NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
Eastern Conference Final, Game 3
Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
(NYR lead 2-1)

Team Notes:

-        The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, today at Prudential Center in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.  The Blueshirts tallied three goals in the third period for the second time in three games to take a 2-1 series lead.

-        New York improved to 208-223-8 overall in postseason action, including a 92-136-6 mark on the road.

-        The Rangers remain undefeated at Prudential Center in the playoffs, posting a record of 4-0 including three wins during their 2008 Easter Conference Quarterfinal series.

-        The Blueshirts tallied one power play goal in two attempts (3:08), while the penalty kill held the Devils scoreless in five shorthanded situations (10:00).  The Rangers power play is 4-10 (40.0%) in the series, and 13-67 (19.4%) overall in the playoffs.  The Blueshirts’ penalty kill is 11-12 (91.7%) in the series.  New York improved to 5-2 in games when out-scoring their opponent on special teams in the playoffs.

-        The Rangers out-hit the Devils, 24-15, while posting a 19-6 advantage in blocked shots.  The Blueshirts had nine players credited with two or more hits, led by Carl Hagelin’s game-high, four hits in the contest.  Five Rangers recorded two or more blocked shots in the game, behind Ryan McDonagh’s game-high, four blocked shots, and Brian Boyle’s game-high among forwards, three blocked shots.  McDonagh has registered 15 blocked shots through three games in the series.

-        Dan Girardi (goal) and Ryan McDonagh (assist) each registered a point in today’s contest to increase the Rangers’ league-leading totals to a combined 11 goals and 34 points by defensemen in the playoffs.

Player Notes:

-        Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 36 shots faced to post his league-leading, third shutout of the playoffs, and second shutout in the series.  He improved to 25-27 overall in the playoffs, including an 11-15 mark on the road.  Lundqvist became the first Rangers goaltender to post multiple shutouts in a single playoff series since Mike Richter registered two shutouts against New Jersey in their 1997 Conference Semifinals series.  The shutout was the sixth of his career, moving him past Ed Giacomin and John Ross Roach into third on the Rangers’ all-time list, and he is now tied for third on the Rangers’ single season shutouts list.

-        Lundqvist has now recorded 30+ saves in 15 career playoff contests, posting a record of 8-7 with a 1.60 goals against average, .951 save percentage and three shutouts.

-        Dan Girardi opened the game’s scoring with a power play goal at 3:19 of the third period, was credited with three hits and posted a plus-two rating in 27:23 of ice time.  He is currently riding a three-game point streak (two goals, two assists over the span), and has tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last eight games.  He increased his league-leading total in playoff scoring among defensemen to 11 points, and is now tied with teammates Marc Staal and Anton Stralman for first among NHL blueliners with three goals.  Girardi has now registered seven points (two goals, five assists) in eight career playoff games against New Jersey.

-        Chris Kreider notched a goal to extend his goal/point streak to three games (three goals, one assist over the span), and logged 16:14 of ice time in the contest.  The goal established a new NHL record for most playoff goals (five) and points (seven) by a player before skating in a regular season game.  Kreider is now tied for seventh in the NHL, and first among league rookies, with five goals in postseason action.

-        Ryan Callahan tallied an assist and added an empty net goal to post his second career multiple-point effort in a playoff game.  He also registered three shots and three hits, and posted a plus-two rating in 19:58 of ice time.

-        Ryan McDonagh recorded an assist, was credited with a game-high, four blocked shots, posted a plus-two rating, and led all skaters with 28:01 of ice time.  He has registered 15 blocked shots in the series, and now leads the NHL with 54 blocked shots in postseason action.

-        Brad Richards tallied the lone assist on Girardi’s power play goal and logged 17:17 of ice time.  He leads the team and is now tied for fourth in the NHL in playoff scoring with 13 points (six goals, seven assists).

-        Brian Boyle recorded an assist on Callahan’s empty net goal, led all forwards with three blocked shots and was credited with two hits in 14:47 of ice time.  He has tallied two assists in the series.

