Craig Berube | Practice | November 07, 2025

Craig Berube | Practice | November 07, 2025

Knander’s off to the hottest start production-wise that he’s had in the NHL. What what are you seeing as allowing him to kind of tip up his production? Well, I think this like he’s he’s always scored lots of goals, but I think um this year he’s he’s making more plays with the puck, you know, and getting assists, but he’s like I I said before, he’s underrated passer. I mean, he’s he’s a good playmaker, but kind of he’s always scored a lot of goals. Craig, your team leads the NHL with five and five goals, but it’s 30th in power play finish. I guess what do you make of the contrast between team five and five offense and power play offense? Um, well, I’m not making excuses. We get one power play a game, maybe two. I mean, that’s a little bit of the problem for sure. Now, in saying that, we got to do a better job of executing on our power play with the chances we have. And for me, we haven’t executed well enough. And I think that’s really really what it boils down to. Um there’s been plays that we’ve had in tight or good chances we miss a net or we just didn’t we didn’t execute well enough. And you know that’s that’s the biggest thing for me. Do you want to see more rapid fire in that like No, I think we’ve been shooting a puck. If I look at the stats, you know, we’re one of the top teams that have shot the puck on the power play and I’m not that’s that is that’s good. I don’t that’s not a problem. I I think we got to keep shooting it that you got to keep attacking, but I think we just need to execute better on our our grade A chances. What do you have to do to earn more power plays? I don’t know. You have to ask the league. I mean, I like our uh like u the last um eight games, I would say. Our uh zone time in the offensive zone is really good and it’s gone up. That’s to me, you know, you work in the offensive zone, you make people take penalties. Um, we just got to stay with it. There’s not, you know, we can’t focus on it or worry about it. We just got to keep doing the work we’re doing and eventually it’ll come around. What have you liked uh about Brandon Carlo’s game lately? Just his assertiveness more than anything. I think if you watch his netfront battles and physicality he’s using um it’s been obviously moving in the right direction. And I think um you know, like I said before, he um pucks find him. you know, he eats a lot of pucks and breaks a lot of pucks up with his sticks and so he’s been an effective player going back to last year for us. Anything new about Matthew N or is this kind of what you see on a regular basis? Is there anything different about his game right now? Um, no. I think you know what you saw last game with the effort, the second and third effort stuff. Um, to me when he’s when he’s doing that, he’s a very effective player. He’s second and third effort guy with the body, the skill that goes with it. Uh, but it’s all about that quickness and second and third effort. When he’s on top of things like that, he’s a hard guy to handle. Where do you feel that Joe Wall’s game is at through the work he’s done in practice since return? I mean, yeah, he’s he’s fine. I mean, like really hasn’t had that much. I mean, but he’s getting work, which is good. Um he’s going to go down and play some Marlies here. So that’ll be really good for him to get into action. So that’s where I think start making some real strides getting in games. What was the idea I guess for Primo today in practice? Well, just because we wanted LOL to get that time stallers, you know, we need those guys and he went over and worked with some with the goalie coach on some other things. You like So you have three goalies in practice. They don’t get I wanted Wolsey to have the whole net. You like uh McMahon and Robertson together. What do you They always seem to come back together. They play together in the Marlies. What do you like about Oh, they did that. I didn’t know that. Should have checked into that. Well, yeah. I mean, they played a lot together last year, obviously. Um I think more than anything, they they have good chemistry together with their speed. You know, they’re both real quick players. They’re fast. they get on top of things and they they they get in the corners and work well together, you know, and eventually the puck gets to the net and somebody’s putting it home like last game. Um, but I like that speed with Johnny just down the wings. They get on top of things and JT, you know, does his thing what he does. So, I just think more than anything, they’ve played together for quite some time now. They have good chemistry together. They they enjoy playing together and it’s direct, you know, both of them. It’s like straight lines, direct, get it in deep, and go to work. And and they expose people with their speed at times. This dates back about half decade now with this team where it’s you get to November and then November for some reason is the month where things take off. You guys are already three and0 this month. Like there anything you can point to as to why that happens seemingly year after year? I only can go by the last year and a bit I’ve been here. But um you know I think what I’m seeing now going back a little bit even in October or later October is just playing to our identity and understanding that this is how we’re going to have success and when we do it we’re pretty good. We give ourselves a chance to win.

Head Coach Craig Berube addresses the media following Friday’s practice.

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