	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SABRES v HURRICANES

May 28, 2006

Lindy Ruff

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: Game Five

Q. I guess sum up where you are here. There have been times when you have needed a win to bounce back or to keep the upper hand. Now it's a winner-stay-home situation.
COACH LINDY RUFF: I think that it's nothing to get discouraged about with the effort we got tonight. I thought for the most part we carried the play. The second half of the game we had all the chances and could have won it several times. We didn't, and we get tough call that leads to a crazy bounce and end up with a goal against.
Q. What is your frame of mind with this team's back against the wall? I know that you have really enjoyed the way they have responded all year.
COACH LINDY RUFF: Look at the way they responded tonight. It was awesome. Nobody can write about our defense tonight, they can just write about how well we played, how we took it to them. Didn't get hurt at all. Now can write about the missed opportunities, write about Afinogenov and Jochen Hecht. That's part of the game, but we asked them for a lot. We got a lot.
It's a tough loss, but it should only make as hungrier.
Q. Max is okay?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Why did he get hurt?
Q. There in overtime it looked like he was banged up.
COACH LINDY RUFF: He's not hurt, no. Not that I know of.
Q. Did any of the momentum shift a little when they changed goalies?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Well, I don't think so. I think in the third period we outshot them. What were the shots, you think the momentum shifted? If it shifted, I don't know. Where did you think it shifted to? To them?
Q. Then shifted back.
COACH LINDY RUFF: When did it shift back to them?
Q. I am saying when they changed goalies, they come and tie it.
COACH LINDY RUFF: They got a couple of breaks sitting around embellishing calls, waiting for power plays, that's what they are doing. Every time you hit them, they look over their shoulder and look at the referee.
Q. What was your thought on the J. P.'s call?
COACH LINDY RUFF: Well, J. P. shouldn't have had a stick, as soon as he put it there, he let it go. Then he tucked his arm on it. But J. P. Shouldn't have had it there in the first place.
Q. Next game?
COACH LINDY RUFF: I got no preference. I think you can see maybe they both have to play half again. But only defensively [] made some good saves for them. I thought he made key saves at key times, and allowed them to come back and win a hockey game.
I give the kid some credit.
Q. Was there anything that they were able to pass out from behind?
COACH LINDY RUFF: When you take a point shot and ricochets -- they don't draw it up, it ricochets and goes off the end wall your goaltender's stick gets stuck on Whitney's skate. You don't draw those plays up. I don't think we gave them -- their two power plays in the third period, we didn't give them a shot. If they were drawing something up to take advantage of us, I don't think it worked. I thought down defensemen, I thought our penalty killing still did a pretty good job.
Disappointing to lose, but I am not disapointed with that game at all. I think our guys made a huge statement coming in here when everybody looked at that 4-0 game like, oh, they are done. Defense is no good, I thought a lot of guys stepped it up.
Q. Adam Mair?
COACH LINDY RUFF: He gave us good energy. Couple of really good hits. I thought he was a plus for us in the game. Matched some of their energy guys. That line did a nice job. They did their job.
Q. Afinogenov, best game of the series?
COACH LINDY RUFF: I think so. Had the chances, drew the penalty, could have won it on his breakaway. We just need to capitalize, but I thought it was a lot of players' best game, especially up front.

End of FastScripts...

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297