-        Ruslan Fedotenko also recorded an assist on the empty net goal, was credited with three hits and two blocked shots, and won each of his two faceoff attempts in 13:17 of ice time.  He has tallied two assists in the series.

Post-Game Quotes:

-        John Tortorella on Henrik Lundqvist’s compete level … “It’s a bit of our personality.  I’ve always said that about [Henrik], that’s a bit of who we are.  And I think Henrik displays that, how he does compete.  And he’s a great competitor as far as his preparation and as far as what he does for this hockey club.”

-        Henrik Lundqvist on getting the shutout … “I mean, I’m really happy we won.  That means so much to me to win every game here and it’s so important to me and to the group.  But on Monday it’s not going to mean anything.  You have to start over and earn that respect again, and hopefully you say the same thing after that game.”

Team Schedule:

-        The Blueshirts have an optional practice scheduled for 12:00 p.m. tomorrow, May 20, at Madison Square Garden.

-        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, May 21, at Prudential Center (8:00 p.m.), in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.  The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network, and can be heard on ESPN Radio 98.7FM.

Brad Richards:

Ryan McDonagh:

Ryan Callahan:

Marc Staal:

• Ryan Callahan snapped his season-long six-game scoreless drought with an empty-netter. “It was good to get that last one,” he said. “Now I just have to try to do it with a goalie in there.”

• Henrik Lundqvist had his second shutout of the series and sixth playoff shutout of his career.

• Dan Girardi scored his third goal — and third game-winning goal of the playoffs. Defensemen have half of the Rangers’ game-winners (5 of 10).

• Chris Kreider (5 goals, 2 assists) set an NHL record for the most points scored before playing in a regular season game.

• Peter DeBoer on Brandon Prust’s hit on Anton Volchenkov: “Headhunting. Plain and simple.”

Henrik Lundqvist:

Dan Girardi:

Ryan Callahan:

Ryan McDonagh:

Brad Richards:

Chris Kreider:

Peter DeBoer:

Rangers-Devils Game 3.

Same lineups … at least same for the Devils … haven’t heard that officially from the Rangers, though there wouldn’t be any changes coming unless there’s some trickery regarding Brandon Dubinsky. Very doubtful, IMO.

UPDATE: Steve Eminger is in for Stu Bickel.

Fully expect a much better peformance by ya boys today, especially No. 10 and No. 19 and No. 24, among many others.

I also got Derek Stepan in the unofficial pressbox game-winning goal pool (for points and fun only ;) so it would be good if he got going, too. I had Patrik Elias in Game 1, Carl Hagelin in Game 2, which didn’t really work out very well.

Let’s Go Tony!

NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW JERSEY DEVILS
2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final, Game 3 (Series tied 1-1)
Saturday, May 19, 1:00 p.m.
Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
Rangers (Regular Season): 51-24-7 (109 pts), 1st in East
Devils (Regular Season): 48-28-6 (102 pts), 6th in East

• All information through NHL games on May 17

  TODAY’S GAME:
  The Rangers will face-off against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (1:00 p.m.; TV: NBC; Radio: ESPN 98.7FM), in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. The series is tied at one game apiece following the Blueshirts’ 3-2 loss to the Devils in Game 2 on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers enter the contest with a 207-223-8 record all-time in 438 playoff contests (116-87-2 at home; 91-136-6 on the road). New York has posted a 35-42 record all-time in Game 3 of playoff series.

  New York entered the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference having posted a record of 51-24-7 overall (27-12-2 at home; 24-12-5 on the road) for 109 points. The Rangers’ 51 wins ranked second in franchise history, while their 109 points tied for second all-time. The Blueshirts finished second in the NHL overall, tied for first in wins and led the league with 47 wins in regulation and overtime. New York is one of four Eastern Conference teams to have posted 40 or more wins in at least six seasons since 2005-06, and one of four teams in the East to have advanced to the playoffs in six of the last seven years.
  
