“Only Through Time Do You Gain Experience” | Don Granato On Status of the Team | Buffalo Sabres

“Only Through Time Do You Gain Experience” | Don Granato On Status of the Team | Buffalo Sabres

Practice how is he we’ll evaluate him uh further in the morning but uh he had some aggravation and as a precaution uh but I do believe he’ll be fine for tomorrow but again it’s it will evaluate in the morning we think it’s going to be something that’ll

Resolve uh and he’ll be able to play on Tyson is he still Bing something a bit no he he now he’s back yeah today was a good push for him um spoke with him after he felt very good uh about where he’s at so um I consider him back and

Full and ready to go as of today after last night how did you want to handle the today with these guys before practice during practice what were what were the focus I guess what was the message after yeah lots of communication um you know obviously on the on the

Coaching side we had messages that we wanted to get uh to them and and certainly uh you know the wise of you know how how did they feel and what did they perceive and think uh in certain situations whether it be going over a film with them um you know we going into

The game so so lots of uh communication early before the practice and then we needed a we needed a hard intense practice uh we need to get to work and battle and you saw that in in the skate you know he’s had some frustration in the last week and we’ve seen his

Maturity and how he’s able to put things away just how have you seen him handled you know you know last the game in Edmonton last night how have you seen to put it away I guess yeah th this is something that he has to you have ups and downs like this

In your career um he’s a guy that I would suspect is going to have a a nice long and good career and um you’re going to have you’re not going to be up all the time and uh he’s had some challenges in last night and and obviously the

Edmonton one year reference and you you’ve got to take it in internalize it and uh uh you know get back you know uh refocus and redial in and and again the these are the ups and downs this is a short hopefully a short down for him um he’s been outstanding obviously for the

Last couple of months and you know a bit of a hiccup here for him um he needs to find a reset as quick as he can and it’s understand that that’s part of uh part of his future really is is there’s going to be some some Downs or some things you

Don’t like or some things you get frustrated with feel he’s developed a maturity he in the east coast League the American o league and the national o League he’s now developed a maturity where he knows how to handle situations like this now there’s no question that that base of experience you reference is

A help in handling this situation but it’s new it’s a new situation because it’s at this level and there’s different expectations at this level there’s different pressures at this level and certainly different pressures in different situations that one were in in the time of the year and things like

That so uh but the the the his past is you know his good experience and help for what he’s you know what is now new to him JJ has continued to produce what have you liked from him with tuck and Thompson I’d certainly like that he’s

Produced one but he he’s um you know he’s a player that his foundation um play without the puck where to be which which gets him to offense faster gets an offense more efficiently um has really developed and you can see that in his play uh you know where he’s you know

He’s picked a couple pucks off that have gone back for chances um you know he’s positionally uh in a in a spot where he’d get a puck back uh better sooner quicker or make it defend less I guess um to get to offense more and you know those are the

Intangible things that uh you know the better players like guys on their line that can do some of those things um so he he’s shown a maturity in that respect that’s uh been very helpful back on the uh Top Line last night after practicing with Dylan and

Jack ultim I don’t think we asked you this after the game ultimately why did you decide to beep in there you just playing too well yeah exactly and uh you know when we skated a couple days ago that was not that he was off that line

It was just the skate that day let’s give Jack Quinn cousins that from familiarity and you know they may end up back together but give him the Reps together that day um but yeah he’s played too too well with H Thompson and petk in the last few games to to make

That change going into last night mentioned Calgary just having more options just with the the defense Corp being able to move other guys with Dalene in power I know that’s a look that you typically like to do in offensive zone starts what the foundation they built through that

Chemistry that they’ve built in those situations how do you think that can translate to them getting an opportunity to pair here to play different situ you know they’re they’re Dynamic um individually and then then obviously together uh you know we as you mentioned we’ve used him in offensive situations

Um so so that’s a one that’s a bonus of it they they process the game very well they’re excited you know on the offensive side to play to play uh as you know as partners um as you play more and more minutes you can’t just think

Offense so they’re going to have to make certain that they take care of uh you know play offense without unnecessary risk I guess you know typically we put them in situations like that we down a goal when you know you you might take a risk that uh you wouldn’t otherwise in

An even game or or if you’re ahead um so now if they’re together they’re going to be in all different situations uh so the you know the the risk reward Dynamic is is much different and you have to pay attention to it it uh much differently with the the schedule and you’re not

Always able to do individual meetings with guys but especially when you have such a young team how have you tried to use those to speed speed up or I guess help guys absorb lessons from you know whether it’s a third period in Edmonton what how is that process being used to

Help I guess the group get closer to where that process has to be your work has to be fast because you know we played last night we’re dissecting that game and boy you gota you got to get to the guys today because early because you’re already preparing them for

