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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 18, 2015Tyler JohnsonNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Two Tampa Bay – 6 Q. This is your fourth multi‑goal game of the playoffs and they've all been with your team trailing in the series. Not only how have you been able to score, but the importance of those games? TYLER JOHNSON: Just playing with good players. I've been fortunate to have a great team, great line that have been kind of finding me and I've been getting some bounces like tonight. So it's been great. Q. Tyler, a 3‑on‑5 first period, and you had the breakaway there. Can you talk about what happened and the play? TYLER JOHNSON: Yeah, I think Marty kind of stumbled there. Killorn made a great play, head's up play, to be able to get the puck. I kind of took off and he was able to find me. Actually, the entire way I kind of yelled "drop pass" to Killorn, but he was yelling, "No, no, no." So I'm glad he was talking on it. Kind of got lucky, Lundqvist made a save, came back and I was able to get the rebound just enough. Q. In this age of big hockey players, what is your secret for surviving? I mean, obviously, you've become a target. How do you do it? TYLER JOHNSON: I don't know. I don't really think about it too much. For myself, I don't really think size really plays a big role. Everyone plays the game different regardless of how big you are, and you've just got to find what works for you. Q. Tyler, does your journey, does that still drive you every day when you wake up to prove people wrong? But it seems like how much more can you prove at this point. TYLER JOHNSON: Well, I don't know if that's really driving me to be honest with you. I think every morning I'm just happy to be here and I'm living my dream. So that's what's driving me is to try to be the best I can and play for my family. They sacrificed so much for me to be here, and I'm living my dream, so I want to keep living it as long as possible. Q. Tyler, Marty was chasing you on that play. I mean, how much did Marty mean to you when he was here? How much does he inspire you? TYLER JOHNSON: Yeah, he's an unbelievable player. He's done tremendous things for the league and tremendous things for me last year. He really taught me how to play the game at the NHL level. When Palat and I were on his line for a good chunk of the season there, I think we learned a lot. And he's there, and that is the reason why. Q. Did you approach this game thinking you have to come up big knowing that a loss would put you down 0‑2? TYLER JOHNSON: Well, we definitely didn't want to go to Tampa down 2‑0. That's always a tough thing to get back, especially against a great team like New York. But I think what we were mainly focused on was the fact that we worked so hard to get into this position and we didn't want to just squander it away. We didn't feel like we played very well in Game 1. We definitely needed more. I thought the team responded very well tonight and I thought we played a great game. Q. (No Audio)? TYLER JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, I think we all have the same outlook on the team. We knew we were going to have to be at our best, and I knew that as well. Q. I know it's hard to reflect since living in the moment right now. But how much fun are you having in this postseason? Are you able to step up this time of year? But obviously, it's something that I'm sure has been a blast for you. TYLER JOHNSON: Yeah, not only this postseason, I think the last two years has been a blast. It's been unbelievable. We have such a great group of guys and this postseason we were already very close during the season, but I think we're getting even closer now during the playoffs. And I think that's saying a lot just because of how everybody gets along. It's been a lot of fun. It's been a journey. It's been a ride. But we're definitely not ready for it to be over. We want to keep it going. Q. What was the difference today on special teams for you guys? Your team had three power‑play goals, and you had a shorthanded goal as opposed to Game 1? TYLER JOHNSON: I thought in Game 1 we had a lot of good looks on our PP. There were a couple of times we were moving the puck around extremely well, we just didn't get the shots. I thought tonight we were able to get the shots and get the opportunities, a couple of big goals there. Stammer with the tip getting in front of the net and causing traffic, that's something we definitely talked about. Q. Tyler, the Rangers have done such a good job all playoffs keeping the puck out of their net. What's a game like this, not just for you but for your teammates as well, just confidence‑wise knowing you can have that kind of outburst against such a strong defensive team? TYLER JOHNSON: Yeah, I don't think you can expect it every night. The Rangers are a great team.  We had some lucky bounces that went our way, but it's nice we got the bounces. We got rewarded for playing a good game, and we've just got to keep playing the way we played tonight. We don't expect to get those bounces every single night; so it might be different. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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