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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: SENATORS v DUCKS

June 4, 2007

Bryan Murray

OTTAWA, ONTARIO: Game Four

FRANK BROWN: Questions for Coach.

Q. Two different games. Your team played a great first period then the last two. Can you characterize what happened?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: I don't know exactly. We played well. We didn't get rewarded until the last second of the first. We had certainly enough shooting chances and opportunity to jump on them.
You don't take advantage of it. They made a little adjustment in the second, and we started forcing the play. But other than that, there was no reason to play the way we did in the second period. I thought we played a little harder in the third.
But we started breaking down. They got two-on-one chances. They did think - guys that don't normally make the plays, they tried to make tonight got caught and it burned us.

Q. Obviously, after the Penner goal, your chances weren't very many. Was it what they were doing or is it you were unhappy about how you approached trying to get the equalizer?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: They did some good things. All they had to do at that point was flip the puck out of problems. I think when you get a lead late in the game, you can make the other team look fairly inept at times. We had a couple of plays down low. Couple times to take to the net but got taken off the puck. But the Penner goal was obviously a bad goal on our part.
Chris Phillips had broken his blade, came off the ice, couldn't stay; his blade was bad. Wade had a change when the rush was taking place and he got flat footed at the bench, and they took advantage of it.

Q. In hindsight, did you need a bigger lead after the first period, just based on how much you dominated?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: Well, you'd like to have that. Unfortunately, in playoff hockey at this time of year, you don't get big leads very often. And we got the one. But certainly, we felt if we could have gotten a little more reward, it probably would have been better. But that's hockey. That's what happens. That's what a goaltender is for. And Giguere didn't give us anymore.

Q. Only three teams in the history of sports have come back from 3-1. How daunting of a challenge is this for you guys now?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: If we play like we did for two periods tonight, it's not very good. If we play like we did in the first period and go in there and play with, play position a little better and don't give up the type - like Andy McDonald's goal, walking in, walking around our D, two-on-one goal. Those are not very good goals to give up at playoff time.

Q. Why do you think I guess Spezza and Heatley, in particular, on that big line seem to fade in and out as the game got later?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: I really - I thought for a little while in the second period we looked after the first rush that we had, we looked a little flat, a little tired. Then we got our legs back and at least they got skating again.
But I don't know that I can explain it. I know their defensive play against them is real responsible. And at times, the battle level down low, that line's not made that way, really. It's supposedly a play-making, more of a finesse line.
But they did give me some real good shifts and sometimes, you're right, they just weren't getting much done.

Q. Daniel Alfredsson's shot looked to a lot of people to be directed right at Scott Niedermayer at the end of the second period. What's your take on it?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: I didn't think it was. He did turn, looked up, put his head down and shot the puck. Daniel Alfredsson doesn't do that.
So I give him all the respect in the world as far as that happening. I'm not sure that he did anything other than shot the puck as we all do at the end of periods.
But beyond that, there's nothing I can say. You have to ask him.

Q. What happened to Volchenkov on the goal? Seemed like such an uncharacteristic play for him?
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: The last goal?

Q. No, the one where he got walked around.
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: By McDonald.

Q. Kind of drove at him.
COACH BRYAN MURRAY: He got back too far. I think this is what happens. We did not play a very good period. Our defense started to give up, create more of a gap, backing away too much. He got back pretty deep in the slot area. And it just looked to me like he got on his toes and tried to reach to make a play on the puck, and Andy's quick and made a good move on him.
But I think any time you can stay up and back up with the play, then that type of thing wouldn't happen.
FRANK BROWN: Thanks, Coach.

End of FastScripts

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