Dylan Larkin, JT Compher, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs NYI | Nov. 20, 2025

Dylan Larkin, JT Compher, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs NYI | Nov. 20, 2025

Oh, we didn’t have it. Um, I thought the game was hard. It was It was uh where they were winning races and we weren’t and and they were above us and um we just didn’t grind through that. And uh then we gave up goals where it was lack of execution and things we talked about before the game, faceoff details and and um this were two off faceoffs and we uh you know giving them back doors and and really good looks and another uh night where I feel like we we left Gibby out to try. Dylan, how did their fourth line have such a good night against you guys? Their whole their their fourth line. Yeah. I mean, their whole team had a good night and and like I said, we didn’t win races. We were slow and um not even a credit to them really. I mean, they they played they played their game, but we uh we didn’t make it hard on them at all and and uh you know, yeah. D you mentioned the two goals off the faceoffs. Is that those particular deflating when they can score right off the face off like that? every goal is deflating. Um I think what when we talk about before the game and and then we go out, we don’t execute on it. Um they’re a good faceoff team. They have really good centermen where where uh they dig in and and uh they made plays off of it and and um and it’s not uh plays that we haven’t seen. We see those plays every night. It just just uh sums up the whole night. We talk about it before we go out and we It’s in the back of our net. You mentioned another night where you guys didn’t play well in front of John. Why do you Why do you think it is? Can you elaborate on what it is that happens there? I I cannot um I can’t tell you what it is. um just he makes a big save on the kill and we just allow them to to go back and and get look after look and if they get one okay I thought we responded after they scored one but um they can’t you know score four and and we’re we’re just chasing our tails and and being slow and and and fumbling pucks and and and whatnot I know if you had all the answers games like this wouldn’t happen but what in what ways can you guys build more consistent game by all four lines and and we’ve showed it in pieces and we showed it when we’ve played well. Um we’re going to be a team that has to check and and to check you have to have your legs and and with this schedule it’s it’s going to be hard but uh our B game and our C game have to be a lot better than that JT. What did you feel like you guys struggled with most today? Um yeah, I mean a lot probably. Uh still having nights where we give up the big mistake, make the big mistake and make it over and over again. And I mean Gibby still had to come up with some big saves throughout the game to keep at what it’s at. Um I thought we didn’t give ourselves to a chance to compete for two points tonight. not even you know you can play really good in this league and not win and we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to do that tonight. JT Dylan said it was another night where you guys didn’t play well enough in front of John. What do you see behind that? Um it’s inconsistency right now. Um, we had a few games, you know, the last few games where we’re playing great 60-minute hockey, and it’s really hard to play 60-minute hockey. Um, or play well for 60 minutes. I mean, um, and Todd challenged us to do that after a game like this. And, uh, there’s just no room to go up and down and back and forth. It’s um, you’re going to have stretches, periods, shifts, 5 minute segments, whatever. But um when you do it for long enough, you’re not going to have a chance to win. You had the uh the two PKs in the first period, but you weren’t able to gain any momentum from that. How much of a factor was that just early not being able to get anything going offensively on the power play? You said no, no, no. You killed two penalties in the first period, but you guys weren’t able to gain any momentum from that. I mean, how much of a key was that? Um yeah, I don’t think we created enough momentum all night. GT, what impresses you about the Islanders? I mean, it’s two games in a row, two games this season now. They’ve kind of gotten new guys and they’re in quite a role right now. What do they do? Well, um, I think they transition a lot better than they have in the past. Um, they have some guys playing really good hockey. Um, that defenseman’s come in and stepped in really well and, um, just throughout their lineup, they they check well and it leads to chances. Um, that’s something they’ve always done is they check the right way. Uh, you know, it used to be called boring or whatever, but like you know the style you’re going to get when you play them and it’s going to be really hard to create and then when you turn pucks over or make bad reads and give up odd mans, it’s it looks like that. What is the key to finding a little more consistency and not having, you know, games like this find you? Yeah, it’s on the players. It’s uh it’s on it’s on everyone, but it’s on the guys that have been around