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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 16, 2015Alain VigneaultNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game One New York – 2 Q. Putting Kevin with Nash and Brass, it seemed to add a little bit of size up top. You got a cycle going on early. Was that the intent of making that change? COACH VIGNEAULT: A different opponent, so after looking at games from both of their series, we just felt that a subtle little change in right wingers on two lines would maybe help us out. I thought considering the fact that we had just finished a really emotional seven‑game series, our guys came on really strong tonight, focused, and executed really well against a really quick team. Q. Coach, how were you able to turn the clock, so to speak, to go forward and to just get zoned in quickly in this series? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, we had a day off and had a really good practice yesterday with a lot of energy and really good execution. Good meetings on our opponent. We know that they're a really good team and we'll have to be at our best execution‑wise with the puck, and we'll have to defend really good, and I thought that's what we did for the most part today. Q. When you sit on the bench and you see a guy that worked as hard as Dominic did all game night to get rewarded with the game winner, what is your feeling as a coach when you see that? COACH VIGNEAULT: Dom has done a lot of good things for us throughout the season. To see him get that goal, benefit of that bounce, hard work pays off. I thought his line tonight spent some good time in their zone. Unfortunately, after the first period, I mean, we got some grade A looks. It was 0‑0. Sort of used to that, so we kept playing and kept plugging away, even though they tied it up, kept playing and got a good bounce for that game winner. Q. Coach, what made you decide to go with Staal and Boyle against the Stamkos line, because that seemed to be an effective match‑up for you guys today? COACH VIGNEAULT: Again, it goes back to watching how they played in those series. There will obviously be adjustments on both sides as the series moves on here. But felt that going into tonight that that would be a good match‑up. I mean, obviously, both teams had some looks, and we had the better first period after that. It was harder fought. We took some penalties in the third and they gave us some big saves there. It was really an entertaining game. Q. You talk about how comfortable your team was at 0‑0 because you've been there before. 2‑1 games, used to that. The other team I'm sure would love to play a (Indiscernible) game. Is this the score that will benefit you guys the most in terms of taking chances and so on? COACH VIGNEAULT: You know, I think at the end of the day this year they were first in offense and we were third, so we're not that far behind. But I do think a lot of our offense comes from defending well. Good defense will lead to offense. Against such a skilled and powerhouse offensive team, I think we need to defend, and that's what we did tonight. Q. Coach, how do you think Jesper Fast fit in? COACH VIGNEAULT: He's playing extremely well for us ever since we made that adjustment in the Washington series. I mean, that line has been very effective at both ends of the rink. Like I mentioned before, real smart, hard working player. Q. When you play so many one‑goal games consecutively, do you think there is a comfort in that for your guys that even when the stakes are high, or is it just normal? COACH VIGNEAULT: Challenging as a coach. But this is such a competitive league, so little separating the teams. I think at the end of the day, that's what you have to expect. People talk about scoring maybe being down a little bit. Look at the goaltending you're seeing on the ice. I can't comment that much on the Western Conference, but in the Eastern Conference all the teams' goaltending has just been phenomenal. I mean, we got some great looks, some great chances. Their goaltender made some saves and our guy made some saves. Q. Did you get a sense in the first period there was a lot more open ice at any point than what you saw during the Washington series? COACH VIGNEAULT: There was quicker execution and a lot of speed out there. But the Washington series was fast also. Q. They got that power‑play goal early in the third there. What adjustment or what did you do the two power plays they had after that? COACH VIGNEAULT: I mean with that skill level, they're going to get some looks, they did. They got that goal, and they made a great play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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