NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAPLE LEAFS v HURRICANES

May 25, 2002

Curtis Joseph

CURTIS JOSEPH: I thought we played real well the last game also, but just for some reason, it didn't go in the net and they made a couple of great plays. If we had played as good as we have in the last two games, we would be maybe better off.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Well, it was one where we had the lead and we haven't had a lead too many times in the series. We made sure we were good up ice and they kept coming in waves, obviously, but I thought we played good position, and let me see it and cleared a lot of rebounds.

CURTIS JOSEPH: I think experience always helps you in certain situations. Yeah, any time you could experience any pressure situations or situations that you can recall, that you've been in, it's going to help you, for sure.

CURTIS JOSEPH: I think for our team, yeah, playing with the lead is very important. They play such a suffocating style where they try not to make any mistakes and just play great defense; that if we get a lead we have to force them to open up a little bit. It's very important to get a led.

CURTIS JOSEPH: No, it was totally different. He was farther outside last time. Last time he had a great shooting spot, where they can get in an area, where they can beat you and you have to come out and challenge.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Yeah, you can say that as far as the home ice. I thought we played extremely well the last game, but a bounce here, a bounce there, you're not going to lose too many games when you play well, like the last game.

CURTIS JOSEPH: We've had guys coming back, and no question, coming off an injury, you're going to need a few games. Hopefully we are getting stronger at right times.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Two-day rest, yeah, you take what you're given and use it to your advantage. A couple of days, yeah, we'll be ready Tuesday.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Yeah, I could see him coming down -- now I know what you're talking about. That was on the power play. The other one was -- just to reiterate, he came in and teed up and he kept in and he kept pushing. This one was bang, bang, Francis is a great passer; and it was a one-time shot and you just try to get over there and get as much equipment over there and try to make a save. Yeah, it is different.

CURTIS JOSEPH: You take a quick look without trying to move your head and you try to see where everybody is. That's important for goaltending. If you can know where the guy is in relation to where you have to move, you can be square to the puck when you have to be bang, bang save. But it could have went in, also. It just hit me, got so much of my body over there and fortunately it stayed out.

CURTIS JOSEPH: We are a team that we are very scrappy, we have a lot of characters, a lot of tenacious guys and we are boarding on combustible. That's the way we play.

CURTIS JOSEPH: I don't know. I don't know where the puck went. I know it came out and kind of hit our guy lying down and then wasn't sure if it kept going so just tried to roll over and get as much of my body over there as I can. Couldn't really tell where it was.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Couldn't. Inconclusive. (Laughter).

CURTIS JOSEPH: The last time that we came back, the time that you are referring to, was in Edmonton. The feeling on that team was they really believed our team; that we could come back and win the series. I see this team believing in ourselves, in this dressing room. When push comes to shove, we can come up with a big game, and we have a lot of confidence in that room, a lot of veteran guys, and I think that's the attitude that you need to be able to come back.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Well, the pressure is still on us, obviously, being down 3-2. You know, we're still alive and we're looking for a big game at home.

CURTIS JOSEPH: Yeah, absolutely. When there was a goal, there was a nice cheer and you could see a lot of Leafs jerseys. There was a lot of people here from Toronto here to night, making the drive.