  ALL-TIME RANGERS PLAYOFF RECORDS:

• Overall — 207-223-8
• Home — 116-87-2
• Away — 91-136-6
• Goals for — 1,209

• Goals against — 1,201

  ALL-TIME PLAYOFF RECORDS — RANGERS vs. DEVILS
  The Rangers and Devils are meeting in the playoffs for the sixth time overall and the third time in seven years. Their last postseason encounter was in the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, a series won by the Rangers, 4-1. Overall, the Blueshirts have a 4-1 playoff series record vs. the Devils, posting a 17-13 mark in 30 postseason contests.
  
  RANGERS vs. DEVILS:

• All-Time (Regular Season): 101-84-27-6 overall (56-30-20-2 at home; 45-54-7-4 on the road)
• 2011-12: New York was 3-2-1 overall (2-1-0 at home; 1-1-1 on the road). Four of their six meetings were decided by two goals or less. Carl Hagelin led all skaters with six assists and eight points in the season series. Henrik Lundqvist was 3-2-0 with a 1.41 GAA, .940 Sv% and one shutout, while Martin Biron made 26 saves in his only appearance (4-3 shootout loss).
• Thirteen of their last 17 regular season meetings have been decided by two goals or less
• The Blueshirts have seven players with previous playoff experience against the Devils, led by Brad Richards (11 GP) who had registered three goals and eight assists against New Jersey entering the series
• New York lists one former Devil on their roster: Mike Rupp (2002-03 – 2003-04, 2006-07 – 2008-09)

• New Jersey lists one former Ranger on their roster: Petr Sykora (2005-06)

  INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. DEVILS (Regular Season):

• Henrik Lundqvist — 41 GP, 25-11-5, 1.79 GAA, 6 SO
• Brad Richards — 38 GP, 5-28-33
• Marian Gaborik — 24 GP, 8-12-20
• Ryan Callahan — 25 GP, 7-9-16

• Dan Girardi — 35 GP, 1-13-14

  SPECIAL TEAMS:
  The Rangers are 4-2 in games when out-scoring their opponent on special teams in the playoffs.

• Power Play:  The Rangers tallied two goals in four power play attempts (7:22) in Game 2, and are now 12-65 (18.5%) in the playoffs. New York is 1-1 in five-on-three situations (0:40; last – 4/23 at OTT), and 0-1 while skating four-on-three (0:30; last – 4/23 at OTT). Shorthanded goals allowed (0).
• Penalty Killing:  The Blueshirts surrendered one goal to the Devils in three shorthanded situations (4:37) in Game 2, and are now 44-53 (83.0%) in the playoffs. New York is 1-1 in three-on-five situations (0:33; last – 4/28 vs. WSH). Shorthanded goals for (0).

• Four-on-Four: New York did not skate in a four-on-four situation in Game 2. The Rangers are plus-one in nine four-on-four situations (10:22). Four-on-four goals for (1): Richards (4/30 vs. WSH). Four-on-four goals allowed (0).

  HOME SWEET HOME
  The Rangers have won their last seven playoff series in which they held home-ice advantage, including a 4-3 series win against New Jersey in the 1994 Conference Final.

  OPENING ACT
  The Blueshirts have opened six of their last nine playoff series with a win in Game 1. The Rangers’ 3-0 win vs. the Devils on Monday was the 12th shutout by the Rangers in series opening games all-time. New York is 8-3 in playoff series when posting a shutout in Game 1. Overall, the Rangers have posted a 32-11 series record when winning Game 1, including wins in seven of the last eight playoff series in which the Blueshirts won the opening game.

  MILESTONE WIN
  The Rangers won their 100th victory all-time against the New Jersey Devils franchise on Feb. 27. The Blueshirts held the Devils to a season-low, 13 shots against in the 2-0 victory, the fewest shots allowed by the Rangers in a game since they held Calgary to 11 shots on goal on Jan. 19, 1981 at MSG. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

  SINCE 2007-08
  The Rangers are 20-8-3 overall (11-4-1 at home; 9-4-2 on the road) against the Devils in the regular season since 2007-08, dating back to a 2-0 win on Oct. 25, 2007. Henrik Lundqvist is 20-8-2 with a 1.96 GAA, .929 Sv% and six shutouts in 30 games over the span.

