NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: DEVILS v SENATORS

May 18, 2003

Pat Burns

COACH BURNS: No, I think the only way you can really know that is if you were on a bench, on that particular bench that you feel that your team is frustrated sometimes, because it's very difficult to say whether the opposing team is frustrated or things aren't just going their way. Things can sometimes not go there way doesn't necessarily mean that -- frustration -- depends what you mean, I think it's much easier if you are behind that bench than you are on the opposing bench.

COACH BURNS: That could be too. We have got a lot of odd-man rushes last night because they were in desperation situation. But I think we made a couple of adjustments and I think that's probably what it was.

COACH BURNS: When was that?

COACH BURNS: No, today we didn't do much. Just had an optional skate. Will skate tomorrow morning. I don't think I have to say too much to this team. They know this is like almost like a Game 7 for Ottawa, when you have your back up against the wall like that. We know that. When you are in a series and you are trying to get that fourth win it's the toughest one. It's the toughest game to win. I think everybody knows that in the dressing room, everybody understands that, so I didn't have to say a whole lot.

COACH BURNS: Good for them.

COACH BURNS: Good for them. We also intend not to play like we did for 40 minutes, so.....

COACH BURNS: Jay has played well all throughout the Playoffs up to now; not just in this series. He's played well and his chances that he does get are brought on because of his defensive style, the way he plays, he's very patient. I think Madden and Langenbrunner and himself all when they play into that particular way, always get the chances to score and Jay can -- Jay has a scoring touch. We tease him a lot, whatnot, but he proved it in his younger career in college sports or whatnot that he was a scorer. But when given him the opportunity he knows how to position himself and has done that well.

COACH BURNS: Actually he had a late skate today. He felt pretty good. But I don't believe that we'll go with him tomorrow. I think we'll wait again. But he did skate today. It was better.

COACH BURNS: Yes.

COACH BURNS: Any time early in the series a win or loss you can't get too high and you can't get too low but as the series goes on it changes a little bit. But after Game 1 of course, it was -- let's not panic there, it was overtime loss and I thought we had played better the second half of the game. It's easy to say things like that early in a series, might be a little bit more difficult in the latter part of the series.