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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HURRICANES v PENGUINS

May 20, 2009

Dan Bylsma

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day

SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Questions for Coach Bylsma.

Q. To the extent that you made corrections or adjustments between games of this these series, is the list of those things long or short for the second game? And, you know, what would you like to see different, if anything?
COACH BYLSMA: Again, it's standard for our team to evaluate the game, and what we did well and what we can be sharper on. The different focuses and those things, you do that after every game.
So to talk about a few things, practice a few things, and be sharper in certain areas is part of what we have done and do every day.
So usually in practice you'll see a couple of things we're doing just to maintain our focus and get sharper in areas.

Q. This canes team is a resilient team. They always bounce back in Game 2. I'm sure you're aware of that. Just your thoughts on what you have to be prepared for with that?
COACH BYLSMA: I think that's, out of all the teams we've faced this is probably the best team, at knowing their game, playing their game, and doing it over and over again with hard work:
They have a battle level that they continue to bring at you. They play their game and they're very disciplined in how they play their game. So that's how they've become resilient, and that's how they've come back in series. That's something we're aware of. Even in Game 1, you can see that's how they play. They were able to play very well in the second period and get to their game with a strong fore check. They track back, they look at sticks. They got back to the offensive zone quickly. You can see that in their game, and it allowed them to get back in their game, make it 2-1, and make a game of it going into the third period.
So we expect that from them. We know they're going to play hard, and we know how they're going to play. We have to be, I think, sharper and ready for it if we're going to continue to have success.

Q. You were talking after the game about work along the boards being a little more efficient, moving in and out of zones. Was that the biggest difference? Was it just a lull from time to time that you saw with that? How do you clean that up, I guess?
COACH BYLSMA: I don't think it was a lull or lack of focus or effort. I think sometimes when you're facing one team for 7 days you tend to think every game's going to play out like that game or the previous team. So now we see a slightly different type of look and fore check. Or a type of team in different areas the game kind of changes. So areas where we need to be ready and more focused on and improved in, that's one of those areas along the wall with the fore check.
They're very good at being aggressive, forcing pucks and having guys in different areas. They did a good job in the last game against us. We can be better in that area. We've talked about it. We did a couple of drills on it. That will be an area of focus.
There are other areas as well that are different than in the Washington series. And we have to get out of the last series, get ready for these guys and what they do to try to execute and have more success.

Q. Sergei's played two games now. And they played a lot of minutes the last game. Are you getting to the point where you're comfortable and you feel like if you want to you can go back to 60?
COACH BYLSMA: It's certainly Game 1 to now Game 3 coming up. Makes for a different decision knowing that he played 22 minutes last game and seemed to respond pretty well.
There's always a concern. When you lose a defenseman and you go down to five, it can be tough in their defense. So you have to weigh those decisions. And it's something we've weighed in Game 1 and Game 2, and going into the next game, we'll have to weigh it again.

Q. Talking about this, Sergei, how do you like his play in the last game? I mean, 22 minutes, I guess, were you surprised by the amount of time that he spent on the ice during that game?
COACH BYLSMA: Not surprised. Sergei knows when he says he can play, he's, if he plays well, he's hoping to play a lot of minutes or more. I think in the game in Washington the score was 5-1, and 6-2. We didn't play him. We played him 15 minutes. We used him to just protect him and not tax his injury too much.
So not surprised that he played that much. With the treatment he's gotten, it feels comfortable that he can play and be effective and pivoting, skating, and going back to pucks. So not surprised to see him play that much. If need be he's capable of playing more and wants to play more. His movement back there is surprising to me. He looks good, and fluid. That's the big part about that. When he goes back and skates, that's a big part of his game, his ability and being able to skate and make plays.
So to see him do that and know he's feeling comfortable for big parts of the game he was looking like he was 100%.

Q. In the scope of things most people would tell you in a playoff series that goaltending, special teams and your star players have to be at their very best for you to win a series. Is there any other wrinkle that you think of that you need to see happen for you to win a series?
COACH BYLSMA: Special teams is a key in every hockey game, and it will be playoff times especially. Typically in one game, it's got to be your penalty kill or your power play. Doesn't necessarily need to be a combination of the both.
But Carolina's got outstanding penalty kill team. It's been a big part of their success. Our power play has gotten some goals lately, and it's been part of our success as well.
For me, dictating and being able to get to your game is a key to be able to continue to win games and have success in a series. So seven games is a long time against one team. And you need to be able to on dictate and take over games and dictate the way those games are played in order to have success.
So while special teams is important, and it can win you a game when you don't dictate, your goaltender can do that as well. You need, obviously, good goaltending. The goal for us is five-on-five. Trying to dictate the way the game is played and where it's played.
If we can do that for 7 games for 60 minutes, we can tip it in our favor. And the challenge is playing against a team that is trying to do the same thing are those momentum shifts that you saw last game that were very strong for us when we got the two goals. In the second period when they got their goal they had two or three minutes where they took control and had the momentum.
So with two teams playing similar styles and trying to do the same thing, momentum shifts are going to be big in this series. It's something we've talked about and are going to try to control.

Q. Maurice said yesterday or alluded to the fact that he thought the game was called very tightly in Game 1. And that they were going to have to make a big adjustment after a very tough series against their previous opponents. So I'm wondering if it's called tight again that this favors the Penguins?
COACH BYLSMA: If the game is called tightly it favors the team that dictates the pace and where it's played. Whichever team is playing the offensive zone more, is quick back in transition and attacking the net, spends long times in the offensive zone, then a tightly called game will favor that team. Both of us are trying to play that way.
So, again, that's why you try to spend as much time in the offensive zone as possible. Because the calls tend to go your way when that's the case.
So I would agree with you that I would favor the team that dictates the pace, doesn't necessarily favor our team.

End of FastScripts

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