“This Was A Big Game For JJ” | Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Don Granato After Win Over Kings
Don you’re down 3-1 after the first period of that game but it just was seemed a completely different kind of game than last night you had energy you know your offense was moving a little what was the mindset you know in that first intermission down two yeah we you
Know we had the energy you asked me the other night what what what makes us how how would I know we’re going to play well and I told you I believe in our guys and you saw that tonight they they competed to a better level they knew
They knew they didn’t play well the other day and uh they dialed into a game plan the game plan that was laid out for them they they they dialed in they could see they could see a way that they could come back the way they could win and you
Could see the conviction they played with and that was nice all around nice how much do you just sense that your forwards were making Elite plays all over Peta gets two goals Quinn with the pass Robinson with the pass tuck with the number of shots he had a lot of guys
Were just making plays yeah and and you know for us it’s all about all of that is about the psyche we talked about that today you know we’ve you you you have this type of pressure you you have uh negative results and you’ve feel vulnerable and and then you got to deal
With vulnerabilities but you’re in charge of the psyche and we needed to have a we needed to have that in order tonight uh so to fall behind 3 to one I could tell on the bench the psyche was still real good real strong and and the
Conviction was still there um so all of that was really nice to see when you take it in the context of uh a very disappoined game the other night what about the Devon it gives up three goals in the first I think it was six shots
And that was it for the night yeah that’s a that’s a delicate situation you’re standing behind the bench as a coach because you you there’s so many components in know it obviously the game the game itself and and and are you in Jeopardy of winning or not winning the
Game do you feel you need to change momentum I didn’t feel we needed to change momentum from our bench our guys were like I said felt dialed in uh the importance of the win and then you factor in you know what is this going to do for a young
Goenda if you if you don’t if you pull him out of there but what is it going to do for a young goendale or the decision was was what it was and uh he rebounded well and this is a big game for him this was a big big
Experience for him in a building like that in a situation of hoopie has been playing extremely well and again we talk about the psyche it has to be strong and you fall down like that and you finally get the net after what’s been a long break uh and that happens and where our
Team was the other night a lot of that if you can come back from that that’s a big one and I didn’t want to obviously take that from him sense that he flushed it I mean he came out in the second period in the first period was flushed
He did he did and again I think it’s you know you feed off of each other and and the the 20 guys in there you can tell as you could tell the other night we were in one and and even you and I discussed after it you’re on the bench and you
Know you’re in one and and and you’re trying to do anything you can to ton night you knew the energy level was high the focus was was was laser and and uh they stayed you know they stayed on it can you talk about about how this game
Was more controlled than last night last night there was a lot of emotion particularly at the end of the game and this game everything seemed to be more used more useful to directed towards the net yeah again another level of competing determination um we we were we were as disappointed as
Anybody you know Mike asked me after the game the other night I I know they’ll play better because I I I know the group I believe in and so yes the game plan it laid out we challenge our guys every coach in the league does hit the repeat button on
It and you have to do that every night and I think our guys recognized um you know early in that game even though we fell down there are certain things that that that they’re doing that are effective that they believed in and that’s all you need you need to believe
JJ had the three points but JJ the three points but he also Drew three penalties what was he doing that allowed him to impact the game the way he did everything we said just competing better period so the Bas but but with the determination wanted to score hungry to
Score willing to shoot pucks willing to go to the net those sorts of things so but it starts with the the desire to compete you had 38 shots on goal and 70 some attempts I mean how much you guys competed more but the combinations seem to give guys some energy too you know
They did we lost zus early we lost kzy uh for quite a while in the middle of the game and you know so you’re you’re you’re mixing lines up and and last night it was hard to mix lines up guys weren’t going you know you’re trying different combinations but tonight with
Guys going uh that was no issue anybody that I played with anybody was was uh pretty effective because of the energy level and any rep on or Sam well no an update tomorrow on both those players um so no report at this point first time this season you w when trailing by two
Or more at the end of the first how big of a win is this for the rest of the season well I don’t know about the rest of the season but but it was big tonight I mean obviously um and again I mentioned it five times already the
Psyche so that’s big you know we you you we had a very disappointing game you fall behind and you’re able to overcome and uh we’ve played tight we played nervous at times uh through the season and and this was uh big in that man because we
You know we we we didn’t do that obviously we didn’t bother us so thank one for that reason how much just simply you’re looking at Devon like you said it was an important game for him but he may have to you know ride the shuttle a
Little bit to get his starts in and he said in there he just wants to be where his feet is no matter where they are how important is that that he’s able to process that it’s it’s extremely important uh that he you know again it’s it’s a tough one because you you’re
Saying you have decisions to make make in in splc and you’re you’re thinking Jesus if he can pull through this this adversity experience in life development in hockey it’s it’s dealing with adversity you mean facing adversity that’s what makes you better having that hindsight so this was big for that
Reason and I’m glad obviously glad it turned out the way did
Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato spoke with the media after the team’s 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings on January 24, 2024. He talked about JJ Peterka’s success, the team’s comeback from Anaheim, and more.
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