NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: AVALANCHE v RED WINGS

May 28, 2002

Steve Yzerman

STEVE YZERMAN: I guess it is a little bit, but you try not to worry too much about the outcome of the game. You try to approach it really as any other game in the season. And you approach every other game as a must win, so that's it.

STEVE YZERMAN: I'm trying to reflect on the five games now. I think it was a combination. We're a very patient defensive team. We're just a different team than the Avalanche was in '96, where that was an offensive line that generated chances team. This team plays much more defensively and are patient. They don't really force as much, so it's not going to be a wide open game. It's going to be counterattack in combination with good goals. And a good defensive hockey team that keeps it low scoring. Neither team is actually scoring a ton of goals, so we're not really concerned with production. The last two won in overtime. There is only been a one-goal differential.

STEVE YZERMAN: I think things are pretty good, really, you know, you win by having contributions from a lot of different guys and everybody playing well. And we have gotten to this point by everyone playing generally fairly well and nobody having to carry the team, and we need to stick with it. We're in again similar to the Vancouver series, although this is a little more desperate now, but having to go into the opposition's building and having to win a game, and we're comfortable knowing we can do that. So we're not about to fall apart now.

STEVE YZERMAN: Whether it makes a difference, there is not really a lot I can say, other than we know what we're faced with. And I feel comfortable that we're down 3-2 and we have to win. You know, it's not over right now, and I'm very confident in our team.

STEVE YZERMAN: It doesn't really matter, does it. We played very well, and we have to stick with it and things will turn. It doesn't always go your way. You plan things. You come up with game plans. You train, you practice hard. Things aren't necessarily going your way, because the opposition has a game plan of your own. So you just stick with it, and we make minor adjustments. And we've played pretty well in this series. For the most part, we've played pretty well. We just got to kind of keep plugging away, and our guys are good enough to win.

STEVE YZERMAN: You know, they're not sitting at home right now thinking we've got the series won, we just need to win one out of two, it's not a big deal. They feel the same way as we do. We have to win the game. So whether we're up 3-2 or down 3-2, this is a pretty -- you would be approaching this game with the same butterflies and the same urgency being up 3-2 or down 3-2.

STEVE YZERMAN: It's now or never, I guess. I'll have to come up with something this afternoon.

STEVE YZERMAN: No, not yet. I'm just getting prepared for the press conference first. I'll deal with my team afterwards.

STEVE YZERMAN: I don't know. We don't really need to change a lot. We'll stick with what we're doing and make a few changes and the coaches will take care of the lineup a little bit. It's a situation where we have to win a game and we have to play a big game, and I'm comfortable that our team will do that. So it's a situation where you don't fall apart and pack it in and you'll be all right.

STEVE YZERMAN: Definitely. Despite being down 3-2, it's exhilarating and fun to play in. They're some of the best hockey players in the world, and it's a pretty big stage, and it's really enjoyable, and I look forward to playing again tomorrow. We have a big game and everybody is focused on it. The hockey world is watching it and it's really a great opportunity to make a good impression on people, but just to enjoy the ups and downs, the nerves and the tension in the game. The more you play, the more comfortable you are. This is a great series. Being down 3-2 isn't a shock. I didn't plan on being in this position again, but we are.