Nov. 3: Postgame Interviews

Nov. 3: Postgame Interviews

Yeah. No, it felt good. Um, you know, guys have been putting in a lot of work. We’re building a a foundation here to to be more consistent and um, yeah, it was nice to that it paid off. I mean, to go down two and just keep on pushing, keep on playing. Um, you know, that’s what that’s what’s made us successful in the past is just keep on trucking forward and um, you know, we did that tonight and it’s uh, it was a big win, not only just to win, but to come from behind and win. It it gives our group a lot of confidence. Yeah. Does that build some character against a team like that? They you know they’ve gone this cup final two years in a row and the players they had they get you down two and you still kept fighting. Yeah, I wouldn’t say character. I think you know our group’s got great character and um I think just confidence I think that’s a big thing. Um you know coming back from behind down two nothing against yeah like you said a top team in the league. Um you know that means that brings a lot of energy to our group and um we’re looking forward to carry that on. What was the key to keeping McDavid down? No shots on goal for just the 28th time in his career. Yeah, I mean, um, you know, Perry does a great job. Um, you know, it’s it’s hard. He’s got a ton of speed. It’s impossible to really contain him and, um, you know, we got one of the best shut down D’s in the league and, um, he always steps up and and is big in these games. When D’vorski scores there, could you just feel the the life in the building just shoot right up and and it gave you guys some energy? Yeah. Um, you know what? Um, that’s a massive goal for us. Um you see the way uh you know we just kept on rolling after that goal. Sometimes you need a big power play and um you know he had you know that was a wicked shot. So um definitely should get a lot of credit for for really changing the tide of the game. How much did you know about his one-time before he got here? I mean just a lot. I mean he’s got a great shot. Um whether it’s a snapshot, whether it’s a one-timer. Um I believe it was last game he hit the post or maybe was two games ago in that exact same spot. So, um, he’s dangerous and, um, you know, really impressed with his confidence, his poise. Um, you know, he’s been playing awesome for us and, uh, super happy he got his first one. You looked like you were pretty sharp angle on yours when you guys were losing the games. Maybe those are going out. Nice to see one go your way. Yeah, I mean, a little lucky off the post, off the goalie and um, you know, we’ll take it. Is that just karma for the down in the first? Maybe. I don’t know. Um, you know, sometimes you get those bounces and uh that was a big one. What’s that like though? You were saying this morning how tough it was to watch and not be able to help and then to be out there helping. Yeah, I mean like like I was saying, these guys have been building a big foundation for our team and and being more consistent and um getting back to the basics and um you know that showed tonight. Um just just the way we were able to like even their second goal like uh we come out that period we’re playing really well. We have a ton of chances and uh you know they block a shot and end up with a a fouron two and and are able to score and and we just keep going back at them and um yeah I think just for me to to jump in the lineup and have the guys playing like that have that mentality um you know I didn’t wasn’t wasn’t too hard for me. What did that feel like a first career NHL goal? Well obviously it was it was awesome. from uh I mean nothing nothing much else to say and uh got a great great pass from from Hawk there. So just try to shoot it and I’m happy to win in you just feel like you just got to be ready to shoot anytime you get it especially in the circle there. Have the coaches preached that to you too? Yeah, I mean coaches all the guys said as well like when I have the opportunity to shoot I should do it. And uh it was uh yeah probably a good thing that I shot that puck. So That’s a great first goal. Is that everything you dreamt of? Can you envision what that first goal might look like? I mean, to be honest, I wouldn’t care if I kicked the puck in or shoot it. That first goal is a first goal. So, yeah, I’m happy when in this way, but I mean, whatever it was, first goal is uh doesn’t matter how I score it. Do you feel like it gave not only you guys life, but could you just sense the the life in the building just go up after you score there? Yeah. Well, I mean, we played a great team game, so I feel like our overall team game kind of got the fans going and I just try to do my best every time I’m out on the ice and uh I got so much help from my teammates here and uh know I love love being here and playing here. Just how much did you need that result tonight? Well, we needed it. Um but I think you know we’re a process oriented team and um we believe that if our things that we believe that we have to be good at whether it’s habits details or certain parts of our process of the game um winning netfront battles and then the results that come from that is gradea a chances and then game management was really good tonight um and that we believe leads to good results and this for for me this was the third good hockey game in a row that we’ve played. Um, and if we keep playing like this, we’re going to win a lot of hockey games. Not that you were playing poorly before that, but did you just get a sense crowdwise and maybe even on the bench when the scores there that the level just raised up? Yes. On the bench, I didn’t feel like I I felt we were pretty confident like, yeah, it’s we’re down two nothing. Yeah, they’ve made some high-end plays, but we had three oddman rushes before they scored the goal to make it two nothing. So that gave us a lot of positive talk on the bench. And then, you know, the power play came through was great job by the kid cranking it home. What a shot. That’s