“I mean, there’s not many fights anywhere anyway, right?” he said. “This guy’s been a heavyweight in this league for quite some time. There’s not a lot of takers. But I think he’s played good hockey for us. I mean, he is what he is. He doesn’t try to complicate it. He’s physical. I think he’s been a physical player every game for us. And I love his energy, and I love him in the locker room.”

“I asked him on the draw when we lined up. I think it was right after Dew fought. He was on the ice. I went on the left wing, and I asked him. He said, ‘No,’ and he was awfully quiet for the rest of the game,” he explained. “I think I’ve asked Hathaway before in my career, and he’s never gone me. I might be a little out of his weight class, to be honest.”

“The last couple games, not as much life, maybe not as much physicality, especially compared to start the season,” Reaves agreed. “We’ve been playing every other day. Those games are gonna happen. But I think the key is to not slide and let that creep into too many games in a row. One, two maybe. But you got to grab it and get back to your game. You don’t want to start stringing losses together when you’ve put in so much work in the beginning of the season, climbing the standings. Maintain that and start pulling away from teams.”