I have seen Toronto play a few times. They are definitely playing hard and very structured. That is what he is trying to implement there. They have the talent. They don't need to take chances. When they get their opportunities, they are going to score on the power play or on their odd-man rushes. They don't have to open it up wide open. That is the way they played in the past a little bit. It only goes so far. Teams start to check you tight. You don't get those opportunities, and you give up more on the defensive side. We have to be ready for a hard-work game against a team that has high-end skill.
We have to be confident. It was in the past - it was last year - but a lot of the same guys are here and there. We have to start playing the right way and realize we won those two games by doing that the whole game and frustrating the other team. That is going to be the recipe for success tonight.
There is always that little bit of extra energy when you're playing against [an old team]. I think Tyler has been playing really well lately. He is doing a great job on the power play and is around the net always. That is going to be good for Taylor and Connor tonight to get moving in the offensive zone, knowing they have the net-front presence at all times. Getting them out there early and establishing some early good shifts for our team would be a real plus for our team.
It's easy to talk about what you want to do, but you have to execute it. It’s all about creating those opportunities but we need to focus on our 5v5 play and ensure we’re generating offense all over the ice.
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