  HEAD-TO-HEAD
  Henrik Lundqvist has faced-off against Martin Brodeur in 34 career regular season games, posting a record of 23-6-5 with a 1.73 GAA, .935 Sv% and five shutouts over the span.

  IN-KREID-IBLE
  Rookie Chris Kreider notched a power play goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final and, in the process, tied the NHL record for most playoff goals (four) and points (six) by a player before skating in a regular season game. In Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals, Kreider recorded two points, including his first goal at Madison Square Garden with the game-winner, to become the youngest Ranger to record two points in a playoff game since Niklas Sundstrom on May 11, 1996, and the first Blueshirt rookie to register a multi-point effort in the postseason since Brandon Dubinsky on May 1, 2008. Kreider is the first New York rookie to register two game-winning goals in the postseason since Mike Allison in the 1981 playoffs. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

  KING HENRIK’S ASCENSION
  Henrik Lundqvist continues to climb the Rangers’ all-time playoff leaders list in several goaltending categories. He posted a 21-save shutout in Game 1 of the Conference Final, moving into a tie with Ed Giacomin and John Ross Roach for third in franchise history with five career playoff shutouts. He also passed Dave Kerr for second on the Rangers’ all-time total shutouts list with 48 in his career (43 regular season, five playoff). In the first round, Lundqvist passed John Vanbiesbrouck for third in franchise history with his 39th career playoff appearance in Game 4 at Ottawa, while his 25-save effort in a 3-2 win in Game 6 of that series moved him past Dave Kerr for third all-time with 18 playoff victories.

  COOL UNDER PRESSURE
  Henrik Lundqvist has posted 30 or more saves in the playoffs 14 times, posting a 7-7 record with a 1.69 GAA, .948 Sv% and two shutouts in those contests.

  BLUELINE SUPPORT
  Rangers defensemen lead the league in playoff scoring with a combined 10 goals and 32 points in 16 games. Dan Girardi leads all defensemen in assists (eight) and points (10), while Marc Staal and Anton Stralman are tied for the lead in defensemen goals with three apiece.

  BROADWAY HIT
  New York leads the league with 560 hits in the playoffs. The Blueshirts have five players ranked in the top 11 in the NHL – Ryan Calahan (1st, 73), Michael Del Zotto (5th, 55), Brian Boyle (7th, 50), Brandon Prust (8th, 47), and Dan Girardi (11th, 45).

  BLOCK PARTY
  The Rangers rank first in the NHL with 309 blocked shots in the playoffs, paced by Dan Girardi (1st, 52), Ryan McDonagh (2nd, 50), Marc Staal (T-6th, 33), and Ryan Callahan (T-9th, 28). Ruslan Fedotenko (19) and Brad Richards (15) also rank third and sixth, respectively in blocked shots among NHL forwards.
  
  SEVENTH HEAVEN
  The Rangers advanced to the Conference Final behind a pair of 2-1 Game 7 victories, defeating the Ottawa Senators in their Conference Quarterfinal series and the Washington Capitals in the Conference Semifinals. New York remains undefeated in Game 7s played at MSG, having posted a record of 5-0 in those contests. The Rangers are 5-5 all-time in Game 7s, with eight of the 10 games being decided by one goal. Head Coach John Tortorella is 4-1 all-time in Game 7s, with the final score of all five contests being 2-1.

