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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKSJune 2, 2011Patrice BergeronTim ThomasVANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Patrice. Q. Your reaction to Burrows not being suspended today? PATRICE BERGERON: You know what, I'm over it. To be honest with you, I'm looking forward for next game. We have to get back in the series. Like I said last night, it's the League's decision. I'll let them make the call, make the decision. I have nothing else to say about it, I guess. Q. Considering what he did or what you said he did, do you think it makes it more interesting that he'll be playing Saturday night? PATRICE BERGERON: We're looking for a win there. He did it. But, I mean, like I said, I'm over it. Q. Can you describe the mood? Is it disappointment that you let one get away? We played them tight? What's the feel? PATRICE BERGERON: Obviously we're not happy. We're not satisfied with losing 1-0, even though it was a tight game. Yes, we played all right. We played okay. But we can be better. We need to be better. Saturday Vancouver is going to obviously increase their tempo as well, so we've got to be even better. Q. Do you think it's possible that someone can unintentionally bite someone else? PATRICE BERGERON: Like I said, I mean, I'd like to just move on here. We're here for the right reasons. We want to win. Like I said, we've got to get back in the series. I know you guys have a job to do. I understand you guys have to ask about it. But to be honest, I've let the League take care of it. They did. I don't want to whine about that stuff. I don't care. Q. Patrice, the power-play, missed opportunities, what do you have to do to start to convert? PATRICE BERGERON: You're right, we have to. We have to find a way to score more goals. On the power-play is the area we need to fix and be better, especially having a five-on-three and a four-minute five-on-four, you have to find a way. Five-on-five, we need to make sure we get to the net more, find a way to get more chances. Q. You played a very good game last night. What is the feeling heading into Saturday? Can you play better? Do you have to play better? PATRICE BERGERON: Yeah, I think so. I think we have to play better. I guess the way we played, playing an okay game, for 59 minutes was not good enough. We got to be better. We got to increase our tempo, find a way to get that win. Like I said, we got to get back in the series. We know Vancouver is going to do the same thing. They're going to come out hard. For us it's about making sure we come out on top for the next game. Q. Apparently Game 1 was higher ratings than the NBA Finals between Boston and the Lakers last year, and also the Red Sox are moving up their game so they don't compete. Wondering your thoughts about that? PATRICE BERGERON: It's news to me. I think it's great news. It's awesome. To be honest, back home we could feel it. The whole city was really behind us. They still are behind us throughout the playoffs and the season. It means a lot to us. Obviously we want to do it for them. But we can feel all the support and that's something great. Q. Patrice, Claude Julien said last night that you kind of lost your legs a bit in the third period. How do you cope with Vancouver's speed? PATRICE BERGERON: Yeah, they are a fast team. But at the same time I think we've been fine matched up against them. The last time we did have a little letdown there. We have to fix that. We have to make sure we play the whole game. But we're fine with a fast game, with a fast pace like that. We're all right. Q. Were you surprised at their physicality last night? PATRICE BERGERON: No. To be honest, I've watched some of the games in the playoffs, the previous rounds. I knew they were a pretty physical team. So do we. I was expecting that kind of play, that kind of a game. Like I said, what's at stake, you got to expect that. Q. Can you give me an idea of how Mark Recchi is doing right now? PATRICE BERGERON: I think he's fine. I mean, Reccs has been around the block more than once. His experience helps everyone on the ice so much. We're just happy to have a guy like Reccs on our team. Q. Burrows, did you get your fingers in his mouth? PATRICE BERGERON: I just can't get around that one. Like I said last night, we were both watching each other. I didn't mean to put my finger in his mouth. Why would I do that? Q. Having seen Vancouver for the first time in some time, can you contrast their style with a lot more aggressive forecheck to what you saw in the Tampa Bay series with their 1-3-1? PATRICE BERGERON: Yes, Tampa Bay played a 1-3-1, but not all the time. They played also a 2-1-2. They were pretty aggressive in the first 20 minutes of each and every game. We were used to that. But, yes, Vancouver is, like I said, a fast-paced team. They're coming hard. They're a good team. We're expecting that. We got to make sure we're ready for that. Q. The missed opportunities, you out-shot Vancouver, but do you feel you were getting the type of shots you wanted? Do you feel you were pressuring Luongo enough? PATRICE BERGERON: I think we can improve that part of our game. I think, yes, we had some good shots, but not necessarily all from the dangerous area. Yeah, we've got to improve that and make sure we fight our way close to the front of the net. Obviously they're doing a good job of boxing us out, but we have to do a better job. Q. Because you guys were down in the Stanley Cup playoffs, losing that first game in the two series, can you take any experience going into Game 2? PATRICE BERGERON: Yeah, for sure. Obviously you never want to be down in the series. Like you said, we've been through it. We know we can bounce back. We came out on the winning side in both those series. We have to stay positive and confident that we can do it. At the same time we have to find a way, like I said, of getting back in the series. