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NHL STADIUM SERIES: DEVILS v RANGERSJanuary 26, 2014Henrik LundqvistMats ZuccharelloNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK DEVILS – 3 Q. Do you want to talk about the difference between the first period and the rest of the game? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Yeah, it was a tough start to the game. I think my preparation was not perfect. It changed a couple times. So I was asleep when they told me it was a warm‑up in 30 minutes. So I felt like I was not really in the right place mentally in the first period. I was fighting it a little bit. I felt like I calmed down in the second, third period and played my game, but it was fun. I was walking out to warm‑ups, and it was just a great feeling and taking in the crowd's reaction and it definitely felt like, yeah, it was a very special moment. I really enjoyed it. Q. It looked like at the end of the game you were coming off the ice and waving to the fans and stuff. It looked like you were having a great time, great relief, great win. Nice to get that goal support up front for yourself today. But talk about the overall experience. You obviously played in Philly outdoors, but what was it like being hometown, New York Yankee Stadium today? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: It was, like I said, walking out to warm‑ups and taking it all in, it was just a great feeling, exciting feeling and a proud moment too walking out here in front of all the fans in such a special building or stadium. I'm just happy the way we recovered. After they scored the third one it was a challenge to stay positive. Had a couple thoughts there where, why today, you know? You definitely look for a great start in a game like this. So you get going, you get confidence and you build your game. Today we got challenged in a big way. But the way we responded, which was great to see, and I think our second period was outstanding the way we were playing and making decisions all over the ice. We made them pay on a few mistakes they made, and we just played a really smart game, I think. Q. Is it tough watching a fellow goalie deal with what Marty was on such a public stage? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Well, I think we both felt it in the first period. The pucks were bouncing all over the place. It was just tough to be in the right place. That was my feeling in the first period. But I also felt like I was not really on my toes, playing my game and that's why it felt like that. But there were a lot of deflections and some weird plays in front. But you have to expect that in a game like this. But as the game moved on, I felt like I settled down and my confidence started coming back as well. I'm just happy I recovered and as a team we recovered after that start. We talked about it the other day that this is such a special game. You want to think back at this game as a great memory, and the only way to have a great memory is you have to win the game. So I'm really happy we took care of business today. Q. You had your special moment outdoors in Philly when you saved that late penalty shot against Danny Briere. For Mats Zuccarello to come into this building and score two goals considering how hard he's worked, how special is that for you to see your teammate do that? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: It felt like we had so many guys step up to the plate today and score some big goals and make some great plays throughout the game, and Zuc was obviously one of our key guys today and he's been that way for an entire season, I feel like. Coming up with big plays and making smart decisions with the puck. He works hard all over the ice, and so far this year he's just been so good for this team. Yeah, he has a really strong game. I'm happy for him. Q. You mentioned the deflected goals. But with Marty giving up six and leaving the game after the second period, he has a lot of records. I don't know what your relationship is with him. But how do you feel about that? Do you feel bad for him that on a big stage like this, looking forward to this, that he ends up not finishing the game? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: I'm not going to lie, when they scored the third one, I had a bad feeling about it. My first thought was, am I going to be able to finish this game? Then you kind of regroup and tell yourself, I need to stop the next shot. That's it. There is no other way to do this. Of course, you know what other goalies go through mentally when things go against you. It was a tough game for him to play. We had a lot of odd‑man rushes, and it was a really tough plays. For a game like this, you just want some shots and you want to feel good about yourself and your game. It was that type of game where you didn't face that many shots. It was just, we took advantage of some mistakes they made and it was just tough for him to come up with saves here. The difference for us in the second and third period, to control the ice for me to be in the right position was a lot easier. I see love that about our game. Q. Yesterday you practiced in an empty stadium. As a goaltender, with all the fans and different colors, it's different outside as opposed to an indoor arena. How do you maintain your angles and your focus with everything that's going on? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: Well, it is a challenge. My first period was not that great. I feel like when they drop the puck you don't look up. You look on the ice and kind of focus on the puck. You try not to be aware too much of what's going on outside the rink. But throughout the game you have moments where you take it all in, especially the second half when we build that lead and you can really enjoy everything around the rink and maybe listen to the crowd a little bit more where in the first half of the game you try to be more focused. It was definitely a different game compared to the Philly one where we were down to the second. But today we were able to really come out hard in the second and score some big goals in this game. So it was a different feeling. The third period was more about being smart. We really did the things we talked about. Q. Were you out on the ice before the game? Did you notice the sun glare? Was there a problem with it? HENRIK LUNDQVIST: No, warm‑ups was fine. I was out there when the sun was still up, and that was hard to see. They told us probably warm‑ups are around 2:00, 2:30, so I went to sleep. Then they came and told me warm‑ups are in 30 minutes. So, yeah, I was half asleep. Mentally I was somewhere else, so I had to regroup a little bit. But, again, I'm happy personally that I managed to get my game together in the second and third period and as a group as well, we really played strong in the second half of this one. Q. I was curious if you remember what it felt like in 2012 when a lot of these guys were getting ready for the Winter Classic in Philly, and at the time you were in the NHL with an ankle injury and just what your recollection is of that time knowing what happened today afterwards? MATS ZUCCARELLO: I mean, I was happy for the guys playing the Winter Classic, but it's a big game, it's a good experience. So, obviously, it was a little disappointing not being able to play that. But I was in the NHL. I wasn't good enough to play, but today was probably better playing in front of our own fans in New York, so I'm happy I could play with this group here and at this stadium. Q. What was your pregame preparation like, and how did the delay maybe change some of that stuff for you? MATS ZUCCARELLO: I played some soccer and just relaxed. Then go out there and work hard. I don't know, nothing special. Q. Coming into Yankee Stadium and having the performance that you did, does it mean more knowing how much history this stadium has? I'm not sure how much the Yankee brand has in Norway, but coming into this building, do you recognize how much history is and how important it is and how meaningful it was for you? MATS ZUCCARELLO: Yeah, I mean, I know it's a pretty special building to play in. I've never been here, and baseball is not that big in Norway. But I've lived in the U.S. for quite a while now, so I know it's pretty special. It's special for me too coming from Norway, and to be able to play at this rink and get the win too is pretty amazing. So, yeah, we were happy about today. Q. The weather, the atmosphere, the fans, did this game meet your expectations? MATS ZUCCARELLO: Yeah, for sure. It's special coming out there and looking around and everything was great. You had the first period you had the sun, second, some snow, and the third was pretty cold. But it's a fun experience and something you're really proud of being a part of too. Q. Do you think that playing yesterday or practicing yesterday in the snow kind of helped prepare for you when it started snowing out in the second period? MATS ZUCCARELLO: Maybe, I don't know. We got some lucky bounces there. It was a good game at the end or at the start, and we got some good bounces with us and got some momentum off of that. I don't know if that helped us at all, but I think it did. Q. Does this give you confidence for Wednesday's game against the Islanders? MATS ZUCCARELLO: Yeah, we have to enjoy this tonight and get back to it tomorrow and it's a big game Wednesday, right? Yeah. So we'll make sure we're ready to go. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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