  INJURIES:

• Michael Sauer (concussion, 12/5) — 16
• Mats Zuccarello (fractured wrist, 3/23) — 16
• Brandon Dubinsky (injured, 4/26) — 9
  Total Man-Games Lost (Regular Season): 237
  Total Man-Games Lost (Playoffs): 51

  RECENT TRANSACTIONS:

• May 14 — Recalled Cam Talbot, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath, J.T. Miller, Kris Newbury, and Casey Wellman from Connecticut (AHL)

RANGERS TO HOST FREE VIEWING PARTY PRESENTED BY CHASE  AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ON MONDAY, MAY 21

Fans Expected to Turn Out in Full Force at The Garden for Eastern Conference Finals Game 4

New York, May 18, 2012 – The New York Rangers are inviting fans to join Hockey Hall of Famer Eddie Giacomin, 1994 Stanley Cup heroes Adam Graves and Jeff Beukeboom, along with alumni John Vanbiesbrouck at Madison Square Garden on Monday, May 21 for a special Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Viewing Party presented by Chase. Doors will open at 7 pm with appearances by alumni, contests and giveaways for fans while providing an authentic game atmosphere. Concession stands and merchandise stores will also be open for fans.

WHO:     Rangers Greats Eddie Giacomin, Adam Graves, Jeff Beukeboom and John Vanbiesbrouck

Rangers Fans

WHAT:    Rangers vs. Devils Game 4 Viewing Party

WHEN:    Monday, May 21 from 7-11 PM

WHERE:  Madison Square Garden

The dad begins by saying Zach won’t tell him too much because he has a big mouth, then goes on to speculate whether his free-agent-to-be son would like playing for the Rangers and John Tortorella.

**************************************************

Just remembered, not everybody can access Newsday…

So here are the best quotes from J.P. Parise:

“My son has said he’s waiting until the end of the year to decide anything, and that’s what he’s told me, too,” Parise said. “And that’s because he knows I have a big mouth.” ...

J.P. Parise has no advice to offer his son about where Zach will end up. J.P. talked to Tortorella in Vancouver at the Olympics in 2010, where Tortorella was an assistant and Parise a key member of the silver-medal winning U.S. hockey squad.

“Zach likes Torts a lot,” J.P. said. “Zach knows how to work, he doesn’t shy away from the discipline part of it. He’d fit right in there.” ...

“All I said was, don’t make a decision based on emotion, in the heat of things,” J.P. said. “He’s waited a long time to be in this position . . . He loves the Devils, he loves Pete DeBoer and Lou Lamoriello. There’s time for all these things to be decided.”

Henrik Lundqvist:

Ryan Callahan:

Marc Staal:

Brad Richards:

Marian Gaborik:

Michael Del Zotto:

***********************************************

Here’s my unedited column from The Journal News and LoHud.com today. Apologies for typos, etc.:

By Rick Carpiniello

On the day after, John Tortorella spoke. Not in mono-syllabic answers, either.
Here’s the gist: The Rangers weren’t very good in Wednesday night’s Game 2 of their playoff series with the Devils, a 3-2 loss in which they led 2-1 late in the second period and were tied 2-2 in the third.
And: Marian Gaborik might not have been benched.
Um, OK, that’s semantics. The coach doesn’t like the word “benched,” apparently, and prefers to say he’s “trying to find a way to win a hockey game, and we make decisions accordingly.”
Gaborik failed to clear a puck, then didn’t give himself up to block a shot, as his teammates always do, and the Devils scored a huge goal. The coach made the decision, accordingly, that Gaborik wouldn’t play the rest of the second period, or the first eight-plus minutes of the third, which included a power play with the Rangers down by a goal, or the last couple of minutes of the third with goalie Henrik Lundqvist pulled for an extra attacker.
That sounds, looks, smells, like a benching to me. Whatever.
Tortorella has said that you don’t send messages in the playoffs, but Gaborik obviously thought there was a message being sent, and that he was benched. Again, it doesn’t matter why, but might it not have been a good idea to have your best goal-scorer on the ice while trying to tie the game and maybe make it a 2-0 series instead of 1-1? Wouldn’t some harsh words between periods have sufficed?
Again, the coach knows better than I and we.
That all said, Gaborik didn’t do nearly enough in Game 2. He was robbed by Martin Brodeur on a couple of early chances, one on a break-in, one on a rebound, but he wasn’t sturdy enough near the net or along the walls — and, an aside, don’t be surprised if he has a big Game 3 Saturday afternoon in Newark.
Gaborik wasn’t alone, though. The Rangers, almost 1-through-18, weren’t good enough in the dirty areas. Part of that is that the Devils, as they did late in the season against the Rangers, and as a few other opponents did against the Rangers, took away the walls as an outlet for the Rangers’ bang-it-out style.
You know, there’s an opponent here that’s pretty good at that game, too.
“It’s a challenge against the Rangers,” said Devils captain Zach Parise, “because that’s what they’ve been know for this year — outworking their opponents and kind of owning pucks down low and along the boards. I think we have to do a really good job of doing that if we want to beat these guys this series.”
Then he added, “At the same time, when we’re playing well, that’s what we’re doing really well.”
Tortorella was asked if, a day later, after viewing film, he found any positives from Game 2.
“To be honest with you, not many,” he said. “I thought we played some minutes in the second period, found a way to score some power-play goals. But other than that, we didn’t play enough minutes.”
The Rangers’ won the Eastern Conference’s regular-season title, nearly won the Presidents’ Trophy, and gained the No. 1 seed in the East with their consistency.
Though the opponents certainly are due some credit, the Rangers’ consistency has waned. It has seemed the case during these playoffs that they play their best after poor performances — as they did during the season — but unlike the season, they have more luke-warm to poor outings after wins. When their opponent has been more desperate for a win, the Rangers haven’t, for the most part, matched that desire in a particular game.
They’ve lost two in a row just once in 16 playoff games, but they’ve followed wins with losses six times.
For that reason, in Game 3 we should probably expect that Gaborik and the Rangers’ forwards get back to what got them here. But one of these days, if the Rangers continue to tempt fate, a loss is going to turn into another, and they might run out of second chances.

