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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINS

May 16, 2016

Sidney Crosby

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Game Two

Pittsburgh – 3
Tampa – 2

Q. Sid, did you feel like you guys tipped in the third period, your line in particular, and was that encouraging at all going into the overtime? And if you did feel like you tipped it, how did you tip it?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think as a team we did. I thought we had some good chances even in the first two periods, but, obviously, it felt like every shift almost we were able to generate something. Even with that, they were still able to counter pretty well and generate a couple of chances themselves.
I thought we just had the right mindset going into the third. We played on our toes. We were aggressive. It's a 2-2 game, and I think we just had the right mindset, and I think everyone just kind of helped each other create momentum and making it easier on the next line that went out there to hopefully get out there against a tired group or get them on their heels a bit, and we were able to finally get one there in overtime.

Q. Sid, take you back 20 minutes before that. How about after the second going into the third? Why did the light come on? Was anything said to spark you guys, wake you up, and give yourselves a better third period there?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Just I think we thought we could find another level. For whatever reason, we didn't consistently get the chances maybe we wanted to in the first two periods. With that being said, we didn't give up a ton either. We made a few mistakes, but for the most part, it's still a pretty even hockey game, and we still felt like we could play better.
I think that's kind of encouraging when you go into the third knowing that you still have another level and still have a chance, and we just had the right mindset, like I said.

Q. Sid, could you take us through the game winning goal. Rupp said he heard you stumble and heard you scream. I said, when Sid calls your name, you get him the puck right away? He said absolutely.
SIDNEY CROSBY: It's a great play by Dumoulin. He keeps the puck alive along the wall and then makes the pass to Rusty. I think he was changing, so coming along the blue line there. I didn't think Rusty saw me, so I just tried to let him know I was there. I didn't know exactly what he was going to do.
He was pretty low. He had a good chance to maybe shoot it too, but he made a perfect pass and put it in an area that I could get a quick shot away.

Q. The last play of the game, it seemed like they played a lot of defense and looking to counterattack. How hard is it to stay patient as opposed to getting frustrated?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, you have to. I think that was the biggest difference in the third when you think about from the first to the second. I thought we didn't have that kind of shift after shift mentality. No matter what happened, we didn't find ways to find of keep that pressure.
We did a lot better job in the third even if it was a quick play and they were out of their zone, we put it back in, and we went to work. That mentality, I think, went a long way.
But they're dangerous. You know, you get some constant pressure, then all of a sudden they get an odd-man rush, their "D" jump in the play, their wingers get in behind the "D." So they have some guys that don't need a lot of time and space to make plays. You need to be patient, and that's the way we're going to need to play here from here on in.

Q. Does Mike say anything when he tries you and Geno together at even-strength? If he doesn't, what's the message you take from that when you puts you two together?
SIDNEY CROSBY: No, he doesn't really say anything. I think that, when he puts us together, it's usually an offensive zone face-off late in the period after -- you know, maybe after a penalty kill, where the lines are going to be maybe mixed up anyway.
So I think the message is just go create something. You know, go get some momentum. Hopefully, with putting us together, it forces one of us to get some time and space and hopefully can find each other out there. But it doesn't happen a ton, but when it does, I think -- you know, to answer your question, just create something, make a play, and try to get some momentum out there.

Q. Sid, not that you ever need any extra reasons to be excited about a winning goal in the Eastern Conference final, but overtime and everything else, the fact that you hadn't scored in a while, what was your emotions when you put that puck in?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Just happy. Whether I scored in the last seven games or hadn't scored in the last whatever, it feels good to get rewarded. I think we deserved that win tonight.
To be in the playoffs here, it's a great opportunity, and to score and contribute, it feels good. But it's one game, and whether you win 5-1 or 3-2 in overtime, it's one win. So you've got to keep that in mind. But it's definitely exciting.
Like I said, when you know how hard we worked, especially that push there in the third, to get it, it feels nice to get rewarded for it.

Q. Sid, you had a lot of chances in the game, even before scoring that one. Were you able to avoid getting frustrated, just with all the opportunities you've had and not coming up big yet?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah. I mean, I wasn't happy, but I think that the big thing was there were some real good chances there. The backhands, half the net, he made a great save. One hits the knob. I had a pretty good shot off there. I think with chances like that, you're encouraged you're getting them. The whole third period, I thought every line generated a lot.
So I think that gives you a good mindset when you're getting those chances, that eventually something's going to go in, and you've just got to trust that it will. It did, and that feels good. Yeah, but it definitely tests your patience sometimes. You've just got to focus on going back out there and trying to create.

Q. Sid, you just kind of mentioned it, but that backhand chance, did you think that was going to be a goal off your stick when you let it go?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah. I mean, I got pretty good wood on it. I thought it was a pretty decent shot. So the goalie had to kind of respect Geno on that left side. So I thought I had a lot of net. I just probably put it a little bit too far back into him, and he's a big guy. He covered a lot of net and was pretty quick in getting over.
But when it came off my stick, I thought I had a pretty good chance of scoring there for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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