NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: DEVILS v SENATORS

May 11, 2003

Patrik Elias

Joe Nieuwendyk

JOE NIEUWENDYK: We knew that going in that they had four lines that play consistently. They have a threat on every line. That makes the challenge that much tougher when you have to key on everybody. Maybe in the past few series we could do a special job on St. Louie or players like that, but it makes it that much more difficult this time around.

PATRIK ELIAS: I think it is a combination a little bit of both, but it was a clean game, both teams played pretty physical, but there wasn't really that many penalties that the referees could have called. Obviously our team against that team you don't want to give them any powerplays because they are so dangerous. We did a great job at it. So did they. It was a great job on both sides.

JOE NIEUWENDYK: I think so, you try and find positives even from a loss, and I think once we started to take the attack to them, started going ahead with the puck consistently, rolling our lines over, I think we started to turn the game around and the second period was very good for us. That's what I meant by their vulnerability, once we started going at them. It would have been nice to finish it off in the third, but you have to try and find positives and we will build on that.

PATRIK ELIAS: Well, like we knew it before the series that that's a team that everyone of -- everyone on that team is real skilled and skating well. They proved it again, so I think we have realized a little bit that we have got to be a little bit more patient; not to be overaggressive on them because they jump in the holes and support each other really well, and they got obviously that goal in overtime on that, but like Newy said in the second period we just worry about our game and we spread the ice a little more and made it a little bit more difficult on them. We know that we can play against that team and we got to focus on ourselves.