um the league and um you know, we got a lot of young guys and um but that’s no excuse. I mean, if you’re in the National Hockey League, you have to be able to be consistent and something that good teams even struggle with is being consistent. Um there’s a reason teams don’t win 75 games or whatever. It’s a hard league and um but it has to be the the lower level has to be higher than that. You’ve had Marco on your line some in recent games. Obviously, he’s struggling this year. What do you do to encourage him in that situation and just keep him from getting down on himself? Yeah. Um every guy in this locker room’s been through bad stretches in their career. The longer you play, um it’s going to happen. It’s 10 20 games. you don’t have any point as many points as you think, but it’s about um going back to what you are as a player and he’s a hardworking um skater and uh transport of the puck and those are the things he does well and those things that you don’t really need to be feeling your best to do is to um and you just take things one play at a time. You make a good play early in the game and you try and build on that. And um you know he was he got a little feisty in this game tonight and I think that’s him trying to to find what he can be and uh you know we have a lot of trust in him and uh we have to be there for our teammates when when they’re struggling cuz I mean you talk to JVR Hammer uh Kainer like guys that have been around long time like they’ve been through stretches that it didn’t feel right and um it’s on us to pick him up and it’s on him to continue to come here and work every day. Todd, for two straight games, you said you like the complete game that your team played. How did you get so far away from that here tonight? I wish I could sit up here and and uh give you an answer. I don’t have the answer. Um our group tonight, that was disappointing, obviously. Very disappointing. We we uh we had a lot of momentum coming into the game and uh we were we were out executed. The the puck was foreign to us. Anything that we we did get away clean, we seem to bobble it or or u double clutch it. Um scoring opportunities that we did have, we did nothing with. And um and we give up two two goals on faceoff coverages. You know, that’s that’s epitomizes the night really. I know there are some deflections, but Dylan also said it was another night where the team didn’t play well enough in front of John Gibson. What do you see there? I think he’s very accurate. And I mean, is this something you’ve seen, you know, even going back to the Montreal game at the start of the season, it just from up top, it just looks like the team plays better in front of Talbert than John? Um, you know, you’re putting me on the spot. We played 21 games. I can’t remember them all instantly, but um, you know, if that is the case, then shame on us as as skaters. Uh, we owe them a better game then. Um, if if that is the case. JT mentioned that the lower level of your guys’ game needs to be higher. What What are you seeing there? And what’s the key to Can you repeat it, please? Yeah. JT said the the lower end of your game needs to be better. like what is the key to having a more of a B game, I guess, on a night where you’re a little flat, you know, B game. I would I’d like to see the A game. I don’t really want to talk about the B game. Um, if if it’s not going well, you’ve got to check and you’ve got to prevent because it’s, you know, sometimes you’re skating mud, sometimes you don’t handle the puck well, sometimes you’re not seeing things. I I get that part. Um, and and I think what JT is saying and and I don’t want to confuse his comments, but I think he’s saying when it’s feels like that, there’s still ways that our group can win games or at least be involved in games and and tonight was evidence of of maybe the group feeling or executing like that and not giving themselves a chance. So, I think that’s what he’s telling you. And what I would say is is it’s then the small details. We have coverages for faceoffs that should just be like that automatic. And when the when the gun went off for those coverages, we were late and they scored two goals. So, that team’s playing really well. Their goalender is outstanding. There’s two goals right there that that if you don’t have your uh your agame, you’re not skating as well. You can prevent them right away just from from knowing what you’re need to do. And when the gun goes off, do it. Um, so I’m not exactly sure about his comment, so don’t put the two together, but I’m trying to to answer your question. Was there an explanation given for the misconduct on Casper on Casper when he was whistled for the 10-minute misconduct? Um, no, I I didn’t. No, I don’t know. And where do you get the sense that his confidence is right now? I know he had the fight at near the end of the game, but was moved down into the lineup. Where just where is his confidence right now that you see? Well, I I think it’s obvious um you know, it’s it’s not where it needs to be, but um it’s difficult when you’re um when you’ve entered the league and a lot of good things have happened for you and then you come back and all that momentum goes away. Um