Toronto Marlies Post-Game | Toronto Marlies at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | March 8, 2023

Joseph Blandisi did you like the way the team settled down uh you know as the second period moved along as you guys you know started to get going there yeah I think it took us 10 minutes to find our legs there in the first period but uh we had Joe wall on that so he always has our back but I think after that the final 50 minutes of the game we found our legs found our work ethic or louder on the bench so I think we more found our game so you got a nice response goal from uh Ben there to tie it up in a second period what's it like having a guy with you know 600 NHL games of experience in the lineup and just in the locker room yeah I mean that leadership goes a long way between him and Kyle Clifford our dress room's pretty solid in that department and they help everybody along the way and I think you'll notice with the other defenseman's games as well just having him in the lineup mentoring them and being there for them I think it's a lot of fun having those two faces in our lineup the third period Wilkes-Barre is kind of forcing the issue but you guys find a way and then obviously you get that greasy goal there uh is that sort of what you're expecting this time of year those are kind of the goals that you're going to need to score in these type situations yeah I mean it's going to be tight scoring I think down the stretch a lot of teams play tighter so got to get to the hard-working areas and I think our line did a good job of that tonight it's been a good season for you guys overall coming in you know to tonight's game uh just what's working well for you as a group this year it seems like maybe guys are you know scoring at the right times they're sort of getting contributions up and down the lineup yeah I think I've said this in most of my interviews now but there's a family in that dressing room we all bleed for one another we all want to win together we're dying for the guy next to us and I think whenever you have that Bond over a team of 25 guys so you're definitely bound to get special responses it sounds like you guys sort of recognize the opportunity here obviously you guys are you know have a chance it's that sort of talked about in the room that you know this group has a chance to you know really compete this year yeah 100 we've been waiting for April for some time now we're excited to get it going take me through the goal Joe and what happens on the playroom just proceeding it I think Puckett's in deep Kyle's able to protect it go east to west to Johnstone and he's able to take it to the take it to the net hard so I was just there to bang in the rebound I think I was the one that got rewarded for their work ethic there but I think that's what you get when you play with two hard-working guys like that kind of Jordie Benn a weird one tonight a lot of you know special teams early on uh just how did that go for you and how did you feel the team sort of settled down and got to their game in the second half yeah they definitely they came out they were pushing really hard um you know I wouldn't say it caught us off guard but it definitely put us on our heels a little bit and you know we got uh we screwed our heads on a little bit better in the second half and and went after them in the second half of the first there so um a little bit different of a game with a lot of special teams but turned out good is there anything as one of the veterans on the team do you sort of you know stand up and speak up in that situation as you see that unfolding or you sort of just let it play out yeah you definitely I mean there's guys at shazi and them that have been here all year like they they talk all the time on the bench so um I mean if I have to if I had to say something I would have but these guys got full control of this team and you know it um obviously turned things around for us so you got that goal there uh to even up the game uh we'll just sort of see on the play that led to that goal and obviously always nice to get one in the back of the night yeah I mean didn't really see much as soon as I got that I got that puck um you know they're uh they're really good at blocking shots and getting in Lane so I wanted to get it off as quickly as possible and fortunate that I went in the back of the net you say then you guys are able to get sort of a greasy one there in the third uh you know obviously this isn't your first rodeo this time of year the goals sort of get harder to score and those are the kind of goals that you know you're going to need to score at this time of year yeah I mean the greasy ones are the ones you want um you know you fight for you fight for every inch out there and um we got rewarded on that one it was a good hard working greasy call it's perfect and then just for you what sort of your approach to this last 20 or so games uh obviously a long time NHL veteran you want to get back up to Toronto but a pretty good spot to be in while you're here yeah we got a great team down here you know we uh I definitely want to get my get my feet wet get in these next uh last few games that we have left here and and uh whatever happens I want to go for a long run with the Marley's here as a group you sort of you know recognize the potential and sort of see this opportunity coming together you know you guys one of the better teams in the League this year have a chance to compete for this this title this year yeah I mean we got a long way to go but you know we uh we definitely can feel that there uh there could be something special there and we're just gonna uh we're gonna ride it out and we'll see Greg Moore what happens Greg you guys have uh haven't lost three in a row all year what do you like about the resiliency of this club tonight just how much they they care about responding uh to losses and knowing that we have a better game in front of us that we can play and just having a high standard of what our expectations are not letting uh things leak too long and always having a response so I thought today was a really a really strong way to finish this this is what felt like a long road trip even though it was three games and as the game went on I felt like we got stronger underscore how important a guy like Logan Shaw is to to this club uh maze is so important and just his presence in the room and uh his voice uh what he does on and off the ice to pair with a lot of our other veteran guys now too like Ben and Cliffy that uh have brought a lot of leadership and experience uh but man uh there's definitely a big void when Logan's not here and around the team and in the lineup and it was great having him back today the intensity of the third period they start to push real hard uh certainly in that third period the intensity that you guys bring back to it and and what that meant yeah it was really good I think uh the most important thing was we're gonna spend a ton of time in our d-zone we had a push back we were able to get through the middle of the rink and uh we were talking about before the third period the importance of just long road trip uh you know and and finding a greasy goal and knowing that we had to get to the hard areas to find it they were defending really well and it was tough to get inside and Clifford did an amazing job getting the puck off the wall in the offensive zone making a play to the top then Miller throws it down the Johnstone behind the net who just kind of shoves it out front the blandeezy who gets a greasy goal and just go gets his nose into the paint and it was just a really good job by those guys knowing what it was going to take to find a win today you feel like there's going to be more of those types of goals in your future uh yeah it's that time of year uh you know every team knows the playoffs around the corner everyone's fighting for position and points and the games are getting more intense because of it so that feeling starting to show up in games teams are desperate and we've got to be just as desperate to push ourselves to be better and find our game consistently