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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKSJune 9, 2011Andrew AlbertsKeith BallardAlexander EdlerRoberto LuongoVANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Roberto, the last two games have been a struggle for you. Just wondering what your level of confidence is like and do you expect to play tomorrow night? ROBERTO LUONGO: I think if you ask anybody on our crew we're not happy with the way we played last two games, so I mean, we're all pretty upset with ourselves and our performances. So at the end of the day, we're two wins away from reaching the ultimate goal, so I don't think it's a time for us to be putting our heads down or to not have any confidence. I think we're close and we want to make sure that we all bring our A game tomorrow night. Q. Louis, so much this year there has been talk about the character of the Canucks and how this team is different than past teams. Is that being put to the test right now? ROBERTO LUONGO: I think it's always being put to the test, all year we've battled through adversity and have been able to rise above it every time. We've been through so much as a team since the beginning of the year, we've always found a way to come through it and this is no different. Obviously the stage is bigger but I think we have the confidence that we believe in the guys we have in this room and that we can get the job done no matter what the circumstances are. Q. Roberto, what kind of stock do you put in the concept of momentum in playoff games and do you feel the Bruins have momentum after the last two games? Do you have to treat tomorrow night's game as a Game 7? ROBERTO LUONGO: I'll answer the second question first. Obviously, we do. We have to treat every game like it's a Game 7. It's important and you don't want to let any of them slide by. Momentum is whatever you make out of it, a lot of people would have said after Game 2 that we had all the momentum and they came out in Boston and beat us. It's all about being able to, you know, put that stuff behind you and staying focused on the task at hand. You don't have to believe in that stuff to realize that if we want to go out there and work hard and play our game, we'll have our good nights. Q. Roberto, not having been through anything like this before, the two games in Boston, what do you draw on personally to get past it? ROBERTO LUONGO: Not having been through it? Q. Not a similar situation? ROBERTO LUONGO: I think I have. The first round, this is pretty much the same situation. You know, it's the Stanley Cup finals, you have to think about the goal here. Obviously, we lost two games and it's 2-2, and it's two out of three, and we have home court advantage. That's the way you look at it. We have a chance to get up 3-2 tomorrow. You can't dwell on what's happened for the last couple of games because that will affect you tomorrow night. If you're able to put it behind you and start fresh tomorrow night, you'll be fine. Q. You guys are in the Stanley Cup finals, this is an experience you've all worked towards from minor hockey. After those two losses in Boston, is it easy to come to the rink and be excited, knowing that you still do have an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup? ALEXANDER EDLER: Yeah, I think so. Like Roberto said, we're not happy with the two games, but it's 2-2. We're back home now and we got to stay positive, look forward to the game tomorrow. And I know we all are and we are looking forward to that game and want to put our absolute best game out there. Q. Roberto, can you talk about how much you guys learned as a team from that Chicago series where you guys were being in a similar situation being outscored 12-2? ROBERTO LUONGO: You've got to use past experiences, that's what it's for. We obviously all remember that series and the ups and downs we went through and the adversity that we faced. We came in and rose above it at the end of the day and it made the victory so much sweeter. The same thing applies tonight, we have to come out strong, firing. The last two games were a bit of a bump in the road for us, but the opportunity is still there for us, nothing has changed from two games ago. Q. Roberto, have you been told that you will be playing tomorrow night? ROBERTO LUONGO: I don't know. Maybe it will be a surprise. You guys will find out tomorrow night. Q. D men, what in Boston, what challenges on their forecheck, what do you have to do better to get out of your own zone? ANDREW ALBERTS: I think we have to get back to the way we played the first two games. We had a good transition game. Every time they dumped in, we were right back up to the fours, get the puck up the ice. We moved the puck crisp and clean out of the zone. And in Boston, they put more pressure on us. We weren't making quick passes and quick plays. We have to get back to what we were doing in Game 1 and 2. Q. Keith, even just one game in a Stanley Cup final, your first opportunity to play last night, no matter the result, does that do a world of good getting that under your belt preparing for potentially the next two or three games of this series? KEITH BALLARD: Yeah, it definitely gave me time to get acclimated a little bit. I was thrown into the fire not having played in a few weeks, but sometimes that's the way it goes. As the game went on, I felt more comfortable out there, more comfortable with the speed and all that. But the only way you can prepare for something like that is to go through it and experience it. Q. Question about Roberto, can the three of you speak to the confidence that your team has in your goaltender? KEITH BALLARD: I think our confidence is extremely high. You look at the season he's had for us, him and Cory both, and we're very fortunate to play in front of such great goaltending. The reason we're here is because of him and because of his play. So we never doubted him once and that won't change. Q. Where is the team's confidence right now? Boston is very high, two impressive wins for them and two unfortunate losses for you guys. Where is the team's confidence right now? Is it shaken or as high as it's ever been? ROBERTO LUONGO: We've said all along, even before the playoffs started, you can't get high after a win. You can't get low after a loss. That's the way it goes. It's hockey. It's the playoffs and stuff happens. Like I answered before, if you let that affect you, that's when you're going to get in trouble. But if you're able to wake up the next day, it's a new day and a fresh start. Last time I checked, it's 2-2 in the series. So I don't see why we should be depressed or whatever it may be. We're in a two-out-of-three Stanley Cup Finals. So if I was told that before the start of the year, I mean, where do I sign? That's the bottom line for us. Q. Guys, what's been the difference? Home ice, just a huge difference? And for the defensivemen, is the difference going to be "the ice" tomorrow night, when you talk about the transition game with the way the ice was last night? ANDREW ALBERTS: I think we're more of a skilled team and we want to possess the puck and be a puck-possession team. So the more we have the puck, the better off we are. So with the fresh ice, I think there is better ice here, we can control the play more, you know. Boston is a hot building, bad ice all game, but, you know, it's no excuse. Hopefully things are better tomorrow night. Q. During the season the team prided itself on the ability to walk away from the scrums and the yapping and stay out of that. Some of that has come back into the game. Is that something the team is going to have to guard against to try and stay away from tomorrow night and for the rest of the series? ANDREW ALBERTS: Yeah, I think it happened in Game 3, we addressed it as a team, and last game we were much better at getting out of the scrums. It's not our game. Boston might want to build on the scrums after the game and get a boost out of that. We're trying to play hard between the whistles and that's when we are at our best, so we will stay out of the scrums and play our game. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, guys. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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