Tomorrow and in a different opponent so yeah it’s a it’s a fast fast turnaround but you wna you want to get to you know as much in front of the guys and to as many guys individually obviously collectively because each guy has different needs um obviously each guy

Has different perceptions of of of this player that player what you know um you know the message that goes to them uh you know we all interpret differently so that communication has to be constant and and daily in light of situations like last night where you’ve had

Vulnerabilities you want to shore up um so again lots of uh individual talk obviously team talk today um trying to pinpoint you know what this guy needs now to hopefully help him better and become more experienced because of you know a negative result last night um and then obviously Collective the same same

Focus but the turnaround time is fast so you’ve got to be um as efficient as you can um that’s the challenge I’m sure it’s frustrating as a coaching staff when you know guys are capable of they’ve learned this in certain situations they’ve gone through it before so to have them make the same

Mistake so as a coaching staff how do you balance that because you don’t want the player to be overthinking or to be thinking with frustration but at the same time like as a coach yeah youve gone over this before you know with certain guys or certain situations you

Know what um you mentioned in in their balance it’s a it’s a balancing act um because you you obviously throw information at the guys every day and we’re sitting here and it’s real cerebral but on the ice it’s like bam it’s fast you know it’s it’s uh it’s

Reads and you know only through time do you gain experience um and you know again you know we’ve got it used last night fast uh with video and and discussions with them today but it’s it’s a balance act there’s no question uh and it’s a Daily Grind when you when

You look at it that’s the that’s the grind of the day you’re you’re you’re you’re trying to advance guys as fast as you can obviously um for the benefit of the group and the benefit of them was there anything you looked at video or or had those conversations that you could

Identify as to why you know the guys weren’t more ready um at the drop of the puck that part in particular and you mentioned you know losing battles and stuff like that was there any anything they communicated or anything you saw that that you could figure out how that

Happened yeah you know I I what you can figure out I guess Matt really quick Matthew is is is what that means when they don’t execute and and simple things um and you bring it to their attention so we talk a lot about if you’re not

Feeling it a b game and and the details you know these details aren’t necessary they’re critical so if you don’t have your stick on a puck with numerous chances last night we had the stick up on the players shaft of their stick not on the puck on the ice and the

Puck went through us uh you know when we’re on our game that doesn’t happen certainly not to the degree it happened last night when you look at teams that are on their game that’s a small thing that you know they make you play through their stick pucks don’t go through them uh when

They’re on their game when when that same team is not on their game that’s what happens against them so looking at little that’s just one detail of you know four or five key ones that we were clearly off last night uh maybe a stepping back off pressure inste instead

Of pressuring in our in our defensive Zone pressuring to a puck giving up a little bit of extra time and space or buffer those are the things that you can see that happen quick and and and repeatedly in in last night’s game and uh you’re catching those you’re bringing them to

The attention obviously of guys right away as we were on the bench last night immediately um now as to why they that started initially I don’t know if we’ll ever know the answer to that one but you can certainly uh bring it to the attention and and obviously demand more Jeff is

Coming up on a a milestone for his career what’s allowed him to persist through his career and to be a consistent goal scorer and offensive threat I think his daily routine he’s he he prepares uh you know even the practice um he works he works at it he’s

He’s you know kind of invented and reinvented his game through the course of his career as I know he’s mentioned to you guys how that’s happened how he’s evolved his game uh as he’s uh you know aged and matured through the league so uh he has an appetite he’s a he’s a

Rinkrat type player he loves the game really I I’m not laughing at your answer I just it’s amusing because it’s Jeff but is that is that really what goes into a lot of what helps a guy play for you know to breach a thousand games to play more than a thousand games the

League is just to just always just want to be there yeah Your Love of the Game because you you know obviously you play a thousand games you’ve endured a lot um whether you know lots of challenges and injuries and ups and downs that we talk about um through your career and you got

To push through those and you got to want to push through those because you you want it you want to be a hockey player and um so yes the devil Lindy r noing i mean you obviously see they’re a different team than they were a year you

Know if you look back a year ago um but um I I I I can’t tell you that I watched that much to tell you you know one versus the other um you know the Personnel is is what it was really for the most of the year you got Jack Hughes

And Luke Hughes and Jasper Bratton those are you know and on and on he’s here and those are The Talented guys you’ve got to respect and take care of so yeah I mean it’s maybe there’s small little nuances but uh you know the large we’re talking

95% of it’s pretty much the same even through the league it’s it’s you know there’s lots and lots of overlap through this league teams play very very similar style and maybe just little Nuance here or there a tweak here or there but so not I I haven’t seen much difference

Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato speaks to the media following practice on March 28th. He gives an injury update on Jordan Greenway and Tyson Jost, along with how the team is handling adversity coming off a loss to the Ottawa Senators. Granato speaks on the recent struggles of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the strong play of JJ Peterka on a line with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.

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