NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

May 29, 2001

Larry Robinson

COACH ROBINSON: Probably we will. We only switched the pairings for basically, for the Pittsburgh series. Our guys are familiar. I know somebody said to me yesterday if you use all the combinations that you can think of, I think it comes out to 15 combinations and we had 13 and Colorado had 12, so I think there was a lot of juggling and everything going on. And that's great. I mean, that happens in a game depending on the situations, but sometimes you can overcoach too and you know, really confuse the guys. So, I think we have really got to just get our pairings, feel comfortable with them, same with our line combinations and just go out there and play.

COACH ROBINSON: Probably harder for you guys to make up the questions than for us to answer. (LAUGHTER). That's just -- I think that's part of the business. Everybody always mentions about us being the Stanley Cup Champions and so forth and to repeat and everything. That's the farthest things from our day-to-day conversations. We know and we realize that you have to live on the present and the present is that we didn't play very well the first game. We did a lot of watching and not a lot of skating and because you are not skating you are not being physical and you are not being involved and if you are not being involved and you are not skating, you are not going to be able to play against the Avs because they are just a skating, moving, fast, fast team. There is nothing worse than continually skatin and all you are seeing is your own goaltender. You know you are playing a good game if you are at least looking at the other side.

COACH ROBINSON: I think it's hurt both teams. We are just sitting around waiting, waiting for what, you know, when you get into these and I am sure Bob is the same way, when you get into these games you'd rather just go out and play. All the videos and all the practices, we have been doing it for 109 games now, and so you basically you want to get out there and play the games, probably makes it easier on you because you have less questions to ask as well.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, everybody that we have got on our club now is really fit and had a purpose. Bobby Corkum came to our club because last year, I thought we won despite the fact that we weren't a good faceoff team and if you want to continue playing well, you have got to have the puck and there is no better way to get the puck than to win it on a faceoff. Bobby is a great faceoff man; can play the penalty killing; can play pretty well any position and so basically he was brought in just for that purpose to be able to come in in situations like we are in right now or the last series we had injuries. He came in and played terrific and was a big contributor in the last series and the series before. So he has been everything that we have expected and more.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think you shadow a player in the case where most of their offense and most of the play is surrounded by that one particular individual. For instance, an example would have been when Mario wasn't in Pittsburgh. A lot of -- 95% of their offense or at least 65% in that area comes from Jagr. You go to Florida, you shadow a guy like Bure because he is 90% of their offense so in those cases it makes sense. But to me there is more to the Avs than one person. I think that they have got a very balanced attack. They have got three very good lines as well and their fourth line is a high-energy line that scored some big goals for them in the Playoffs. But I think a lot of their play comes from the goaltender out. I think they have got a terrific defensive core and Patrick has stood tall for them.

COACH ROBINSON: In this case, I don't think that a goaltender can get into our heads only because the three goaltenders that we have met so far in the Playoffs in every Playoff series has played unbelievably well. They are all great goaltenders. So I mean, there is a reason that teams get as far as we have all gotten and we are not standing here today if, you know, if Marty doesn't play terrific and the Avs aren't here today, if Patrick doesn't play terrific, so I mean, goaltending is a huge, huge part of the Playoffs. But we also know that we certainly did not give Patrick much work last game.