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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: PENGUINS VS SENATORSMay 24, 2017Matt MurrayPittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Practice Day Q. Matt, how do you stay positive? What's the psychology of a Game 7 when you know it's do or die and you want to keep bad pucks away and only good pucks go in? MATT MURRAY: I think just the fact that it's coming down to one game, and everything that's led up to now really doesn't matter. But at the same time, we want to take those good feelings from the last couple games -- I thought we played really well, even last night. So, yeah, you just do what you need to do. You just try and worry about what you can control, and that's how we prepare and how we play. I think, if we do that, the rest will take care of itself. Q. Game 7 against Washington, you watched it from the bench. Were you more nervous than being on the ice? MATT MURRAY: Yeah, probably, honestly. I feel like, when you're watching, you just feel a little bit more helpless. So maybe that's why I was more nervous. But, yeah, the whole time I was hurt and I was watching that, I definitely get a little bit more nervous in the stands than I do on the ice. Q. What do you remember about going into Game 7 in the Conference Final last year, and do you think that experience can help you? MATT MURRAY: Yeah, I remember -- it was about a year -- exactly a year ago. Yeah, I'll definitely use that, draw on that to prepare for this one. Like I said, it's just kind of everything comes down to one game and just take things one shift at a time, one save at a time, and focus on what you can control. Q. Do you block out that a trip to the Stanley Cup final is at stake? MATT MURRAY: Yeah, I mean, when you're on the ice, I feel like, for me, that stuff kind of fades to the back. You just worry about stopping the puck. I mean, once that puck drops, it's kind of like nothing else matters. You really forget what's outside the glass and what's outside of that moment. Q. Have you always been able to focus on what you can control, or is that sort of a skill that you developed over time, maybe with help of coaches and teammates and, I don't know, sports psychologists or books or something like that? MATT MURRAY: Yeah, it's definitely a skill, something I work on quite a bit. You know, it's just mental awareness more than anything, I think. Yeah, it's not easy sometimes, obviously, but, yeah, something I definitely work on and something that, I think, definitely helps in being successful. You just try and stay in the moment and really try to forget about everything else. Q. Matt, specifically, what are your take-aways from that Conference Final last year? Considering you're a year older, you have a Cup under your belt, and like you said, you find yourself in that situation again a year later? MATT MURRAY: I don't know specifically. I mean, just what I said already, just take things one shot at a time. That's what I tried to do last year, and that's what I try to do throughout the playoffs and throughout my career. I think, in times like these, you kind of get back to basics, and you worry about the fundamentals and the simple things. You really try not to think too much. Q. Is playing in a Game 7 fun, or is it too intense to be fun? MATT MURRAY: Of course it's fun. Hockey's fun. Yeah, I mean, it's always -- I would say it's added fun when the stakes are high just because, I mean, everybody's trying that much harder and it's that much more intense. So I think it's fun to kind of get lost in those moments and to just do what you can do. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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