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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CANADIENS v FLYERSMay 23, 2010Peter LaviolettePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day Q. All the players are talking about the calmness and demeanor that Chris Pronger seems to bring to this team. At a time like this, when you're so deep in the Playoffs and so much on the line, how much do you need a guy like that out there? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Well, he plays so many minutes for us too. To have a guy playing 30 minutes that has the patience and the settling effect that he has on the ice. I mean last night was a perfect example. It is a hostile building, and every time the puck was on his stick, he felt pretty good about things. He just has a way of calming the game down. He's a physical player. He plays with an edge. But also he's very -- just a calming game he plays. It's never, you never see him diving anywhere or sprawling anywhere. He's always in control of himself, the puck and the game. Q. No coincidence he's been in the postseason 14 straight years? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I don't think it's a coincidence. Q. You've relied on him most of all, but you've had four defensemen play a lot of minutes. Was that your intention going into the Playoffs, or did it evolve that way just because they were playing so well? COACH LAVIOLETTE: They're playing really well together. You know, we try to keep everybody in there. Sometimes those other guys get up in that 8 to 10 minute range, 12 minute range depending on the nights. Like I said, we trust all of our players on the ice. When you've got Chris Pronger on your bench, Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle's playing great, we find ourselves in situations where we're must-wins. Mike Richards plays a lot more than other people do. Those players have the skill set and have been in those situations, and those are players that you want on the ice. Q. But Coburn even has played more than his regular season might have suggested. What's he done to step up his team? COACH LAVIOLETTE: By how many minutes? A couple? By 21, 20? Q. It's 24 now, I think. COACH LAVIOLETTE: I know. But I'm saying he was probably 21, 22, now he's 24. I think it's just where you are in the Playoffs. The Playoffs is about winning four hockey games in a Series and trying to move on. It's different from Game 51. You're trying to play your very best on Game 51, but you can't get eliminated. I think in the situations that we've been in, we've had rest during this Playoff Series. We've had some rest. Want to get your players out there and get those minutes. Q. Were you confident that your players all know about Montreal against Washington, Montreal against Pittsburgh, that you didn't have to maybe address that one more time now that you're up 3-1? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I told you. I've said this before, I'm concerned about everything. So there's always meetings that goes on. There's always conversations. Try to touch on it. Q. Do you think about the character of Michael Leighton? He had an injury that was tough for everybody, actually, but he came back really strong? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I think -- you said everybody, and I think you're right. We've been successful as a team when you're team has played a certain style and a certain way. It's not about one person. Certainly you need your goaltender to be one of your top players every night. He and everybody else's efforts was improved in Game 4. Q. Is it a question of he's older, he's not 22 anymore, he's not 23, he's been around? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Well, you certainly could make a case that a 21 or 22-year-old could get it done as well. Q. Going into tomorrow, is it hard not to think about and talk about what's at stake? Is it hard to not talk about that? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I don't think it's -- players know what's at stake. I don't think it's wrong to think, to dream about, you know what I mean, to go down that road and allow yourself to play the game hard because you want to move on. I don't think you need -- it's the planning, and who and where and whens and all that. Every team sets out at the beginning of the year to win the Stanley Cup. It's okay to say we need to win a game, one game tomorrow night, so that we can move on. By moving on you get that right to fight for it. Q. What kind of options do you have now with Jeff Carter back in the lineup in terms of you can move him around the top six, can you maybe change up your power play a little bit? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I could do all of that. Q. How much of a luxury is it to have that going into this? COACH LAVIOLETTE: Certainly we've got -- I'm trying to count -- we've got six centermen, that's a luxury. You never want to be short down the middle. We've got six centermen in the lineup. I don't know, Ville Leino tells me he played center. Every time I ask him if he's done this, he says, yeah, I've done that. But we've got six centermen with Powe and Carter right now on the wings that we're really comfortable with any of them playing down the middle. So I think there's room to move things around if you felt like you had to. Q. Does Claude Giroux seem to you like he's taken another major step in his development? Is he a better player now than he was, say in March? COACH LAVIOLETTE: He's taken his game to, I think, to the next level offensively, yeah. Yeah, he's been an impact player. Q. Any updates on that sand thing close to your dressing room? COACH LAVIOLETTE: I didn't comment on it last night. I have no comments. I'm not sure exactly what it is you're talking about. Q. Did you sharpen your skates today? COACH LAVIOLETTE: All of our skates -- we've got one of the best skate sharpeners in the league, so we're all good to go. We'll be ready tomorrow. End of FastScripts |
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