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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v BRUINS

May 25, 2011

Claude Julien

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Six

Q. We talked to the players about their mood today coming in with this opportunity, but I was kind of curious how you were feeling today coming into the rink for morning skate with an opportunity to now take this franchise back to the Stanley Cup Finals with a win tonight.
COACH JULIEN: I think to me, any day you come to the rink and you've got a game, especially this time of year, you've got to be excited. I'm certain there's a lot of people, a lot of players, a lot of coaches that would like to be in that position. So we take it for what it's worth.
It's a great day and an even better day with the opportunity that is in front of us.
And our goal is to seize that moment and that's basically how we've approached today.

Q. Just wondering how important the first five or ten minutes of this hockey game will be in terms of maybe trying to control what is the storm of what they're going to bring out there and for you guys to try to dictate the pace.
COACH JULIEN: I think it's really important. I think every team in the Playoffs talks about the starts and what it means, and we certainly are one of those teams that believes in that as well. But at the same time, they got the early goal and they got the good start in the first five minutes, but it didn't stop us from winning the hockey game.
So having said that, it's not the end of the world, but it's certainly the best way to start. I think it's important that you have a great start. And if it happens, great. If it doesn't, you also have to be mentally prepared to fight through that and get yourself back in the game.

Q. In watching the game tape from Game 5, did you feel Chara was a little more active, a little more of a factor in Game 5?
COACH JULIEN: I would say I didn't really have to watch the tape to figure that out. But certainly I guess reinforced the fact that he did have a great game. He's the leader of our hockey club, the team captain. When games are on the line like that, they're big games, you always rely on somebody to lead the way, and he did a great job of that, I thought, last game.
He took all the -- I don't mean our end, but at the other end of the ice where he created a lot of things, and we're going to need him to do that again tonight if we expect to have an opportunity here.

Q. Do you feel like have you to play your best game tonight of the series to close them out, considering the desperation that they're sure to bring and the energy that will be in this crowd?
COACH JULIEN: I believe that. I'm one of those guys that believes that the best game of the series has to be the one that gives you the opportunity to clinch. And that's what we're going to need tonight.
They're a good team to start with, and there's no denying that. And there's some desperation in their game as well. So two reasons to want to play your best tonight.

Q. Can you take anything just from being in a similar situation in the first round, Game 6 on the road in Montreal, attempting to close a team out. You weren't able to do it that time, but just take something from that whole experience and situation?
COACH JULIEN: You can take all kinds of situations and use it to your benefit, and that's one of them. So I think we felt ready, but obviously it didn't happen. And there was some penalties in that game that hurt us. And I think it's just a matter of, again, learning from experience. And the other part is you get experience from being in those situations.
And we've had that opportunity. So it's a chance to show that you've grown from that and that you're a better team for it.

Q. Can we expect to see more of Chara down low on the power play?
COACH JULIEN: Possibility. I think there's -- I liked what he did last game in front of the net. But he's only going to be useful in front of the net if we put him there. If we get control of the puck and we get some shots on that, and the first few power plays, we didn't really get control of the puck. It didn't matter who was in front at that point. So I didn't mind what he did.
And I think we need to see how this game unfolds. But it's certainly a possibility.

Q. Now that you know Roloson's playing tonight for sure, would that affect you in your preparation in terms of forecheck, dumping the puck in, the difference between Roloson and Smith in styles?
COACH JULIEN: Well, I think that would be as far as an adjustment -- we know that Smith is a great puck handler, and he likes to come out of his net. He likes to play the puck. If we didn't get good line changes, he could make us pay for it. That's an adjustment you make.
And we were prepared for either/or last game. It really didn't matter. And that was their decision to make, but we certainly didn't put a lot of our attention towards that, just being ready. And tonight knowing that it's Roloson, I don't think it changes much in our approach to the game. But we do know that there's certain things that we can or cannot do.
They each have their strengths and they each have their weaknesses and it's up to us to exploit those weaknesses.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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