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim. Q. Last year during the finals, it was Antti saying you don't need to spend any money to win the Stanley Cup. What are your thoughts on that? TIM THOMAS: That was one of those theories that was thrown out there last year that I didn't think would stand up to the test of time very long. I think this year's proved it. Both teams getting into the finals, you know, the goaltending had a lot to do with it. Q. Who is the toughest guy you ever played against who played that low post? TIM THOMAS: I don't know if I can answer that off the top of my head. There's certain guys that are good in different ways. Simon Gagne coming off the last series is fresh in my mind. He's good at putting himself into the line of sight while still leaving a place for them to shoot. I'm trying to think of who gives me trouble screening in front of me. I got guys on my team that give me trouble in practice. There's actually a good answer to that, but I can't think of that now. Q. What are the things that those guys do that make them the elite, down-low, goalie-screening players? TIM THOMAS: Well, I think I haven't had that much experience playing against some of those guys because I'm in the Eastern Conference. Having played against Ryan Smyth quite a bit, he's good at getting his stick in front of your face by accident. It's kind of like garage hockey, my uncles used to do it to me when I was a kid. But Tomas Holmstrom, he's very good at actually getting out of the way of the puck. He gets right in that lane. If you watch him, he's like the guy in Matrix, if it's a high shot, he rolls out of the way. That's one of the talents that he has, is getting out of the way. That's what makes him so good. And he's willing to just stand there and take any punishment whatsoever that you're willing to dish out. So those are my thoughts on those two. Q. What do you think of the job Tuukka has done in the different role he's been in this year? TIM THOMAS: He's handled it great. He's been a great partner for me, supportive the whole way. I respect that. I was trying to do the same thing myself last year. It's not always easy because you want to be the guy who's playing. We wouldn't have got to this level if that wasn't the case. But he's just been awesome. We've had a good relationship since we first met each other like six years ago. That's still carrying on. Q. Last night following the game Coach Vigneault brought up the issue that you play out in the white ice that would initiate contact. Is one of the spin-offs the fact that you're able to draw penalties? TIM THOMAS: I don't think I drew that many penalties this playoffs. Yesterday the one on, was it Burrows that got it, the way it was, I went to make the first stop, then the puck was going off to the side. I was retreating back to the center of my net, felt resistance behind my leg, and I was actually just going with it. I was going to basically flip around, flip my body around, to be able to at least have a chance to stop that rebound that went to the side of the net. I didn't know if it was my guy or their guy or who. I was backing up and there was something behind my leg. It sort of put me off balance. You know, I don't know. I just play my game. It's not always in the blue. Sometimes it is. You got to do what you got to do. Q. Tim, what is your understanding of your real estate? At one point there was an official motioning to you to go further back in your crease. What is your understanding of what real estate is yours? TIM THOMAS: That wasn't the discussion that I remember having with the ref at any point. I don't really remember. I was focusing on the game. Even some of my little conversations, I don't even remember with the ref. But basically I have the right to go anywhere there's open ice. If I'm set, I have a right to that ice. If I'm out of the paint and I'm set, I also have the right to get right-of-way to get back to the crease. That's the way I understand it. Q. If you were fortunate enough to get the win on Saturday night, how successful would you say the road trip has been? TIM THOMAS: Well, seeing as we're down 1-0 in the series, that would be the best-case scenario. That's what we'll be shooting for. We want to win the Stanley Cup. We're down 1-0 in a seven-game series. I think it's important for us to get this next win. The most successful trip would have been if we were up 2-0 leaving Vancouver. That's not a possibility now, so we just have to deal with the reality of that and get ready to find some way to win on Saturday. Q. You've shown time and time again the ability to bounce back. Can you explain why this team has been resilient in that way? TIM THOMAS: Well, it has good character, which I think we've showed throughout the season and during these playoffs. We really want to win. To do that, if you have setbacks, you have to bounce back. That's what we've been doing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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