“Tr really liked the elements he brought… Very little went bad when he was out.”

Ahead of Saturday's game in Ottawa, Sheldon Keefe discussed the decision to start Martin Jones in net, William Lagesson's return to the lineup in the absences of Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins and the emergence of Simon Benoit on the blue line.

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Morning Skate Lines – February 10th

# Leaves lines during the morning skate Feb. 10/24

Kneiss-Matthew-Marner
Bertuzzi-Tavares-Nylander
Gregor-Domi-Robertson
McMann-Holmberg-Reeves

Rielly-Brodie
Benoit-McCabe
Lagesson-Lillegren
Lajoy

Subs: Giordano, Timmins@BodogCA

— David Alter (@dalter) February 10, 2024

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What made you decide to start Martin Jones?

Kif: Jonesy has been playing really well for us, so we have to mix it up and keep it going.

At the same time, it allows Samsonov to practice for a day or two. He and Jones skated yesterday after not skating in an outdoor practice. They had a good day of work with Curtis Sanford, and today was another good day for Sammy.

Jones leaves. He did a great job for us and got us through a tough time. He should be here now, especially since we're still waiting for Joe Wall to return. We need to use two guys.

What do you expect from William Lagesson's return to the lineup?

Kif: To do the work he did when he entered before. When you haven't played for a while, you'll need to make things even easier, but it still plays a simple game as is.

Just protect our feet and move the puck up the ice. He worked very hard and was very patient. Because of his performance, we are sure of him. He has done a really good job for us when we've had injuries in defence, like Jones with injuries in goal.

He must feel really good about it. Just go in with a clear mind and let it fly.

What about Mark Giordano and Conor Timmins?

Kif: He has a lower body injury and is daily. It may take a little longer than during the day, but it doesn't really matter.

It's a disease that's taken its toll on Timmins. As for the time period, we don't know. He was not available to travel with us today.

What do you think is behind the rise of Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe?

Kif: Only two competitors. No matter who Benoit played with, he played his game – solid defense, in your face, and not many bad things happen when he's on the ice. He cleaned up a lot for us.

McCabe has the competitiveness and physicality, along with the speed to get the puck up the ice and help the team get some offense going. Benoit was there to support him well.

It worked well, but a lot of it was based on the competitiveness and physicality they both brought.

When you signed Benoit, you probably didn't think he was a potential top four guy. When did he open his eyes enough to play a bigger role?

Kif: We liked a lot about him. Trey really liked the elements he showed in Anaheim and in the minors: size, length, physicality, and he can cover the ground. He has the speed to get to points and use his physicality to clean up plays. You will love these items.

What does this look like in our organization? He didn't get off to a great start to training camp and picked up a few injuries. He had to go through minor waivers, but he handled it admirably. At the time, as well as with the Marys, there were reports that he handled it very well.

Then comes the opportunity. We just talked to Lagesson about it. We had a lot of injuries in defense. We needed guys to step up.

He's played a lot in the league and I think he's got a lot of confidence based on his competitive nature. He also works extremely hard on his game and his body off the ice.

He played it when we had no choice but to play it. It just worked well. Indeed, while he was out, very little went badly from the start. He's always working offensively to try to help us a little bit in that area, but in doing that, he's never lost sight of who he is and what he needs to do in terms of the defensive and competitive aspects. .

He was a great addition to us. Obviously, he helped us a lot – not only during the difficult period with injuries, but now he continues to grow.

We've seen Max Domi take a few shifts with Auston Matthews. Is it because you're out of the penalty box or is it something you'd like to see more of?

Kif: This is something I've been wanting to see for a while. It's also a way to manage Knies minutes at different times. Sometimes Knies' minutes end up being a little lower, but sometimes – depending on the Matthews line and the demand on them due to matchup and game flow – there isn't much recovery time.

I'll try to tone it down a bit for Knies and let others have a go at it. Domi is a guy we're going to try to get more minutes. It gives him a chance to play with those guys out there.

What challenge do you expect from the senators?

Kif: The main thing is to play well in our game and build on the good things we did last night to beat a really good Dallas team.

This Ottawa team focuses on the offense that can get you through the lineup and defense. We have to defend hard and play in their half.

Really, it's about our game coming together.

Do you think the Senators coming off a bye week has an advantage for your team?

Kif: We will see. There's always a debate, right? Anti rust, and all that stuff. We went through the break, but we also played with an opponent coming out of the break. It's a must see.

One thing we do know is that anytime we go to Ottawa, we're going to get their best game. We expect nothing more.