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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BLACKHAWKS v SHARKSMay 20, 2010Todd McLellanCHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Practice Day SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Questions for Coach McLellan. Q. They went to a lot of effort to get the matchups they wanted, line combinations, in San Jose. Is that something that is surprising you at all or is there something you need to do to try to counter that? COACH McLELLAN: No. It doesn't surprise me at all. We saw it in the Vancouver series, they did a really good job against the Sedins. Joel is very good at it. He has a ton of trust and belief in the Bolland line. I don't think that's going to change here at all in Chicago. In fact, it will probably be easier for them now because of last change. So we'll have to have a plan for that, continue to try and mix and match and move people around. But the simple fact is, if our big line ends up on the ice against those three, they have to find a way to outplay them. There's nothing that we can continually do to get away from it. They're going to be up against them. At the end of the night, they have to find a way to be productive. Q. Yesterday, Dan Boyle said it's time for us to raise our collective middle fingers in the air. He gives us these quotes, seems frustrated to be in this situation. You talk to the players in the room, they talk about how easygoing he is. How does his personality apply itself to the team in this situation? COACH McLELLAN: Boiler, from my opinion, I'm around him a lot, he's a very easygoing guy in July and August at the lake when he's doing what he's supposed to be doing. When he's in the locker room, around the rink, he's as serious and intense as anybody that I've been around. That's a very good quality right now. We need that from him. We need him to grab some people and take them with him right now. That's why we consider him a real valuable leader. With that, he's got to watch how far he takes it because he can't get guys in too deep or too frustrated as well. Danny can handle anything individually. He'll continue to lead collectively. Q. The frustration your team showed a little bit on the ice, apparently in the locker room after Game 2. Is that unusual for your team? Did you like seeing that? COACH McLELLAN: Not unusual and I did like to see it. I said this yesterday in San Jose. You're allowed to be passionate at this time of the year. We expect that. We expect you to be frustrated when it's not going your way. But it's what you do with that, how you handle it, how you channel it. We as a group, as a team, likely won't be good enough to beat Chicago and frustration. We have to pick one or the other. If we end up trying to beat the frustration all the time, we won't have enough left in our tanks to beat Chicago. If we channel it, try to target Chicago, use our frustration on them, we have a chance to come back. Q. Two days off before Game 3. Are you taking the time to sit with some of your leaders, players, may do that tonight or tomorrow? COACH McLELLAN: We have. The good thing about that is it's no different for them. When you don't do that during the year, you start doing it now, it could be seen by them as a panic situation. That's not the case. After every game, we find a way to meet with either a small group, individuals. It's either to reward them and let them know we caught them doing a lot of good things and we like what they're doing. Sometimes it's on the other end of the scale where it's, Hey, we expect more from you. Here are a few situations. We've done that. It's not out of the norm. We'll continue to do it as long as we play. Q. Any chance we could see some mixing and matching with your top two lines? Move them around a little bit? COACH McLELLAN: There's a real good chance of that. Obviously, we talk again of the match scenario. We've only scored three goals in the series. We have to find a way to be a little more offensive. With that said, we can't open up the game so much. We respect their offense enough, that you can't open it up totally. That's what happens when you're chasing a series. We're now behind and we're chasing it. You've got to adjust in one area, but you have to make sure it doesn't affect the other. Q. Dany Heatley only has two goals in the post-season. Do you need him to start finishing more of his chances? COACH McLELLAN: Yup. There's no other way to say it. Yes is a real simple answer. As coaches, we're always aware there's 19 others that play the game as well. We need that from some others. Heater has the skill, the ability in the past that he's proven that he can put the puck in the net. There is some pressure on him right now. He feels it. I'm sure he'll handle it appropriately. SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Thank you, coach. COACH McLELLAN: Thanks, guys. End of FastScripts |
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