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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: SHARKS v BLUESMay 15, 2016David BackesBrian ElliottJori LehteraSt. Louis, Missouri: Game One St. Louis – 2 THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. David, yesterday you said, When we make mistakes, that's what we have Ells for. The second period, is that what that story was? DAVID BACKES: That was a great example of it. When your goalie's your best player, it gives you a great chance of winning. That was the case tonight. It's been that way for the first two rounds. Nothing's changed here in Game1 of the third round. We're able to hopefully limit some of the quality of the chances. Even when we didn't, I think Thornton finds Pavelski there in the second and Moose just gets a leg over there, finds a toe, he's able to stop it. Some other key times, without that, the game could have been gone in a hurry. You get that key save, the guy all the way on the left gets a chance, let's one rip, finds the back of the net, and we were able to clamp it down after that. Q. David, Hitch mentioned that this success this post‑season for you has been from being a hunter. For you personally, what has been the difference from this post‑season versus your last five? DAVID BACKES: Well, I think we played long enough where we can kind of get into a rhythm and a routine. The other ones seemed to be over before it even got into that sort of mode of, you know, day in and day out of what you need to do, what you need to do on the off days, get into a nice rhythm. We've been able to do that playing every other day here. I think it's one of those things where you say, We've got nothing to lose, let's go out there and put it all on the line. I've had a lot of interviews and things like that. The linemates and defensemen and goaltender have saved my butt a lot to keep me out of the sad interviews. Give a lot of credit to them. Just able to be my piece of the puzzle, do it to the best of my ability, let the rest fall into place. We made a pretty picture most of the time out there. Q. Jori, talk about your goal. Did you pick a spot? Did you see an opening? JORI LEHTERA: Just got the puck (laughter). Then I closed my eyes and shoot it. That's about it. Just got to keep it simple. Q. David, was that a beard check we saw there in the first period? Beard tugging going on. DAVID BACKES: Yeah, just seeing whose was real, making sure that they were glued on well. Seemed like both checked out and moved on with life. You love the competition. Get the emotions running high. Both guys I think trying to establish themselves in the series. There's a couple big bodies going at it. You love that competition. Q. Brian, in the last minute of a game like this when they have their goalie pulled, pandemonium, what is your approach as a goalie? DAVID BACKES: Do a Jori answer. BRIAN ELLIOTT: Close my eyes, keep it simple (laughter). No, it really has a lot to do with the guys in front of you, how they're playing, what lanes they're taking away, kind of staying patient. I thought we did a really good job not chasing in that last little bit. I think against these guys, you know, some have a lot of skill, and you can get chased pretty easy. I thought we kept it tight, let them pass it around a little bit. I don't think they really saw an opportunity that they really liked. When you limit them like that, the clock kind of winds down faster than normal. You're just hoping maybe we'll get a chance to put it in the empty net. Q. Brian, we've asked you this a thousand times, but do you seem to have Pavelski's number? You go way back. Came up with pretty big saves over the years. BRIAN ELLIOTT: You know, he's obviously a good player, the guy that leads their team. It's really nothing more than just trying to stop every puck. It's not who is shooting it that really matters. It's just trying to get in the way. When a guy like Jori goes down and gets you the lead, you just want to keep it, limit their chances that they have, try to cover some pucks, let the guys do the rest. You don't really think about who's shooting it. Q. Brian, your view of the goofy play where the whistle blew? Did you just get lucky there? BRIAN ELLIOTT: The puck was spinning a lot. Probably just spun out. But I haven't even seen it yet, so I don't know. DAVID BACKES: On that play, the whistle blows, everyone stops. He just keeps the momentum where that loose puck is. Few guys that notice it. Why head back there? That's what my argument was to the ref, to try to keep him from looking at it further, drop the next one and get after it. Q. (No microphone.) DAVID BACKES: Whether he's got it or not, the play is dead. No continuation. The rest is history. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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