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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLYERS v BLACKHAWKS

May 31, 2010

Simon Gagne

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Game Two

Blackhawks Â– 2
Flyers - 1

Q. Has Niemi saved the series for the third period when you guys have kind of peppered him the way you have?
SIMON GAGNE: He did play well. He made some big saves. I felt that we put everything at the net in the third. We tried to tie the game. He made some big saves, even at the end, the last minute of the game. We had a couple of great chances in the slot, and it was good. It was very good tonight.

Q. Obviously, you guys said you wanted to tighten things up defensively. But were you too maybe passive in terms of being offense -- you were so focused on defense you didn't jump into the zone and create things offensively at least in the first two periods?
SIMON GAGNE: I think on both sides. I don't think both teams were expecting it to be that open. I think both teams made some changes tonight. No, on both sides I think we did play a lot better defensively. That's maybe why it was 0-0 after one.
They were able to get the first goal and, no, but I like the way we played defensively. And sure we were kind of open more in the third. We were down 2-0, we had no choice but to open the game a bit more. We have to play better defensively.
I thought we did a better job tonight than the first game. Now it's our turn to go home and do the same thing they did to us.

Q. Simon, in the big picture what does this hole do to your confidence as a team?
SIMON GAGNE: We still feel confident. It's not like we got outplayed tonight. We lost the Game 2-1. Both games were right there. So I don't think we have to be too negative. I think we're right there. The only thing we have to do now, we have to go home and do the same thing they did to us. Try to win the two games at home and even the series.

Q. Does it help you a little bit that you've been in this situation, actually a worse situation?
SIMON GAGNE: You know what, maybe. That's what I mean. Maybe we know we did it before, and the good thing we're going home. We got a good record at home in the Playoffs. We feel that -- no, we feel like we can win some hockey game there. In the Playoffs now, you have home ice advantage. They did their job. Now it's up to us to do the job in their building.

Q. The next game is the most important game, though?
SIMON GAGNE: It's going to be maybe the biggest game that we play all year. We're going to be ready for it.

Q. What went so well in the third period? And can you carry that momentum over into the next one?
SIMON GAGNE: You know, we just tried to put everything in the net. Not that we didn't do it early on. Just not when you're down 2-0, you have no choice. You try to get back in the game and tie the game. We just maybe open the game a little bit more. We still have to play better defensively.
I thought we did a better job tonight. But, no, I think we're right there. We have to find a way maybe to get the first goal, and that's what we're going to try to do next game in Philly.

Q. First period you guys really, really emphasized the defense. You didn't have many shifts. Do you think perhaps you lost a little offensive edge early on because of that, not you personally, but the team?
SIMON GAGNE: We thought a lot about playing a lot better defensively. So I think both teams now didn't want to do too much offensively. They tightened everything on their side and our side too. We tightened our zone a little more. Now we're trying to do some line change a little bit there. But now when the game went 2-0, we went back to the whole lines.

Q. What did you think of Carcillo coming back and the energy he brought into the game?
SIMON GAGNE: He brought a lot of energy first shift. He went and finished a check hard on Campbell. That's the type of hockey we want. You don't expect a lot now, especially when you miss the first two games. He didn't play for almost a week. But the first game was good.
I think it's just going to get better and better. He's the type of guy that we want to have in our lineup. He brought a lot of energy, a lot of physical aspects to the game. He's just going to get better and better.

Q. Was Niemi the difference, in your opinion, in this game?
SIMON GAGNE: Maybe. He's one reason. They played well. No, he did close the door at the end. I thought we had a lot of great chances in the third to tie the game. He made some big saves. I have to give him credit.

Q. There was a high-scoring game in Game 1. Both games were sloppy. Both teams played better tonight. They find ways to win. Do you see that?
SIMON GAGNE: They got two goals, you know, that's the difference. We only got one. So right now they got a little bit better offense than us just by a little bit. Not by much. But that's the way it is. That's playoff hockey. They got home-ice advantage. They did their job in their building. Now it's up to us to do our job.

Q. You guys have always been so confident. Has that been knocked at all after these two games?
SIMON GAGNE: No, I don't think so. I believe in that team and the guys we have in the locker room. Yeah, we're down 2-0, but we're confident in our building that we're going to get back strong. Let's just focus on the next game, the third one. That's going to be the biggest game of the season. Every time we faced that, we responded pretty good. We have to focus on Game 3 and try to go one game at a time.

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