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WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY

September 20, 2016

Henrik Lundqvist

Toronto, Ontario

Team Sweden – 2
Team Finland ‑ 0

Q. Henrik, when Loui's empty netter went in, you kind of gave a little fist pump. What did his performance from a team standpoint but for you specifically mean to you?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Well, it was a big game for us. We had an opportunity to knock the Fins out of the tournament, and even if we have the win here, we're not in the semis yet. We know the importance of this game, and I think we played really smart. We played really hard.
But we knew the Fins would come out and be very desperate, and we tried to match that. They had a few opportunities, but overall I felt like we played with really good structure.
And it really helped me get comfortable out there. I felt pretty rusty the first period, not as aware as I wanted to be, but I got some really good help with some loose pucks and stuff like that.
And then second and third, I felt more and more comfortable. But it was fun. I really enjoyed being out there playing. Big game, important game, and not being able to play the first, you never know where it's going when you're not healthy and how long it's going to be before you feel ready to play. So I was just excited to be out there, and of course you want to make sure you help the team, too, to get the points.
But I felt very comfortable with the way the guys were playing in front of me helping me, like I said, with loose pucks and stuff like that.

Q. What did this game do for your peace of mind? You may have not been sure coming in, hadn't played in a while, didn't get much in training camp. Where are you now as opposed to where you were coming in?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Good question. I think almost every period you can feel like you get more and more comfortable. This is my third game in four months, so you try to move your game in the right direction. Every 20 minutes you play, you get more and more comfortable. Like I said, I felt like I was reading the game better in the second and third period compared to the first, but that's also something you have to work on every game. Sometimes you take a step back and sometimes you take two in the right direction.
Obviously it was an important game for me. You try to build your game, but at the same time you have to make sure you're helping your team here. It's important games. So you can't just go out there and try to feel good and start building your game. It's too late for that. I had two games to do that, and now it's for real. You just try to be really focused, and yeah, just do your best out there.

Q. Just to pick up on what you were saying there, I guess your pre‑tournament games didn't maybe go as well as you had hoped, pretty much polar opposite today. Is there a different mindset when the games count as to when you're kind of preparing?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Well, for a lot of people, you just look at the score and determine if it's a good or a bad game. For me and for a lot of guys in the room, you analyze your game in a certain way, and that game, my last game, I don't know how many two‑on‑ones, a few breakaway goals, so you have to be careful when you analyze your game.
There was a lot of things I did in that game I felt really good about, and today there was a couple of things I didn't feel great about, but I had great support today. I had some luck when I needed to, and it's a fast game. A couple times I made some poor decisions, but it played out good anyway. That's how it goes sometimes.
You know, obviously it's good for your confidence when you play a game like this and you're able to do a lot of good things and help the team here. But the important thing is to realize we have another big one tomorrow. We're not in yet, and we're playing a team with a lot of skill. I think they move the puck more side to side than maybe the Fins do. The Fins go pretty straight to the net, try to create rebounds and chances like that. So it's going to be a great challenge for me and for the team tomorrow.

Q. You were just sick, so physically do you feel okay to play back to back?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Physically I felt really good. You know, I walked out to the game and had a lot more energy today than I had a couple days ago, and that alone gives you more confidence knowing that physically you're good.
Mentally that was tougher to really get your focus in the right frame of mind. I felt like in the first period I was a little bit all over the place, but it helped having really good structure in front of me. With the way our D are playing and the forwards coming back, it helps you to build your game.
If I compare this game to my last game I played, it was more open game, more open chances. That's a lot tougher game to play. Today I felt like we were in a lot of structure and really good position to help me.
But physically I feel really good now.

Q. Will you play in the next game?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: I hope so. I haven't talked to the coach yet. But I want to go, and it's an important game, we're not in yet, but he makes the call.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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