HE'S OFF TO ROUND TWO. HERE IS GALLANT AFTER THE GAME
COURTESY OF CHASE. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE DONE
THAT QUITE A FEW TIMES, TRAILING GOING INTO THE THIRD PERIOD.
WE FIND A WAY TO GET BACK. IT WASN'T A BIG DEAL FOR US.
THE GAME IS A BIG DEAL. HOW CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE MOOD
OF THE TEAM ON THE BENCH WHEN THERE'S SIX, SEVEN MINUTES TO GO
AND YOU'RE TRAILING? NOTHING CHANGED.
IT'S A ONE GOAL GAME. YOU KEEP BATTLING RIGHT TO THE
END. AFTER THAT WE STARTED TO PUSH A
LITTLE BIT. WE JUST KEPT WORKING AND
BATTLING. WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING CHANGED,
DO YOU MEAN THE DEMEANOR, THE CALMNESS OF THE TEAM?
THE BENCH, EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME.
PANARIN AFTER KIND OF A ROUGH NIGHT THAT HE HAD.
YOU KNOW WHAT, HONESTLY, THE ICE WASN'T GREAT TONIGHT.
I THINK THEY HAD A CONCERT OR SOMETHING AND THE PUCK WAS
BOUNCING AND IT AFFECTS HIS GAME MORE THAN OTHERS.
I THINK YOU SAW A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.
HE'S THE GUY IN OVERTIME I SAID TO MYSELF I KNOW HE'S GOING TO
SCORE F. WE GET THE WINNING GOAL, IT WILL BE HIM.
SURE ENOUGH, HE MAKES A GREAT PLAY.
BUT THAT'S OUR TEAM. WE COMPETE, WE BATTLE AND FIND
WAYS TO WIN GAMES THAT MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE.
SHESTERKIN WAS REALLY GOOD. JUST HOW GOOD IGOR WAS --
WE EXPECT IT. HE'S OUR HORSE.
HOW MUCH IS THE ADVERSITY YOU WENT THROUGH IN THE SEVEN GAMES
HELP YOU? WE'LL SEE.
WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
BEFORE THE SERIES STARTED I'M SURE A LOT SAID THERE'S NOT MUCH
EXPERIENCE WITH THIS GROUP. THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE
DURING THE SEASON. THE KIDS PLAYED PRETTY GOOD
HOCKEY AND I THOUGHT OUR TEAM PLAYED PRETTY STRONG.
HE'S BEEN OUR BEST TWO-WAY PLAYER.
HE KNOWS WHERE THE CORNER IS IN THE TOP AREA.
THE BALANCING AND ALL THAT STUFF.
THE PENALTY WE GOT I THOUGHT IT HIT THE GLASS AND WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THE REPLAY IT LOOKS LIKE IT HIT THE GLASS AND THEY SCORE
A GOAL WE THOUGHT WAS A HIGH STICK.
THEY'RE TOUGH CALLS TO MAKE FOR THE OFFICIALS.
WE GET BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL THERE BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO
QUIT. OBVIOUSLY A GREAT PLAY TO DRAW A
PENALTY. YOU TALKED ABOUT THE TEAM
COMING BACK. HOW MUCH KNOWING YOU CAN DO THAT
HELPS IN A GAME LIKE THIS? TONIGHT?
YES. HUGE.
OUR BEST PERIOD IN THE THIRD AND THEY FELT CONFIDENT AND
COMFORTABLE PLAYING OUR GAME. YOU FELT PANARIN HAD ONE
COMING. WAS THAT COACH'S INTUITION?
NO, I JUST THOUGHT HE WASN'T HAVING HIS BEST NIGHT OBVIOUSLY
AND HE COMPETED AND GOT SOME PUCKS OUT BUT IT WAS SORT OF A
SIMPLE GAME FOR HIM. TONIGHT IT JUST WASN'T THERE.
PITTSBURGH HAD A STRONG GAME. YOU GET A FEELING WITH A GUY
LIKE HIM THAT HE CAN DO THAT FOR YOU.
THE MENTALITY BECOMING THE IDENTITY OF THE TEAM?
IT SURE FITS THIS TEAM. I'M REALLY PROUD.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE SEVENTH GAME BEING AT HOME.
THE SENSE IN THE ROOM GOING INTO OVERTIME.
EVERYBODY KNOWS. NOTHING CHANGES IN THE DRESSING
ROOM. WE GOT PREPARED TO PLAY IT AND
TALKED ABOUT PLAYING THE SAME WAY WE PLAYED THE FIRST THREE.
DO YOU TAKE THAT AS A GOOD SIGN?
I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER TEAMS HAVE.
YOU CAN'T GIVE UP A TWO-ON-ONE.
WHEN YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY, LOTS OF PUCKS IN THE NET.
THEY HELP YOU OUT A LOT AND ARE PRETTY EXCITED.
HOW LONG DO YOU START THINKING ABOUT THE HURRICANES?
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHEN WE PLAY.
IT WON'T BE TONIGHT. I PROMISE YOU THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A READ OR IMPRESSION ON THE GUENTZEL GOAL,
THE CALL ON THAT ONE? I THOUGHT IT WAS A HIGH STICK
BUT IT WAS REALLY CLOSE. THEY HAVE TO REVIEW IT IN
TORONTO AND THEY REVIEW IT AND LOOK AT IT.
