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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HURRICANES v PENGUINSMay 21, 2009Sidney CrosbyChris KunitzPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Game Two SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, questions for the players. Q. Sid, aside from the goal and assists, what you were able to accomplish in the offensive end, controlling the pucks and the penalty, did you sense that they were getting frustrated? SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't know about frustrated. I think they were battling. Both teams really tried to do the job. We were trying to make sure we create a lot from the offensive zone without forcing plays and keeping control and putting pressure on them down there. So I think, if anything, it's just the longer you can get down there and the more tired they're going to get, and the more chances you have. Q. Can you just talk about Evgeni Malkin, and after he had taken it to another level? SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, he stepped up tonight. Every time he's out there, he's making something happen. It wasn't always the same way, whether it was up the rush, going to the net his third goal there was amazing to get that up top shelf. So everyone's going, and he's playing like that, it's hard not to follow. Q. Last year in the Stanley Cup final he was criticized for not playing well for a couple of weeks. You were criticized for not playing well. You as his teammate and everybody else in the room feel that it's unwarranted? SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I mean, it's the playoffs. You expect that everything is dissected so much game by game. That's just the way it is. We as players and teammates all feel that was the case. But, you know when points and production sometimes aren't there those are the things that are said. That's just the way it's, I guess, it's been for us we know we're doing some good things. Especially in the playoffs, he does a lot of good things. He's maintained the same attitude, and stepped it up a notch. Q. Geno got it going with the confrontation, and then he seemed to step up and get energized. Your teammates say he might be the only guy in the league better than you who gets mad when somebody agitates him on the ice. What do you see? Geno when someone ticks him off on the ice? SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, it's a funny thing, for the most part you want to react that way. That's the way you want to react. If anything, you want to use it as motivation to play. There are times when it might frustrate you. You can't let it show. Especially in the playoffs it's trying to do that. So that's the way best way to do it, and he proved that. Q. Can you talk about the way your scored, and you battled along the wall and you were able to get a shot. And how those plays are going to impact the series? And Sid, can you follow up on that third Malkin goal? How do you even think to try something like that? CHRIS KUNITZ: I mean, our goal was a couple of shifts back-to-back. Geno was on the ice, and I think he changed Staal had a good 35 seconds there in the zone, getting shots on that. He worked the puck out of the corner, and kind of took it to the net. It found its way in for the goal. SIDNEY CROSBY: After that third goal by Geno, I think it's not something that we don't do. It's something we work on plays coming out of the corner like that. But it's rare. Number one, that you're able to do it, and give yourself enough space to do it. Score on it, and put it up top shelf like that. He executed perfectly, and it was a big goal for us. We practiced that sometimes. Like I said, you don't always have the ability to do it. But he was giving himself some room, and I was able to get the goalie to bite a bit on the forehand side. It was just to have a nice goal. Q. What is your reaction to getting that first goal? Was it just relief? CHRIS KUNITZ: Yeah, it definitely feels good. But our team is a close group in the locker room. It's not about the goal, it's more about the win. Personally, it's all good to get it done, but we've been having a lot of guys score goals that maybe aren't expected to and stepping up with it. Q. Sidney, even with the offensive going on, I think a lot of people are surprised that there are 11 goals scored in the game. Are you a little taken aback about by that? SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I'm really surprised. You don't go into the game expecting that. We certainly respect it and not that the goaltender wants to be a part of it. It's just something you see sometimes in playoffs. You have to find ways to respond. Both teams were pretty resilient. We got that big sixth goal there to make it 6-4. You want it to go back and forth like that to get that extra one, it's big. Q. You mentioned the other night that your style offensively is going to make it a difficult night for any goaltender. Talk a little about being able to have that type of success against Cam Ward? And also, maybe not only being up 2-0 from your perspective, but not allowing them back in in a game that they've been able to use the ability in other games and other series. SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, for us, you know, we don't want to change anything now. We know he's a solid goalie. He's steady. Like I said before, everything that makes us successful doesn't depend on the goalie we play. We can't change because of that and the traffic. There's going to be rebounds and you have to execute it. That's what it comes down to. We were able to do that tonight. They did that previously in series. But it comes down to executing consistently, and making the most of your chances. And we did that. So it was a big one. Obviously we knew that they were hard to beat in Game 2s. Wanted to go back at least with a split. So we accomplished being strong in our start here at home. And we know it's not going to be easy down there. Q. You were here and you saw Evgeni go through everything he went through. Took a lot of criticism for not producing at certain points in time. Maybe just talk about how he handled that criticism and how he seems to be responding at the most important time right now? SIDNEY CROSBY: As far as how he handled it, I don't think he really let it bother him a whole lot. It's never easy, but I think as Chris said we realize in the dressing room guys do a lot out there besides sometimes not producing. And the best thing to do is just stick together. We all depend on each other to help each other out in a situation. I think as for this year, it's just experience. And knowing that there are going to be tough games and not worrying about it, moving on. Whether it's a great game or a tough one, it's about the next one a lot of times. So I think he's probably just better off because of that experience-wise, but actually the guys can take their game to a new level. He's able to do that, and that's a huge boost. End of FastScripts |
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