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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: PENGUINS VS SENATORS

May 24, 2017

Carter Rowney

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Practice Day

Q. How much can you take away for this game, the Game 7 -- Coach called it a high stakes game -- going back to last series and playing in a Game 7?
CARTER ROWNEY: I mean, it's Game 7, it's the playoffs. It's an exciting time, right? I think we've got a lot of guys in our locker room that have been through it a lot, so there's a lot of people you can lean on for advice.

They're going to come out hard. Everyone's going to have their best game. I think it's just an exciting time to play, I guess, for a Game 7.

Q. Do the stakes make it different? You go to the Stanley Cup Final and get a chance to repeat, those sort of things. Do you try to block that out?
CARTER ROWNEY: Yeah, the stakes are high. It's playoffs. I mean, any Game 7, you're done if you lose, right? I think -- I mean, everyone knows the backs are against the wall, both sides, and I think, if you win, you get a great opportunity. But I think you've got to go out there and just worry about yourselves and worry about our team game.

Q. This is your first ride with these guys. Is it hard to think about the implications and what could happen in a Game 7? I'd imagine you probably grew up dreaming of playing in a Game 7 at one point, right?
CARTER ROWNEY: Yeah, everything's magnified in a Game 7, I think. Any little mistakes. You know both teams are going to defend hard, and both teams are going to bring their best game. It's something you dream as a kid, and at the same time, it's exciting. You know it's going to be a fun game, and you've got to take it all in. It's a do-or-die situation, and I think we're excited for the task.

Q. Numbers have shown that the team that scores first in Game 7 wins a lot of the time. You've been in one now. Why do you think that is?
CARTER ROWNEY: I think any time you can get off to a good lead, I think that's key. I think it can be -- maybe drag your emotions down if you're on the other side of it. I don't know, I just think, if you can get off to a good start and get that first goal, you keep rolling with it.

Q. Do you think managing emotions is a big part of a Game 7?
CARTER ROWNEY: Yeah, for sure. It's going to be a roller coaster out there. I think these refs are going to create some calls. There's going to be highs and lows on both ends. I think you've got to be able to control your emotions and be able to go out there and execute your game plan.

Q. How have you guys been so disciplined? I'd imagine it's got to be frustrating to see your captain, and things happen to him after the whistle or during games. How are you guys staying so focused and not trying to get involved in those extracurricular activities?
CARTER ROWNEY: I think we're just trying to play between the whistles. We've got a good team here, and we want to play the right way and play hard between the whistles. I don't think we want to give them an easy penalty after the whistle or anything like that. I think just play hard between the whistles.

Q. Sully keeps talking about resetting the mindset. What does that mean to you guys, and how have you been so successful in doing that, whether it's after a win or after a loss, given the stakes?
CARTER ROWNEY: We've got to be able to bounce back. I think it's a good team we have here, and I think for everyone just to be able to put their game behind us. It's the first one to four games, right? So I think now all the other games doesn't really matter much. Now it's just down to this one game. So I think just got to put that last game behind us and focus up for our next game.

Q. You guys gave up the power-play goal last game, and it was a five-on-three. Are you guys still confident in what you've been doing on the penalty kill in this series?
CARTER ROWNEY: Yeah, I think our penalty kill has been really good. They had a five-on-three for, I think it was a minute and a half. They have some good players, and they've been able to execute. I think our penalty kill has been good all series, and I think we're confident in it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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