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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 24, 2015Steven StamkosNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Five Tampa Bay – 2 Q. First period looked like the Rangers had a pretty good hold on the game and timeout was called. Where did you see the game turn around in the Lightning's favor and taking it from there? STEVEN STAMKOS: Well, I think we knew they were going to push. They had some confidence from last game. We knew Ben was going to have to be big for us early on, and he was. We didn't doubt him one bit. We kind of settled down. I think we did what the Rangers did last game, we bent but we didn't break. That was big for our team to go into intermission 0‑0. We knew we had a lot more to give, and we came out in the second and capitalized. In the third, I thought that was probably one of our best periods since Game 6 against Montreal when we had the lead and kind of shut it down. So that was a big statement from us after giving up 10 in the last 2. Q. Steven, seven goals in the last ten games, six in the last seven. Can you talk about your confidence level now compared to the scrutiny you were taking early on in these playoffs when the goals weren't there? STEVEN STAMKOS: I'm definitely more confident now than I was the first eight games, no question. But I think for me it was a great adversity test. Our team was winning, which was great. The depth has prevailed all season for our team. But I knew I was playing the right way. When you play the right way, things are going to start going your way. We switched some things up, moved to the wing, tried to free some things up. The power play has gotten a lot better too, where you get a couple goals, you get a couple points there, now you're feeling a little better. So everything has kind of accumulated to this point right now. But when you have confidence, you try to keep it as long as you can, because it is tough to get at this time of the year. Q. After Game 1, you said to win the series you'd have to play a little bit more the way the Rangers played in Game 1, and then there were 25 goals scored in the next three games. Did you prove something tonight? STEVEN STAMKOS: If anything, we proved to ourselves that we can play that style and be successful. I don't think anyone could have envisioned that many goals scored after Game 1. That was a typical Game 1 of a Conference Finals, a 2‑1 game. So we knew we had to expect that. We had to get back to basics. Last game, we gave up the most scoring chances we have all year. After the game we played a great second period, we just didn't get our bounces. But I think once we watched the tape, we realized that we didn't play very well defensively, and we needed a better game and we had that tonight. Q. How does it feel to be on the brink of your first Stanley Cup Final, and how hard is it to not look that far ahead? STEVEN STAMKOS: You know what? I talked about it this morning about realizing how close you are. You do have to recognize before it was two, and now it's one win away from the Finals. I think we realize that. At the same time, I think in these playoffs we've had a big emotional win, and we've kind of had a letdown game. I think we've learned our lesson pretty quick. Toughest one to win is the fourth one, especially at this time of the year, when it's to go to the Finals. So we're going to get some rest. We're going to regroup. We're going to watch the film, watch the things that we did well, and obviously try to do it again. Q. These low‑scoring affairs might tend to favor the Rangers, they're so comfortable in those kind of games. But how comfortable are you guys in these situations? STEVEN STAMKOS: We're getting more comfortable as we go along. Like I said, I think Game 6 was big for us against Montreal to shut them down in the third. And we talked about that. That was referenced in the intermission once, let's give an effort like we did in Game 6 against Montreal, and we did. I thought we clogged up the neutral zone, which was great. I thought we didn't panic with the puck. We talked about not being afraid to lose. We still made some plays in the middle of the ice in the "D" zone to get away from pressure. When there wasn't a play, it was a simple play off the glass. We did have a couple shifts where we kept it in their end for a while. So this group is getting more and more confident, and we have the leadership core and the guys that are comfortable in these situations, and it showed tonight. Q. Can you specifically talk about some of the underrated guys on this team and who you consider part of the core? STEVEN STAMKOS: Well, I think the guys that don't get as much credit as they probably deserve, you look at tonight on the penalty kill, obviously, Brian Boyle, Cedric Paquette, Ryan Callahan, Killorn, Filppula, Brown, Morrow. Those are the guys that may not, with the exception of Fil and Killorn, may not have gotten on the score sheet as much as they'd like so far in these playoffs, but they've played an unbelievable role. You see some of the sacrifices they made to block shots in the end. The defense core, I mean, you look at the guys we brought in this past season, the veteran guys obviously with Stralman, and Boyle, Morrow and Coburn. You know, we've got Matt Carle back there, and Hedy coming into his own. He's a superstar out there. Those are the guys that have that calming influence in the dressing room. And you have a guy like Callahan who was a captain before. Morrow a captain. I don't know if I'm forgetting someone. But when you have that many guys that know how to lead, it's such a calming influence. It makes my job a lot easier, and it shows when you're in pressure situations. Q. The Rangers have been a resilient hockey team all season. Six times they lost consecutive games and each time responded with three‑game winning streaks, but that streak just ended here tonight. Do you get any sense that your team has taken the wind out of their sails some? You also killed their power play again. STEVEN STAMKOS: You know what? We have to worry about ourselves tonight and the way we needed to bounce back. I think you said it, they're a resilient group. We've seen that all series. We've seen that all year. They're the best team in the regular season for a reason. These guys went to the Cup Finals last year. How many times have they been down this series and come back? So we know all those different scenarios. We understand the magnitude of the next game, and we're going to get their best game, there is no question about it. We got that in Game 4, and we saw the response they had. So we need to find a way as a group to not just match that but give even more. I think it's that time where we have to learn how to play after a big, emotional win, and come out and be even better.  So we're looking forward to that challenge. Q. Could you talk about the pass that Stralman makes up the board? You give it to Fil and he scores. Does that kind of take the air out of them? They've already had four power plays and you picked them all off? STEVEN STAMKOS: I think the penalty kill is what took the air out of them a little bit and maybe takes the atmosphere out of the crowd a little bit. Obviously they get excited when they get a power play, and our PK worked extremely really hard. They took a little criticism the last couple games. They responded just like Bish responded. That's a big goal. Any time you can get a lead on the road, you can hear the crowd a little quieter. For whatever reason in this playoff, when we've scored first, we've found a way to win the game. So that's a trend we want to continue. But Strals made a great play, you know, banked it off the boards. I knew we kind of had an odd‑man rush, and Fil made a great shot. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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