Dan Bylsma pregame conversation with Everett Fitzhugh vs. St. Louis (4/12)

Seattle Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma's pregame interview with Everett Fitzhugh on Apr. 12, ahead of the 7pm matchup at Climate Pledge Arena between the Kraken and St. Louis Blues. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Thank you, Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
He is no longer Disco Dan. He has dapper Dan Bilesman.
Very nice suit on today, Sir, back for the final
two games of the regular season here at home. Take
us back through this five game road trip overall, successful
three and two on the road trip, the last two
games not going the way you wanted, but a pretty
good bounce back in Vegas two nights ago despite the score.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, starting in Vancouver on the start of the road trip,
a really meaningful game for the Vancouver Canucks desperately fighting
for a playoff spot in playoff points, so a very competitive,
very spirited game, one on which we got a positive result.

(00:43):
I think the La game was, you know, maybe one
of our best of the year in terms of playing
a full sixty and you know, in a tough place
to play a team that doesn't give up a lot
in their building and plays pretty stingy. We battled out
and clawed out a victory there. You know. The the
Utah is a little bit of a hiccup, and obviously

(01:06):
in terms of the score, but hiccup in terms of
how we've been playing as of late. And I thought
getting back to that in the Vegas game was you know,
again against a really good team and a one we
tooth and nail with with them till the end and
had a somewhat of a tap in empty net that

(01:27):
would have tied it up there and got us a
better result.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Where did you see the biggest improvements from that Utah
game to Vegas?

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, to be honest, I threw away the the thumb
drive on the big on the Utah game. But you know,
I just in terms of how we played as of late,
I think, you know, not giving up a ton, limiting
other teams out. They're good teams, they're good players, and
they're good teams. Opportunities and it or now. I thought

(01:57):
we were really good at that in the Vegas game.
And uh, you know, which produces a scratch and clo
out game. Get try to get offense anyway and anyhow
you can. I thought, you know, the biggest game in
particular power play had a chance to to get us
a goal in the third period. Disappointing with the power

(02:18):
play in that regard. Had two opportunities there and didn't
get one. But again just a lot of scrappiness, a
lot of compete from from the guys against a good
team on that road trip.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Jared mccannon sixty points for a third consecutive season in
a crack and sweater. You've only been coaching him for
now one year, but what is he meant to you
as a coach as to this team? And dare I say,
maybe it was a quiet sixty points, but he still
managed to get to that next level.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Well, career hiring assists is getting there. And I think
you're from a distance and from afar you you look
at Jared McCann as a a shoot and a shot
and a goal scorer, and which he is, but you
don't notice the completeness of his game and what he

(03:10):
brings each and every night. And then you know it
goes to the penalty kill. Is fertile enough to play
center in the center position and play wing, and this year,
I think in particular, is playmaking ability kind of overshadowed
his goal scoring ability. And you know, his versatility allows

(03:31):
him to do it in a lot of different spots.
You know, whether you're up in the game or down
in the game, whether you're on the power player, on
the penalty kill, Jared McCann's going to be out.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
There none hotter than the Saint Louis Blues since the
Four Nations break, eighteen four and two in their last
twenty four games. What have you seen on film, what
have you read, what have you heard that is that
makes them, all of a sudden such a very dangerous team.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Well, we experienced first hand at the start of their
run in Saint Louis, and that's like a little bit
like the Carolina Hurricanes in terms of just a high
pressure team, a skating team and relentlessly coming after you
with that with that skating, with that speed, and with
their puck play, and it's hard for check but it's

(04:18):
also tenacious in the offensive zone, you know, throughout their lineup,
and I think you start to maybe don't have star
names as of yet with Thomas and Cayrou, and it
is a very dangerous offensive hockey team.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
I'm probably gonna ask you this question on Tuesday against
the Kings to wrap up the season. But what do
you want the guys to take from these last six
periods of the year here at home as you get
ready to go into the offseason.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
The message that's we've been, you know, really since the deadline.
The guys want to prove a point. They want to
prove a point to each other, they want to prove
a point to the fans. This is the kind of
team we are, This is how we compete in battle.
And you know, kind of continuing what we've what they've

(05:10):
been doing over the last eighteen games or so, and
and that's again showing it for the fans, but also
showing it to each other, showing it to the guys
in that room as you know, hope and build positiveness
for going into the offseason. And and you know, we
got I give the guys a lot of credit. They've

(05:31):
been they've been doing a great job of that. Got
one hundred and twenty minutes of hockey Saint Louis Blues
against you know, a really dangerous team, a team that's
coming a chance to do it again tonight, and we'll
get it again on LA when when they they come
in on Wednesday,