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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING


June 3, 2004


Jarome Iginla

Toni Lydman

Oleg Saprykin


TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Five

Q. Olie, tell me about the goal. Jarome had a great shot but you hung right in there right in front of the crease. There was three guys around you but you hung in there.
OLEG SAPRYKIN: Marcus Nilson make -- great play by Jarome. Jarome shot the puck and perfect -- he see me there and I just try to get a rebound and I just put it in.
Q. Where does this goal rank as far as your career is concerned?
OLEG SAPRYKIN: It's a great feeling. It is a great feeling for every guy in the room. I think guys battled so hard through and every guy deserved it, and we just try and stay for each other and it doesn't matter who scored the goal but we just tried to stay for each other for every guy in the room and on the ice support each other, too.
Q. Jarome, you had a long shift there. You lost your helmet. How did you lose the helmet? How did the play develop for you?
JAROME IGINLA: I lost my helmet there in front and I thought I was actually going to -- it was a good chance to score. Nilson went back to the point. It was a shot that got through and I kind of got behind the D. Khabibulin came out to make a save on the first short, rebound on the boards. I thought I would stuff it in. He got his leg out there. I tried to jam away. I got pushed down from behind and then I just -- I didn't know where the puck was. The whistle didn't go. Kept going somewhere around in our feet, and Nilson kept it alive. I think we got a line change there or something, and Olie was battling away, too, and Nilson made a great pass to me. I was very wide to get the original shot. He was going to shoot it on net, but he saw me rink right across there from about dot to dot. Olie was banging away in there, right in front of the net. He deserved that goal. He played so hard all night, was banging away all night, physical, skating and it was just so good to see that, him get that goal.
Q. Jarome, you didn't play badly yourself. Where does this rank, this evening's performance, as far as individual performances for you?
JAROME IGINLA: This is probably one of the most exciting days right now. I mean, to see that goal was probably one of the most exciting goals. This whole Playoffs we have had some overtime wins and some big goals. It just seems that each game has gotten more exciting to be a part of, each win, as it is a step closer. Personally, it felt pretty tough off the start. It was pretty quick out there, and the guys were going hard getting some chances. It hurt early to see Khabibulin make that save that could have made it 2-0, and he made a big leg save there.
Q. Could you talk about, you seem to have a game within a game with Khabibulin. You must have had five or six chances, obviously the two went in, but I mean, talk about the number of times you had opportunities.
JAROME IGINLA: I had -- I was saying that first chance I had to try to make it 2-0 off of -- Simon's shot came right to me. I thought I could whip it in and beat him there. He had a quick leg -- that was tough to see that save because 2-0 at that point of the game is a big, big goal. He played well all night. He was -- I had chances thankfully to Simon, and had chances. He was setting me up, and Khabibulin kept making the saves. It was tough. Great to see one finally sneak by him. That was nice to see that sneak there.
Q. Toni, when did you decide to play in tonight's game and how did you feel out there having missed, you know, 20 games now?
TONI LYDMAN: Well, the decision was just after warmup and I felt pretty good considering the time I took off there. The legs were there and a little rusty maybe, but the adrenaline took care of that.
Q. Jarome, when Modin scores it seems like it took the life out of you guys for a while. How did you get it back ? Two, your stats are amazing after a loss in the Playoffs you have got nine goals -- do you rev it up a notch after a loss?
JAROME IGINLA: First of all, it was tough to see that Modin goal go in. They got a power play and they made a play right off and went bang bang. At that point of the game we have been pretty good this year with the lead in the third period and it was tough. It was. It gave them some momentum we were able to hang in there. Kipper made some huge saves as he usually does. And I think we got some momentum there, I think, in the third a little bit. It was back and forth all night as far as momentum.
Second question, I think, you know, Playoffs I think everybody who plays you lose a game, you get so much more desperate. You try to have that desperation, that hunger every game, but you know, when you see the momentum slipping or I think everybody in our room tries to rev it up, but I didn't know those stats. Thanks.
Q. Tonight's game was more like what they said, the series was going to be a lot of up-and-down action, few penalties, what does this say about your team playing head-to-head with the skill of the Lightning? Originally your coach said you didn't have the skill to match the skill of the Lightning, but obviously you did it tonight.
JAROME IGINLA: Yeah, it was a more up-and-down game. It was. There was some more chances. It was quick out there. I think everybody on both teams realized how close the Stanley Cup is. It was short shifts. I think they probably were the same way. Everyone was giving it absolutely everything. They are very skilled team. We can't -- certain lines go out there, we have to make sure we have a high guy. You know, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Richards, they get room, they make things happen. I don't think anyone in our room questions whether they have more skill or not. We have just made it this far by trying to concentrate on ourselves and be more determined and try to be more determined than the other team. But we don't want to play up-and-down and we found ways to get goals and we believe in ourselves.
Q. Talk about the fact that you guys deserve to win this game by the way you played. Did you feel like justice was served, that you had numerous scoring chances, that you probably should have had a few more in the second? Perhaps justice was served by the win.
JAROME IGINLA: It was an interesting game to be a part of. It was very up-and-down. There was a lot of momentum swings for sometimes there. Yeah, we feel like we deserve this. We're going to get that next one. All of a sudden we're in our zone and they are buzzing around us, and Kipper has to make some huge saves. It was back and forth. In overtime they had some of the plays there, so as far as deserving, I don't know if that's -- it feels good, though. We don't feel they deserved it, but it was a tough one.
Q. Sounding a little bit like Conroy a little bit. How do you temper that? You are pretty excited. You go home with the chance of winning the Cup. What is the approach going to be Saturday night in Calgary? There were 17,000 people watching the game on the Jumbotron in the Saddledome and the Lightning are going to be desperate again?
JAROME IGINLA: I think the -- we realize that they are going to be desperate more so than ever. We're going to enjoy this win for a half hour maybe and then it's back to business. It really is. I think we're all pretty excited. It's one win away. But there's so much work to be done and we're not going to get ahead of ourselves. This is too close. As far as being desperate, we plan on being pretty desperate, too, with seeing this 60 -- you know, possibly 60 minutes away to all of our dreams.
Q. Was it the plan going in to play an end-to-end game like that or was it something that happened by accident?
JAROME IGINLA: No. (Laughs) It wasn't the plan. It's something that happened by accident or it was a quick game. Everybody on both teams was giving it absolutely everything. We had some chances. We had our fair share of two-on-ones and three-on-twos and things but they had theirs, too. That's not really our team. But we found a way to win a different game that's not usually our style.

End of FastScripts...

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