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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: SHARKS v BLUES

May 22, 2016

Alex Pietrangelo

St. Louis, Missouri: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Alex Pietrangelo.

Q. How does it feel to be home 2‑2 instead of 3‑1?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Would have been a tough flight home. To be able to steal one in their building is a good feeling. More important, the way we played. Got the momentum going. Use it tomorrow night with home ice advantage.

Q. What made the difference, the change‑up in the lineups?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: I think that we had good discussions about the game plan, what we had to change. I think we got to our game early and stuck with it. Game3, we got to our game plan early, but didn't stick with the game plan. We played pretty much 60 minutes, took our foot off the gas for a little bit there in the second.
Overall we played the game we wanted to play.

Q. Was there any doubt in the room that you were capable of better? The fans might have been a little nervous after the third game.
ALEX PIETRANGELO: We felt since Game1 that we had better. We got away with that one. Didn't play the way we wanted to in 2 and 3. Yesterday we got to the game that we had to get to, like I said.
Coming home playing that way, it's obviously a momentum builder.

Q. What changed yesterday that allowed you to get to your game?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: I think we executed the game plan that we wanted to execute. I think we played their big guys hard, played in the O zone as much as we could. We made the smart, simple plays.
They're a team that's going to thrive on those opportunities for turnovers. We managed the puck better than we ever have in the series. We became extremely successful.

Q. Same strategy as the previous games, you just didn't execute?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: We didn't change much. Like Steener said yesterday to you guys, that's for you guys to dissect.
We just executed the way we wanted to. We were a lot cleaner coming out of our own end, coming out of the O zone.

Q. You were able to create offense below the goal line as opposed to off the rush. Do you feel like you're better equipped to do that?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: They're real good at coming back and taking away time and space in the D zone. We're going to have to occupy the O zone and get our chances from there.
That's how we scored all of our goals pretty much yesterday, is playing hard, playing big down low, using our size, using our speed, making life tough for their D.

Q. What do you think has been the issue home ice, Game5? Lost the last four.
ALEX PIETRANGELO: I don't know. Could just be luck, the chances. I mean, we're not looking at that. We're looking at this is an opportunity coming off a big game for us in front of the home fans. Use it to our advantage.

Q. The games all blend together, you probably don't remember.
ALEX PIETRANGELO: I don't think anybody on our team knows that stat. For us, we know we got to get to our game at home quicker than we have been all playoffs.
Tomorrow is going to be a good test for us to do what we did in San Jose. Anytime we can use the home ice to our advantage with our matchups and our crowd, it's going to help us.

Q. When they change goalies, does it affect at all how you play?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: No. We just keep doing what we were doing. There's some similarities obviously in their goaltenders.
We just stick to our game plan.

Q. Does it help that they get along? There is no controversy in terms of switching goalies. Does that make it easier for you guys in the room?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Well, we trust both guys, obviously. They've both been great. The support they show for each other, everybody knows the camaraderie they have. Certainly helps. Whoever is back there, we're going to play our heart out for them.
We let them down the last couple games not creating any offense for them. Jake came in, played a great game.

Q. How good was Jake yesterday? 31 saves.
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Yeah, obviously those power plays in the third were big. We needed some big saves from him. A couple big, timely saves for us in the third to keep the momentum on our side.
Him and Moose have been doing that all year for us. Like I said all along, we're going to need more of that.

Q. Is that a wake‑up call when they switched goalies for you guys, got to step it up, we let Ells down?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: We knew we let him down. You can't win if you don't score. We knew we had to play better. We felt like we let Moose down. Thought Jake coming in, we put a big, strong effort in front of him.
Whoever's in net, we're going to need to do the same thing.

Q. If Backes can go, he's going to go?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Yeah, I literally just walked in here, in my shorts (laughter). Yeah, ask Hitch about that. We're going to need those guys going forward, obviously.

Q. He's obviously shown that 60%, 70%, whatever, he'll be out there.
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Yeah, he's a battler. We all know that. We all know what Dave's going to do to get out there. He's our leader for a reason. He plays through anything.
I'm expecting him to be in the lineup tomorrow.

Q. With the way you guys played last night, do you feel like at times you were maybe able to get under their skin, throw them off their game?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: Yeah, I think when we play the game we want to play, that deep game, that game occupying the offensive zone, making the simple plays, keeping the puck out of our end, it's going to frustrate anybody. It did against Dallas and Chicago.
They were doing that to us in the first couple games. We switched it back on them.

Q. Can you put into words how critical Fabbri's been to your run?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: All the young guys, Eddie, Perry and Fabs. Obviously Fabs has contributed quite a bit, especially with Paulie and Brouwer on the power play. We're going to need him to continue what he's doing.
He brings a little jump up front. He's got those young legs, that excitement. Those guys have been like that all year. They're an important part of this team.

Q. Whether it's Jake, whether it's the guys that come in on the fourth line, young guys, can you compare the depth you have and how it's helped you this year compared to the last couple years when maybe you were in tough spots in the post‑season?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: We've always had depth. I think this year more than ever, this is closer than I've ever seen our group. Guys are willing to accept different roles.
It was like that in the past, but this year more than ever, guys seem to be doing what they have to to win. It's not always going to be pretty for a lot of guys.
That balance we have in those four lines, everybody sacrificing a bit to get that win, it's been the big difference.

Q. Does it say something about the team when guys go a month without playing and are ready?
ALEX PIETRANGELO: It's good coaching, I guess. They keep them in shape.
That depth, we have guys who aren't in the lineup that could be top six forwards on a lot of teams. To have those guys itching to get in the lineup, to get that opportunity to come in, like, they didn't miss a beat just goes to show the depth that Armie and Hitch have built here.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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