NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

June 2, 2001

Bob Hartley

COACH HARTLEY: Well, I think that overall we didn't give ourselves a chance to win the game. You generate 12 shots and in an entire game it is pretty tough to win a Stanley Cup Finals, so I think that it starts with our pressure up front and we made it tough on our defense and on Patrick. I feel that our blue line and Patrick were outstanding tonight.

COACH HARTLEY: I think that we all saw the play and it is unfortunate that the puck popped out. There was an open net. So there is not much that we can do in situations like this. Unfortunately it happens. I think Patrick has been outstanding. He has been outstanding for us since the start of the Playoffs and even tonight. I feel he was our best player out there.

COACH HARTLEY: Hejduk is getting stitched right now. I didn't get any reports yet on the injury.

COACH HARTLEY: Both teams don't get much room on powerplays. I think that you look the way that goals are scored on both sides it is a matter of fighting for each inch of ice out there. It is tough. So whether our powerplay or their powerplay, I feel that powerplay gave us some big goals since the start of this round. Like tonight it was tougher, but I think that I rather give credit to both penalty killings rather than to look at powerplays. I feel the execution is good, but pressure on both teams is much better on penalty killing.

COACH HARTLEY: Hey, the goaltending is such a big part of moving the puck and Patrick has been so strong for us that playing the puck behind the net is now part of playing goal. Whenever a situation like this happens, it is always like you know, like looked under the microscope but how many times has he handled the puck very successfully for us. Like I just said I felt that he was our best player out there.

COACH HARTLEY: I feel that the entire game you generate four shorts per period, like it is not a matter of reacting after their second goal, like we had a chance to put them away in the first and we didn't. That always comes back to haunt you. We just have to put this behind us. Right now, right now. We have to put ourselves in the frame of mind that we are heading back home. It is now a best out of 3 and we still have home-ice advantage. We came here and we got a split. So I think that we have to look at the positive side. There's two ways to look at it. Look at the negatives. Yeah, we lost tonight, but I felt that we played a very strong Game 3 and now we are heading back there our Pepsi center full of our fans and we certainly want to take advantage of this.