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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SABRES v HURRICANESMay 23, 2006Peter LavioletteBUFFALO, NEW YORK: Practice Day Q. I saw your reaction when you saw the third goal last night for the Sabres, You seemed upset, there was only one second left. Was that a goal that you didn't want to see -- (inaudible)? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think that I was just frustrated by the way the third period played out. But regardless we have got to continue to stay disciplined, stay out of the box and finish strong. So we played a pretty good game, I thought, for 40 minutes and then just got into some penalty trouble. Q. Did you feel that you have been able to take advantage of them being down two key defensemen in this series so far? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think any time you take key personnel out of the lineup, that's an area that you can try to exploit, and like the Sabres, we certainly have had our fair share of injuries. So we know how hard it can be to lose personnel. But obviously with couple of their defensemen out, they are not as strong as when their defensemen are all healthy and in the lineup. We need to have our forwards try and push the pace offensively. Q. The Sabres admitted that you frustrated them, especially in the second period yesterday. You might be the first team to have done that to them this post-season as effectively as you did yesterday. Your thoughts on that. COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Well, I mean, we needed to play with some urgency. We couldn't afford to be down two games to zero coming into Buffalo. It is a tough place to play, so we had to make sure that we were ready to play and that we were ready to check and play tight defense and do the best we could to generate offense and try and score goals against a team that blocks a lot of shots and has a goaltender that can keep the puck out of the net. Like I said, I thought that for two periods, two and a half periods, we did a real good job of taking charge of that game and doing what we needed to do to make sure that we won the game and even it up 1-1. Q. How can you carry that into Game 3? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Well, that's got to be the plan. I'd like to think that that's what we're going to do. We're going to come out, same urgency. It's obviously back in their building and they will grab the energy from their fans. But like I said, last night, it was a great place to play a hockey game. We can grab that energy as well, and just enjoy the environment that it's in. We're going to have to be ready to play. We know they play well at home. We're going to be to be ready. Q. (Inaudible)? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Again, I think part of it is just checking tight defensively. I think also that we were at our best playing offense when the puck is down in the opposition's end from the touch of the circle down. I think sometimes your best defense is to play offense, but when we did have to play defense, I thought we played it very tight. Q. Your team had a lot of penalties in the third. You thought maybe some of them weren't penalties and they were dives (inaudible). Lindy made a comment that you were taking a page out of your own book -- (inaudible)? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I don't think that we have any divers on our team, not that I am aware of anyway. That game is over with and I think frustration goes in for everybody in certain games and certain situations, and walk into a press conference three minutes after a buzzer blows and I was upset, I was mad. I thought that there were some calls that could have been diving. If our guys are diving, let me put it this way: If our guys are diving, I hope that they go to the box. Q. He said today that he thought that you ought to worry about your own players. Is he trying to play a little gamesmanship you think? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I have no idea what he's doing. I didn't hear any comments like that. I have no comment to that. Q. Clearly playing physical now is a big part of your team. I think the hits, (inaudible), it's wearing them down physically, especially their defensemen. COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: To make the point earlier, it would be smart to do that. They are missing a couple of their defensemen, so a long night for the regulars would be to our advantage as the game wears on or as the series wears on. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think any time you don't experience success in the playoffs you become a little bit more desperate. They are probably going -- they are going to come out skating and be physical. Again, I think we have always been concerned with the way we play the game, less about the way the opponent plays the game. We acknowledge the fact that they will be ready to play. We'll have to make sure that we're ready as well. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: That's good. We're preparing for that. I'd like to think that we can go in and establish our game and our forecheck and put pucks at their net. I think that when we're on our game, we're doing it. This is what we need to do tomorrow. We can take the energy from their building as well. So it will be like going back to Montreal and what that building was like in the first series. I am sure it was great for the Canadians. It was great for us, too. I am sure Buffalo will be a terrific atmosphere. