I don’t want to be married to a date, but it is coming. And then when he starts practicing full tilt, whether how many practices he gets before we put him in, we don’t know. But it’s obviously he’s getting close. So you don’t have a ballpark as to when we might see him again. I mean I mean if I say two weeks and it’s 12 days or 16, I don’t know. Like you know uh do I have an exact date? No. But it’s not a month and it’s not a week. So it’s some you know it’s what’s that sweet spot? I don’t know. you know, with regards to the uh the power plays, and I don’t want to I don’t want to pigeon hole guys, but you know, you have the one unit today where it’s kind of, you know, you’re kind of stacking it with the skilled guys. You know, you’ve got you got Mishkov, you got Ziggers, you got connect, you got Tippet. Sure. I guess, you know, why were you maybe hesitant to to do that, you know, earlier in the year and why are you going to that now? Well, just because Trev is our our flank. We had some issues with our flankers. You know, we were g a lot of two-on-1s, so we had to protect that. Um, I think a little bit of a maturity and growth from a few of our players understanding how important it is. Uh, so now we’re we’re going to give a little bit of rope and see how it goes. I don’t think it was um I didn’t think we were allowed. I think we gave some rope at the beginning of the year and I I don’t say they failed, but you can’t give up 21 ones. You can’t give we at the pace we’re doing. Um, and then we settled down a little bit where PP is starting to get a little bit better, but I think now listen, we got to get middle shots. We need we need to start hammering the puck from middle ice. not getting that. Obviously, we got to get more down low plays and bumper plays. Those are the those are the best power plays and we’re trying to find that. Um hopefully Trevor and and Meech can show some motion for us, handle the puck on that side, and then we got to start hammering that puck from the middle of the ice. We’re not getting that shot from the middle right now. And that’s basically the best power plays have the the middle shot and then all hell breaks. You saw Pittsburgh Malcin blast two of them, goes in the corner, but they get the pocket play, right? Those are the stuff that we got to we’re trying to make, you know, and you got to remember they’re still learning some of the stuff that we’re trying to give them. You know, it hasn’t been a good power play over the years, but it we’re showing some signs. We just got to get more shots in the primaries. We’re we’re missing those opportunities. You talked the other day about the penalty kill and you sort of struggled Monday night and has has been struggling, excuse me, for a couple games. What what has the conversations been like in the last couple days and and what do you want to see maybe better down the road? Uh the structure has been off last for we’re we’re getting in these box situations. I hate boxes. I PK um when you you’re I don’t know it’s a little bit of a communication um and a little bit of discom um little disconnect with a 2D you know when you’re you know when you want a true diamond which we are but an aggressive diamond. So, we’re just caught in between, you know. I I think Todd’s talked to them. Uh we had a good PK session. We got to get back to it. But I think it to me it’s a structure thing and then it’s obviously when to go and when not to go aggress on this. Is this something that the other team’s doing too that maybe is pulling the defenseman out of position? Uh maybe a little bit. I think it’s more on us. I think there’s more blood on our hands than than I I’m not giving the other team credit. I mean, I’m giving the team Yes. But when a team’s It’s no different than our power play. When a team goes into a box, you better get a shot from middle of the ice. You know, the other team knows we go in this box, they’re going to pound it from the middle. That’s what I would do. And they’re doing it. And they’re and they’re scoring off those plays.

Hear from head coach Rick Tocchet ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup with Buffalo.