uh I mean, you get your first goal and that’s a one you want to talk about. Yeah, I went bar down on a one-time. Pretty cool. Jim, speaking of trust in the process, you mentioned those three scoring opportunities you have. You don’t get it and you get the goal against go down two to nothing. Just the resolve with the way things have been going. Can you speak to that? Um, yeah, it’s it’s really important. And you know, I I even during this slide, it may be hard to believe, but the belief in the room is that we’re a good hockey team. And I talked about it earlier, there’s a lot of analytics pointing there, there’s um, you know, with the expected goals for and against and what quadrant we were in in the last 10 years, the quadrant we were in, they haven’t missed the playoffs. So, that’s why we’re feeling a lot of we felt a lot of good things. Now, that’s just one win. Now, we got to start building. We got to keep building cuz I think that we couldn’t be a really good hockey team if we keep building it the right way. Parts of the game Thomas touch tonight that maybe it’s been missing with him out of line. Well, the puck possession would be one. Um, you know, but the offense they generated tonight, that line was was really good. Um, but the important thing was I was matching up against McDavid and for the most part they hit a knob on a fouron two and that’s the only goal they gave up. Went the other way fouron two and you know they made a bang bang play. Theirs went in, ours hit a knob and that’s why like I like the way the resolve resilience we had after that. But when you’re talking about Thomas, I mean, he he’s it’s um when you lose your number one center and you get him back, you see the difference. Talk about people being deployed. He played 19 minutes. Um our second line center played about 17. Our next uh D’Vorski played about 15 and then our fourth line played 12. And then that’s that’s good balance. What specifically you did well tonight on McDavid? No shots on goal for just the 28th time in his career? Um, I thought that we were very aware when he was on the ice. Um, we didn’t really shut him down, right? He had two assists. Like, um, he’s kind of like, uh, Michael Jordan. You keep him under 30 and you’re happy, right? Um, so, but that’s what, you know, generational players do. Uh, I thought that we we were able to negate his speed at our blue line by our up ice um awareness of marking him up. When he got into the zone though, was Rober one of those guys just took that challenge head on? It seemed like he was there and met him every time and maybe dislodged the puck from him a number of times when he did get in the zone. Yeah, I thought this morning that Broberg was looking for that challenge because we showed a lot of clips obviously of him and um D’s idol and you know every player we talk like another team will have we have acronym of MDM most dangerous man and I added a W for him because he’s the most dangerous man in the world in our sport. Um, and when I looked up and I said it and Broy was like really intense, like looking forward to the challenge, intense, which is what you want from your players. That that type of role for him, I mean, it hasn’t been one he always takes. I mean, the the shutdown role, is that a new element that you see in his you want to give to him more? Yeah, it’s an element that we we’ve talked to him about starting this year. He’s on the first PK, so you know that that goes hand inand with that kind of shutdown role. um now that he’s with Pareco, I don’t know if it stays that way, but it’s a good pairing right now. And I like the pairing of uh Fowler and um and Faulk, the way they’ve been moving the puck, but we’ll see how the pairs continue to evolve here, but I guarantee you Broberg and Prao will be playing together in Washington. You mentioned Sudter being in the right places on the ice. I mean, is he just reading that play and perfect example of Well, he scores goals. He knows where he scores goals from the hash marks down to the goal line. And he finds his way there. He has impeccable timing. When you’re his size, you can’t plant yourself in front of the net like a Jake Neighbors or a Torpenko can. You have to get there when the puck’s arriving. And um he that’s what happened on the game-winning goal. It was a real good shift by that line who I thought was really good against the Dry idol line tonight. and uh they got that game-winning goal which was huge for us. What did you think about the the pace you guys were able to play at particularly when you had the puck? Yeah, I thought that uh if we’re a little bit cleaner, we probably have a lot more goals tonight. like our Dmen I thought were supporting our rush from breakouts and in neutral zone and they were doing it from a good defensive position jumping by people as we carried speed through the blue line. So I thought our transition with the puck was was one of our better uh games and I thought our puck management when we didn’t have a play we put it in and we went to for check. So, I thought the combination of our puck management and the speed we played with, I thought it gave them uh some trouble at times. How much did Benson kind of keep you in the game? Yeah, those two saves after we went two nothing were huge. It really elevated our bench. A lot of people on the bench, a lot of players. I I remember someone saying Benner’s fighting for us, you know, and and he that’s what he does, you know, and he gives you the confidence that you’re never out of a game because of the competitive spirit he has in the crease. Pardon me. You remember saves you back on? Well, there was a blocker saved and right after the blocker save was the second one. It was a it was a sequence. It was three quick shots. One missed the net, but the other two he he saved and but he was ready for the third one. He was square to it already, but it missed the net.

Robert Thomas, Dalibor Dvorsky and Jim Montgomery speak to the media after a 3-2 win over Edmonton on Nov. 3, 2025.