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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLYERS v BLACKHAWKS

May 30, 2010

Joel Quenneville

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Practice Day

SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Okay, once again, ladies and gentlemen, please wait for the microphone to help with our transcription.

Q. Coach, were you surprised that in last night's game, with the possibility of 18 points on the board, that neither Kane, Toews or Byfuglien had any of those points?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think we had some production from some guys that hadn't scored much lately. That line has been red hot for us throughout most of the Playoffs. Had a quiet night, but at the same time that's usually what can happen in the Playoffs. The top line sometimes get a lot of attention to, and sometimes the other guys jump forward.
Yesterday we saw a couple of guys, Brouwer got a couple of key goals for us as well, had some scoring from a lot of different guys. It's good to see, and knowing we had some production from some different guys.

Q. Joel, can you talk a bit about the progression of Troy Brouwer as a player. He's guy who's kind of had a journey to get here, has turned out to be a pretty good scorer both in the regular season and in the Playoffs for you guys.
COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think Brouwer really progressed this year. He's taken his game to a different level this year. He's the power forward you like to have. He's hard to play against, can score, has a great shots. He's big. He's physical He can fight. We like the way he can play.
I think he had a real good year. Had slowed down at end of the year, when he got back in the during the Playoffs, I think he has progressed as he has gotten back in, great night for him last night.

Q. Joel, did you contemplate pulling Antti at all last night, and just how good he's been in bounceback situations?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: We like the way he approaches games and he moves on after goals or after every situation. I didn't think our coverage was very good in front of him. I thought they were loose, and we were scrambling a lot of situation. We hadn't been throughout most of the Playoffs. But I liked how he continued to persevere and was rock solid in the third period. It's the way he goes about his business. I just like the way he's playing in that. So he's a strong consideration.

Q. Joel, Brian Campbell, 13 minutes. Coach's decision or is he not a 100%?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: He's fine.

Q. Joel, 11 goals, and neither of the top lines scored. I'm sure you and the opposing coach are looking at this trying to figure out how to tighten up defensively. Is it possible that this could wind up being a high-scoring series every night?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: One thing, you don't know the unpredictability of what's going on. You can forecast, think it's going to be low scoring, and sometimes it's like what happened last night; or you think it's going to be a high-scoring game, and it could be a 1-0 game.
So I think everything is played accordingly the way the game goes. I think we got a lot of respect for the guys that can make plays on their team. They have a lot of skill throughout their lineup. We saw that last night, whether it's top guys, or second and third line scorers.
But everybody was jumping forward last night in the production department, except the top lines. At the same time, I still think it was -- the game was a little bit scrambly at the beginning and more so from our end of it as far as patience with the puck. They got some bounces against us.
But I thought we were a little scrambly, more so with the puck than we've been throughout most of the Playoffs. I know we have to be better than we were off of those levels last night.
But certain games, the puck goes in. Who knows what's going to happen going forward.

Q. Penalties both sides, did you see a few on video that maybe could have gone your way in terms of getting some power-plays? I'm thinking of the Seabrook follow-through that hit him? And also, your fourth liners that took a few, do you chalk it up to emotion?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: Yeah, I think Benny's play, unfortunately his stick broke and probably wouldn't have been a penalty if it didn't break. And Burish was a hard hit. Unfortunately, the guy went into the boards a little funny. You want that energy. I thought that line was a factor and effective. You have to make sure you find that balance in that line where you can push to the end.
I still think we like their enthusiasm in the rest of the game. We got to work for our power-plays, and hopefully we get some.

Q. Joel, you didn't seem to want to get -- try to get your top line away from Pronger. Why not?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: Well, I think that it's a lot easier to get the matchup for the defensemen as a forward line. Prongs can jump on the ice whether it's off the face-off or coming up the ice.
But it was -- I think whether you're worrying about matching forward lines or the defense pairs, sometimes you don't get both. And Prongs is out there half the game anyway. You know he's going to see them.

Q. Joel, just talk about how adept you guys are at scoring shorthanded goals and what that can do during the game?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: Very timely. They can be a big factor in the outcome. The other team loses a lot of momentum. You get a little bit in charge of yourself. Bolly's was a huge goal, scored a key goal against Vancouver in a comparable play. We scored short-handed at key times this year. I think it helps out the PK in our own zone, and they can be a threat to go. We got some guys that can kill penalties that can also handle a puck well, which is good for our PK. It's been good all year.

Q. You started to get Keith and Seabrook out against the Richards line-up, and as the game progressed and Briers got better, you put them out. How do you handle that tomorrow? Is it a feel thing?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think they'll start with the Richards line. We'll see how things go. They have a lot of options. They've lot of weapons offensively. They do play a lot too. Sometimes they can maybe get them both.

Q. Joel, can you just talk about how Hossa's arrival, how that kind of changed the dynamic, what he brought to the team and what he's been doing?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: We're very happy to have him here. I think when he did return to our lineup, be it in practice or in games, it improved the pace of our team, our speed, our puck possession game and very smart player as well.
I think everybody has been talking about his production all Playoffs. His effectiveness has been great for our team. Our team game has improved in that area, and last night I thought he played the way he plays all year.
He had a little more production and had some nice timely passes as well. But I thought he had a real big game for us. His consistency is the thing you appreciate.

Q. Joel, when you look at some of the high-end players that the Bolland line has done a good job containing going back to the Vancouver Series and the Thornton line and now the Richards line, can you explain why they're so successful as a group?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think Bolly is a pretty smart player. I think his anticipation is high end. His quickness and his patience with the puck and his skill level is high end as well. And I think having that assignment, he welcomes that challenge. He's a competitive guy in his right, and I think that line has some speed and quickness, complements both sides of the puck.
Steeger has been playing well. Laddy was doing a good job as well. And you have to commend Kopey for coming in, not playing for a while and looking like he didn't miss a beat. I think that lineup was very effective again.

Q. Coach, I don't know how late you stay up watching videotape and how quickly or how much of a challenge it is to make adjustments in a 24-hour period in a time like this?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: I think whether it's in games or between periods, you know when you're watching on the bench, there's a lot of awareness things, you know, you want to try to get the guys' attention to in what they're trying to do.
But I think we need to be better in certain areas of the ice. But we're always talking about things that can make us better in what they're up to.

Q. Joel, Kane and Toews, obviously, are very, very young players. It's a huge stage. It's the Final and all the things that go with that. When you look at the fact they weren't able to make a contribution last night, did they maybe get a Mulligan for that reason because it's such a big stage, and they are such young guys?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: We expect these guys to be a big part of our success and a big part of our team. They've been there all year. They're dangerous players. They give the opposition a lot to be concerned with. Any particular night not everything is going to go your way.
I think the way they compete, they know how to play and what can make them better as well. We expect them to be a big part of it.

Q. Just an update on Ladd. Do you expect him to play, and more importantly, would it be hard to take Kopey out after his game?
COACH QUENNEVILLE: Laddy will continue. Today he's day-to-day. But we expect him to be playing. We'll address that tomorrow.
SCHUYLER BAEHMAN: Thank you very much, Coach.

End of FastScripts

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