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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINS

May 18, 2016

Sidney Crosby

Tampa, Florida: Game Three

Pittsburgh – 4
Tampa – 2

Q. You talked last game about, even though you had a ton of chances, staying patient, not getting frustrated, and hoping one will go in. Was that the same mentality you had today, kind of the (indiscernible) you were making up until you got that one in there?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, it was a great second period. We saw we had a ton of chances. Yeah, I think we just try to keep going, try to create as much as we could. To get one that late in the period, it felt good to give us some momentum. But, yeah, it was nice to finally get one.

Q. Sidney, the shots across three games are basically 2-1 in favor of you guys. Why that disparity, do you think? What's been working so well on the offensive end?
SIDNEY CROSBY: I think just every linesman doing a good job of holding on to pucks. That's the biggest thing. They're a big "D." They're really physical down low. You really have to be strong in that area. I think we played a pretty simple game. We haven't tried too many (indiscernible) plays. Just try to keep it simple as best we can and really been strong on the puck, and it's worked for us.

Q. Your goal is a four-on-three power play. Justin Schultz was at the point as Kris Letang was in the penalty box. Just what does Justin give at point in that role right there?
SIDNEY CROSBY: He's really good with the puck. He's got a big shot. A lot of people don't realize how hard he shoots the puck, but he's got a great one-timer, and this gives us another option for a shooter, especially with that much time and space in a four-on-three, and we just work it around. But he's really smart, can skate well, and can shoot the puck.

Q. Sid, a year ago, you're sitting in the dressing room in New York, and everybody's kind of depressed because the job wasn't finished. Since that time, 8 of your 12 forwards are different than they were a year ago, and that's part of what Jimmy has rebuilt with this team around you, around Malkin. Today he was named one of the three finalists as GM of the year. What can you say about the way that he's just changed this entire team around you guys?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, it's been -- you know, like you said, it's a big transition to have that much movement, that many new guys. It's not easy. Anyone will tell you that, any player, any coach. It's a lot of work that goes into making sure that everyone's on the same page and that everyone gets better. So he deserves a lot of credit. He's had in mind what he wants our team to look like and how he wants us to play, and he's kind of put guys in positions to allow us to play that way and showed a lot of confidence in different guys. So he definitely deserves a lot of credit, and I'm happy for him.

Q. Sid, you're finally seeing scoring chances become goals again. Geno still kind of waiting for that turnaround. Are you able to share any of the chatter between you two right now, especially when you know you're going to get a shift or two together?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, not much. When we get out there, we're just trying to create. Geno is strong on the puck. He's making a lot happen. We're just trying to make sure that when we're out there, that we create things. The more that we play together here the last couple of games, we get a little bit more comfortable.
It probably hasn't been that much as far as leading up to the last couple of games. We haven't played together a lot. So I think we're starting to get a better feel for one another out there and getting some chances. So I think he's just got to keep doing the same thing. As a line, when we're together, we've got to find ways to create.

Q. Sid, can you take us through your goal. Were you calling for it, or did you think Geno was going to shoot that one?
SIDNEY CROSBY: I was ready. Four-on-three, and you've got a one-timer on either side. Geno's in a good spot to shoot too in the middle of the ice, so you get ready. I might have called for it, but I didn't. He's at the top there. He's really smart at making those plays. He put a perfect pass through that I could shoot. I thought we were pretty patient. We just worked it around and waited for things to open up.

Q. Sid, how important is it having Phil, Carl, and Nick getting hot all at this time when you and Geno were struggling, those two pretty much carried you guys for the most part?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, you don't win consistently without that. That line's been great all playoffs long. I mean, you look at the way that Phil's playing tonight and the way he used his speed, his shot, he creates so much. Haggy's got a ton of speed. And Bones is a really smart player. He works really well with those two guys.
They've given us a lot of momentum. They've produced a lot for us, and, again, tonight they were great for us. But they've been really good.

Q. Sid, as you go through a playoff run and you go series to series, you might have to adjust playoff style a little bit towards the team that you're playing. But you guys, from the Rangers to the Caps to now, you're winning the same way. What does that do for the comfort level in a game when you're going and you can just roll with it, I guess?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, the fact that we can play four lines, and Mike has confidence in every line to be out there in different situations. Like you said, if every line's playing really similar and every "D" pairing that's out there knows we want to play fast and kind of hold everyone to that standard, I think it helps a lot. We're able to build some momentum.
You see a second period like that where we generate a lot of chances and we play with a lot of speed. To be able to do that, every line has to be able to go out and do that, and that's what we did here tonight. That's the way we know we have success. So we've got to find ways to be able to get to that kind of game.

Q. Sid, you and Patric seemed to get a little heated on the bench. How common is that, or how unusual is that?
SIDNEY CROSBY: That's pretty common. You know, we're both pretty intense. I think anyone will tell you that watches a lot of our games, that's fairly common. We don't want that to happen too often, but we usually forget about it pretty quickly and move on, but it does happen from time to time.

Q. Sid, because of the way the game unfolded, how significant do you think this game is -- this win is? Do you think you made a statement with the way it finished?
SIDNEY CROSBY: No, it's one game. We played really well. We deserved to win. And like any other one, win or lose, you move on and get ready for the next one. You expect them to come out hard just like they did tonight. We had to kind of weather that storm early, so that was a big part of us being able to get to our game in the second. So we expect a lot of the same thing and just try to build off this one and keep getting better here.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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