Interview With The Coach, “The most consistent guy on our team this year is one guy, and that is Julian Talbot.”

In his regular post-w/e interview on TEAM 1200/Dean Brown and Gord Wilson, Killer had the following to say: [paraphrasing]

On yesterday’s game in Kingston: We did play well, pretty much the whole game except the span where they scored the two quick goals. On Friday we didn’t play well at all. Jamie McGinn was probably the best player Friday night. We had a pretty good skate, I can tell you on Saturday. We stay in the mix. Toronto just moved up. Some good team is not going to make the play-offs.

Can he pinpoint why the team came up flat on Friday: No I can’t. Right from the start they forechecked and we stood and watched them. We didn’t do any of what we did the last time we played them. I’d be a better coach if I could figure it out.

On Colbert saying that they were living in last w/e’s glory [from the interview earlier this morning]: I can’t understand that – the goaltender was the only reason we won that game against Brampton. I don’t know what it is - some sort of lackadaisical attitude that some guys bring to the rink. When they do, bad things happen.

On making the goaltending change in Kingston: One goal went in through his [Spezza’s] legs and I think that he was still thinking about that when another went in, and I honestly think that he had played so well for two periods that he was thinking about the first goal when he got the second. I didn’t want the team to get behind while he was getting himself composed. I didn’t want to have us fall behind and didn’t know our makeup, if we could come back. I wanted to slow down Kingston. I didn’t know if I was going to put Spezza back in, but Guadagnolo made a few crucial saves and then we came back to score, so I decided to leave things as they were. Spezza was given credit for the win in the dressing room after though, for giving 40 minutes of great play. He was acknowledged.

On Bonello being under-appreciated: He can do so much more, and I think that sometimes he coasts along. He’s an overager and you expect him to do so much more. He tends to get distracted and forgets the game at hand. A bad call by the ref, or somebody says something, and he’ll go out to try to take revenge instead of focusing on the game. He’s got great talent. The most consistent guy on our team this year is one guy, and that is Julian Talbot.

On the Czechs: I see a big, big change in Lukas Kaspar. He’s picked it up. He’s using his body. He’s at the point where he knows what he has to do. I think that he’s going to make a difference down the stretch. Petruzalek has played really well from day one. Kaspar has great talent and lately you can see it on every shift. We put together a video, to show him. Something’s clicked. He’s a more determined player than he was before.

On using video much: Not much. I’ll run through a period or two in my office. We show them some stuff. We’ll go through the Goals Against on Monday, or Tuesday on off-Mondays. I think that there’s a lot to be gained, it’s a good tool. I use it, but don’t show it a lot to the kids. But the last month we’ve been using it to show the Goals Against, to show were the mistakes have been coming from.

On the team’s standing: We’re no better and no worse than a lot of teams. There’s two class teams in the league - maybe more, like Kitchener and Erie - but London and Owen Sound are the tops. Other than that everyone’s [pretty much equal]. All it takes is somebody rising up to get the big goal. On a given night, emotion and desire are the makeup of winning and losing.

Going to Peterborough a day early: We’re trying to take away some of the travel and hopefully we’ll be better Friday night for it [because they get in late after a road trip - 2am], and hopefully Thursday night they’ll play better for it as well. We’re going to skate Wednesday night. Sometimes you don’t need an exercise of just pulling off equipment. Maybe we’ll get together and go for a walk. Sometimes that’s better, to get fresh air. [/paraphrasing]