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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: BRUINS v PENGUINSMay 31, 2013Dan BylsmaPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day Q. Go back, seems likes about eight weeks ago, it was just a week or so ago, you knew pretty quick will you who you were going to play and you didn't know when you were go play and even when you did, it was going to be a protracted layoff. Can you assess how it's gone and how you feel about this training camp, revisited, mix of days off, practice, and where the team is now after that going into the game? DAN BYLSMA: Well, fortunately, I think in this case, both teams, with the exception of Boston winning a day after us, had the same break for the most part, the same time. . It's not an advantage or disadvantage I think to have been off this long compared to the other team. It has allowed both teams to take some rest, have some rest days away from the rink. Also have some practice time. We have had some kind type of practice we haven't had in a long time and taken that opportunity to do some different things that we have not been able to do when you're playing every other day. Preparation‑wise, we didn't know it was going to be Boston right away. So it allowed us to kind of prepare a little bit differently than we had to, say, the Ottawa series, where you have a short time period and have to cram things in a little bit. So, you know, today was really an actual revisit day. We prepared and done our scout, but today was kind of some reminders before we went on the ice today in terms of our preparation, and tomorrow will be a normal game day type of schedule for our team. Q. Over the years, what have you seen from Evgeni and Sid, physically and maybe mentally, when they are ready to maybe go to a different level, and have you seen any of that in this week leading up? DAN BYLSMA: It's a great question. We have seen them both elevate their games at different times and different situations. Looking back to the past, Evgeni won at Conn Smythe, but he really elevated his game when he got to the third round in that series and really took it to another level. I think the opportunity for both those guys is really something where you see them poised to take that opportunity and elevate their game. You know, I look back to certain times when each of them have done it; for me, it's more game opportunities for Sidney, I think Game 5 in that series against the Capitals was a big game and you saw him poised and ready to go into that game to have a big game. I think there's some tell signs that you occasionally do get from both those guys, and I'm not going tell you if I've seen them or not or what those might be. But really, the opportunity for those big games, those big moments, arise, and I think our team has done a good job of providing those opportunities. We have one of those here going against a good team in Boston. Q. A little curious, the way that the Bruins do their defense and the flexibility that they have in breaking up and reforming, guys are so comfortable, that Chara and Seidenberg dynamic where they can split them up. Does that make game planning for difficult for you because of the depth that you have, as well? It's kind of an added wrinkle in what you're trying to do. DAN BYLSMA: It's not a new thing to see that happen, see them break those guys up, or a lot of circumstances in‑game against the Bruins, faceoffs, they will split guys up and wait for the matchup and then try to have Chara step over the boards or vice versa, step off the ice if they don't get the desired match up or it's not what they want. And they are probably the most fluid team and the best team at doing it in‑game. Even the second period when it's the toughest change for the defensemen, they are‑‑ I don't think there's another team that's close to them in being able to have that guy step off the ice and get the matchups they want. And a lot of times, that sometimes means Chara and Seidenberg are together and sometimes that means they are separated depending on the team, the matchup and the situation in‑game. So we have seen a lot from them, we expect that from them. We expect that they are going to have to decide what they want to do playing against Crosby's line and playing against Malkin's line, and I'm sure both of those guys, all six of those guys, are going to kind of be in that fluid motion to get the match up they would like to have. Q. In the '09 final, Zetterberg played a lot against Crosby, as that series wore on his production veered off. How big in that series was the fact that a lot of time, that Zetterberg line for Detroit, was really spent chasing Sid because they were able to get puck possession. Is that part of the dynamic he brings as these series go on? DAN BYLSMA: In '09 that series, the big factor was that Zetterberg playing against Crosby, and interesting, I think it looked as though the Zetterberg line was trying to shut down Crosby's line and keep him off the board and I think in turn, he spent a lot of his energy and a lot of his focus doing so. He's a great player in his own right and can do a lot of things at both ends of the rink. That, I think, energized Sid to win that match up and wear down Zetterberg. As a group, we felt he did spend a lot of time on the defensive side and really focus on that side and took away from what he could do at the other end of the rink. In a lot of cases in the matchups we've had, Sid knows, especially in road games, he's going to have that type of match up going against that type of player, and that's a matchup he knows he's got to almost do the same thing, keep the opposition off the board and win that matchup in almost a defensive mind‑set, as well. And that matchup does set up our team in other areas, as well. So it looks as though that could be a part of this series. They have a deep team. They have good lines. They have good players in their top two lines that can play against our top two lines; talked about the defense. Looked like it's going to be a matchup against Sidney Crosby and I know there's going to be a lot of talk about it, and I know Sid is taking that matchup, as well, as a big part of our series. Q. On the other side of the coin as far as the matchup game, you obviously are trying to slow down their top two lines. Not looking for anything specific necessarily, but how do you handle matchups like that? Are you a forward‑line guy or a deep‑airing guy? DAN BYLSMA: We are more the deep‑airing type of matchup scenario for our team. We are not a group that‑‑ we typically don't like to have a matchup with two lines. We are a matchup where we have two lines that we feel comfortable playing in defensive situations or another team's top line and use our‑‑ you know, if in our case, it's a left shot center man and a right shot center man, if the right shot center man is needed in that situation, is comfortable with that group or if it's in the left dot, use that center man in that situation. So it's not strict and straight matchups with our forward line scenarios, and we'd like to see‑‑ better suited for our team on the road that way. We are not a group of forwards that I think runs around looking for matchups or is good in that scenario. So we have two lines that kind of have those responsibilities. And our D, really the main focus with really Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin and Kris Letang is another guy that we feel real comfortable with and can be used in those situations. It's really a three‑man type of assignment there on the defensive end. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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