Aaron Ekblad & Coach Maurice | Playoff Practice Interviews 4.20.24

0:00 – Paul Maurice
11:40 – Aaron Ekblad

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go I wouldn’t boil it that far down
leave a little water in the pot it’s
going to be some detail right I think
the outstanding goal tending active
mobile at times physical blue line and
then a good spectrum of players of Fords
the elite skill guys the heavy guys lots
of
intensity we I’ll go back to what I
think this is going to feel like is what
I said last yesterday we got into one of
those crazy games where we put nine on
them and they never quit playing and
they got five on us in like the shortest
period of time possible we never quit
playing in that game and I think that’s
what the the body of this series is
going to look like there won’t be
momentum it may feel like it say oh
they’re going now but there’s not going
to be momentum because the puck drops
and they’re going to go tooth and nail
right after it every every time so but
that’s going to make it really good this
is the series I’d be watching like if I
was a fan or i’ I’d watch serious when
you you talked earlier a couple weeks
ago like you had your top six pretty
much figured out then your top nine now
do you feel pretty confident going in
that you’ve got the four lines that’s
ready to go for game one yeah I mean
I’ve I’ve got that set but I don’t think
it’ll stay at
that even even if if we stayed
completely
healthy you know it’s there’s there’s
going to be finding a different look at
times making adjustments Ste your
penalty kill a different player will
come in and out but we we’ve been since
barkoff came back off
injury um we’ve been pretty set with our
lines do you like the way your top six
looks with Y like there I like way they
are and and and I know there’s a place I
can go with them real fast the first
adjustment you you’re going to make you
know and you know why you would make it
so pretty flexible with that These Guys
these guys all have just played with
each other different combinations for
two years so I I mean there’s no
disruption on our bench when I when I
play around with the lines one of those
guys in the botom at lomberg just the
evolution you’ve seen from him over the
last few years what have you like the
most and Al just with the back half of
this last couple weeks him moving in and
out L how he’s been able how he hand
after being everyday guy last year some
some of that movement is that I know and
I need to see other players that I don’t
know as well Steve Lauren’s going to
reinvented himself in the back half of
the year with his speed and physicality
and then we added Kyle so I wanted to
see those guys and that’s some of that
movement I look at them as a group
they’ll all bring something slightly
different to the table speed and
physicality uh but the speed I think
everybody is edgy the game one right
they’re all wound up afternoon game
unusual start so both team’s going to
try to play as fast as we can so lomos
that’s his that’s his calling card
obviously you guys clenched a while ago
you didn’t know see an opponent until
just a few days ago
but waiting for for a while kind of a
fortuitous break that you get to wake up
have a coffee and then there’s a game at
12:30 instead of waking around all day
for it yeah I I I’d play every game at
1:00 give them the choice right and then
you can have the game done and edited by
the end of the night it’s a perfect
perfect life right um yeah not too much
time to think we got a little bit of
experience from last year and you know
the before I got here this team’s been
in the playoffs for a few years clearly
Tampa’s got lots of experience on this
our side both teams going to be nervous
and edgy but not I think I think with
both coaches probably would feel pretty
confident about how we’re going to look
I’m not talking about the result just
seen us play enough playoff hockey that
I know what we look like and John
certainly has seen his team play a lot
yeah dep in the playoffs rolling all the
lines is very important last year Anton
londell Luc rart was very pivotal in
that thron specifically this year
Rodriguez comes in Reinhardt spot and
well Lu reinard are still doing their
thing how important has that line been
and how more important will be going to
the
series I mean it’s going to be the I
think it seems to be the deciding factor
in almost series like the elite players
are Elite on both
sides there’s no advantage to to one or
the other right they’re just great and
yeah those guys are the guys maybe make
the one play at the end so that’s why
they are great even even being checked
or but it’s the third line it’s the guys
that come out third because they’re
going to play against the top two at
some point and then you need an
advantage somewhere in your lineup so if
it’s true that the first two lines saw
off then you’re looking for that third
line
Advantage you know A2 was had gone from
fourth line Center to third line left
wing last year and and then moved
heavily into our penalty kill and Anton
was rolling into his second full year in
the NHL he had been scratched in the
playoffs the year before he was new we
all know what now especially everybody
else knows what Sam Reinhardt can do to
Al line and means to them but Evans got
speed so I’m going to put a lot of
pressure on those guys tomorrow
morning play you mentioned earlier that
this was the if you could watch a series
be the one is the fact that you have two
world class goalies going head tohe head
part of that well that’s it e which is
awesome because I think I think in this
