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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 20, 2015Alain VigneaultTAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Three Q. Coach, how would you assess Marty's play, not just in the series, but throughout the playoffs? I'm sure you're not happy that he hasn't scored, but are you happy with the amount of chances that he's getting? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, Marty is an important player for our group. He's got a lot of experience. He's a great leader. On the ice, I think it's safe to say that he thinks he can play at a higher level than he is right now. But he's trying really hard, and as far as his preparation and his work ethic, I can't say a word. I'm confident, and I know he sees it the same way. He gets one, he's going to get a couple, so hopefully that starts tonight. Q. How important is discipline, given how dangerous that power play is on the other side? COACH VIGNEAULT: There is no doubt we're going to take penalties. It's hard to play a perfect game in that sense. So if we are going to take penalties, they've got to be good penalties. We're taking scoring opportunities away and not penalties where they're stick related. We took four of those last game. Our group understands that they have to be better, and we are going to be better tonight. Q. Coach, when a game is called like it was the other night and it's tight, from your experience, relaying a message to your team of knowing how the game is being called and how the game is going, can you just kind of take us through that and your mindset? COACH VIGNEAULT: I think players today, especially at the point where we are right now and the experience that we have in the playoffs, you should be able to read how the game is being called. Some games are called tighter than others. When they are called to the extreme that it was in the last game, you've got to adjust quickly. You know, we didn't do a good enough job there, but we are going to do a better job tonight. Q. Can you get this team to win without Rick Nash generating some goals? COACH VIGNEAULT: There is no doubt he's got to find a way to contribute. There are different ways of contributing, and that's one of them. We have found a way to win in low‑scoring games. I would say if you break down the scoring chances, there are as many chances that there has been in the past, in my opinion. The goaltending has just been phenomenal. When goaltenders find a way to get to everything, it's hard to score. Q. Your team has had a positive response virtually every time you've had a game like you did in Game 2. What's that do for this team's confidence, and why do you think your team has that ability? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, we're a group that understands the right way to play, and when we don't do it consistently enough‑‑ because we had some moments in that last game. We probably had one of our best second periods of the playoffs. We outchanced them badly in that second period, and finished off with a 1‑1 draw. But our guys know what it takes consistently to have success on the ice. We got beat 6‑2, and that's something that doesn't happen to us very regularly, so I think our guys are going to respond well tonight. Q. (No Microphone) called the team mad. Do you expect that and do you expect that to manifest? COACH VIGNEAULT: I would say they're focused to play, and that's what they're going to do tonight. Q. When you have a player like Johnson who has the kind of game he did in the last game, do you try to renew your focus on defending that line, or do you just see it as one great night for him? COACH VIGNEAULT: In every series we've played so far, we've had two incredible lines to go up against, whether it be the first series against Pittsburgh, second series against Washington. This team has two great lines. That Johnson line is without a doubt one of the best I've seen and that our group has seen, so it's a big challenge for us. We've handled it well in the past. Let's hope we do the same thing tonight. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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