|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: PENGUINS v RED WINGSJune 3, 2009Sergei GoncharEvgeni MalkinMaxime TalbotPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day Q. Sergei, one weakness the wings seemed to have is their penalty kill. Is that an area where you think you can exploit them if you can get on the power play and maybe swing this series to your advantage? SERGEI GONCHAR: Detroit Red Wings, it's Detroit Red Wings. I don't think, you know, it's a club with weaknesses. Maybe they didn't do well in the playoffs, but I'm sure going into the next game they will prepare. They'll make sure they're doing a better job. Playing against them, going into the playoffs, we knew that they're not going to give us too many chances. The few penalties that they've taken during the game. So that's why every chance is important. And I do believe that it's one of the areas that we can have a chance to score on. Going into the games we knew how important it's going to be. And we try to take, you know, advantage on every chance that we have. All of us knew, you know, the power play is one of the most important things going into this series and it's why I think we have a chance to, you know, score on those chances because we're all prepared and we'll work on it. Q. The penalty kill of the Wings obviously is something you guys have been able to exploit. But in the Cup Final there isn't a lot of penalties called. What can you guys do in your game to try and draw more penalties at a time of year when the refs don't seem to want to call them. What changes? What can you do more of to try to draw them? MAXIME TALBOT: First of all, I think the refs have been doing a pretty good job. It's two great teams in the Finals. And you want to let those teams play. You don't want the game decided by a power play, penalty killing. If there's six or seven a game it's going to change the tempo of the game. So I think they've been doing a good job of letting things go. But, obviously, for us, when we move our feet and play down low and all the penalties have been obstruction or hooking and stuff. So we need to go in those areas and, you know, they're going to try to obstruct us and play with speed. And that's how we're going to create some penalties. But I think they've been doing a good job of keeping that, you know, keeping it real and keeping two teams playing well against each other at five-on-five. Q. A follow-up to that for any of you guys, how do you try to score five-on-five against that team? What do you have to do to generate even-strength goals? MAXIME TALBOT: Just putting the puck in those areas, you know. We know where we've scored most of our goals has been in the slot in front of the net, trying to get second chance, second opportunity, and they're a good team at trying to box us out. You know, we saw where we did score the goals, too, in the playoffs. It's not going to be tic-tac-toes. It's going to be grinding goals. And, you know, a five-on-five, they're a good team, we're a good team. And it's just little details. It's like a chess match. You try to be patient, and create the opportunity, and just put the puck there and go after it. It's a matter of grit and desperation. Q. How have these playoffs been different for you compared to last year? EVGENI MALKIN: (Last year) It's my first year in the NHL. I'm learning how to play in playoffs. (Now) It's my second Final. I feel great now. And last year I was a little bit sick, and now I feel great. My teammates help me every time, and Coach, too. I'm trying play a little bit hard and physical more. Of course, I'm learning how to play now, and it's second Final. It's the same team. I know how to play Detroit, and I try to play a little bit harder. Q. Pavel Datsyuk's able to go tomorrow, how does that change things? SERGEI GONCHAR: Obviously, he's a great player and he'll bring a lot of offense to their club. Also, he's working hard on defense, so I'm sure it's going to give him a boost of energy, and he's going to help them. Q. Obviously, you followed Evgeni's career as close as anybody since he's gotten here. He just talked a little about what he thinks is different for him this final. Do you see anything different with the way Evgeni's playing this playoffs? SERGEI GONCHAR: Yes, I do. During the lockout year when we played together in Magnitogorsk. What I've seen this year is probably the confidence level. It's his third year in the NHL, second year in the finals. I do believe his confidence level is higher. I remember him back in Russia and what he was capable of. And now it seems like he matured a little bit more and he's more comfortable on the ice. And with his partners, and with the game. That's why he's playing at his best. Q. I think you might have addressed this briefly last night, but do you have a sense of why you've been in on so many big goals for this team I think every team has a guy, a Max Talbot, that contributes in the playoffs and gets big goals? Is this part of your career in the past before the NHL? MAXIME TALBOT: I'm lucky enough to say yes. You know, back in junior year I won two championships and it was great years. Now I just feel lucky to be on the ice and those chances. You know, I feel lucky to be on the ice with great players. Playing with Geno, being in those situations, last year I remember in Game 5 I had a chance to take the goalie and take Flower being the sixth man on the ice. And being in the right place at the right moment. It's just I've been in those situations. I love the challenge, I love being there. And it's definitely fun. It's great for a guy like me to be there, you know, and I just try to make the best of it. Q. How close were you the night that Ovechkin hit your knee? Did you think maybe you were done for the playoffs? And for Max, having him back on the team and in the lineup, what does it do for the team confidence-wise, as well as on the ice, but just knowing that he's there? SERGEI GONCHAR: When I got, you know, in that Game 3, I believe it was. No, I don't remember what game it was. What I'm trying to say, at that time I really didn't know what was going to happen. You