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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SABRES v HURRICANES

May 25, 2006

Lindy Ruff

BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Practice Day

Q. The team has persevered all year through injuries and now another one to fight through.
COACH LINDY RUFF: Yeah, it's been a tough year when it comes to injuries, but we have been able to overcome it. We have had other players step up. We're going to have to continue to have players step up in another player's absence.
Q. How is Henrik?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Henrik has got a broken arm. So he's done for the playoffs.
Q. You have to feel bad for him considering what he's accomplished this year and how far he's come?
COACH LINDY RUFF: You know what, you feel terrible for Henrik. He's played tremendous. He doesn't get to be a part of the ride anymore. That's the only part of it you feel terrible about.
There's nothing to get down about. I think we're more than capable of overcoming his loss. We have been able to do it all year. The disappointing part is he had played tremendous for us and he won't be able to be a part of it?
Q. How did he get hurt?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Just an innocent hit that left him with the injury, nothing severe, doesn't look like much. Just one of those freak accidents.
Q. Is it the system that you have been able to overcome all year where you can plug people in and if they play the system, they are going to be fine or how have you been successful with that?
COACH LINDY RUFF: I think first we have got some good players in the system. The players that have stepped in are good players. That just bodes well for the depth of the organization. They have been able to step in and I think we have tried to mirror the system in Rochester to our system and that has been advantageous.
I think part of it, these players that are going in now have been around here for six weeks and have watched all the video, have gone through the same films we go through and they are ready to play. So stepping in, it's not like we're pulling somebody rusty off the shelf. They have had plenty of good work-outs and they have seen every game film that the players that have been playing have been seeing.
Q. Is there a fear that they haven't played in six weeks though?
COACH LINDY RUFF: No. I think that would just be another excuse. I think the fear would be a little nervous, a little anxious, but I thought Jeff handled everything real well last night.
Q. If it's not Teppo tomorrow would it be Paetsch or Janik?
COACH LINDY RUFF: I would make that decision probably tomorrow. We haven't made -- could use either one. Maybe we would play Jason Pominville on defense. It's not funny. It's something we have thought about it. He plays the point in the power play we have used him in practice on the point. Not unlike what the Flyers did a few years ago. Would give us a mobile guy that has got some good offense.
Q. You must have liked him in the practices you saw (inaudible)?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Really liked him in the practice.
Q. He's never played a game?
COACH LINDY RUFF: But he's played parts of game. When he plays -- he's played defense 4-on-4 and played defense on the power play. It's an option for us.
Q. There have been times that you see a coach he's down in D, one way to play better defense is to turn it up on offense. Are you just going to let these guys go tomorrow?
COACH LINDY RUFF: We have talked all year long about playing our game and our style of game was to try to create the most pressure we could in the offensive zone and we're going to continue to try to do that. I thought last night's game was a real good example of it, even the third period for the most part. I know on the scoreboard we had four shots, we had four blocked shots and had three good opportunities that missed the net. That last three or four minutes they had us on our heels but other than that I liked the way we played the game. If we're going to succeed, we're going to have to play it in their end.
Q. (Inaudible).
COACH LINDY RUFF: No more pressure. Teppo's injury is something that we're hopeful that he will get through and it's just a matter of days, that's all I can tell you. It may be tomorrow. He's that close. I mean, it's serious enough he couldn't play but it's not -- when this is all over he can tell you what it is but it's not that serious, but serious.
(LAUGHTER)
Q. He said he was 50/60.
(LAUGHTER)
COACH LINDY RUFF: Again he has got caught speaking Finnish.
Q. Is Tim skating on his own, is he the same, better, worse?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Still day to day.
Q. You have been around here a long time, some people are starting to cite the old Buffalo sports curse --
COACH LINDY RUFF: I think it kind of sums up our year. When we have been slapped with adversity, we have rose to the occasion, and we're looking at other players picking up more ice time and filling roles that they should relish this time of year. Nothing to get down about that, just another challenge that we have got to come up against and try to beat.
Q. (Inaudible) Was that just to get them going more 5 on 5 or a reward for how long they are playing?
COACH LINDY RUFF: We went into the game putting together two different power play units. Just seemed like the units we were using had gone stale, and let's give Carolina some credit for the way they were killing against us, and we met with both units before the game and went through what we were going to try to do.
I thought our puck movement was excellent, I thought, you know, that alone opened up some seams and sometimes you get results when you change units around; sometimes it takes a little while but I thought last night both units did an excellent job and the plan was to go to those two units before the game.
Q. (Inaudible) Did you think they listened, they are going to respond to what you needed from them?
COACH LINDY RUFF: I thought their line had a great night compared to not getting a lot done in Carolina. They had some opportunities. We just needed them to make a difference. The conversation we had was about their strengths and about where they needed to be better. And we needed to count on them and I really thought that those guys really went out and did a good job for us.

End of FastScripts...

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