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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: CAPITALS vs LIGHTNING

May 20, 2018

John Carlson

Washington, D.C.: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Braden said yesterday you guys don't like to make it easy on yourselves. Why do you think you respond well to adversity?
JOHN CARLSON: I think first off, our team this year definitely wasn't a Cinderella story. But I think for being a division winner, we had to claw our way most of the season. Things didn't always go our way. I think we can draw from that for what's upcoming for us.

I don't know. I think we played parts of a really good hockey game last night. We didn't come out on the right side because of some timely lapses. We're going to be better for the next one.

Q. The focal point this season has been starts, like what coach said. Last night rough start to the game, start of the second period kind of rough. How can you be better prepared for the first two shifts?
JOHN CARLSON: It's not about preparation or anything. It's just kind of really focusing in. Everyone's ready to go. Everyone treats these games like they deserve to be treated. They've just come out with the better starts really. That's what it comes down to.

We know we got to come out with a better start at home, give our fans something to cheer about, and play the brand of hockey at home that we've had so much success over the past years to this point.

Q. I don't think you guys have lost four straight all year. What is the process you go through to move on and respond in the next one?
JOHN CARLSON: Well, you got to win the next one. I think that's got to be your focus. You always want to win the series. We got a good opportunity going home to win a game, then we'll be back down here.

That's our singular focus. That's all we'll worry about. That's all we'll think about. I have a lot of faith in this group to be able to be coming back here.

Q. (Question regarding elimination games.)
JOHN CARLSON: It's obviously a lot less stressful when you're on the other side of it. No one expected this to be an easy series. We would have liked it to be in different scores right now. You can't control that. The only thing we can control is how we start our game tomorrow night. That's really as simple as it gets.

Q. Last night Ovi didn't get a shot on goal till late. How important is it for you to create more opportunities for him to get the puck to the net?
JOHN CARLSON: I don't know. It's important. He likes to shoot the puck a lot. The more he has it on his stick, in good shooting positions, the better off our team is. So, yeah, we got to work a little bit better for him.

I don't watch every single shift of his, but he's got to get to different areas, too. It's a team game. Wherever the shots are coming from, they're coming from. But certainly if there's a choice, he's got a chance to shoot, he should probably be the one shooting.

Q. You've been in a bunch of elimination games on either side. How do they feel different?
JOHN CARLSON: It's a lot more tension, I think. But I think we've done well in those situations. Obviously we haven't faced elimination yet. We kind of had our backs against the wall a couple times this year in this playoffs. We can draw from those experiences.

Just got to go out there and play hockey. That's what we do. X's and O's, they're not going to change from Game 1 to now. Just all about upstairs and what you can control. I think if you stay in the moment like we have, we got a pretty good chance of winning.

Q. Is it hard to move past the disappointment? You had a 2-0 lead, now you're in this situation.
JOHN CARLSON: Less than ideal. But like I said, we've dealt with a lot this year. I think these guys are a very capable group that is very capable of winning the next game. That's all we're worried about.

Q. Vasilevskiy has gotten himself into a little bit of a hot streak. The team has had some great scoring chances. Is there something you have to do to break him out of the zone that he's in right now?
JOHN CARLSON: I think, yeah, they're playing a little bit better than they probably did in the first two games. I think that has something to do with it. He's certainly raised his game. I think we can give him some different looks, some different angles, stuff that we've worked on the whole season.

I think we're making a lot of good plays, we're getting a lot of good chances. Just that one extra guy here and there is a big difference for a goalie. I think we got to bring that extra guy in to possibly be a rebound option, pass option, just make him think a little bit, make him guess a little bit.

Q. Your chance at the end of the game last night, couldn't handle the puck right when it got to you?
JOHN CARLSON: Yeah, I was kind of doing both. I was looking for Kuz to pass it to me. I also had to play the rebound as well. I just got a little bit closed in my stance, wasn't able to get it off from my back foot there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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