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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RANGERS v CANADIENSMay 28, 2014Brad RichardsNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Practice Day Q. You guys are going to be playing in your 20th playoff game already on Thursday. Is that wearing on you guys emotionally or maybe mentally? Is it possible to have a mental weapon, I guess? BRAD RICHARDS: I don't think so. It's an opportunity to win the game to go to the Stanley Cup Final. I think everybody is alert and ready that way. We were talking about it all day how excited we were to get on the ice and start playing. Obviously, we had some mental breakdowns, but I don't think it had anything to do with that, no matter how much we played. We've had a lot of rest this series, and the opportunity that faces us right now, we're pretty excited about it, so I don't think there is too much letdown. Q. For the first time you've been in these playoffs and lost your composure with the other team? BRAD RICHARDS: Well, we lost our composure in all areas of the game. There are a lot more problems losing our composure in our stretch of the game, getting into whatever you call that game. I don't see many of those games in playoffs. But you get into that where we were just cheating and hoping, and some of it was a product of being down 4‑1. But even as we were getting momentum there, we were still doing it and playing with fire that way, mentals, and just the whole structure of the concept, we just broke away from it for whatever reason and never got back into it. Q. (Indiscernible) how did you guys feel the league (Indiscernible)? BRAD RICHARDS: Anything we can learn? Yeah, you learn a lot from it. That's why experience is experience. You go through many situations. Last night was a bad feeling, but today we're getting on a plane to go back to our city and we get to play in front of our fans. Tomorrow is game day again and another great opportunity to win a game on home ice to play for the Cup. It's always ‑‑ forget as quick as possible and try to remember the good things that we're doing. It was one bad night, but we've been doing a lot of good things in this series. Q. How do you build from game to game in terms of belief and not feeling the pressure or whatever? BRAD RICHARDS: It has nothing to do with us right now. You're asking how the Montreal Canadiens are going to do that. You can ask them. I'm not going to tell them how they should feel. Q. What do you think of the insight when Carey takes the ice? BRAD RICHARDS: I think you guys all see how competitive he is, and that's not going to sit well. Even when he plays good, he's focused. I would imagine we're going to see one of his better performances, especially going back to his crowd and wanting to rebound from that. It's not something we'll have to worry about. We always know he'll regroup. Q. This team seemed to play better with a sense of desperation. How do you create that still knowing there is another game if you don't win tomorrow? BRAD RICHARDS: Yeah, you've got to try to create it the best you can. But I think in this situation, to win a game you go to the Stanley Cup Finals. You know, it's a desperate time. You don't want to go back to a Game 7 where anything can happen. We want to get this done, and we did last night too. We had already won two in a row in that building, and they're a good team in that building. They're a good team anywhere. They got one on us, and that's just the way it goes. But we're going to have to be a lot better, and we will be. The opportunity in front of us should create all the desperation that we need. Q. Some of the hits (Indiscernible) is that a function of any growing animosity of the two teams or is it just the stage? BRAD RICHARDS: It's probably just hockey, just things happen. Q. You said it's your crowd you're going back to. How much do you appreciate that you're going back there knowing everyone's on your side? BRAD RICHARDS: Yeah, like I said, an amazing opportunity to clinch a game to go to the Stanley Cup Finals in front of your home crowd. It's been two tight games there though. It's been overtime both times. But we still feel good. We'll get our match‑ups and have our energy with the crowd. You saw how they drew energy off their crowd last night. I keep repeating, it's an amazing opportunity that if we were given anything to do to start the season to win a game on home ice to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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