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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: KINGS v DEVILSJune 9, 2012Martin BrodeurZach PariseBryce SalvadorNEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Game Five New Jersey – 2 THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Kings don't usually lose on the road. What does this win mean to you guys? What did you do right? MARTIN BRODEUR: I thought we survived out there. I don't think we played our greatest game, but we found a way to win. These are important games to win, especially at home, knowing these guys play really well, really solid on the road. They had a lot of jump. We got cornered a few times in our zone. But we made some good blocks, key plays defensively to win this game. Q. What happened with the scrum? MARTIN BRODEUR: I got punched and threw it over my head. That's it. Not much more that happened (laughter). Q. You came up smiling. MARTIN BRODEUR: I couldn't believe they didn't call any penalty. Q. You didn't want to find yourself in the position down 0‑3. You're now on the cusp of making history. What does it mean to find yourself in a situation where just by your happenstance you have to win? MARTIN BRODEUR: We're still alive. We have a chance. It's a difficult thing to get yourself ready for games like that. Now it's been two in a row. It drains you a lot. It takes a lot out of you. But it's worth it. I think at the end of the day, that's what the guys are concentrating on, getting themselves ready, leave everything out there. We'll see where everything's going to fall. Right now we're able to pull two tight games on our side, like they did in Game1 and 2. So it's a matter of us now going into a tough environment in L.A. to try to ruin the party again. I think they're so close to winning the Stanley Cup that I'm sure it's getting to them a little bit, to be able to have all these chances and not capitalize on them. We're looking to just stay alive. Got to win one more game. Q. Is there a certain excitement to have a chance to do something, to make history? MARTIN BRODEUR: No, no, no, trust me. It's exciting to do what we're doing right now. We're having a great deal of fun. But we haven't done anything yet. That's why for us it's important to just keep it on the low‑key there and just keep grinding it out and then we'll be just fine. Q. When the jersey is over your head and you're smiling, it looks like you're relaxed and having fun in the third period. MARTIN BRODEUR: I was just tired (smiling). Q. Are you relaxed, enjoying this? Is that because of the point you're at in your career, what you've accomplished? MARTIN BRODEUR: I'm enjoying this. They're fun games to be part of. They're tough mentally to go through them because we don't have any tomorrow or anything like that. But they're fun to be part of. Again, I've been enjoying this ride. I will until we're done. Q. Zach, Brodeur mentioned it wasn't the best game. The coach also mentioned that the first period was a poor period for you guys. What was the difference? What do you have to change for the next game? ZACH PARISE: I think we turned the puck over quite a bit in the first period, and they have a great transition game where we allowed them to keep coming back at us, back at us. We didn't do a great job dumping the puck or getting on our forecheck routes properly. When we don't do that, then that makes it pretty easy for them to break out, and we don't get a lot of offensive zone time. We'll have to be a lot better for Game 6. Q. Marty, over your playoff experience, you've played in dozens of games, dozens of years, have you ever seen anything comparable in terms of a player making an offensive jump to what Bryce has done in this post‑season? MARTIN BRODEUR: It's pretty impressive. We're looking for him to score a goal all year, so he peaked at the right time, if you ask me (smiling). I think it's great. I think it's well‑deserved, especially where he came from with spending a whole year on the sidelines not playing. To be able to come back and have the season he's got, the playoffs he's got, it's a credit to get himself in the best shape he can be and well‑prepared. Q. With the chippy play escalating out there tonight, do you get a sense maybe they're getting frustrating, blowing two chances at wrapping up the series? ZACH PARISE: I mean, hopefully. If they are that will definitely play to our advantage. I guess you'll have to ask them. I think for the most part, not so much tonight, but throughout the series, we've done a pretty good job of not giving them a lot of great opportunities. From an offensive standpoint, that can get frustrating. So maybe that's the case. I don't know. But I still think that they played a really good hockey game tonight. Q. Zach, describe the play you made. Were you surprised that you just followed the play? ZACH PARISE: I made a not‑so‑great pass across the ice Patty. I wasn't looking. Just saw Quick go out of the net. Just went on the normal forecheck route that I've gone on a thousand times this year. He just happened to misplay it and put it on my stick. You got to get lucky sometimes. Q. Zach, we've talked to you a lot about scoring in this series. Just your feelings on getting that goal, that lead in this game early. ZACH PARISE: It's always nice to contribute. But, again, I still think that our line was playing fine. We were getting a lot of great chances. It wasn't going in for us. Tonight we get lucky, and that's the difference. But, yeah, it feels good to contribute. For us to get the first goal, that's always big. I think every team plays better when they've got the lead. You can get the crowd going a little bit, get them excited. We were able to do that. Q. Can you talk about the emotional challenge of trying to get back into this series and also the travel, how that comes into play right now. MARTIN BRODEUR: Well, we have plenty of rest in the last two series to be able to travel now. This is the time of year that you don't care what you have to do to be successful. We could have packed it in two games ago. That's the bottom line. But you see we have a bunch of resilient guys that want to try to make history and try to win the Stanley Cup. We're not going to give up, not because of travel or anything, is going to change the attitude of the guys. Q. Zach, Pete said he thinks we might have pissed you off a little bit in how much we've scrutinized the production. Did that motivate you a little bit? Do you feel a little bit was unfair or undeserved? ZACH PARISE: I understand you guys have a job to do. No disrespect, but I don't read or listen to what you guys say. That doesn't bother me one way or another. I understand it comes with the territory, where we are, what's expected of certain players. But, again, like I said, I thought we were playing fine. You feel, when you're getting the opportunities, that if we kept working hard in getting those that the puck was eventually going to go in for us. Hopefully it will keep going in. I mean, these guys play really a tough defensive game.  