Captain Auston Matthews said he thinks McKenna will use this circumstance as motivation heading into Toronto’s next game against the New York Islanders on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SNO, SNW, SNP, MSGSN).
“Those things kind of happen sometimes,” Matthews said. “I think everybody has been in that situation before. It’s not necessarily a situation you want to be in, but we’ve all got his back, and I know a game like tonight is going to make him hungry for the next one, to go out there and compete and dominate, and I’m excited to watch that.”
Hiller had not met with McKenna when the coach addressed the media following the loss to the Sabres, though he said he would prior to the Islanders game.
As for how that meeting could affect the psyche of McKenna, Hiller said he is not concerned about it having a lasting negative impact.
“He’s very mature, let’s stuff roll off, doesn’t take anything too personally. That’s what I’ve got from him,” Hiller said. “Usually ready to go. There’s been other times I haven’t played him as much and then put him in there and double shifted him, those kinds of things, and he’s responded. So, I’ll talk to him, but I don’t have a big concern about that.”