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I certainly hope they play the same style. It was a good game. We were on our toes. We were skating. Any time you are skating and looking to find the puck and be physical, it puts you on the puck, which is good offensively and defensively. So I'd like to see us come out with the same mentality tomorrow night. Q. Talk about what it means to win the battle around the boards. COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think the first part of that's skating. You have got to skate to engage and once you engage, you have to compete and when -- and then another part of it for me is the support part of it, to make sure that our second guy is right there to help out with loose pucks. I think there's different parts to it. But one is to get there, the next one is just to engage in that battle and compete hard in it and hope that your teammates are around you so they can pick up pucks that are loose and continue to fight. For me, I don't know, I just think it's always skating, you know, and maybe it is one guy skating but the other two forwards or a defenseman who are maybe late on a pinch and is not -- we're at our best as a five-man group that skates. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think the buildings become louder. You look at our building last night, it's not an easy place for Buffalo to come in and play. In the same sense you think you get through it and eventually when you get into the game a few shifts it's just back to hockey and it's who executes and who plays with a purpose. Like I said, if it comes down to a Game 7, I'd rather have it in our building Q. Talk about Wesley and what he means to the team. COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Well, he brings a lot of valuable leadership. He brings some outstanding defense. Last night's play, that typifies Glen. He thinks the game defensively first and he does a good job of defending our end. He skates well, he moves the puck well to add offensively, but he's been a valuable part of the group back there of veteran defensemen that help make sure that our end is taken care of so that we can go and play in the other end. Q. The defense in general played much better last night. COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Yeah, well we played pretty tight the night before. Defensively, honestly, maybe 13, 14 scoring chances in Game 1 and maybe 10 in Game 2, that's pretty good. I think it's great hockey. From a spectator's point of view, the games are exciting. I think the fans in the buildings see that. They respond to it. I am sure Buffalo fans will do the same thing. I know Buffalo is going to be ready to play and we'll be ready to play. I think you will see more of that same hockey that moves up and down and scoring chances and good clean hits. Just great playoff hockey. I think it's been an excellent brand of entertaining hockey. Q. Is there such a thing as getting inside a goalie's head -- (inaudible)? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: He's done an excellent job of keeping his focus. He has got a lot of the same -- seems like he has got a lot of the same qualities as Cam; very calm. He knows that there's going to be people around his net as does Cam, so we just have to continue to fight for our space. Q. 2 for 5 last night on the power play, is it emerging as you'd like to see it at this point in the season? Is it working to your satisfaction? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: It's No. 1, the playoffs, I think it's moving along pretty good. 0 for 4 on the first night. I think I said it after Game 1, give it a chance before we declare that it needs work. Last night we went 2 for 5, moved it around. Moved it around well in Game 1, I guess that was my point. I thought we were getting the chances, the last power play in Game 1 we didn't like much, but the first three we moved it around and we got what we were looking for and again we couldn't find the back of the net. Last night we did the same thing, got up and moved it around, got it to where we wanted it and we were able to find the back of the net. So, I think it's going okay. Q. Is it a night-to-night thing or is it -- COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think it's been pretty consistent so far in the playoffs. Q. I mean, when it works does it work because you are doing what you are doing, or when it doesn't work it's because the other team is affecting how you play it? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I guess back to my point, I think in Game 1 it worked. Then there comes a moment of truth where you pull the trigger and you hopefully have somebody in front for a screen and the puck ends up in the back of the net. If it doesn't happen, that doesn't mean that it didn't work, it just means that you didn't find the back of the net. I think we had chances on three of the four. We had good opportunities on three of the four power plays in Game 1, we just couldn't connect. But I don't think the power play has been an issue to this point. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: That puck was deflected, too. It was pretty far out, maybe outside the top of the circle but it did change direction on him. I am sure he wishes he had it back. I am sure there's goals of Cam that he wishes he had back. I just think if you keep putting pucks at the net, you will get some nice goals, but every once in a while you can squeak out one that the goalie wishes he had back. We have had to go through some goaltenders to get to this point. Montreal's goalie played extremely well for them, and obviously Marty Brodeur and now Ryan Miller, who has played excellent for them down the stretch in the playoffs. I don't think you get to this point without good goaltending. Everybody always says it, but I think it actually holds some value: You need to keep the puck out of your net. There's going to be breakdowns. Teams break down. If there were never any breakdowns, the shots would be 0-0 after 60 minutes. So there's going to be breakdowns. There's going to be opportunities at your net and that's when you need your goaltender to come up with it. Q. (Inaudible)? COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: From what I have seen it looks pretty exciting. They seem to be loud on TV and they are into it and they are behind their team and that is great. Our building has been, I think our building has been outstanding, excellent. Q. (Inaudible). COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think that the players on the ice will decide who wins the game tomorrow night; not past history.
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