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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RANGERS v CANADIENSMay 29, 2014Alain VigneaultNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Six Rangers – 1 Q. Coach, when you came here June 21st and I asked you if you had visions of being here in New York, and you said you saw the parade posters of that day. When that buzzer went off, what was that feeling for you tonight? COACH VIGNEAULT: Well, we're not there yet. I mean, we've given ourselves the opportunity to compete for the Cup. It was a great feeling tonight. We played, in my book, probably our best game of the playoffs. You know, we've got to give Montreal a lot of credit. I mean, they're a good organization, and they played really hard. It was a tough series. Q. Coach, you always talk about how important it is to play four lines deep. Your fourth line gets that goal tonight with John Moore, can you talk about the importance of that fourth line? COACH VIGNEAULT: All year long since we've been able to find four lines and play them, we've been a better team. Our pace is better, and I thought tonight it showed. We challenged our group a little bit this morning after the performance we had in Montreal. We knew we had to be good, and for our guys under this pressure tonight, we definitely didn't want to go back to Montreal under the scrutiny and the pressure they came up with their best performance. We gave them one chance in the first, four in the second, and nothing in the third. Shouldn't have been a 1‑0 game, but you have to give their goaltender a lot of credit. He played outstanding. Q. Someone gives you a phone call in late October this year and says, by the way you'll be in the Cup Finals this year, what would have been your honest reaction at that moment? COACH VIGNEAULT: In October (laughing)? Probably would have said what are you smoking (laughing)? Oh, you know, we worked our way and improved how we played. We came along in the second half and found a way to get in. Ever since we've gotten in, I mean, all the series have been so competitive and so hard‑fought. We've gotten the goaltending we need and we've found ways to win. That's what we did tonight. Q. Was Henrik as calm before this game as he is before any other? What did you think of the block or save he made in the second? COACH VIGNEAULT: He was totally focused. He was probably a little upset tonight coming into the game. I don't know if it was because of the opportunity or if he was upset with the way it ended in Montreal in Game 5. But he was definitely focused, and those are not easy games to play. I mean, there is not a lot of work, but you've got to stay sharp. He stayed really sharp, and the saves he had to make, I can think of his first scoring chance tonight. He's going one way, play is coming the other way, and it was a tough save. He had to make some good saves, and he did. Q. How appropriate was it that Dominic Moore, one of your fourth line players, scored the winning goal that put you in the Stanley Cup Finals? COACH VIGNEAULT: That whole line, I started them off tonight, opening face‑off. They've been a big part of our success. They get pucks deep and they wear the other team's defense down, and that's what we did. We caught Montreal on a long shift there and able to wear them down and finally scored the goal that enabled us to move on. Q. You were still scoreless‑‑ I just wanted to follow up on that question. The block or save in particular that Henrik made. What you thought of it? COACH VIGNEAULT: Same thing you did. It was a spectacular save. You've talked about being able to attract the puck or find the buck. That's what Hank did there. We were playing really well, and needed a save and we got it. Q. What were you able to do defensively that allowed you to keep them away from your net almost the whole game? COACH VIGNEAULT: We managed the puck a little bit better. When we lost the puck, we knew when they caught us in Montreal that they like to play a fast game, and they like to stretch things out. We didn't let that happen tonight. We were able to have five‑men units all over the ice. Five guys in the picture most times, and that really helped us defensively. Q. You rallied around Marty's personal loss, but how significant a moment was this for Dominic Moore, considering what he went through in January of last year? COACH VIGNEAULT: That question probably goes to him, but I know both him and Marty have gone through some challenging times. I think they've found refuge‑‑ is that an English word? My French brain. They've found a way to find a place where they can be happy, and that is at the rink with their teammates and on the ice. They've both been very inspirational leaders throughout the whole thing. Very happy to have them both. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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