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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: OILERS v HURRICANES

June 7, 2006

Peter Laviolette

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: Game Two

Q. In the aftermath of Game 1 as a group you were very disappointed in yourselves, how quickly did it take you to realize that tonight's game and team effort was going to be a lot different?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think I said back after Game 1 that we usually respond pretty well when we don't play that well. I think the one thing that we have is a very honest group, and to a man I don't think you found anybody that really liked the game after Game 1. So I thought we were much better tonight just with our skating on our toes, blocking shots, physical play, all the little things that you need to do in order to be successful in the playoffs. I thought we were much better tonight.
Q. Wondering if you could talk about your decision to change the lineup and put Tverdovsky in. Also talk about Ladd's progression since you put him back in the lineup in the playoffs.
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: We have used seven D so many times this year, it was just kind of a hunch that maybe we should have seven defensemen in the lineup tonight, no particular reason, to be honest with you.
As far as Andrew Ladd, I thought that night after night now he's making a case to be one of our most effective forwards, just his skating, his physical play, his decisions with the puck for a young kid in the Stanley Cup Finals have been very impressive. I thought he's played extremely well.
Q. Cam had 25 saves, you guys blocked 24 shots, what was the difference in that effort tonight?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: We talked about all the little things that have to be done in order to be successful, and blocking shots is one of the things that came up, physical play, and we were doing anything -- I think we had 18 after two periods and the first period especially, when we blocked a lot of shots.
Cam played really well tonight. It wasn't the highlight reel effort that we needed the other night but he played a solid game for us.
Q. It got chippy there at the end of the game, is that to be expected in a 5-0? How did your guys respond to it?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I thought we responded well. We scored on the power play, so it's part of hockey, and we just got to keep our eye on the ball. We have got to continue to go whistle to whistle.
Q. Craig talked about how important Cory's goal was, seems to be just how he is, you may not notice him for a little while then all of a sudden with two seconds left he makes a play and scores. Is that sort of reflective of what he's given you all year, especially this spring?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I would think that that's a fair assessment. He just kind of flies under the radar and there's a talk of a lot of different players but maybe not Cory all the time, but yet he's one of the top scorers in the playoffs. He was a seventh leading scorer the last time we played hockey, last season, and a top scorer for us this year. I think only thing that kept him from having a better year this year than he did last year in Tampa Bay was his injuries, and but yet there's not a lot of talk. It seems to go to different people, and but yet he contributes in the biggest games in the biggest ways, and it was a great signing for us back when Jim did it and Cory agreed to it because it made our team more skilled, and we needed that.
Q. Before the series there was a lot of talk about their penalty kill and how good your power play had been. Three power play goals tonight, your thoughts about the way the team is playing?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I think we've been pretty solid with a man advantage all year. We have been pretty solid in the playoffs to this point. You need to continue to be. Specialty teams wins games.
And I thought we had good movement out there tonight, we're shooting the puck, getting some bounces and we're getting opportunities, which is good.
Q. The decision to put Ladd back in, he was out about eight games, were you looking for a more physical dimension from him?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: I told -- Andrew had a tough year injury-wise, injured in rookie camp, injured in training camp, injured at the start of the season, knee surgery halfway through the season. It was hard for him to get himself going. He's a first round pick, and a good one I might add. And I think finally he caught his stride at the end of the year. At the beginning of the playoffs it was, you know, he wasn't in there and at times we had seven defensemen and Joe Vasicek was coming back from an injury, so we were looking at Joe as well. But before Andrew got back in the lineup, you can just see him in practice that he was skating really well, handling the puck really well. I told him that. A couple of times I said, "You look great. It's just a matter of an opportunity. When you do get it, it's not, you know, it wasn't that night, but when you do get it, you have got to make the most of it."
And he's played extremely well, I think he's been like I said one of our top forwards, one of our most effective forwards just with his skating, physical play, his hockey sense, his skill with the puck. You wouldn't know that he's a young kid in his rookie year, he's played a very effective game, is the best way to describe it.
Q. Cam was obviously really good early in the playoffs early. Has he even taken it to another level of late since Gerber replaced him in Buffalo?
COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE: You could probably make argument for that in the Montreal series. When he first went in he played really well, I think he had, I am guessing, a shut out and two one-goal games; very low scoring games and he was a big part of that. I think you are going to give up chances, but it's whether or not your goalie can keep it out of the net. He's done an excellent job, I think, since the time he's been put in the Montreal series up until now, and this is just more of, I think what he did when he came in way back in the Montreal series, his numbers have been great. His play has been excellent. He's made the saves that we need to win hockey games.

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