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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SABRES v HURRICANES

May 26, 2006

Peter Laviolette

BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Game Four

Q. What made you go from Ward to Gerber?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think there's a lot of trust and faith in the entire team and it has been our entire team that has gotten us to this point. Martin Gerber set a career -- sorry, a franchise record for wins this season for the Carolina Hurricanes and had a tremendous year, and he came into the playoffs sick; he was light about eight pounds from a flu. I just had a feeling watching him come into New Jersey and come in the last game against Buffalo, the way he's been practicing, that he's looked really sharp and it's not like we brought in a guy from the minor leagues or a backup per se, we brought in a guy who won 40 games for this year.
So he came in and he was rock solid tonight.
Q. You brought him in halfway through the game. He stopped two breakaways and set the tone from the get-go. Is this your hot goaltender now?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Again, we need to rely on everybody. That has been the basis of our success this year. He did the same thing in New Jersey, if you didn't see it then, he did the same thing, he came in a 4-0 game, Cam did not play poorly in that game either. It was just a barrage, he came in and he stopped I think 16 out of 17 shots and played extremely well. The one that he let in was a shot in the back of the net (inaudible). He had no chance.
So based on the two relief efforts, how sharp he looked in practice as well as his regular season, really wasn't that tough of a decision. And the decision really wasn't based on Cam Ward because even though he got pulled last game, he played a heck of a period for us. We were going down a road that I didn't want to go down, trying to change the game, last game
Q. How much was your tactic getting a jump on Buffalo?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: It took us a bit. But before they came on hard in the first period, then we did a much better job of settling defensively, limited their chances. There were some big saves Martin had to make and he made them. We just kept plugging away at it.
It was really, to be honest, it was a pretty tight defensive game, it wasn't like, even last game had a lot more up-and-down flow to it than tonight's did.
Q. Did the third go pretty much the way you'd like it, limit penalties and limit shots?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: It was a good period. We had action at the net (inaudible). I was happy to see him get his first playoff goal. Just a young player, he's in there, to see him get his goal is exciting. That's what we need to do.
Q. After all the talk between games about Buffalo's depleted defensive core, how much of that was a factor tonight?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I thought they played well. I thought their team played hard. I thought it was a hard-fought game. Anytime you take some big minute defensemen out of the lineup, you are going to feel the effects of it. I am not saying that they played poorly because I think they played pretty hard.
Q. Buffalo's power play only got one shot all game, is that your defense pressing them or do you feel the forwards pressing?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: Probably because they had enough last game. They had their way with us last game, so it was -- once those things happen, you go back to the videotape and you look at the stopping and the starting and seam passes, blocked shots and realize that you have got to do a better job.
Q. Did you guys make adjustments on the PK to try to push them higher? Seemed like on the D to D passes you guys were anticipating that really?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think we were trying to push them hard. I think what was happening on the first pass is that we would follow it and then they'd go back and then we would be out after lane.
Like I said, it was just more stopping and starting. I just think that that adjustment stopping and starting and going back, because a lot of times it was D to D and down through a seam. D to D and following it left the seem open and they were coming back. They had a couple (inaudible). I just think it's important to get back into that seam and try to eliminate those passes.
Q. (Inaudible)?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I don't think it was an adjustment we made. I just think it was a better job of executing.

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