Cam Talbot, Alex DeBrincat, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs CBJ | 11/22 CBJ

Cam Talbot, Alex DeBrincat, Todd McLellan Post Game Comments vs CBJ | 11/22 CBJ

Cam, how do you describe the way that one all played out today? Just perseverance. I mean, to come back after what happened last game and uh, you know, to have the the mentality after going down 3-1 in the third there to battle back and and come back and get a big two points, that’s that’s huge for this group and, uh, unbelievable response. What’s got you seemingly so locked in right now? Honestly, I’m just trying to go out there and do my job. The guys are playing really well in front of me. Um, you know, it’s just one one cog in the machine and, you know, these guys are playing extremely well in front. So, I’m just trying to make the saves I I’m supposed to make, maybe one or two throughout the game that uh keep us in it, give us a chance to come back like we did tonight. So, what are you thinking on the breakaway? Stay as patient as possible, give us a chance to win. Just get as much of my body in front of it and get a piece and um, you know, with six, seven minutes left, that’s a save that you you need to make. If we go down 4-2 there, game’s probably over. So, um, just trying to to stay patient, make the save there, and give us a chance to come back. Mo scores a couple seconds after that. I mean, how much did you feel that that swing after the save right into Mo’s goal? I think the whole bench kind of felt that. You could tell there’s a lot of relation off the bench and uh, and in stand. So, it was a huge momentum boost and uh, you know, huge shot by Mo, good flash screen in front and everything we’ve been talking about going into that goal. Um, credit to the to the guys for uh again pushing through and and sticking with it tonight. Did Mo have any worse for you when he came over? Maybe they had to tap after that never go there tying again. He just said huge save. I mean, there’s not much in passing there. Not a lot of time. He just comes down a huge save and then just kind of skated back to the bench. So, we still had work to do. So, uh don’t want to dwell on it too much. Just, you know, move on and and finish the game. How important is it the way you guys have come back after, you know, after the Buffalo thing after the other night and then immediately the next game showed what you’re made of? Yeah, that’s huge for this group. Um, last year, you know, up until Christmas, maybe January, I don’t think that we come back with these kind of performances. We tend to let things linger a little bit and you could tell this is a different group in here mentally. So, um, we know that we can come back after performances like that and, uh, tonight was another good indication of that. What did you see on the the goalie interference challenge that ultimately was still really a good goal? I mean, I don’t know if it that could go either way. I think that might have been a 50/50. So, I think they just took their shot and it was obviously right after we scored. So, I think they wanted to try to keep our momentum and um you know, it didn’t work out for us, but the PK did a heck of a job on that one and uh I don’t think they gave up a shot. So, give credit to the PK for for bailing us bailing out uh that call and uh again, huge game. What are you seeing out of Ben Ben Sherro so far this season? I know it’s not always the offensive numbers. Although tonight it was, but what’s he shown you? He’s just been a leader on and off the ice this entire year and you know um playing with Axe every night. He’s uh he’s really helping him come along and um but again, yeah, you don’t really expect Benny to be uh you know, the the offensive juggernaut. But, uh, tonight, you know, he just missed that one, uh, a couple minutes before that, put it, uh, he had a great chance there. And then, you know, comes down basically the same play. Just goes the other side and, uh, give give him a ton of credit for getting us back in. That was a huge goal. We get 3-2 and and, uh, swing the moment swing the momentum in our way. So, uh, he’s been great for us all year. And, uh, you know, not always at that end, but, defensively, for sure. Alex, how good did that feel the way you guys came back in the third period with an OT? Yeah, it’s huge. I think um you know those are games you got to learn to win um throughout this season. It’s not going to be perfect every night and um to be able to battle down 3-1 um you know and get the two points is huge. Is that something you see in this group that Cam was just saying he didn’t see it last season? Yeah, for sure. I think um it’s a different sense of confidence. Um you know I think we showed it vers St. Lewis coming back um 4 nothing there and obviously you don’t want to come back every game but we have that in our toolbox and um you know we just keep battling till the till the last whistle. Felt like there was a little bit of a momentum shift kind of maybe the final seven minutes or so in that third period. How important obviously was the breakaway save by Cam and and just the subsequent goal? Yeah, it’s huge. I think um you know every time seems he’s coming up big for us at some point in the game and um you know that was a big turning point. Obviously we score right after that. So, um, you know, he’s been great for us all year and, you know, both goalies have have have done a great job for us and, um, you know, they bail us out quite a bit. So, um, you know, we can definitely be better for them, but um, you know, we’re a team and we’re figuring out ways to to win and, um, it’s good. Um, it’s been good. You really got the D involved there when it was 3-1 and Sherrod scores. Johansson goes in the net and draws a penalty and Cider scores on the power play. What kind of problems does that cause for the team when the defense gets the ball when they attack like that? Yeah, I mean it’s a lot more threats obviously. Um you know Benny’s goal is huge. Um you know we like when the deer shooting and getting it by um obviously that’s a little bit different of a play, but um you know when when they get a chance and they can bear down and put it in the net, it’s it’s great for us and um you know we need everyone to win games and um you know that’s what what we did tonight. What did you like you had much of an opening there on your shot? What did you see there? Um yeah, I saw him um down on the post um as I was going by that guy. So um you know, I feel like a lot of goalies do that nowadays and um you just got to hopefully find your spot um if you’re going to try it. So um you know, maybe a little lucky there and um but I think it’s uh you know at that point in in overtime just probably my last rush trying