NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RANGERS v FLYERS

May 23, 1997

Terry Murray

Q. He has the flare for the dramatic once again?

TERRY MURRAY: That was a kind ending to a pretty wide open game I thought. I thought both teams had a lot of opportunities and in the second period, third period, to score that goal, that was -- I think it is pretty special goal not only that, you know, Lindros' score powerplay goal, but he took a back hand shot. That back hand shot is from almost the dot in the faceoff circle. You know, there is, I think, you'd see most players in that kind of position would try and pull it to a forehand and if that hadn't been the case, it might have been too late. Richter might have recovered. A defenseman might have been in the position, but it was just a tremendous shot taken on the back hands.

TERRY MURRAY: Well, we will enjoy the win to come up into New York and win both games and to this to win this one tonight, it was a pretty bizarre finish to it. We will enjoy the win, but we know that the most difficult game of the series is to win Game 4. We will go back home tonight. We will get to practice tomorrow and we get ourselves saying the right stuff after we leave the dressing room here tonight to know that again the most difficult game is Game 4 and we are going to have our hands full and on Sunday back home.

TERRY MURRAY: Well, I don't know. You know, we got a break on it, yeah, we -- again, both teams had such great opportunities, the Rangers have, you know, 4 on 3 in the second period. They had, I thought, real quality chances in the third period. Hextall played big, he played -- he was very big in the second period. I don't know if I feel we stole it. It is just the way it played out, it was -- it was a -- again a strange ending to a very entertaining hockey game.

TERRY MURRAY: When we scored the short handed goal, I figured geez, let us kill this minute up, minute 9 seconds let us just hang on and do the right stuff on the defensive side of the game, you have got the greatest player that has played the game and Gretzky ends up with the puck and in his favorite position behind the net. Makes a quality play and next thing you know it is tied. So, you know, you got to regroup. You have got to start all over again. But, that is what Playoffs are all about. It makes it exciting.

TERRY MURRAY: Yeah, the special teams did a great job here tonight. No question about it. You know, the penalties again that we killed off in the second period, that was huge for us. We came out in the start of the third period and we have a 4 on 3 powerplay and we lack intensity. We are not making it happen. Our passes, our decision making, we kind of blew that one right out the window and it was disappointing. But special teams, no question, were the difference in the game tonight.

TERRY MURRAY: Well, tonight Chris Therien uses, I think uses his size, his strength very, very well as compared to what we saw in the early part of this year and going back in the first two years. He is much more confident with it. His penalty killing I think has improved dramatically because of the size that he is now using along the boards to win battles for loose pucks, and also doing a great job in front of the net. I think it helps to have big bodies like that to clear the front so your goaltender can see the shots coming in from the blue line.

TERRY MURRAY: We got to the right defensive corner. Dykhuis was there, Clatt, Druce we all over commit it. I don't know who ended up with the puck from the Rangers side of it but to make the bank pass behind the net was clearly the right play because now we overreact. We start going with Svododa, I think what has to happen in a play like that is your defenseman has to stop in front of the net just to buy time for the rest of the team to recover, get the heck out of the corner. Druce, you're right, maybe could have got a stick on that pass or just been on his toes to see that that was really the only option that they had -- but, you know, so be it. Had a couple of great players execute and score.

TERRY MURRAY: Druce back in 1990 was incredible. He was the reason why the team moved on through the Playoffs passed the Rangers that year. He just -- everything he touched ended up in the net and makes a great play tonight, big play to poke the puck away from the Ranger's player in our zone. Go down and score a shorthanded goal, it was great timing for him.

TERRY MURRAY: That is hockey, I mean, I thought the hits that Eric took tonight hit the puck most of the time. When you have a player that has the puck, that is the way it is supposed to be. You are supposed to hit. Thank you.