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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: FLYERS v LIGHTNING

May 18, 2004

John Tortorella

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Five

Q. The powerplay was key for you guys tonight. What was it that made it effective tonight?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Well, one of them a draw, a faceoff which is important. The 4-on-3, it's a play that we have talked about doing, Rammer had a chance in between periods to set up something and I think that's obviously a very important goal. And I think slowly it's been coming on. It's been chipping in and we have scored some very important goals there. Obviously that was the biggest key tonight, our powerplay and then our penalty killing, special teams.
Q. Was that first period the best first period of the Playoffs for you guys do you think?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Yeah, that's a good period and I didn't expect us to be playing at that level for the three periods. But we have got to find a little bit of in-between there as far as our play in the latter two periods.
But we wanted to come out hard, obviously. You know Philly is going to do the same thing in Game 6. I think a start is very, very important. Everybody was involved. That was one of the better periods we have had in the Playoffs.
Q. Talk about the play of Khabibulin, especially in that third period, he made a number of great saves there?
JOHN TORTORELLA: He was outstanding. He was outstanding. I thought Bobby Esche played very well too. I think this series both goaltenders have been very good. It's snowballed on us a little bit towards the second half of the second period and into the third period and Nik stood tall and that's a key in that second half of the game with his play and as we say, Final Four teams, you are not going to be here if your goaltender isn't your best player and that certainly is helping with us and I think Esche is playing very well with Philly.
Q. Talking about players stepping up to a next level, Richards comes up with two goals. Talk about his overall play. He seemed to be aggressive going to the puck?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Richie played a very good game. I think when you -- I don't think any one guy or one player is going to win a game, but I think you need someone that's going to lead and jump on my back here - it's going to be my night, come with me, but then everybody has to chip in. But Richie, last year fought it a bit at times. I think he's really stepped up this year and obviously this was one of his better games. Not only just because he scores a couple of goals but his play away from the puck also. This is a tough team down low and we have to battle for everything we can as far as to keep them away from our net. Brad Richards is committed in that area also. Tonight he's the one that led the charge. Game 6 maybe someone else has to do it. Maybe we need a couple of guys, we're going into Philly, it's going to be a tough game. We're going to need more than one to lead the charge and everybody else is going to have to contribute.
Q. Did you talk with Richie at all going into the Playoffs about how he felt about how he performed last year? You said that he was conscious of the fact that he didn't do as well as he wanted to; he wanted to do a lot better. Did you talk to him about that?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Richie is a student of the game. Very fortunate to be with him since the start of his career and I think you have got to be real careful when you have to understand the athlete. You don't have to tell him much. I think one of the things that may be a weak spot sometimes with players, pro players is criticizing themselves, and Brad Richards does enough of that on his own. That's where the respect of the game and the student of the game, he has that. So there's reminders. We all had a pretty good meeting on our day off or our practice yesterday before we went on the ice and we talked about a number of things but with Brad, you don't have to worry about that. He understand what he's supposed to be doing. He understands and respects the game, and he will go about his business to improve as he goes along.
Q. Cibak, especially with the layoff, talk about him?
JOHN TORTORELLA: I didn't give him much time. I was going to give him more. We wanted to get a bigger lineup in. We put him in there. But as you go through you have a feel as far as who is going to go and CB, he did fine. It's just not enough minutes to really give him a good evaluation. I thought Andre played very well in the time that he played. I think he showed a tremendous amount of improvement and understanding, the discipline and composure of the game. He could be a real effective player if he, CB, Dinger, Andre chipped in. We'll need that in Philly in Game 6.
Q. Kubina and Sydor played really well against Primeau. Only one shot-on-goal and his assist was when Hitchcock stuck him on the fourth line. What is your challenge now on Thursday when you don't have the last change?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Well, we don't get too caught up -- when you are on the road you can't get too caught up in trying to get those people out there. I think when you are on the road your team needs to do the job. You are not always going to get the matches. I think it's easier sometimes to get the "D" out there no matter if you are home or away but if they are not there we feel very confident in the other people. Cory Sarich has played against him, Pratter have played against him, Danny Boyle and Stan played against him. So we'll just go about our business. I just don't want us to get too locked in in having one pair or one line because we simply will not get that match. Other guys have to fill in and get the job done, especially with that line there, that's a very good line they have going there.
Q. This series back and forth back and forth is back again. Is it time now Game 6 one game away to seize the moment?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Well, I mean you have the answer to that question, of course. We want to try to finish it. But I think some other people over there in Philly have some other ideas about it. The way I look -- I think it's just been a fantastic series, even tonight, the momentum swing in tonight's game. It's crazy, and we couldn't grab -- we couldn't get it back in that third period where in the first period, I felt we were just outstanding. They couldn't stop us, so those surges and momentums are the most dangerous things but the most interesting things in Playoff hockey. So hopefully we're going to try to break the trend and win two in a row. They have something to say about that. So it will be two teams in a great building, great situation and looking forward to it.
Q. Third period they outshot you 15:6, must have seemed like a 20-minute powerplay. Must have been a relief to get --
JOHN TORTORELLA: It snowballs on you, then we had some chances to when we did win some faceoffs we would throw it in the stand and there's another faceoff, you got to give them credit, that -- that's a very good hockey team and they can smell it, and they kept coming and coming and I thought we did some good things around Nik and when we broke down which you are going to have, Nik was just outstanding. So we'll leave that one alone. We'll take the win and get on the plane and get to Philly.

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