to trying to create something and um you know got lucky enough to put it in. Thank you. Todd, you guys found yourself down 3-1 in the third period over halfway through it. Just what did you see switch or flip with your team that started the comeback? Um, you know, quite frankly, I didn’t think we were playing poorly. Um, we had a few shifts where we were stuck in our end. Um, that’s going to happen in a game, but I thought we had some pressure on them at some point. Um, but we were down 3-1. And sometimes in the past that’s been a a negative thing. We saw it the other night. Uh but we’ve also showed that we have some fight in us and we can come back. So like to keep that in the in the room. Um we don’t want to keep going down 3-1. Uh but the resiliency showed up again which is a good thing for us. We’ve talked a lot about getting some secondary scoring and today you get some from the blue line in Ben Shot and Mo Cider. Just how does that impact a team maybe even aside from the obvious score change? Yeah, the the score change is obvious, but the it takes so much pressure off of three or four other players. Um, you know, we’re pouring them over the boards. They’ve had real good seasons to this point. They they’re doing what they need to do offensively and um but they can’t just be the only ones and um you know, get it from some others tonight, especially from the blue line. Our our blue line isn’t the highscoring group, but they uh they got it done tonight. Tip your hat to to Cam Talbot. I think he came up with some huge saves when it mattered most. He definitely did. Um, you know, one in particular, the breakaway on uh on our power play, we stumbled at the line and and they were gone. Um, probably asking me a whole bunch of different questions if if he doesn’t make that save. So, we all recognize it. They’re u you know, they’re they’re happy that he got the win. We got the comeback for him. U but he gave us a chance. Todd, you talked about the blue line. I know Ben Sherro’s not a guy you’re gonna look to for offense every night, but what can you say about his impact on this team and this game? Yeah, I you know what, we challenge Benny because he he probably well, he didn’t have his best night uh against uh the Islanders the other night, but he really responded well and and uh I thought he played heavy hard game. Uh they have some real big bodies in and around the net that you have to find ways to control. Um, you know, we we had some size out of the lineup tonight, so that was going to be a bit of a a concern, but Benny responded really well. And then offense, he does have um some offensive instincts. He can shoot the puck, but he knows his primary responsibility is to uh to take care of big bodies and shut people down. With some of the size out of the lineup with Simon not able to play, how did you rate the performance of both uh Bernard Docker and Travis Hamick? Um I I you know for Doc to come in he it’s been a bit of um uh pingpong match with with with his um insertion into the lineup. He’s in and then he’s out and he’s in and he’s out. Um I talked to him in practice the other day about you know when you go back in here’s the things we need you to do and he did them. Um he did them well. Uh, I I think Travis since game one has become a really important part of our team and he just quietly goes about his business, but what you don’t see or hear or maybe even recognizes all the little stuff he does on the bench and in the locker room and with uh, you know, some of the younger defenseman. Um, very valuable um, and noticed by the by the staff. And obviously it was a very good performance on the other end by Jed Greavves with so many great saves. But how great of a goal scorers goal was Debrinks winner just picking the corner there with maybe just an inch of space available. Yeah, that’s a uh that’s a tough spot for goalenders to to cover. You see a lot of shots even going in off helmets from bad angles. The the goalender’s mask or helmet. Um that’s what Cat does. That’s we pay him to to make that shot and um he’s done it his whole career. Uh, I can’t think of a, you know, maybe another one or two guys I’d like in that situation, but Cat would certainly be one of them. Todd, you mentioned a few times earlier this year. Talbot, right from day one this season, he’s been pretty solid, pretty consistent. Would you agree with that or I would agree with that. Yep. I certainly would. He’s showed up at camp and um, you know, look determined. um he’s been able to knock on wood, stay healthy and uh and train the right way. He’s got Gibby who takes some games as well. So, between the two of them, um they’ve done a good job of of um making sure the other’s fresh. And this happened a few times now this season. You’ve come you’ve come back pretty strong after a bad defeat or whatnot. Is that good good sign of resilience or whatnot? Well, it is. It’s um you’d like not to be in that situation. We know we’re not going to win every game. Um you know, but the some of the losses are accountable losses where you have to unfortunately show them uh remind them, direct them, um you know, and it’s not it’s not rubbing their noses in or anything like that. You just you just simply show them you’re better than this. You’ve done it before. Take a look. And they do respond, but we’d like to get past that. We’d like to go on a on a little bit of run. I don’t know if it’s wins or losses, but a consistent run of good play. Um, you know, over time, it ends up being too much if you’re always poking them. Another thing that you’ve talked about a lot is going to the net and getting that front presence. And, see you, both of those goals by the defenseman, you know, if there’s not that net front presence, they probably don’t go in. Exactly. And, you know, we had the power play earlier. Um, and we wanted to move it around. Lo and behold, that the other unit goes out there and it just gets simple. Uh, fire a puck, somebody’s in in and or around the net for a tip, a screen deflection, a rebound, uh, just to create chaos and it goes in the net. Uh, Benny follows up on a block shot, but all that traffic’s going towards the net. He can feel, goenders can feel stuff coming at them and trying to sort it out and it ends up in the net. So, um the the I guess as my sons would say it, bar down plays are are fun to watch on um FanDuel. Um but um the ugly ones count, too. So, um we need them. Simon Monday. He Simon showed up or didn’t even show up for work. He Simon was sick. Um yeah, Simon was sick. So, we’ll see how he is tomorrow. Thank you. Yep. Good night.

Cam Talbot, Alex DeBrincat, and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday November 22, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena.