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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKS

June 11, 2011

Claude Julien

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Julien.

Q. Coach, you've now been out and back there twice with the possibility of one more. Have you sensed any extra fatigue or any difference in the team now that you've been out there twice?
COACH JULIEN: No, I don't think so. Plus we've got a couple of days to regroup here. I know they travel a little more than we do, but I don't know if they go back and forth like that for one game or two and back again.
So, you know, if there is going to be fatigue, I think it's going to be in their team as well as ours.
We anticipate with these next two days we should be fresh and ready to go.

Q. Coach, just talking to some of your players sounds like some of them aren't thrilled with Luongo's comments on Tim Thomas's goal that he let in last night. Are you surprised what Roberto said, and is this one of those things that become a rallying cry.
COACH JULIEN: To be honest with you, this series has been a lot about that, and I know you guys are probably loving it, but we're down to the wire here and have to focus on our game and what it means, a lot more than is being said.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion. Anybody can say what they want. Right now my focus is on getting this team back in this series. The last time we came back here we were down two games and we got ourselves back into it and I see no reason at all why we can't do that with just the one game.

Q. Do you feel unfortunate given that you've only allowed six goals in five games to be trailing in the series?
COACH JULIEN: I know it's a bizarre stat, but as they say, "It is what it is." Probably our inability to score down there has been the result of why we're down three games to two. When you get shut out two of the three games, that's what happens.
Again, their goals, 4, isn't that high, but they scored when it counted and that's why they're up in the series.

Q. Claude, can you explain why the games have been so different in each place? In Vancouver they've won all three and low-scoring games. The games here have been a little more wide open and you've won them. Is there a reason behind that?
COACH JULIEN: I don't know. I think as far as I'm concerned we may not have been able to bring the exact same game to Vancouver as we did here. But I don't think we were that far off. Consequently you lose by one goal.
I think in all three of those games, we had an opportunity to win as well.
So, you know, whether they were a little better or whatever people want to say about it, we were in every game in Vancouver and that's important for us right now, to know that if we can play a little better in their building and create that Game 7, we'll be a confident group.
Right now the smaller picture is the most important thing and that's to make sure that we create a Game 7 by playing extremely well here in our own building and to look any further than that would be a big mistake on our part.

Q. Claude, can you talk about the physical game. There was suggestion that the Canucks had a little upper hand on the body contact front. Is that a battlefront you want back?
COACH JULIEN: Yeah, they did. Let's not hide behind the fact that they outhit us and they seemed hungrier. That's where we should have been able to push back and we didn't do that well enough. We're aware of that and we certainly would like to have another crack at it. We have to show that in our building here next game and hopefully, again, having another crack at going down there and showing that we can push back as well.

Q. With so little to choose between these teams, is there another area you would like to see your team get better at?
COACH JULIEN: Absolutely, when you don't score I think you need to improve in more than the physical play. That's an area that I don't think we've done a good enough job in Vancouver. Roberto has been good. As we all know, he's an elite goaltender, but I don't think we've made his life as hard in Vancouver as we did here in Boston.

Q. Last two elimination games in this building, Nathan Horton scored the game winner. Obviously an ample opportunity for somebody to be the hero in Game 6. What do you tell the team? What's the approach here?
COACH JULIEN: Let's put it this way, we didn't say "Hort, you go score the goal," so that's one thing about it (Laughter).
Second, I believe in this group of guys and we've been through a lot. We lost Nathan at the beginning of the third game here and we did extremely well gettin' ourselves back into the series. He's a big part of our hockey club and we miss him. We can't overlook that fact.
But they have injuries as well and we don't look for excuses. We feel right now we have a team that can compete right till the end and the only thing we have left to do is go out there and show it.

Q. Claude, Timmy is a tough, tough guy. Can what Roberto said give him more motivation, make him even more psyched up for this game?
COACH JULIEN: Let's put it this way, I don't think Timmy is going to make much of that comment. I think you guys are making more out of it than Timmy will. Either way, his stats, you know, are proof itself. He's given up six goals in five games. The guy that made the comment, I'm not quite sure how many he let in. I think you guys have a good idea, so I don't think he's going to lose sleep over that.

Q. Wondering how Nathan Horton is doing. Have you talked to him?
COACH JULIEN: We just got back. I haven't had a chance to talk to him, but I'm sure in the next day or so, probably tomorrow, we'll be talkin' to him. He didn't make the trip, as you know, and we're giving him his space because he needs it. But certainly he's not forgotten. But we'll probably be able to give you more on his condition tomorrow after we have had a chance to talk to him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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