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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: PENGUINS VS SENATORS

May 14, 2017

Craig Anderson

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Practice Day

Q. A big win for you guys last night. How do you kind of keep an even keel after a win like that?
CRAIG ANDERSON: It's a new day. When you leave the rink, whether you win or lose, you try to put everything behind you and start fresh the next day. I think that's kind of the key right now. It's just staying in the moment as best you can.

Q. What's it like having Nicholle and the kids in the stands last night for you?
CRAIG ANDERSON: It was exciting. I think they bring definitely an X-factor to the game for me. It's an exciting time. I haven't seen the kids in a while. They haven't seen me play in a while since I was on TV. They always see it on TV. To be there live was great for them and just exciting.

Q. Is this a special Mother's Day?
CRAIG ANDERSON: Mother's Day is always special.

Q. Does it have an added meaning to it?
CRAIG ANDERSON: No, I don't think there's any more meaning. I think it's probably one of the first Mother's Days I've been playing, that's for sure. We'll take a little time today and reflect on it and spend some time with that and move on.

Q. Is it one of those things where Mother's Day is something you kind of celebrate every year, but when you've been through something in your real life, it's not as important because you've already had a lot of important days leading up to it?
CRAIG ANDERSON: Yeah, I think it's still important. I think it's widely recognized as a pretty big day for most. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for our mothers, and I know my kids wouldn't be the same without their mother. It's definitely a special day for everybody.

Q. How did the kids act after being up so late? I saw them on television, and it was 11:30, and they were in pajamas.
CRAIG ANDERSON: They had a good nap yesterday.

Q. You talk about turning the page, but at the same time, does it give you a little extra confidence having won on the road against the Stanley Cup champions?
CRAIG ANDERSON: We know as a group we have good hockey players. We're a good team. You have to respect your opponent. We know they're a good team. They've got a lot of star power. They've got some great players. Watching them play against Washington, they played great as a team.

So it's just a matter, for us, staying in the moment, and win or lose, getting ready for the next one.

Q. Do you anticipate anything significantly different from them in Game 2?
CRAIG ANDERSON: Hard to say. I'm sure they'll try to make adjustments, and that's the great thing about this game is that there's always adjustments. You read and react on the fly, and it's a game of mistakes. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is usually the team that wins.

Q. How happy are you for a guy like Bobby Ryan, who obviously went through a difficult off-season, had a difficult year on the ice, and now in his words saying he's kind of having a redemption playoff?
CRAIG ANDERSON: Bobby's been one of our best players this playoff run. He's -- you know, I think when we traded for him a few years ago, we were expecting the Bobby Ryan we've got right now. That's exciting to see as a player, as a team, as a teammate, as a friend. To see him have some success now and see him get a little bit of his swagger back, it's a good thing.

Q. Sidney Crosby and his line, particularly Jake Guentzel, really productive this postseason, yet they didn't generate as many shots in the last game. What do you attribute that to?
CRAIG ANDERSON: We like to play a tight checking game, take away time and space. When you're playing against players of that caliber, when you give them time and space, they'll make great plays, and they'll make you look silly.

Our guys did a great job last night of defending well and taking away time and space. I thought our physicality was really good with those guys making them earn their ice that they wanted to get to and made it hard for them to get to the net.

Q. Did you see many mistakes in front of you from your teammates last night?
CRAIG ANDERSON: Hard to say. I try to forget about the previous night as quickly as possible. Obviously, we did enough, right, to win the hockey game. There's going to be nights where things don't go the way you want it to, and there's going to be nights that go really well.

Again, it's one of those things where enjoy the moment when you're in it, but when the day's over, you move forward.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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