know, the injury was there, and you never know how your body's going to respond to it. So, you know, we took the approach when we look at it day-to-day, and I was fortunate enough that my body reacted well to the injury, and I was able to recover and play the game again. MAXIME TALBOT: You look at our season here, at our power play stats during the season, and you look when Sergei came back from his injury, that's when our power play and our confidence and, you know, it was a turning point of the season. A big turning point because he's such a strain out there on the point. For us, obviously, when he got hurt against Wash it was scary. But when he came back it was a huge boost. Because we know how important he is for our team, and not only our power play, but the whole team. Q. While you were injured, this team was not doing very well. The team was out of the playoffs and they made the coaching change. Were you concerned about where this team was going this season, whether this team would even make the playoffs? Was it difficult for you, maybe even feeling helpless that you couldn't be on the ice to help? SERGEI GONCHAR: When your team is losing, obviously, you're feeling it's probably one of the worst feelings I've had in my life as a hockey player, because that was the first injury in my life when I was out for such a long time. Being out there, watching all those games and not being able to help your team, it's one of those worst feelings. I didn't know what's going to happen. I knew we had a good team, good group of guys, but unfortunately, things weren't going our way, and I didn't know where we were going to end up and how it was going to be. Then when I came back, I made a few changes. And you know, I recognized there is a good chance the way we've been playing, obviously, at that time we didn't know if we were going to make the playoffs. But I've seen, you know we needed change, and those changes will change our club. You can see it on the ice. The way we start playing. The way we're approaching to the game. At that time, I knew we had a good chance to make the playoffs. Q. Haven't had a chance to ask you about your fight with Zetterberg the other night. Was that your first fight? What were you thinking? Were you worried you were going to be suspended because of the instigator? EVGENI MALKIN: I'm thinking not fight because the ref not need fight. Yeah, it's been emotional. Lots of emotions, me and Zetterberg. And I see how punching Zetterberg and Max, and I try help because it's two guys beat Max. And after I fight it feels ref not need fight. Q. It was 2-1 last year. Same thing this year. What is the difference one year later? MAXIME TALBOT: I think our confidence level. The way the two first games were played. Last year, coming back home, yes, we won Game 3. But I remember coming back home where we're not as confident. They dominated us. They shut us down the first two games, Detroit. This year I felt like we competed way better. We had chances to win both games. We come back, we won Game 3 like last year. But we know how big this Game 4 is now. Because we lost it last year, and it was hard to come back from a 3-1 deficit. This year we're just a little bit more aware. We know we need to win this game. We know we need to be patient in the third period. We give them three shots. We created some more chances. Obviously, last game of the second period, we're not happy with it. We just talked about it. But we know if we play our game, and we play in their zone being patient, we know Game 4 we can have it. And it's a turning point of the series. Being down 3-1, and going 2-2. So from the experience of last year, I think we feel it's different, and we're up to the challenge a little bit more than in last year. Q. You guys have been in a number of championship situations and settings. Can you speak to how competitive this series is? Has it taken a career-high battle level to get through this maybe on both sides? SERGEI GONCHAR: Yeah, I would say so. I would say so. Especially playing against them last year. It's the same team, same club. They beat us last year, and now we're up to the challenge again. So, I'm sure that's adding to it. It's probably one of the most competitive series that I've played. MAXIME TALBOT: Same here. Q. With the attention that Crosby has drawn on the ice and their abilities or their struggles to match him and tiring out some of their players, do you feel it's your responsibility to do more in terms of offense? And are you getting more opportunities? EVGENI MALKIN: Yeah, maybe, because he plays with Zetterberg every shift. And Zetterberg tries close to Sid. Of course I have more area, more space and I'm trying to help my team. And my lineman scored last Game 2 goals, and it's good for team. Because Sid of course helps whole team. He tries to score. Yeah, and Lidstrom plays with Sid. And Sid's a very good help him. Q. What do you like about Max Talbot's game and why is it helping your game? EVGENI MALKIN: First, I'm see how play Max, it's lots of emotion. It's never stop in skate. Yeah, little bit bad hands (laughing). He has lot of scoring chance, not score. Just empty net (laughing) it's okay, he learns over the summer. No, I like playing with him. It's lots of emotion skate. And he plays the whole game nonstop. Q. This one's for you. Just your thoughts on the physical play that you've provided and maybe even like what a guy like Matt Cooke has brought and what you guys did last night in Game 3? MAXIME TALBOT: I'm speechless right now (smiling). Thanks, Geno. Matt Cooke's been really big for us. We talk a lot about Sid, Geno, scoring goals. It's nice to be here on the podium and to be talked about. But when you look at a guy like Matt Cooke and Orpik finishing their hits, I think that's one thing that's different from this year to last year, too. I think we brought it to them a little bit more. Being more physical. And it doesn't maybe show on the score sheet, but it definitely gives a lot of momentum, a lot of life. And it gets the crowd going at home, so they've been a big part of our success. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|