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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: LIGHTNING v PENGUINSMay 20, 2016Ryan CallahanVictor HedmanTampa, Florida: Game Four Tampa Bay – 4 Q. Ryan, getting the goal so early, how big of a boost was that and just playing from an advantage from the get go pretty much? RYAN CALLAHAN: I mean, we wanted to score one. Obviously, when you score in the first shift, it helps, and it gets the team going. Overall, that was our main concentration was to make sure we had a good start. I thought we had a really good start in Game 3, and we let it slip after about ten minutes of that game. It was important for us to continue that push and continue that momentum. I thought we did a good job of that. Q. Ryan, it's been kind of a weird series for you, flu and all that kind of stuff. How did you feel tonight, and how important was your contribution, do you think, tonight? RYAN CALLAHAN: I felt good tonight actually, a little bit more energy than last game. But it's important for everybody throughout the lineup to contribute. You know, sometimes it's -- other guys in those top two lines have to score to be successful, especially against a team like Pittsburgh, who's so deep, and you get so much contribution throughout their lineup. You know, we have to counter that. So it was good to get on the board tonight. Q. And if I can ask Victor, even though he's sitting right next to you, how important is what Ryan does, not just in terms of scoring but the physical play blocking shots? How important is that? Even though he's sitting right next to you. VICTOR HEDMAN: Well, it's huge obviously. Playing against him for many years, you're obviously happy to have him on your team now. Just the way he prepares himself for every game, and he lays it on the line every night. That's the kind of players that you need on a winning team. Just go for those hard areas in front of the net, and the first goal is an example of what he does, great tip and got us going obviously. Then keep blocking shots, hitting people, and just great energy. You know, we need that, and I think a lot of guys did that tonight obviously, but Cal leads the way. Q. Victor, in the third period, when a team is putting that kind of push on and has the offensive players they have, how tough is it to keep your nerve, I guess, and not, I guess, lose control of the game? VICTOR HEDMAN: Well, I think for us it was huge to -- I think we did a pretty good job on that kill. Obviously, got that one late, but at the same time, we refocused. We still had the lead, and we're, obviously, giving up four goals, we know we're going to push. They're a great team, like I said, and they made some great plays and got some goals. But at the same time, I didn't think we lost control of the game. I think we played pretty good, and Vasi made some big saves for us. There was no panic on the bench. Obviously, trying to play good defensively for that six minutes, and I think we did that. Q. Ryan, how much of what we saw in the first two periods were -- came from adjustments that you guys made in your game plan? And do you feel like you leave here tonight kind of with a recipe going forward for how to attack the Penguins as the series goes on? RYAN CALLAHAN: You know, obviously, you make tweaks and adjustments throughout a series, you know, game to game, you're changing things and looking at their tendencies. We did some things different tonight that I thought we were successful with, but more than just your tactics or your systems, I thought it was our energy, our compete, the way we executed was a lot better than it was in the previous game. And I think that was the biggest adjustment rather than the Xs and Os. Q. Victor, you guys talked a lot the last couple days about being confident you would bounce back. Where does that come from? You guys have obviously overcome a lot with injuries, but this is a spot obviously after the last two games. What made you think you could really turn things around this game? VICTOR HEDMAN: Well, I think, first of all, the experience going through it last year, you know, I think helped us a lot going into this year. All the up and downs in the playoff run. For us, we're confident in ourselves. We're confident in the way we play. It was a tough few games for us, obviously, but we believe in this group, and it doesn't matter who's going to be out on the ice, we know they're going to get the job done. Like Cali said too, I think the energy of execution was the biggest difference for us tonight, not the tactics. We pretty much still play the same way as we did in the previous two games, but it's just a matter of tweaking a little bit. Obviously, execution and playing with that energy we did tonight is the recipe moving forward. Q. Jonathan Drouin said, boy, he was really ticking people off tonight out there. Is that part of your job to get under the other guy's skin on the other team? RYAN CALLAHAN: I don't necessarily go out there and say I'm going to try to get under the other guy's skin. I go out there and play my game and try to finish my checks, go to those dirty areas. Playing against guys like that, sometimes that can frustrate, knowing that the player's always coming at you. But by no means do I go out there and say I'm going to be an agitator or try to get under somebody's skin. I'm focused on my game and go from there. Q. Hedy, we've seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in this series at this point from both teams. What do we expect in Game 5 in Pittsburgh? VICTOR HEDMAN: Well, that's a good question. I know it's going to be a high paced game, nothing we haven't seen before, I don't think. We're just going to go in there and play like we did in Game 1. Obviously, we played with a lot of energy and played a good road game, obviously. The bottom line is get a good rest tonight and make sure we refocus and get ready for a tough game. They're a really good team, but so are we, and it's going to be a battle all the way in, I think. So just refocus and get ready for that one. Q. Victor, Hampton told us you got your first stitches in the face from that high stick. He claims you look better now. Would you agree? VICTOR HEDMAN: Well, you can barely see them, but he's probably right. He's probably jealous, coming from him. But, yeah, first stitch in my face tonight, and hopefully the last one. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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