even season series so
eloquently put um I think they say
percentages under nine both of them Head
to Head well that’s not going to hold
right so that will be a story right both
guys are going to play great I think
that’s what we would
anticipate I think it’s because there’s
a great spectrum of what each team can
do we’re pretty good defensive team but
we can escate we can score goals they
can defend too whether whether it’s the
goal Bender or their penalty killing I
mean their penalty killing is in the top
10 so that tells you they could be a
pretty good defensive team certainly
they can do that they can score goals
they can skate so and it can get heavy
too there’s guys that’ll finish checks
there’s there’s a a lot that could
happen here on what the series looks I
think we’re going to see all of it be
five minutes get real heavy five minutes
get real fast I think it’s going to be
exciting to so questions yeah um
speaking of the defense I mean what’s
what’s FHN
nice
plug sweet and
Columbus baseball team you’re Governor
at all brother are they paying you too
no
okay didn’t need to bring that up but
they might be tomorrow who knows go
Clips um ring in bills
um you guys gave up the you you and
Winnipeg tied for fewest goals allowed
yeah given up
just talk a little bit about how the
defense for your team has evolved I mean
to not only on the penalty kill but just
all our you know five on five you guys
are as tough as anything I think well I
think our Fords our Fords brought back
the the style of game from the back half
last year in the playoffs so it was
pretty much even we I would say we
picked up where we left off but then you
have to look at what what bill and his
staff did you lost two defenseman had
two defenseman go to down injury but we
we brought three NHL defensemen into our
lineup the biggest weakness that we had
last year was our penalty kill and Kevin
stenland and those defensemen had wred
that and again got it into the top 10
so a lot of our solid defensive game
came from M and Larson and kulakov
coming in and and we were able to hold
water with the two defenseman that went
down and then we had to re you know we
had to live it again when when Aaron
went down again so we management brought
in some really good Defenders and that
and that’s what allowed us to survive it
and last one for me just last year in
the playoffs we saw Matthew kachuck his
star kind of a send yeah you see that in
the postseason sometimes right guys just
Jimmy Butler from the heat Matthew K of
the Panthers they seem to to get the the
thrivers right they’re the energy guys
so what what I would say about that with
Matthew though is what you didn’t see
was he did that this year he came off
that injury and he wasn’t right like he
just couldn’t do anything all summer
long so it took him a while to get up to
speed but in the games that were
critical for us either getting out of
the we had we had three blocks where we
didn’t play particularly well getting
out of those
blocks and then between the first and
second period and on the bench in the
second period at the start of the second
period of the last game just because we
could finish first
potentially he elevated his game in all
of those spots you just wouldn’t been as
noticeable because it’s not a seven game
playoff series and he scores you know
the overtime winner and those kind of
things um he he’s he’s matured like his
game in such a good way right right I
think I think
about mid January early January last
year he stopped taking penalties except
for when his brother came to town then
it was on well when if it wasn’t Ottawa
he didn’t take any penalties and he’s
almost continued that so he didn’t score
at the start of the Year people will
look at the number at the end and say
well he didn’t have as good a year he’s
much better hockey player for us this
year than he was last year and he’s
pretty good last
year so I would say if he if yeah if
he’s if he puts up great numbers again
it’ll just be a continuation if he plays
the game that he’s playing for us right
now he’s going to be a better player for
us than he was last year in the playoffs
but he was certainly it’d be hard to be
more dramatic and I’m for it though if
he wants to throw that in to he’s yeah
there’s no handcuffs on him look at
tomor obviously building kind of
transforms from regular season to
playoffs the energy goes up 20,000
people in the building players talk
about how they look forward to that how
they feed off that how that kind of
changes the game as a coach just what
does a change in atmosphere do for you
and do you and your guys feed off at
all I think it’s more true for us
possibly it’s a theory because when you
play you get to burn energy you get to
get out you know you’re wired and just
get a hit get hit something you’re in
the game and then your focus Narrows and
you kind of shut all that out we would
say that you know during the game you’re
trying to pick up matchups you’re trying
to do a bunch of things and you do you
you narrow it
out making the playoffs is hard and when
you look at the you know there’s a small
number of teams on Long consecutive year
runs so and then when you get a little
older and you coach a lot of games I’m
what I’m I’m stalling right now to
phrase this the proper way sometimes the
regular season can get a little dull is
what I’m trying to say it’s a grinder
it’s not in the plow it’s all of the
good stuff it’s like you don’t have to
eat your vegetables right it’s just the
good stuff that you want no vegetables
right but I like vegetables so you know
