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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: SENATORS v DUCKSMay 30, 2007Randy CarlyleJean-Sebastien GiguereRob NiedermayerSamuel PahlssonANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA: Game Two FRANK BROWN: Questions. Q. Could you just, A, walk me through the goal that you scored, and, B, also talk a little bit about how successful you guys have been in making them turn the puck over at the blueline which was the key to that goal? SAMUEL PAHLSSON: Well, the goalie was a turnover. I skated down the wing and stepped once inside and shot it through the legs of the defenseman and somehow it went in. And that's what we try to do all the time, we try to make them turn the puck over. That's the best possible scenario for us, to get turnovers on the blueline. Q. Giggy, can you go through the five-on-three. Most of their shots best scoring chances were right there at the beginning of the game? JEAN-SEBASTIEN GIGUERE: Well, I haven't had many shots at that point, and I just wanted to make sure that I would approach it with a lot of energy. And just tried to go through it as good as I could. And I thought I was able to do the first save and guys were on the rebound right away. So we got pretty fortunate that we were able to get out of that one with no goal. But we had to stop taking penalties like that, especially going down five-on-three. We can't afford to do that every game. It's going to end up costing us some goals eventually. Q. Sam, can you talk about just the emotion of being the hero in the Stanley Cup Final game shutout, tight to the end, your goal does it? SAMUEL PAHLSSON: Of course it's fun to score the goal. The most important thing is to win the game, but of course it's great to score the goal. But it's always about winning in the playoffs. It doesn't really matter who does it. And we're happy we got two wins from this. Q. Talk about how you feel you're playing right now. We remember you in 2003 having a superb Stanley Cup Final. Are you in the same type of zone you were in in 2003? JEAN-SEBASTIEN GIGUERE: I don't know. I mean, I'm feeling pretty good on the ice. But like I said, this is totally different season this year. We have a totally different team. Our team is a lot more talented. We have a lot more offensive power and a lot more size. It just makes my job much easier. I just have to go out there and give our team a chance to win. And that's all I try to do. That's what I try to focus on. Whether I'm in the zone or not, that's up to you guys to determine. It's not something I worry too much about. Q. Rob, Chris Pronger was talking about how you guys like to play under the radar, are you kind of blowing your cover in that regard the way you're playing through these playoffs? ROB NIEDERMAYER: No, I don't think so. We're getting a lot of help out there. I think Chris and Scott are definitely making our jobs a lot easier out there. Of course Giggy is standing on his head. You know, I think we're just trying to limit those guys. I mean, they're going to get their chances and we're just trying to limit them. Q. Is there something, though, tactically, that you can use to explain why you've been so successful in standing them up at the blueline? I mean, they haven't really been able to get in the zone that much and cycle for an attack. ROB NIEDERMAYER: Well, I think the biggest thing for us right now is, you know, we're getting really good back pressure and not giving them too many odd-man rushes. That enables our D to kind of stand up and not give them the line too much. Because if you give that line, the blueline - I mean, they're going to make some pretty skilled plays out there. And I think that's been a big key for us. Q. This is for both Robbie and for Sammy. When you shift now to Ottawa and you don't get the last line change, how do you think that's going to affect things for both of you? SAMUEL PAHLSSON: Well, it's going to make it harder for us. We don't always have the last change and we can't put the guys on the ice against their guys. So it's going to be a different game. We're going to have to change a lot. And probably go out, take a face-off and get off the ice and there's going to be a lot of matchups. ROB NIEDERMAYER: Yeah, I guess we'll just leave it up to Randy. I mean he's going to have to decide on that. FRANK BROWN: Thank you, gentlemen. Questions for Coach. Q. Randy, is there anything left to say about the Pahlsson line that hasn't been said at this point? I mean, in terms of just how important they've been to you? COACH RANDY CARLYLE: Well, you know, as we stated, that line right from the beginning of the year has been able to give us quality minutes. And as you know, in the playoffs everybody steps up the defensive aspect of the game at least 20 to 25 percent. And always people separate themselves on the offensive side. It's nice to see that these three players are getting rewarded for all the hard work. The one thing about those guys, they play the tough minutes, and a lot of times the spotlight has not been directed towards them. And right now they're earning that. Q. Coach, two things, kind of both tactical. One is can you kind of explain why you've been able to hold that top line up so well outside the blueline and not really let them into your zone with any kind of speed? And the second thing is how much more effective does your checking line, your Pahlsson line, become when Sammy is so dominant in the face-off circle like he was tonight? COACH RANDY CARLYLE: The second part is the easier question, because when you start with the puck, you're allowed to execute your forecheck or you regroup and whatnot. It's a puck-possession game. And I'm sure every coach would like their team to be 75 percent and above. And that's always a huge factor in where territorially the game is being played. If you start with the puck more often, that means the other team has got to do something to get it back. The first part of the question, you know, tactically, we're just playing to a system that we've been comfortable with. We've played it all year. We've moved personnel in and out in different occasions, but our players have been very comfortable with what we've done for the past 18 months. Again, they are the guys that go out and trust it. They go out and work extremely hard at it. And they're the ones that are delivering in these critical situations. And this game was very, very close all night. And any time you win a 1-0 hockey game in the Stanley Cup Finals, you gotta feel fortunate that bounces went your way. Q. Is one of the main goals for the Ducks to avoid cutting it too fine and just wing it at the net as much as possible? Because it seems like the volume of shots is - in the end, the last two games is what might be helping you? COACH RANDY CARLYLE: I don't know. I think there's certain opportunities that present themselves where you should be shooting the puck. And there's other times when, you know, you should be hanging on to it. But in reality, you know, it's a simple game from a coach's standpoint, but it's a lot more difficult from a player's standpoint, because the things that you ask of your players is much more difficult to do on the ice when you've got five players on the opposition trying to prevent you from doing it. And there's pressure that goes with that. And the one thing about this group is that they've been consistent with their work ethic. They've committed to a system that we play. And we feel fortunate. As far as directing pucks at the net, I think every team wants to direct pucks at the net. Q. Did you expect the Senators to break up their top line and does that change what you need to do at all? COACH RANDY CARLYLE: Did I expect them to break up their top line? I don't know. We talked about it. And it's always an option. And, you know, they did at a certain point and they went back to it a couple times. But in this game, when you're at this juncture of the season, you have to be prepared to make adjustments. And they made an adjustment, and then we tried to counter. And that's part of the game. That's part of the strategy that you put in place. But the reality is that we were fortunate enough in this situation to get our people out when we needed to, and we won a 1-0 hockey game on a big-time shot from Sammy Pahlsson. FRANK BROWN: Thanks, Coach. End of FastScripts |
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