Coverage from training camp continues today with two short articles, one each with Matt Greene and Jarrett Stoll.
After the players suiting up to face the Ducks tonight went through their morning skate, a second group took to the ice at TSC. Greene, Stoll, Rob Scuderi, Peter Harrold, Trevor Lewis, John Zeiler and a few others went through about an hour of drills and conditioning.
Afterwards, I caught up with (a healthy) Stoll…
MM: You’ve played in two games so far and had two points (tying him for the lead in the Eddie Joyal Award standings). Do you focus on your stats at all during preseason or is it purely about getting your your legs under you at this point?
JS: I don’t think it’s ever about points. It’s just about making sure you’re ready to go – your legs are good, you’re making plays, you’re reading the ice, reading our system. We have a couple of different looks that we’re trying this year. So, you want to make sure those reads are down and you’re not hesitating out there. Getting up to speed with things, that’s the major focus.
You appeared to have some good chemistry with Dustin Brown, especially in the second half of last season. Were you a little disappointed to see the new line combinations when you arrived at camp?
No, no, no. Me, Willie and Scott Parse have had some good things going on in the couple of preseason games. Scotty is now hurt. But, if that’s the line that they’re looking at using, ok then. You just have to create chemistry with whoever you’re with. It’s just a matter of working well with your linemates, creating chances and opportunities. If we do that, we’ll be winning games and then the lines will stay where they are.
There is obviously pressure on Parse to play well and stay on the second line (or even stay in LA). Does that put pressure back on you, as his linemate, to help him more?
You want to help your linemates out anyway, whether you’re playing with Scotty Parse or Brownie or whoever. You want to help them out and you want them to help you out. You want to be successful together.
Is there anything special you’ve done off the ice with Parse to develop that chemistry…or has it mainly been left to on-ice practice together?
We always communicate. We’re a pretty good group in here, talking and going for dinners, movies, stuff like that. It’s a little bit easier when we’re on the road, guys are away from their families and kids and stuff. We try anything possible – lots of communication on the ice and on the bench. If you’re coming back from a shift, it’s making sure you know what he was thinking there, what his read was. You try to figure out guys that way, as they’re doing with me.
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