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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v BRUINS

May 18, 2011

Steven Stamkos

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. I know you guys tend naturally to focus on what you guys did wrong in terms of structure, but how much credit do you want to give the home team last night for being physical, winning the battles along the boards, the loose pucks, Steve? Do they get a lot of credit for what they did?
STEVEN STAMKOS: Yeah, I think we showed a lot of character as a team not quitting. We could have easily packed it in after it was 6-3. And especially the way Boston plays when they have the lead.
So we showed a lot of character as a team to be able to come back. We've shown it all year. And I think if you want to look at positive, that is. But at the end of the day, yeah, we were physical but at certain points we weren't smart with it and it cost us. We got some penalties and gave them some momentum.
So we just need to stick to what works for us, and that's sticking to our structure and game plan and not get caught up in other things.

Q. Just curious, everybody's been talking about the structure and the structure broke down and we didn't do the things we wanted to do. Are there a couple of specifics you could talk about to indicate what parts of the structure that was most, that weren't up to standards last night?
STEVEN STAMKOS: Well, I think it was -- it's tough to go into exact detail. But our D zone coverage wasn't what we wanted it to be.
We have a certain mindset and certain game plan coming in. It's the little things that we talked about and worked on all year, you know, stick on puck, and just being smart, managing the puck. I thought throughout the Playoffs, both the forwards and the defense in the D zone have done a great job of making - taking that extra step to make a play and make a pass, and we were a little - a step behind last night.
I think our 1-3-1 for the first time in a long time, it didn't look like we were all on the same page. And for whatever reason that was the case. And that's something we need to address right away.
I have full confidence that we're going to put the negative stuff that we did in that game behind us, focus on the positives and be ready for Game 3.

Q. I just wonder when you win eight in a row you must get used to winning and that becomes part of your routine. What's it like to wake up this morning to have that streak broken?
STEVEN STAMKOS: Yeah, it's like you said, when you go on a streak like that and then we had those ten days in between the series, and you haven't lost a game in probably -- felt like a month. So it was something that you have confidence and you get used to. But I think our team did a great job of not being content with it and always wanting more.
But you have to be a realist, and you're not going to go from the second round of the Stanley Cup Finals and win every single game. The teams in this league are unbelievable teams, and they're here for a reason.
And we expected this to be a long series. And our expectations haven't changed now just because we've lost one game.
It's nice to win every game, but that's not realistic. We've got to realize what we did wrong and focus on tomorrow night's game, especially in front of our home fans.

Q. The question I had for your goalie there, I just wondered, why do you think this game -- this series, rather, has been so high-scoring?
STEVEN STAMKOS: I think you got two teams that know how to score goals, and coming into this series a lot of people said Boston's power play struggled, but they have unbelievable players out there, and they showed they can capitalize on those chances.
Our power play has been going since day one. So you have really good special teams and you have guys that can score goals. For the most part that's not the type of style that we want to play last game with for the 6-5 game. I think both teams would agree that it was - some of the goals you'd like to have back as a team, and by no means was there really any fault on the goaltenders on any of the goals. Two of the best goalies in the league going at it right now.
A lot of goals are being scored, but a lot of them are either coming up off lucky bounces or breakdowns in the defensive end that are leading in pretty good chances, grade A scoring chances, and the goalies aren't going to stop every single puck.
I think from our perspective, we're happy that we've scored five goals in both games. But there's no way it's acceptable to allow six last night, and we need to find a way to address that.

Q. To piggyback on that last question, it's been so long since you've lost a game, have you guys forgotten how to deal with adjusting now for a loss?
STEVEN STAMKOS: I don't think so. I mean, we've all been in scenarios where you go on a win streak and you have to reload or you go on a losing streak and you have to reload. I think that's the thing about our team: We're able to stay focused. We're not too high. We're not too low. When things are going right or wrong we find that balance and it starts with the coaching staff and reiterating that message to the players.
So I think we're going to be fine. We've done it all year. We want to have a good bounce-back game. Like I said, especially at home.
So we're going to look at the positives. I think everyone realized during the game and right after the game what we did wrong and how it can be fixed. So to Boston's credit they came out and played a strong game and scored on their chances and their special teams.
So we've got to be better in a lot of areas, but I think we will.

Q. You've even said that in the Playoffs you win one game and it seems like you're going to win the Stanley Cup, and then you lose one and it's kind of the end of the world. I was curious if you did go through that kind of emotion, or if an eight-game winning streak makes that a little easier to take?
STEVEN STAMKOS: I think that might have been the scenario at the beginning of the Playoffs, especially for us, the guys who hadn't played in a playoff game before. You get your win and then you feel on top of the world. And I think we learned that lesson pretty fast; that you can't think that way.
And for the guys that hadn't been there before, we realized pretty quickly going down to Pittsburgh 3-1, that was the mindset we kind of had after that Game 2 win, and it came back and haunted us.
So I think we've learned a lot. We've matured a lot as a team especially the guys that haven't been in the Playoffs. We know what it's all about now. And we realize that it takes four wins to win a series.
It's nice to get Game 1, but we expected this to be a long series. So Boston came out and they did their part in Game 2 and tied the series up.
Now we have an even series. So I think we definitely learned our lesson from round one and we know how to deal with those situations now.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

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