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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: LIGHTNING v BRUINSMay 26, 2011Guy BoucherBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Practice Day Q. Game 6, how close did that go according to plan, or was there just a lot of improvising going on? COACH BOUCHER: I think life is what happens after we plan it. So there's things that go according to our plan, but the game never really goes according to the plan. We've got to address new things that are coming at you. And Boston is a very good team. And they kept coming at us. And there's things that we feel we've done well. There's other things we feel we've got to do better. So if we're expecting a perfect plan at this stage of the season against such an opponent, I think we'd be sadly mistaken. Q. You are one win away from going to the Stanley Cup Finals in your first year as an NHL coach. Any nerves for you? COACH BOUCHER: Well, we're one day away from playing the first five minutes of the game tomorrow. Q. Are you nervous about that first five minutes, then? COACH BOUCHER: No. Q. Do you have an update on Chara? COACH BOUCHER: Well, he's seen our doctors again today. And he's going to have another evaluation tonight and tomorrow morning. And we'll see. But right now it doesn't necessarily look like something positive for us. Q. What is it about Simon Gagne's character that makes him seem so great in these kind of situations? COACH BOUCHER: He's very poised under pressure. I've seen it throughout the year. Sometimes you actually feel he's too calm. And that's why I think in pressure situations he's just the perfect activation level and emotional level, because he's just such a calm guy off ice. And even for the big games, you don't even see any signs of nervousness. I'd say that's his biggest asset. Q. We saw again yesterday in a very big game Martin St. Louis performing like he did. What does it tell you about a player who is able to channel emotions the right way and get results in those big games, those biggest moments? COACH BOUCHER: Well, I think players like him, the biggest thing is that they don't see things as a threat. They see it as a challenge all the time. And he's got that capability at any moment of any game or after playing in a bad game or a bad period to bounce back, because what follows after failure for him is an opportunity rather than a moment where there could be failure. So I think it starts in his mind. Definitely, he's very strong mentally and certainly has an effect on the rest of the group. Q. Just comment on your power play and the fact that it was clicking, how obviously they will try to make some changes tomorrow night for you in Game 7 how important it is to keep that going? COACH BOUCHER: We did very well in the first two series on the power play. In this series we haven't done as well as we wanted to. We had some quality offensive zone time in the previous game but unable to put the puck in the net, and we felt that there's things that we need to improve and we did. But you're right, they're going to make adjustments and we never gave them the same kind of setup from game to game. So we're making adjustments, too. And we'll see how it goes. Q. Just confirm if Roloson is going to start tomorrow? COACH BOUCHER: Yep (laughter). Q. Obviously top level last night. Do you expect a stronger bounceback after that because he's such a mentally strong guy? COACH BOUCHER: You know, if you look at the last six minutes of the game, he was right there and holding the fort. That's what he's done since he's been with us. So whether it's during the season or in the Playoffs, he's held the fort in those times. So I know him. He's a competitor. And tomorrow's a great day to compete. So he'll be competing. Q. I'm not sure you're aware of this, but you've become a pretty big personality in Boston with the greater media referring you to as "The Evil Genius" an Austin Powers reference. I think it stems from the comment you made about solving the enigma that is Tim Thomas. Wondering your thoughts about it. Are you aware of it? Are you amused by it because plenty of folks around here? COACH BOUCHER: No, I'm not aware of it. I don't want to be aware of it either. I've got a team to prepare. All the things I don't control I want to keep them as far as possible from my mind. Q. There's been some high-scoring games in this series, perhaps a little more high scoring back and forth anticipated going into it. What kind of style of game would you expect in Game 7? COACH BOUCHER: Well, I'm not going to expect anything, because every time we expect something the opposite happens. So when the series started everyone was saying, including myself, it was going to be a very defensive series, and we haven't had very many defensive games. I think both teams have tried to adapt to each other and surprise each other with what's coming at them. And I have no clue how it's going to be tomorrow. I know we have to prepare against a team that's a lot on their side obviously. It's clear for us that there's a lot of odds against us. So we're expecting a lot coming at us. They've got the crowd on their side. They worked all year to get the home ice advantage. They got it. That means they've got their own matchups. Their crowd's going to lift them. They know they've got their depth with Seguin again on the third line. You see a guy like Peverley on the fourth line. He was on the other team's first line. That means there's four lines coming at you, and six defensemen playing very well. We're expecting nothing less than Thomas's perfect game. He's probably one of those guys that's going to win the Vezina. And been at this for three years now. They've got experience now in this situation. Sound games, it's been three years in a row. This is their fourth year. They've seen this before. I'm sure they'll draw a lot from their experience. Q. Is there a flip side to that, when you've been there before that you worked all year, you got home ice, you