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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 24, 2015Jon CooperNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Five Q. The goals you've gotten this series are all from your top six guys. Are you a believer that as the series goes on secondary scoring for you guys is going to gain importance? Do you need the bottom five, I should say, to produce? COACH COOPER: Clearly it helps if your bottom six‑‑ I hate even calling them your bottom six, the other six, I guess, are scoring. When you're winning, it probably goes a little unnoticed because the two lines are playing probably a little bit more if they're scoring. The way our team has gone, they've kind of carried us. We haven't really needed the secondary scoring. You look at our games, we've put six on the board twice and we've put one on the board twice, so lost both those games with one. I look at would secondary scoring help? For sure. But to me, I think the problem with ours has been, especially in Game 4, we judged our game on how many scoring chances we were getting. I think if we're going to win this series, we have to judge how many scoring chances we're giving up. If we get that mindset back in your forwards, and whether it's the top six or bottom six, that's got to be the mentality. I think we've gone into these last few games thinking guns slinging, we're going to shoot this one out, and we're not winning if that's going to be our mindset. So the long‑winded answer is, yes, we need the secondary scoring, but we need to keep the puck out of the net. That's what we need to do. Q. It seemed in Game 4, more than any other time in this series, the Rangers went after your top guys physically. How did you feel they reacted? COACH COOPER: I think everything was fine until the last ten minutes, and then I think I don't know if frustration came out of us a little bit, if it was whether to score or whether it was the physical play against our guys. It seemed we lost our composure a little bit. We talked about it in the room. That's just not who we are and that's not how we have to present ourselves. But then I sit there and think about it, the grind these guys have gone through for a month and a half, they should get frustrated at some point. But I don't think the physical nature of what's gone on in this series‑‑ it's not at the level as it was in the Detroit series, and our guys got through that. So they've just been different series. So good for them. They're turning it up and trying to find a way to win, and they've had success at it. But I don't think them being a little bit more physical has changed the way our guys are playing. Q. Matt obviously skated this morning, what is his status for tonight? COACH COOPER: You can answer this one for me. I know you can. Q. Show up tonight and find out? COACH COOPER: That's pretty much it. But I think he's going to be available. Q. What have you thought of Nesterov so far in these playoffs for his first time? COACH COOPER: Really happy with Nesterov. I think it's hard for these guys to be out, in, out, but he's helped ignite our offense. He skates. For a rookie to come in, especially at arguably the toughest position to play, and be able to contribute, our one worry is how has he played in the defensive end, and he's been great for us. He's just been aggressive. I think he went a little bit the way our team went the other night. We were really thinking offense and not as much defense. He had the unfortunate puck off the shins and we gave up a breakaway there. But Nesterov's done everything we've asked, and that kid has got a really bright future. Q. Coming off the appendectomy for Callahan, how do you feel he's done for these first four? COACH COOPER: Well, I've been asked that about Callahan a few times, and when I speak with him, I don't judge him on, well, he hasn't scored a goal in the series. Ryan Callahan brings so much to our team in the locker room, on the ice, his physical play. You see like everybody ‑‑ defense pairings know when he's on the ice. They're checking their shoulder the extra time because they know Callahan's coming. He's a pain in the butt in front of the net, and he just wears his heart on his sleeve. Everybody's not going to score at the pace of Stamkos or Johnson or Kuch or those guys that are scoring, but you need other guys to help carry the load. And Callahan's one of those guys. I'm glad you brought the question up because probably tonight's the night he's going to score, because he does that on big stages and he's probably going to do it in the building that he grew up as a hockey player. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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