	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: PENGUINS VS SENATORS

May 14, 2017

Codi Ceci

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Practice Day

Q. You know you're in Round 3. It was obviously a big opening against a very good team.
CODY CECI: Yeah, definitely the first time for a lot of us in the third round, playing against the Stanley Cup champions last year. So we were pretty excited for the game, but also the nerves are there a little bit. We just decided to keep it simple in the first period.

Q. The first ten minutes obviously went the way you wanted in that you were even after ten. Is that kind of the exhale point when you get through the first ten minutes?
CODY CECI: Yeah, for sure. Just trying to get out of the period even. We took a couple more penalties than we would have liked to. Killing the whole first period wasn't ideal, but we got it done, and that was a big momentum swing for us.

Q. How were you guys able to do that? That power play has a lot of options to it.
CODY CECI: They have a lot of high end skill. We had to be aware of what they like to do and just try and frustrate them as much as we could. We were able to do that, and I think that turned the game for us a little bit.

Q. Do you think you were able to frustrate them overall, not just on the penalty kill? It seemed like your style and you were able to dictate what you wanted to do in that game.
CODY CECI: Yeah, a little bit. They're high end players. They're going to find a way to get their chances. So we'll see what they come out with the next game. I thought we did a pretty good job defensively on them.

Q. How would you describe the Senators' identity? What makes the Senators the Senators?
CODY CECI: I think the fact we're all on the same page, different guys every night doing the job. There's guys stepping up offensively, but everyone knows what we have to do defensively, and everyone buys into that.

Q. Cody, it's a league where everybody always says, we don't worry about the opponent. Every coach will tell you that. Yet everybody talks about the Senators and your style. How much of an advantage is that heading into a game, heading into a series?
CODY CECI: Just the style we play helps us out. We don't have to change much against -- it doesn't matter who we're playing. We don't have to change it too much, which helps us. We're pretty comfortable in our own system at this point. I think that helps any team at this point in the year.

Q. One of the things that a guy like Sidney Crosby does so well is play below the dots, play below the line. You guys seemed to limit him there. You weren't generating chances off of that. What do you think you did specifically against him to limit his line as a result?
CODY CECI: Those are guys you've got to play tight on. Actually, a lot of their offense has come off rushes. So we focus in on that. They've got a ton of skill out there. I think just having those guys out there helps you focus a little more, stay tighter to them, and try to limit their chances.

Q. Those people of a different vintage are watching the series and kind of saying that the way you guys play is a little reminiscent of New Jersey in the 1990s and frustrated other teams. You're, what, 22-ish? Do you even know what that means?
CODY CECI: No, I didn't watch it at the time. I know that's what they carried as a reputation. I mean, it's a different style a little bit, but we're winning games, and as long as everyone's on the same page, it works out really well.

Q. You talked about accomplishing in the first game, winning on the road, setting the tone with the first win. What does that do for the team with the confidence moving forward?
CODY CECI: It's great for us. A lot of people were doubting us and almost made us start doubting ourselves, just as they were Stanley Cup champions last year and they have a lot of high end skills.

Us getting this first game, it gives us a little more confidence, but we know it's still a pretty big task ahead.

Q. If you look at how the last series went, the Rangers were able to make the adjustment on you guys, and they were able to get through. They did it in Game 2 and lost. They did it especially in Games 3 and 4. Is that sort of a learning experience for you guys to understand similar speed type of teams, a similar team that likes to generate off the rush, that they're going to make those kinds of adjustments. Does that give you a better idea how to handle it?
CODY CECI: They're both very fast teams. I think we learned a lot from that series. I think it showed last night. We knew they were going to be coming at us fast, but we adjusted a little bit, and I think it worked out pretty well.

They're going to come at us with something different in Game 2. We're just going to have to adjust as quick as possible and see what happens.

Q. Cody, 6-1 in OT games now. Is there a certain comfort that you guys have playing in overtime?
CODY CECI: I don't know what it is. We went to overtime quite a few times this year. Obviously, a bunch in these first couple rounds of playoffs. I don't think there's anything in particular. It's just the way things are going. We've been sticking to our system right through overtime.

Q. What's the one change or attitude that Boucher has brought in that's made the biggest difference?
CODY CECI: I guess the whole system in general. We never played like that in the past. Everyone bought in right away. No one tried to rebel against it or tried to play their own way. Everyone was on the same page from day one, and just from playing the same way all year, it's paying off now.

Q. We see Erik Karlsson play 30 minutes a night as well as any defenseman does in the NHL. What do you guys see as the quiet moments for him that aren't in the public eye. Tell me what that's like working with him.
CODY CECI: He's definitely a special player on the ice. Off the ice, he just carries himself like any normal player would. He's nice to everyone. He'll take the time to talk to anybody. He's a great guy off the ice, and definitely a special player to watch on the ice.

Q. Do you feel it when the frustration starts to appear? I mean, the game you play, it much be very frustrating for your opponents. Do you feel it getting there? The frustration.
CODY CECI: We definitely notice. That just means we're doing a good job. So it's almost like out of the back for us. Sometimes I can take that frustration, try a little harder, and come out. We try to take it with a grain of salt. We just kind of step back, keep playing the same way, try not to focus on them too much, just focus on ourselves.

Q. When you think about the weapons that Pittsburgh has, how important is the bench management? I know it's tough, when you're on the road, to get the matchups you want. Just talk about how alert everybody has to be on the bench.
CODY CECI: There's a little mix and matching going on. Guys coming on and off the ice. They could have a five-second shift, and if it's not the matchup on the defensive end that Karl wants, he'll tell someone, and we'll try to switch as quick as possible. We've been doing that all season long. I think that's just part of how we play and what we're trying to accomplish.

Q. Is it fun to do? We're talking a lot about the forward lines being juggled. The defense varies all season long, juggled on the fly as well.
CODY CECI: It's a little confusing at times. At this point, we'll do anything to win. It's not about personal stats at this point. We're just trying to accomplish one goal, and that's to win one game at a time.

Q. I'm guessing Pittsburgh didn't give you anything that you weren't expecting last night.
CODY CECI: No. They came at us at times. They had a lot of pressure. Just tried to handle it as well as we could. Made some big saves for us in the second period when we were feeling that pressure. Ended up winning us the game.

Q. (Inaudible), good to see he's at the top of his game, the last game against the Rangers and now this one.
CODY CECI: Exactly. He was huge for us last night. They poured on the pressure in the second period. Made a couple of great saves off of redirections. Those gave us a lot of momentum. He kept us in the game all night long. Ended up winning the game for us.

Q. Your coaching staff likes to mix up the forward lines a lot but tries to keep you guys together as much. How important is that chemistry that you have, especially with Methot right now?
CODY CECI: I think that's pretty important. We kind of play off each other's tendencies. We tell them when he mixes us up and when he mixes Karl and Methot up. They're all great players, but we get used to each other's tendencies. So we don't like it as much. He tries to keep as together as much as possible.

Except for on the road when we're trying to match different guys, but he gets us together for the majority of the game.

Q. You see the way he mixes up the forwards, I know they chuckle. The forwards don't know from day to day what the line combinations are going to be.
CODY CECI: They write them all on the board, but we all know they're subject to change, and they do change at times. I don't know if they mind or not. They all get along up there. So I don't think they mind too much. Sometimes it's what you need to jumble up a bit and let them have some fun.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297