NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: MIGHTY DUCKS v DEVILS

June 6, 2003

Paul Kariya

PAUL KARIYA: Well, at home, we do get last change, so obviously we can roll things over a little better and get the match-ups we want. It doesn't matter who you play against, you have to do your job out there. The second question was?

PAUL KARIYA: Well, I think so. It's going to come. As a team, we started -- I felt we played pretty well offensively. We started to move the puck better the last three games. And myself individually, I have to start creating more chances out there.

PAUL KARIYA: No, I think if you look at the game, we scored 3 goals and that should have been plenty to win a playoff game. Any time you give up six goals in the playoffs, your odds aren't good at winning. If anything, we've given them too many offensive chances. That's not been the way we played through most of the playoffs. I think our offense is coming, and we have to get back to playing tighter defensively.

PAUL KARIYA: I don't know if anything has surprised me. We knew going in how good defensively they were, and how disciplined their team played. I think offensively, they've got a lot of guys that can put the puck in the net. It seems like a new guy every game is doing it for them offensively. Guys like Rafalski, Niedermayer and Stevenson are doing a good job. All their forwards are contributing.

PAUL KARIYA: Oh, yeah, that comes with the territory. My job is to produce offensively and create offensive scoring chances. If I'm not doing it, obviously I'll get a lot more heat than the guys on the fourth line. Like you said, that comes with the territory. I have been through ups and downs through my career. As long as I stick with it and keep working, it will come.

PAUL KARIYA: I think they're a very good team, as being disciplined. As you've seen throughout the series, we haven't had any 2-on-1 breaks or clean-cut 3-on-2s. If we do, they always have their third and fourth guy coming back hard and taking time and space away from the forward. Most of the ice is behind their defensemen. Whenever we've created scoring chances, it's on faceoffs or down-low cycle plays. That's what we have to do more of. There is not much space through the neutral zone, so offense has to be generated through cycle down in the corners behind the net and slot shots.

PAUL KARIYA: Well, I wouldn't like to see anything that would -- if a change is made, you basically have to stop the records or what's happened before in the league. If you did that, then from the time you made it bigger going forward, there would be an astericks, and it would be a completely new game. I think there are ways to make more room in the net, whether it's taking some of the equipment off the goalies. Actually, our goalie coach had a great idea: keep the net the same size but make the post diagonally so any shots that hit the post, they go in.

PAUL KARIYA: I thought that was a good idea. Because then you're not changing the dimension of the net.

PAUL KARIYA: I like to do my talking in the room, not out here with you guys. But we realize we didn't play our best game in New Jersey, and we have to -- today's a new day. We've just gone through some video, learned some of the things we have to do to not give up six goals, and we'll be a lot better tomorrow. Our focus just has to be on tomorrow night's game and what we have to do to play our best game.