said you've been in these situations before, they have the home crowd, is there more pressure on them? COACH BOUCHER: I wouldn't know from the NHL experience because our seventh game is on the road. I wasn't there last year or the previous year. So only they know how they feel about what's going on with them. And I certainly wouldn't want to pretend that I know how they're thinking, how they're feeling. We've got enough on our plate to think about what we've got to do. And it's a war of attrition. When you look at our team right now, obviously it's been really tough. Kubina is missing and possibility of Bergenheim missing again and some other guys that have worked really hard but are banged up. We've got plenty on our plate to take care of, and I'm sure they're preparing and they're going to come out with their best game of the series and the Playoffs. Q. Given how each game of the series has been so different from each other, the game's been a separate entity what's been the difference, has there been one difference between these two teams that allowed one team to be better on any given night or is it something different? COACH BOUCHER: I think every game is a different story. That's the beauty of the Playoffs you never know what to expect. And I think the big winners in this series is the fans. They're getting a great show, and nailbiters and I'm sure it's going to be the same tomorrow. Q. You mentioned Kubina. Is there any sort of update on him, when he might be available? COACH BOUCHER: He won't be available, no. Q. With all the toughness and physical play that Steve Downie brings to his game, when you look at the plays he made last night to Teddy and Marty at the end, are his gamemaking skills overlooked sometimes? COACH BOUCHER: Yes, I've always said to me that's what I find is that his greatest attributes are, I think, is smarts with the puck. I mean I've always said that. That's why we've been focusing on that with him rather than his physicality. He'll throw the body here and there and he hits extremely hard. But to me he's always been a terrific hockey mind. If he sticks to that, he's terrific out there. That's what he did last game. So I was real proud of him. It's always an emotional battle when you've been used your entire life to play a certain way and we're asking him to stick to playing hockey, and he's playing with good players and he's able to play with them, which means he's got the attributes to do so. Q. I assume if I told you back in September you'd be in Game 7 in the Conference Final you would have taken it and run with it. Now that you're here, how much of it just an opportunity for this entire team to kind of relish and enjoy it? COACH BOUCHER: We have enjoyed the moment, I think, since the beginning of the Playoffs. I think just the fact of making the Playoffs, it's the first time in four years that the organization has made it there. So that was an accomplishment. I think having to go through the first series against a team that was extremely hard to play defensively and they were very confident because they had done extremely well junior year, but also the last portion of the season they were very, very hard to get through. And I think that helped us for the rest of the series because when you try to find holes where there are no holes, it certainly pushes you to your limit. And I think we had a lot of respect for how Pittsburgh played, they knew how to win. They knew how to win the Stanley Cup. Before that 15 guys. And I think our guys learned from that. We learned a lot from Pittsburgh. They knew how to win, and you could see why. And some of our guys had to learn fast and they did. I think as an organization we grew making the Playoffs. We grew getting through that series, and obviously taking out the top seed in our conference was an accomplishment. But I think right now we're playing against a team that's -- it's their year. We know that. They got great acquisitions from players, and they've done everything they could to be here. So they're very, very tough to beat. And I think it's something we gotta cherish that we're part of that right now. Q. This team has obviously done well in elimination situations in postseason. Is there something about it in the locker room, the personality of the guys, that they do better when their backs are against the wall? COACH BOUCHER: I hate to pinpoint one thing. Why don't we start pinpointing one thing, we like that, that moment of the game that one thing that makes you good -- it's a whole bunch of things in a series of either events or qualities that the players have or built up over in this season and the Playoffs. You know, we've got a family, I know that. The players feel really close to each other, and there's a lot of respect in that room. And I think it goes beyond just the dressing room. I think this organization as a whole has got a lot of quality people. And we love to be around each other. So I think that's probably our biggest strength. Q. Some of your players have talked about having one more chance tomorrow night together their most complete effort of the season. I wonder if you believe it takes perfection to win a game like tomorrow night or would you like those guys to be prepared for some of those imperfections along the way? COACH BOUCHER: If you're expecting perfection obviously you're going to be disappointed. But no, for us we know what we haven't done so well in the last games and we know what we've got to improve. We also know it's going to be even tougher because the opponent's going to be at his best. It's important to expect the right things, and our expectations are, like I said, their goalie is going to be perfect out there. Their players are going to be very intense and their crowd is going to be very loud. So before the puck even is dropped, we know the expectations are, there's a lot of odds against us and we have to fight that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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