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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v LIGHTNINGJune 4, 2015Johnny OduyaJonathan ToewsTAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for the guys. Q. Jonathan, the Lightning seem to feel they let that one get away. Do you feel you got away with one given the power play didn't score? Do you feel fortunate to have gotten that one? JONATHAN TOEWS: Yeah. I think we know that we didn't play our best game. I think we finally started to find our game late in the game. You can go over and over the parts of the game where they could have opened it wide up and maybe we wouldn't have had a chance to get back and find ways to win the game. But Crow played great. It's not the first time he's stolen a game for us in these playoffs and throughout this season. So for the most part I think we found our game slowly as the game went on. I think when you manage to keep your game tight like that, especially if we feel we're outplaying a team, or it's 1‑0, there's always a chance we can get a few bounces. We're definitely understanding of that and know we need to be much better the next one. Q. We talk about players evolving as they get more mature. Is it the same for coaches? How is Joel different as a coach, how he approaches you guys, than maybe four or five years ago? JONATHAN TOEWS: I don't know. I think there's always that comfort you feel in knowing what to expect with a certain coach because you played for him for a number of years. As far as his evolution, how he's different, it's kind of tough to tell because it changes slowly over time. It's tough to tell, you can't really snap out of it and go back several years at a time and figure that out. I think as we've gone on, like I've said, that level of understanding there between the guys that have been around him, played for him for a number of years, we just kind of go with the flow, we all know how things are going to be handled from a player and coach standpoint, win or lose, in some of these important games late in the post‑season like this. Q. Johnny, what is it about you and Duncan Keith, Seabrook, that allows you to play so well in the playoffs here since the third round began with that heavy workload you have had? JOHNNY ODUYA: Yeah, this question comes up every day now. I answered yesterday in a way where I see, especially for the top three guys, they have the experience. They've been around. It's the third time around now. Obviously great hockey players. I think that helps a lot. I think maybe the talk of all this is a little ‑ how do you say ‑ it's gone on and it became something that maybe it's not as big of a deal. Duncan has seen a lot of minutes, a lot of ice time his whole career pretty much. As for the rest of us, maybe there's a little bump obviously in minutes. But that's something that a lot of times you like and you thrive on situations like that. With that said, I think it's a big challenge, and we like challenges. Q. Jonathan, you guys are 5‑5 these playoffs in games you trailed at any point. Talk about the mindset of this team that's allowed you guys to do that. JONATHAN TOEWS: I don't know if you consider that a good record or not very good record. But I think knowing a team like Tampa, as far as I know, when they get up in games, they have not an easy time, but more often than not, they find ways to close out. Regardless of who we're playing, it's not the situation we want to be in. Coming out of that first period yesterday, I don't want to overstate it or anything, but we knew going down 1‑0 was a good situation for us concerning the fact it could have been worse. We know if there's games where we tend to give up leads or we go down a goal or two, there's always that confidence we can find ways to put pressure on the team and make them stave off our pressure late in games. We found a way to get a couple bounces yesterday and walked out with a win, knowing we can play a lot better and we're going to play better. But I think there's that confidence in our group that we can find ways to come back if we're not in an ideal situation in a game or a series. Q. Johnny, talk about Teuvo, how he has maybe come out of his shell a little bit. He came over from Finland at such a young age. Now he's playing with such confidence. JOHNNY ODUYA: Yeah, I think he grows every day. I think everybody sees that. Just the maturity level obviously off the ice. I think having some of the Fins here, having Kimmo coming in has helped him a lot, having a countryman, someone you can talk to in your own language, it's to a big benefit. But he's a young kid. He expects a lot of things from himself. I think this organization has done a good job not to try to put too much pressure on him, just kind of give him the opportunity. When he's mature to play, he's mature to play. He's shown that, especially in this playoffs. Q. Johnny, it's starting to look a little bit like Trevor van Riemsdyk might get into this series at some point. Knowing it will be his NHL playoff debut, would you have any concerns about that? JOHNNY ODUYA: No, not really. I think whatever happens there, we'll see. I'm not on the medical staff, so I don't really know what's exactly going on. I see him skating. He's doing good. He's a tremendous player. We saw him early in the year. He's one of those guys that I would pick that maybe could be out for a longer period of time and still come in and play very, very well. He's very smart. He's poised with the puck. Positioning is very good. Yeah, we'll just see