*************************************************
AP photo, above.

An interview with:

NEW YORK RANGERS  COACH TORTORELLA

THE MODERATOR:  Questions for Coach Tortorella.

Q.  John, can you just look back to yesterday’s game and tell me some

of the positives you saw from your team?

COACH TORTORELLA:  To be honest with you, not many.  I thought we

played some minutes in the second period, found a way to score some

power-play goals; but other than that, we didn’t play enough minutes.

Q.  Historically you’ve rewarded players that play hard with more ice

time and more responsibility.  And conversely, players who don’t do the

things you want see less of that.  What is the importance of sending that

message not just to the individual but the entire team?

COACH TORTORELLA:  I think all coaches do it.  You’re trying to put

players into situations that are going to try to help you to win games or

help you in certain situations and momentum swings.  Conversely, some guys

when you just don’t think it’s working, they don’t see the ice or they

don’t get the minutes.  So those are decisions that we make every game.

You guys like calling them benchings and all that stuff, but as

coaches we’re trying to find a way to win a hockey game, and we make

decisions accordingly.

Q.  How do you address your team’s recent trend of not being able to

capitalize on those strong Game 1 wins in these three series here?

COACH TORTORELLA:  We don’t spend too much time.  You have a

short-term memory come playoff time.  Playoffs are a whole different

animal.  We don’t spend too much time talking about streaks.  We just spend

time trying to make corrections in our game, trying to be better in the

things we think we need to be better for our next game and go about our

business.

Q.  Throughout the three series it seems that it’s been one up and

one down for most of the time.  Do you think that’s because there’s so much

parity among these teams?

COACH TORTORELLA:  Well, when you’re in the playoffs, all the teams

are good teams.  If you want to use parity, use it.  Again, as I said

earlier, you throw out the seedings.  These are good hockey teams that are

playing this time of the year, especially when you get to the final four.

The teams must be doing something right.  We do play against another team.

We want to try to win a couple in a row.  But the other team doesn’t want

to lose a couple in a row.  You play and each team is trying to find their

way.

We didn’t last night.  We moved by it.  We learned from it, and

hopefully we’re going to be a better team come Saturday.

Q.  How much at this point when it comes to bouncing back from a loss

is Xs and Os on the part of you and your coaching, and how much of it has

to happen in the hearts and the minds of the players do they have to just

do it like you’ve been telling them and do it better, or do you change the

game plan to any extent?