They don't give you a lot. Their D have great gap. It's tough to get in the zone. They're big players. They don't give us a lot of room. We're working hard. We're trying hard. Hopefully we can keep putting some pucks in. Q. Bryce, all kidding aside, you're developing a reputation as an offensive juggernaut. What's going on? BRYCE SALVADOR: I think you're seeing a bunch of individuals having success because the team is having success. Not just me. There's a lot of guys contributing. Right now everyone's enjoying it because we're getting some momentum. Like I said, it's individual success that comes along with team success. Q. Zach, talk about the confidence level going back to L.A., winning two in a row. ZACH PARISE: I mean, we're happy that we're able to get these two and make it a series. We're still in a tough spot. We understand that. We're going into a hard building, try to get another road win, which we've done a pretty good job at this year, winning a Game 7 in Florida, winning some games at MSG, and Philadelphia. We'll be prepared to play. But we feel good. I mean, we're back in this thing now. We're making it a series. We're making it interesting. Now our focus is going to shift to getting one out there and bringing this back home. Q. Bryce, what enables you to stay so patient there and wait for the shooting lane to develop? BRYCE SALVADOR: Well, like I said, we've been working on that all season, really for the defense trying to contribute, trying to help on the offensive, whether it be pinching, keeping the puck in. It's really just been trying to get the puck through. Yeah, I kind of faked a shot there and bought some time so I could kind of go across Greene. Like I said, I think I went off 16 people, and it went in. Clarky did a great job by going to the net and creating a screen, and Pony made a great play bringing it up and passing it across. There's a lot of things that went right on that shift and we got rewarded for it. Q. Bryce, considering all you went through last year with the injuries, the frustration, can you fathom the idea that you're sitting here on a podium after scoring the game‑winning goal in Game5 of the Stanley Cup Finals? BRYCE SALVADOR: It's definitely a great feeling. I think what's more important is that we have momentum and won. Zach and I joke about it. This time last year we were worried about tying our shoes up and trying to get into shape. We trained together in the summer, after both missing the season. I think being here is a goal of both of ours. A year ago, we were seeing if we could run on the track and get back on the ice. It's been a great experience. Like I said, it's one of those things that you enjoy because the team's having success. Q. Bryce, does it make it even more enjoyable for you on a night when you do score? BRYCE SALVADOR: Well, obviously any time you can score, like I said, went 82 games without scoring, so any goal I can take, I'm taking it (smiling). I think whenever you can contribute on the score sheet, you enjoy it. But, like I said, obviously it's been great to help contributing on the score sheet. Like I said, it's more important that the team is having success, and that's what matters. The only reason people are asking about the points is because the team is having success. We're going to go into L.A. and continue to be resilient and continue to be the close group that we are. The team's done a great job whenever it's been faced with adversity. We're just staying levelheaded and not getting ahead of ourselves because we know we have a big task ahead of us. There's a great hockey team over there. We're just trying to build on our momentum. Q. Zach, in late‑game situations, how important is it for you to have somebody like Bryce? ZACH PARISE: Really important. Really important even throughout the game. Just the big penalty kills that he has, the patience that all of a sudden he's got with the puck. I mean, he's been playing great for us. We had the best penalty kill in the league this year hugely because of what him and Volchy do. They block shots, make it tough for teams to set up. We know when the game is on the line, we need to protect a lead, he's going to be out there for us. We all trust what he does, and that's important. Q. Is there anything at all you've done differently this post‑season from the regular season? Is it surprising to you that midway through the Stanley Cup Finals you're the team's third leading scorer? BRYCE SALVADOR: I haven't done anything different. Like I said, it's a great feeling just for the team to be where it's at. I think obviously the points are great and contributing. Like I said all along, you trade all those points just to make sure that the team's still having success. Like I said, it's one of those things that you enjoy. I'm not getting ahead of myself. I know what my role is and what I do. The fact that some offense is coming along with it is nice. But I think at the end of the day, you know, I want to make sure that I'm protecting Marty and keeping the puck out of the net and playing strong defensively. Like I said, I got to make sure I remember what my style of game is and what I bring to the team. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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