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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v RANGERSMay 25, 2015Alain VigneaultTAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. Is there one thing you can pinpoint why your team has been so good in these last must‑win games? COACH VIGNEAULT: I think I've said this a few times: Our players focus in the right areas, stay in the moment. We've obviously been in a few of these situations in the past, and I'm very confident that our group is going to enjoy the opportunity and enjoy the challenge, get ready for it, and come up with a good game. Q. When you kind of shortened the bench at the end of the game, obviously looking for a little spark. COACH VIGNEAULT: Looking to score some goals. Q. That would be a spark, right? Does that carry over to the next game in your mind when you're trying to figure out who to put with what? COACH VIGNEAULT: As soon as I'm done with you here, we're going to have our coaching meeting and we're going to discuss any areas that we feel we need to adjust. Last night's game, I mean, it was a tight‑checking affair where both teams weren't giving the other ones a lot of opportunities. They were able to make us pay. One of our first mistakes was a neutral zone read there, and their power play scored them a big goal. Their power play had a couple of opportunities before, too, to strike. It didn't in last night's game, but it had been very good until last night, so confident it will be good in Game 6. Q. Do things change for coach now in the elimination game? I mean, in Game 5 against the Capitals you're down 1‑0, and you kept rolling your line. You didn't shorten the defense. But in this type of situation, would you change anything? COACH VIGNEAULT: It's pretty much the same situation. If we don't win, we're done. It's just a matter of reading your team and the energy level and the execution. A lot of it sometimes has to do with exactly that, and how some guys are performing and the pace out there. And right now the pace, whether it be offensively or defensively, it's quick. When you're at ice level and you're seeing the execution and the intensity that's there, that's as quick as I've seen in a long time. Q. Your team's offensive decision making, was your problem with the decisions or the speed? COACH VIGNEAULT: In last night's game, we spent a tremendous amount of time in their end, for whatever reason. And I give them a lot of credit, they blocked a lot of the lanes and a lot of the shots. But we had, at some point in all that zone time, we had opportunities to get it to the net, but we didn't. I'm not sure why, but we'll try and be better tomorrow. Q. I'm sure you didn't want Stamkos to wake up on your watch after he struggled in the first two rounds. But the challenge that that presents now that they've got two lines? COACH VIGNEAULT: To tell you the truth, I did watch their games, a lot of their games against Detroit and Montreal, and he might not have been hitting the back of the net, but he was contributing in other ways. He's an intense player, he's a good player. Obviously, we've got to keep an eye on him. Q. When you're saying he didn't get enough shots, poor quality shots or both? COACH VIGNEAULT: Oh, obviously a combination of both. A lot of times, it's not that initial shot, but it's the second opportunity, and they did a tremendous job of taking those away from us yesterday. Q. Were you surprised by that given how many goals they scored in the series? COACH VIGNEAULT: Like I said, every game has been different. Both teams, you have skillset both offensively and defensively, so every game unfolds differently. Q. You talk about the intensity level with the elimination hockey like this. What are some of the intangibles that are going to make the difference? COACH VIGNEAULT: Oh, you know, I think both teams are going to try and play to their strengths, and that's certainly what we're going to do tomorrow. It should be a great game. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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