Craig Berube on scratching Nick Robertson vs. Tampa: "He's lost a little bit of his jump and tenacity, but at the same time, it's a little bit of ice time and opportunity, too"

"Well, it has dropped off. I talked to Nicky this morning. Some of it is ice time, obviously. He was playing in the top six and was doing a good job. You make changes, but I have all the confidence that he will get it back. To me, he has lost a little bit of his jump and tenacity. At the same time, it is a little bit of ice time and getting the opportunity, too."

"It obviously comes up, for sure. I went back to this unit, looking at some video and some numbers early on in the year. These guys - Rielly, Matthews, Tavares, Knies, Nylander - were actually pretty good. They created a lot of opportunities. It didn't go in the net. A lot of the time, when it doesn't go in the net, you make changes and go from there. That was my reasoning for that."

"Confidence is a big thing. When it is not going well, you stop being direct. You stop shooting. You are not going to get anything out of it, then. We have to get back to just simplifying, shooting pucks, and being good around the net. That is how we scored last year, with those big guys around the net and getting pucks in there. That was our DNA on the power play last year."

Calle Jarnkrok was inserted into the lineup to add penalty killing and checking strength alongside Laughton and Lorentz. Nick Robertson’s play showed reduced jump and tenacity, with ice-time reduction after previous top-six usage. The primary power-play unit featuring Rielly, Matthews, Tavares, Knies and Nylander created chances but failed to finish, prompting review of video and numbers and consideration of two balanced units. Emphasis returned to simplifying the power play: shooting pucks, playing with net-front presence, and restoring confidence. Dakota Mermis replaced Philippe Myers on the blue line to adjust defensive deployment against a tough Tampa Bay opponent.

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