what happens. It's kind of the same thing there. I don't think anybody wants to force anybody to put him in positions where they're not comfortable. We have a couple other guys that are doing a great job. Yeah, we'll see what happens there. Q. Jonathan, whenever you start a series on the road like this, you always say you want to get at least one. Now that you have the one, you won't be overconfident, but how do you keep your foot on the gas? JONATHAN TOEWS: It's simple. Regardless of the outcome of the last game, as we've been saying today, a lot of guys probably said yesterday, we know there's a whole 'nother level if we want to compete with this team in their own building. I don't think we were satisfied with the way we came out in that game. Obviously there's some adjustments coming into this series. But I think we're definitely comfortable now. We know how to get off on the right foot in the next game. The motivation is right there just to play better. I think when we do that, we'll give ourselves a better chance of winning. I think we can put that one behind us. At the same time we're happy with the result that we got. It doesn't hurt to find a way to sneak one out like that. But the motivation's right in front of us to go out there and play better and harder. Q. Jonathan, can you describe how Corey handles the ups and downs of being a goalie in Chicago, being replaced earlier in the post‑season. JONATHAN TOEWS: Earlier on in the playoffs, in the first round, there's no doubt that it's really tough to go through some moments like that where your team is really not helping you. Everything that's being said about you away from the rink is not really good. All the blame, all the focus is being put on one guy, which that's truly unfair in so many ways. But I think we had a number of individuals and guys as a team, we see a guy that might be struggling like that, that's putting a lot of heat on himself, like I said to an unfair degree, we try to rally that guy, make him feel better about himself. I think for the most part Crow does a great job of bouncing back, not letting those things bother him. If anything, he's going to take that responsibility when he shouldn't. He did an amazing job of coming back, playing great late in that series, and he's done so ever since. I think in a game like yesterday, it's a great example of how he can really gauge when we're going to need him more than ever. He shows up and he's ready for those moments. I think maybe it helps him almost in some situations to be getting those shots early and often the way he was in that game yesterday. We don't want to have to do that to him and expect him to do what he did like last night every night. But we know that his timing is great and that he'll be there one way or another. We have to find ways to support him a little bit better in this series. Q. Jonathan, it seems last night almost every time you were on the ice, Hedman and Stralman were on the other side. What are your impressions of them, trying to control things in the offensive end against that pair? JONATHAN TOEWS: They're great skating D men. They're offensive. They're smart defensively. Hedman is a big guy, but he's mobile as well. I think we had some shifts where we had puck possession. We just got to find ways to get inside, get shots, just get traffic in front of the goaltender. We had some puck possessions in some moments, but it didn't really amount to a whole lot the way we wanted it to. Coming off that third period last night, I think we'll be ready to jump in Saturday night and create and try and make some of their top players play in their own end. Q. Jonathan, a few guys that scored for you last night were on your last Cup team. What has it been like to watch this group overall change in the six‑year run and replace those guys and have this level of success? JONATHAN TOEWS: It's huge. Media Day, everyone wants to talk about this Blackhawks team that keeps coming back to the Stanley Cup Final, the common players that have been on those teams, what they do well. There's no doubt, maybe it's not talked about enough, the support that we have, guys that have come in and really made a huge difference. I think when you're trying to find ways to win a tough series, you can rely on your best players, but at the same time you need guys to come out of the woodwork. Maybe guys that you don't expect firsthand to make big plays. Vermy had a huge overtime goal in the last series, another one last night. Turbo has been getting better and better. I think it's a great example of that support we need from guys that maybe don't get the attention or credit on a regular basis. Q. Jonathan, you saw a lot of Cedric Paquette. I don't know how much you knew about him before the game. Do you pay any attention to who you line up against? Did he do much to make you alter your game? JONATHAN TOEWS: I think all four lines they have skate well and play a good puck‑possession game. Regardless of who our line ends up lining up against, you're going to have to spend a few shifts in your own zone, you're going to have to defend. For the most part you're going to get checked, too. I don't think they're as concerned about matchups as anyone else. I think they just tend to go out there and play. I think they rely on their four lines for offense and smart defensive play as well. Regardless what the matchup ends up being, you have to be aware of that and ready for that. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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