NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PENGUINS v DEVILS

May 14, 2001

Martin Brodeur

Scott Stevens

MARTIN BRODEUR: It's a good night against these guys. I don't think -- you know, it's a team that usually, throughout the years I've played against them, they just love to hang onto the puck and they don't get rid of it for no reason.

MARTIN BRODEUR: Yeah, it makes my game -- when you don't have much -- it's nice to go out and then play the puck, feel the game and feel part of the game. Playing the puck is one of my asset, and I like to do it as much as I can. A lot of teams, when you get into the playoffs, they try to prevent me to do it, and that's normal. Just got to try to find ways for me to be just -- you know, not try to overdo it. Sometimes when you have to do it too much, you get too much confidence and that's where you could get hurt.

MARTIN BRODEUR: Oh, yeah, by far. I was going right in. I can't believe they touched it. I don't know who raised a stick up there, but that was a pretty good chance I had.

MARTIN BRODEUR: Well, you know, when they are together, they are real dangerous. You know, both these guys are different players. One loves to carry the puck and the other guy just loves to make plays and I think when they are together, they are just really, really dangerous. On the other hand, when they play with two other players, everybody is looking for both of these guys, so I think that's getting a little harder to defend sometimes when they are on top of their game.

MARTIN BRODEUR: When Jagr is such a good player, and Lemieux is, also, but they are different. You know, they are different in the way that they approach the game and the way that they play the game. I think they will be explosive. I think when they start -- until the middle of the game, you know being on and off of each other when they start double-shifting, I think that's where it gets a little more confusing.

MARTIN BRODEUR: I'm sure. You don't want to get down 2-0, next thing you know you lose one at home and then it's Game 5 and we would clinch the series. These guys, it's a big game. Game 2 is always a pivotal game in the series. For us, we want to play well and just give a good effort like we did in game run and hopefully shut these guys down again and come out with a win line.

SCOTT STEVENS: It's nice to have a couple days, especially after you win a game. So, we have to get back tomorrow. We've been loose here, and it's good to be loose, but we have to get back to hard work tomorrow, because we expect more from that team, and we're going to have to be better, too.

SCOTT STEVENS: They are going to make some changes. They are going to make should changes. I think they are going to be a little bit more aggressive and we know those guys will be coming. You don't keep them off the scoreboard too often. We're going to need to get a few goals and get the offense going.

SCOTT STEVENS: We want to win the next game you know. An important time of the year. You can't be giving any games away. You have to be ready every night. We have to come out excited tomorrow and pick up our intensity and play even better than we did the last game.

SCOTT STEVENS: It's a little different, but the last game, we did a good job when that happened. So we'll see what happens the next game. We match up a couple different sets of defense against those two lines and go from there. We have -- you know, hopefully Scott comes back tomorrow. A little more speed on the defense which will help us even more hopefully.

SCOTT STEVENS: It's going to be nice. He's a great player, a great skater and we know they have some good skating people over there. It's going to be nice so to have them back in the lineup, especially the guys like Straka and Kovalev, Jagr, these guys can really fly. So it's go to have another fast guy back there.

SCOTT STEVENS: Yeah. He's one of the guys that bounces back. He could be off two weeks, three weeks, doesn't matter. He comes back; he can fly, skate well and I don't think there will be much rust on him.

SCOTT STEVENS: He always looks good. He's a natural. He's one to watch and I know he's excited get back.