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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GOLDEN KNIGHTS vs JETS

May 19, 2018

Gerard Gallant

Winnipeg, Manitoba: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Has it always been your philosophy to use all your players? Everybody was involved, everybody played last night.
GERARD GALLANT: Well, I don't think you get here if you don't use your hockey players. We've done it from day one. Like I said, there's no reason for me not to use them because everybody competes, everybody battles, everybody is a part of our team.

You've been there all year. That's what we do. Guys compete hard, work hard. Do your job and you'll play.

Q. What kind of dividend can that pay? All your players have played now in the final minute of a one-goal game.
GERARD GALLANT: Yeah, no, for sure. Again, we've done it all year. It's not new for those guys. You're going to go out there, you're going to play, you have to play a 200-foot game. We want guys to be as good defensively as they are offensively, vice versa. Like I said, I feel comfortable putting most of our guys on the ice. There's no issues there.

Q. You've talked all year long, I can remember when the team was in a playoff spot for the first time, looked like it, you just wouldn't talk about it. You stayed right in the moment. Is this harder?
GERARD GALLANT: No, seriously we haven't changed from day one. I know people probably say it's pretty boring because I say that all the time. We don't worry what happened yesterday. We worry about what's going to happen tomorrow, get ready for that game. That's what we really focus on. I think our players do a good job of that. That's what it's been from day one.

Q. Do you ever worry now that it's this close, hasn't gotten to them yet, but one win away from the Stanley Cup Final, it might get to them?
GERARD GALLANT: I hope it doesn't. Like I said, it's hard, obviously the attention our team is getting. I thought that was going to happen from the first game of the playoffs. Really the guys, they haven't changed. Nothing different about them in practice. Nothing different about them when you're in this room with them. Come to the rink, have fun, work hard. Hopefully we play a real good game and we win.

Q. When you said from the first game of the playoffs it might be like that, players keep saying when was the eye-opening moment when you knew this was a team that could compete, when did you say, These guys are ready?
GERARD GALLANT: I wouldn't say I was worried about it. I really believed in our team right around the All-Star break. We had a tough trip going to Nashville, Dallas, back-to-back nights on the road. We come out of those games, we outplayed both of those teams, played great hockey. That's when I said to myself, this is a special team, the character on this team, they believe they can beat anybody. Going into those two buildings at that time was a big, big boost for us. It was a confidence builder for me, too.

Q. Was there a moment in the playoffs?
GERARD GALLANT: Again, I don't read a whole lot, I don't watch the news a whole lot. I just want to focus on what's going to happen.

I think a lot of people said, They had a great regular season, they had a great team, it's a great story. I think our players believe that we're as good as any team we're going to play against. The L.A. Kings was a veteran team that went a long way in the playoffs, won Stanley Cups. It didn't faze us. We were going to go play them, play them hard, see what happens. It wasn't an expectation of let's go there and try to win. It's let's go there and play our game, that's all it was.

When we got off to the great start against them, obviously to sweep a good team like L.A. was a big confidence builder for us. Then you go on to San Jose, another good solid hockey team. You look at the teams, there's that much between every team in the NHL now.

If you play well, you're going to have a chance to win. That's what we believe in.

Q. You mention that trip in Dallas and Nashville, All-Star Game. Was there a game early in the year when you walked into the coaching room and...
GERARD GALLANT: That's us. That was a tough trip.

Q. Before that, though. An early game when you beat somebody, you walked in just amongst your staff.
GERARD GALLANT: Yeah, no, I can't remember the games exactly. I remember coming in after a lot of games and looking at each other and saying, We found a way again tonight. Not that we were surprised, it's just that things are going well for us. Let's keep the puck luck, whatever is happening is happening. It was sort of a joke after some games, get on a streak where we win five or six in a row, tough teams, good buildings, we just said, We did it again tonight. It was sort of a joke amongst the coaches.

But our team, like I said, they don't surprise us any more. They play hard, play well, give ourselves a chance to win. That's all we ask.

Q. I think a couple days ago somebody was asking about accountability. You were saying, No, I throw them right back on the ice, give them that opportunity. Last night you prove it. Was there a time in your coaching career that it sort of evolved to that?
GERARD GALLANT: You know what, it's always been in my mind as a former player. You feel good about yourself when your coach feels good about you. I mean, I just think guys make mistakes, it's going to happen in the game. Players don't want to make mistakes, but the games would be pretty boring if nobody make mistakes. No two-on-ones, no breakaways. You ask your players to go out there, play hard, compete hard. Don't worry about making a mistake. When you worry about making a mistake, what happens? You make mistakes.

No, you try to be confident in your guys. They hold each other accountable. They really do. As a coach, play your guys, play your players, give them a second chance.

Q. Not much to be unhappy about when you're up 3-1. What are you unhappy about? What has to be better?
GERARD GALLANT: I think what really changed the game a little bit last night, their power play is real good. They move the puck real well, took some momentum. They had three power plays in the second period. It took something off our offense in our building, really hurt us a little bit. The third period they came out and had five, six, seven minutes of sustained pressure in our zone, couldn't get line changes. When people are tired on the ice, they're going to make mistakes. They had some great chances to tie that game up, there's no doubt, in the third period.

We just got to make sure, I say it again, we're staying out of the penalty box. We have to work hard, compete hard, continue to play our game. When we stand in our defensive zone, watch them cycle, move the puck down there, it's not going to be successful for us. Like I said, when it was, Fleury made some key saves at key times. We can't let them have six or seven minutes of sustained time in our zone like we did.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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