IT WAS CLOSE. WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
IN GAME SEVEN, LATE IN THE THIRD PERIOD.
HERE HE IS WITH REACTION AFTER THE GAME.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN REPEATING MYSELF, EVERYONE HAS
BEEN REPEATING THEMSELVES. WE DIDN'T WANT THE SEASON TO
END. THIS HAS BEEN OUR TEAM ALL YEAR.
WHATEVER THE HAPPENS, WE STICK TOGETHER.
WE WORK. WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE IN THAT
LOCKER ROOM. ALL WE CAN DO IS JUST WORK HARD,
DO OUR BEST AND STICK TOGETHER AND I THINK GOOD THINGS WILL
HAPPEN. YOUR GOAL, LEADING UP TO IT,
IS THE URGENCY PICKING UP? WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR YOU?
WE SAID IT BEFORE THE THIRD AS WELL.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAVE IT FOR.
YET AGAIN I THINK DOING THE LITTLE THINGS TO TRY TO ADVANCE
THE PUCK, GETTING ON THE FORE-CHECK, JUST TRYING TO WIN
YOUR ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES. OBVIOUSLY THE INTENSITY LEVEL
AND DESPERATION KICKS IN WHEN THE CLOCK STARTS WINDING DOWN.
A GREAT JOB BY COPP. IT WAS UNREAL.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU HEAR THE GARDEN ERUPT IN THAT
MOMENT? IT'S CRAZY.
I DON'T THINK I'VE HEARD THIS BUILDING LOUDER THAN THE OT
WINNER. I COULD NOT HEAR WHAT I WAS
THINKING. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
GAME SEVEN HERE AND THE CROWD AND I WAS -- IT WAS UNREALISTIC.
WHEN IGOR WAS MAKING SAVE AFTER SAVE.
HE'S DONE THAT ALL YEAR FOR US.
HE GIVES US A CHANCE TO WIN EVERY GAME.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE TOO MANY CHANCES.
I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GET CHANCES AND WE KNOW WHO WE HAVE
BACK THERE AND WE TRUST HIM. HE'S SUCH A CALM PRESENCE BACK
THERE. JUST GIVES US THAT CONFIDENCE TO
GO GET THE NEXT ONE. JUST NEED ONE.
HE DID THAT NEN TODAY. HOW SATISFYING IS THIS MOMENT
PERSONALLY TO HAVE THIS GAME SEVEN OVERTIME?
I MEAN, IT'S GREAT. BEING HERE, MY FIRST YEAR WE
WENT TO THE PLAYOFFS, SEEING THE FEEL AROUND THE CITY AND BEING
IN THE PLAYOFFS WAS SOMETHING I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO.
BEING HERE WITH THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE IS JUST INCREDIBLE.
WHY WERE YOU ABLE TO ERUPT FOR SEVEN POINTS IN THE LAST TWO
GAMES? THE PUCKS WENT IN.
I DON'T KNOW. I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I DID
ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY IN TERMS OF SHOOTING THE PUCK.
YOU PLAY WITH THE PLAYERS I PLAY, THEIR CHANCES ARE GOING TO
COME. JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU KEEP
SHOOTING. IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER.
IT WOULDN'T MATTER AT ALL. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS,
WE'RE GOING TO THE NEXT ROUND. WE WON THE SERIES AND WE'RE NOT
DONE YET. MIKA, YOU MENTIONED YOU'VE
BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE. YOU WERE IN A DOWN CYCLE AND NOW
YOU'RE BACK INTO THE SECOND ROUND, WHAT'S THAT JOURNEY BEEN
LIKE WITH HIM? ANY TEAM WITH HIM WILL BE A
GOOD TEAM, A DANGEROUS TEAM. HE'S BEEN GREAT FOR US
OBVIOUSLY. I DON'T HAVE TO SIT HERE AND GO
THROUGH HIS STATS. JUST THE WAY HE IS, THE
COMPETITOR HE IS AND ALWAYS WANTS TO WIN.
WE HAVE A LOT OF GUYS LIKE THAT IN OUR ROOM.
THAT'S WHAT BRINGS US THE SUCCESS WE HAD SO FAR.
THEN AGAIN, WE'RE NOT DONE. THIS WAS THE FIRST FOUR.
NOW WE MOVE ON. THE COACH SAID THAT HE WAS
TELLING YOU ALL ALONG TO PREPARE AS IF CROSBY WAS GOING TO PLAY
TONIGHT. OBVIOUSLY HE DOES.
THEY GOT A BOOST FROM THAT. DID YOU FEEL YOU DID A BETTER
JOB TONIGHT WHETHER IT WAS PUSHING FOR OFFENSE, WINNING
FACE-OFFS? DO YOU FEEL THAT MATCHUP WENT
PRETTY WELL FOR YOU? I THINK I SAID THAT AFTER
GAME ONE. IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER SENTIMENT,
ANOTHER PLAYER. IT'S A GUY THAT'S WON A LOT AND
THAT WHOLE LINE. IT'S NOT JUST THAT LINE BUT THE
FOCUS WILL BE ON HIM AND HIS LINE.
I THINK I ALSO MENTIONED WE FOCUSED TOO MUCH ON HIM AND ON
THAT LINE AND KIND OF LET THEM DICTATE.
THE MESSAGE WAS JUST GO OUT AND PLAY.
I THOUGHT WE DID A BETTER JOB FOCUSING ON OURSELVES.