but confidence isn’t something that’s in your back pocket and you just lose it at the mall or leave it in your car. You over time it erodess. Um, and you’ve got to find ways to stop the momentum and get it back. And, um, you know, he’s frustrated. He got a fight at the end of the game. Maybe that will trigger it. But, um, I know, he knows, his teammates know he’s a better player than than what we have right now. So, uh, everybody’s got to participate in cracking that nut, starting with Marco. And then the coaching staff and his teammates have to help him. But, um, we need, uh, the best from him. and um right now he doesn’t look like the same player. So that’s the answer to your question. You talk a lot about game management and details. Did that first goal kind of epitomize it? Seemed like a bad change and then three guys flowing to one side and Well, the change wasn’t as bad. Um we still had a wedge in the middle of the rink. We could deflect everything outside, but the read off of it was terrible. We we we went and looked for a big a big hit in the middle of the ice with a player that’s not even remotely dangerous. The speed was coming from the outside. So, we didn’t read the situation well and uh it’s in our net. So, that’s u you know, there you go. And then two two faceoff goals. Um puck off our stick. I think it went up Marco stick on on one of the other goals. We’re ready to break out. We actually are breaking out. We’ve got full control of it. mishandles it, it goes right to them and now you’re at four goals. So, not a good night. You lose just now to the faceoffs, Todd. Is it just mental lapses or just assignments or what did you what did you see in the faceoffs? Those two face off? Well, I I the interesting thing is before the first faceoff goal, the one down at at this end, um their center got kicked out and their their attack or their faceoff play, if you want to call it, changed. And we should have seen it right away and we didn’t. And right away, you get worried because are you not sharp enough? They’re moving their pieces around and we’re not even looking at it or thinking about it. They take the face off. They get a a scoring opportunity. If you remember it, they had a real quick shot, another face off, slow off the and sure enough. So, I can’t explain what we’re thinking. Um, you know, I understand we’re not going to be perfect, but backto back situations like that. Was Todd, was it disappointing that they’ve been hot on this road trip and it’s been they’ve been phenomenal, but on the end of the road trip um to not take advantage of maybe a team that’s a little bit tired and you’re playing at home and you’ve been so good at home to not take advantage of that. Yeah, that that’s disappointing, Carlos. Um you know, they had a six-game road trip. I think the first ones were bus trips to New York and and Jersey. So, they had a four game flight and and go stay trip. Um Chicago came in here back end of a six-game road trip. We looked a little bit like that. So when teams and we’re going we’re going to finish in Chicago. We’re going on a six-g game road trip. And I’ve been around long enough to know what it sometimes feels like at that point. And if you can’t push and take advantage of a team and you let them in and let them believe, their legs feel better. They they gain more confidence. um and the home team gets a little frustrated or the the fresh team if you will. That was a perfect case, Chicago and um tonight against the Islanders. But maybe that’s a good sign because we’re going to play our sixth game on the road and we’ll expect a outstanding effort, won’t we? At least I will. Uh just about Gibson going back, um I think it was four goals on 12 shots. Um, in a game like this where things aren’t going your way otherwise, do you need him to maybe make up for that? And we need everybody to make up for it. Um, you know, tonight is a night where I’m I’m going to envelope everybody into it. Um, I know, you know, the numbers don’t look good obviously, but the it’s a two halfass breakaway right off the bat or a twoon-one and, you know, good shooter scores. Face off goal. Can’t see it. Scores. Uh secondary face go off goal. One-time from the dot as he’s coming across. He’s got to find the puck. Scores. Uh Casper’s turnover shot through people, deflects off, scores. Um you know, and we I could sit here and say, “Boy, it would be nice to have one of those.” But um you know, the group that those are team goals, too. What have you thought of this season? What have I thought of Gibby? Overall, I think Giby’s it’s been hard for Gibby because he’s come to a new team um late in his later in his career and he’s had to adjust and adapt to coaching staff styles, new goalie coach, teammates, uh the way we play. Um but I think he’s he’s working hard towards um well, he does fit in now. He’s he’s very competitive. He fits in. Um, and I think we addressed it earlier. We haven’t given him our best game. We all of us that put the equipment on in front of him or or the suits on the bench.

Dylan Larkin, JT Compher, and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s game against the New York Islanders on Thursday November 20, 2025.