NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PENGUINS v DEVILS

May 16, 2001

Larry Robinson

COACH ROBINSON: You know what, to be honest with you, I don't think that I quite thought about the year -- I thought overall, you know, the team responded really, really well. Thought we were playing pretty good going into the playoffs. But I think you never know what to really expect until you get involved. I think that the first three games, especially the Carolina series, we got ahead, but we were not playing as well as we should have been, and then we were able to rebound. Then the same thing happened in the Toronto series. So, I think the playoffs is about playing well and being able to adjust to different things that happen, and this is just another case of us having to make some adjustments in order to continue.

COACH ROBINSON: We have adjusted, and we have been able to get by, yes. I think we've had to play well -- we played well when we've had to play well. Usually we've played well when our backs are against the wall. That's probably the only part that I -- that disappoints me the most. Why do we have to wait until our backs against the wall to play well.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think they both looked a little rusty. But, I mean, when you have the opportunity to put players that have played well for you all year back into the lineup, I think you make that adjustment. But overall, I just think that we started off, played a pretty good first period, got up 2-0 and then stopped playing the way that we -- the way that we had started. We stopped being physical. We stopped getting the puck in deep. We made some poor decisions with the puck. Decisions that I mentioned that we did in the first game, and didn't pay the price for it, but we paid the price in the second game.

COACH ROBINSON: Probably.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, you handle it -- it's not just because you have veterans that you handle a team any differently. I think what you have to do is when you lose, you have to look at the reasons why you lost and go over those reasons and make sure that they don't respect again. You know, that's what we've been trying to do.

COACH ROBINSON: I consider the goaltender part of the team.

COACH ROBINSON: I think he's played as well. I don't think you can fault the goaltender -- fault a goaltender because of the losses. I think that you win as a team and you lose as a team. This isn't a case of, you know, one person not playing well. This is a case of the team didn't play well.

COACH ROBINSON: I'm not that upset about the way -- you know, aside from the few chances that he got on the powerplay and the one chance last night was off of -- right up -- just the puck was turned over right at the bench and he jumped down and got it. I think a guy like that, with his talent, is the same as the other guys on their club with talent eventually, good, talented people are going to get chances and I think you just have to limit and we have been able to do that.

COACH ROBINSON: Try to. It's a little more difficult because you don't want to take away the flow of your team as well. I would not say that I'm huge on match-ups, but I think they are key in different situations. You know, I would probably like to get them out there, it just all depends on what Ivan is trying it do on his side.

COACH ROBINSON: As good as theirs.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think -- I hate to use time-outs when you might need them. The other night, you know, I felt that when it was 4-2, if we do get that -- the third goal, then I'd like to have the time-out in the event that I have to get -- you know, key players back on the ice, so I would not want to use it at that point. I'm not a big fan of changing goaltenders. I think it's a part of the rule that makes a mockery of the game.

COACH ROBINSON: Yes.

COACH ROBINSON: As long as it takes. Last time I looked, it was still 1-1, so we've got a long way to go, and I think that we'll work on our mistake that is we made, but we also did some good things, as well.

COACH ROBINSON: If that was the case, I wouldn't mind it. In some cases, are you negative or are you just being realistic, and I hate to be a negative person myself. But you look at the tapes, you look them over and you look them over and all of the sudden the next thing you know, you're not looking at any of the good things, you're looking at the bad things. That's when you take it, set it aside, go out, have a beer, eat, comeback and look at it again. Because that's the one thing that you don't want to be especially at this time of the year is negative, but you also have to be realistic and try to find things that are going to hurt you. There are times when you make a bad play. That's part of the game. Mistakes are part of the game. But if they are repeated mistakes and it's the same people or the same line or you're doing the same things over and over, to me, that's a mistake that has to be corrected.

COACH ROBINSON: I think they were more aggressive on us. I think that was the big difference from the first game, but I think that a lot of mistakes that we made, we made in the first game, as well, but we didn't pay the price for it. The big thing that I thought we stopped doing was that we stopped getting the puck in deep and all of the sudden they were shooting it in and getting it in deep on us and fore checking us. So I think that was the biggest change that they made.

COACH ROBINSON: I think in his case the biggest thing is he's just getting too far ahead of the play all the time. Instead of being a little more patient offensively, he's pressing and most times he's too far ahead of plate and when he gets the puck, there's somebody on right away, and they are covering him pretty close, too. He's not getting that much ice. There's usually somebody around him all the time.

COACH ROBINSON: I didn't even know that he had a broken foot. Knowing him, he'll probably be out there with the broken foot. He's a tough kid.

COACH ROBINSON: He certainly brings a lot of character to that team, definitely.

COACH ROBINSON: I would say more it's -- it's more of a question of us getting a little too complacent and I think we are our own worst enemies in that when we are playing well, it looks like things are coming easy. And when we try to do things easy, then we end up making a lot of mistakes. We have to -- we have to realize where our strengths come from and stick to those strengths, as opposed to getting away from them. I think a lot of it comes from us doing a lot of circling and not -- not preparing ourselves to always get a pass or be in a position to get a pass. Trying to take the easy way.

COACH ROBINSON: You have to sometimes. That's why they sharpen your skates.

COACH ROBINSON: When they come off the ice, you have to point it out to them. You can only -- that's the only thing that you can do. You can tell them what to do or how to do it, what to do, but they are the one that is have to realize it and do it. We can't go out on the ice for them, unfortunately.

COACH ROBINSON: Well, I think that they have got enough talent. I don't think that by spreading out, mixing Jagr and Kovalev and everybody up, I think if anything, it makes them a much better team because now they have got three balanced lines.

COACH ROBINSON: Pretty well. They are going with their best against our best, and I think the only two that they have switched up has been Lemieux and Jagr, and for the most part, we have had the guys out there that we want against them.