what I’m talking about it’s Christmas
morning right like you don’t have to
wait till dinner to yeah it’s the best
motivating your team how am I going to
get these guys going tonight well that’s
done right now I’m just going to make
sure I keep them all flying in the same
direction so all of the maybe the
grinding things the the pulling teeth
the motivating scratching guys all the
stuff the machinations that you got to
do to to mold the team to get through 82
well it’s done you’re here and now you
get to have some
fun okay see you guys feel great really
excited I mean this is the time of year
where we get to have some fun and uh
when things matter like this it’s uh
it’s really easy to get out for games
and and find a way to you know do
something good out there it feel like
there’s some some extra juice in it in
that it’s the Battle of Florida the
Sunshine State Showdown it’s just
playoffs in general I mean whether you
know the media wants to Hype it up um it
is what it is it’s it’s a playoff series
and it’s always going to be as uh as
difficult and as uh intense and and all
the uh the buzzers you want to use about
it Aon for teams that win it usually
comes after several years of making it
how much is kind of The Hunger built
this is now your fifth straight year in
the playoffs it’s built every single
year I mean obviously you know there’s
no looking forward through this regular
season it’s it’s 82 games it’s grueling
but uh when it comes down to it playing
in the playoffs is what’s meaningful and
what’s important and uh you know being
out there
the chills from the crowd and the
excitement and uh the buildup you know
four or five days whatever it is between
games is uh is never uh easy just want
to get going so it’s uh yeah five years
of of uh of work um and plenty more
years of work ahead of us and um we’re
just excited to get started is there any
more excitement knowing that it’s Tampa
and me you guys played them now twice in
the last three years times FL yeah it’s
AAL there’s no doubt about it um but uh
you know they’ve had the blueprint
they’ve won they’ve had success uh
they’re still a hungry team you can see
it every time we play them so um it’s
there’s going to be no easy ice out
there and it’s going to be a tough
battle and the excitement is definitely
there in every playoff series especially
so with h with the Tampa we know all the
things you fought through going into the
last playoffs now you’ve had couple
weeks off how how do you feel are you as
close to 100% as you’ve been going into
a play yeah absolutely pretty healthy
excited to get going Aon not just from a
roster perspective but just you know
structure-wise stylistically the type of
hockey you guys play how different is
maybe this team heading into this
matchup this time around than in past
years yeah I mean under this new system
we haven’t played these guys in the
playoffs yet I mean you’ve seen a lot of
regular season matchups so it’s tough
there’s no easy ice for any team uh they
play an in yourf face style we do the
same thing and and uh yeah it’s it’s uh
it’s going to be a hell of the series
what did you guys learn last year about
what it takes to get to a final and also
the fact you basically have most of the
core from last year scen back how much
does that help going into this playoffs
this year yeah it takes uh it takes
every single guy every single shift uh
for the entire series um like I said
there’s no easy ice it’s uh it’s damn
near impossible to make it to that final
and yet alone win so um it’s uh it takes
everybody it takes U an entire group
effort and we saw it last year and came
up short but uh you we’re going to try
and find our way back you’ve seen this
building in the playoffs you guys get to
open here tomorrow how different is it
stepping out of the ice with you know
20,000 fans out there going crazy for
game one of the playoffs yeah our fans
show out for playoffs so really excited
to see uh what they’re going to bring
tomorrow really hoping they hyp hype us
up Paul said last year it seemed like
when you guys got to the Carolina series
it was all Panther fans like before some
Toronto or was some probably be a lot of
Panther fans in this series since it’s
Tampa and should be pretty cool yeah for
sure we hope so we we know our fans are
going to show out so uh you know we’re
asking for that support and and we know
we’ll get it
Aaron they have the top power play in
the League this year what makes their
unit so dangerous uh some of the best
players in the world um they’ve been
together for a really long time so
that’s what makes them really lethal
they know where they’re going to be
without looking um so it’s it’s all
about taking away time in space and and
finding a way to make get those Big
Blocks big saves big uh big moments uh
are going to have to happen on rpk for
us to win this series and and your PK
has been so good right I mean you guys
have to feel pretty confident going into
this one that you’re working pretty well
together yep we’re we’re trying to find
a Groove every night um it’s never easy
especially against one of the number one
power plays so uh it’s going to be tough
no doubt about it and we’re going to try
and find a way to rise this challenge
since you’ve been here how have you seen
this rively kind of grow toward is today
I mean probably one of the best n
NH yeah yeah the I like the way the Miss
and curfew guys put it uh you know the
sunshine Fest so it’s uh it’s fun we’re
excited for it um it’s going to be a
battle it always is and uh you know
we’re going to try and rise to the
occasion thanks thank you