COACH TORTORELLA:  Well, at least this team here feels we like the

way our team concept is.  We have a way we like to play.  I think in

situations it’s different.  If you’re asking about Saturday’s situation, I

think it’s both.  I think there are some corrections in our game we have to

make, but I also think at this time of the year I know everybody likes

talking about adjustments.

But it simply comes down to a little bit of will and a mindset.

Going into Saturday’s game, I think we fall into both categories.

Q.  Which category is it more so with Marian Gaborik for you?  Is it

will or executing a game plan?

COACH TORTORELLA:  I’m not going to get into individual players.  I

think as you go into Playoffs and you go into the momentum swings of

winning a game and losing a game, it’s not one individual guy.  Certainly

in last night’s game, it wasn’t one individual guy that we end up on the

wrong side of that.  There are a number of things that we have to be better

at as a team, and certainly, as you said, the two perspectives there.  The

Xs and Os and the mental part both come into our play come Saturday.

Q.  You’re not going to talk specifically about Gaborik, but when a

guy like him, a goal scorer gets robbed the way he did by Brodeur.  In your

history with goal scorers, does that stick in their mind and affect them

later on in the game?

COACH TORTORELLA:  It can’t, and I don’t think it does.  I think

that’s the greatest thing about these games in the playoffs is handling the

surges, handling situations that don’t go your way.  I think the teams that

are still involved in this handle those types of things very well or they

wouldn’t be here.       So I don’t look at it that way at all.  I speak for

our group.  I think our group handles the surges and situations that happen

in games. Whether it be within the team or an individual very well, or we

wouldn’t still be playing.

Q.  Everybody knows that hockey is a team sport.  But when you look

at the playoffs every team has a guy that goes on a hot streak.  You guys

have been playing some good hockey collectively, but are you looking

forward to getting, especially on the offense, getting somebody that could

get to the other gear and get something going on a more consistent basis?

COACH TORTORELLA:  I think as you’re involved in the playoffs and the

further you go in it, you’re looking for big plays at key times.  We have

found our way.  One of the most important ingredients for us to be

consistent and to be able to play at this time of the year is really to

play as a team and not have any one specific guy be the guy.

Having said that, you certainly want big plays at key times.  I think

that’s what’s going to—I think that’s what determines a lot of the

winning and losing.  Who made that big play.  It’s not always an offensive

play, it could be a defensive play.

So to answer your question, I think it’s not just one person that

we’re looking to get hot.  We’re looking for the group of them to continue

to play under our team concept, but also someone step up each and every

period or each and every game or a key time to make a big play, and I think

that’s where you find your way.

Q.  Would you agree with me that you basically got those big plays at

big times on your defensive side of the game?  Your defensemen have given

you, most of the game, some great plays at key moments, and it’s more on

the offensive side that you were not able to get it?

COACH TORTORELLA:  Well, I think consistency-wise, yeah.  I think

we’re looking to get more consistent offensively, at least with our

forecheck to develop some offense going into these two games here in the

series.  I think a pretty important play last night is really a defensive

play.

I thought the second goal they scored at the end of the period to tie

it up was a really big play in that game, and that’s not an offensive play,

that’s a defensive play and we get hurt there.

So it could go either way.  But certainly, as you play in these close

games, would you like to get a couple of goal lead and all of that.  Both

teams would like to do that.  So you’re certainly looking for some

offensive people to make big plays at key times.

Q.  When you were reviewing the video of the game last night, you

talk about not playing enough minutes.  How much credit do you have to give

to the Devils for taking some stuff away.  And how much was your team for

not giving you that next gear?

COACH TORTORELLA:  I coach our team and that’s all I’ll speak on.  We

look for what we do, and we didn’t do for a number of minutes.  I’ll put it

to you that way.  We just didn’t do for a number of minutes in that game,

and that’s something that needs to be rectified.

Q.  I was wondering when you get to this point in the playoffs and

the focus of the entire sport is on you and three other teams, I was

wondering if there were any additional measures you took as a coach to

block out distractions either for yourself or your players to make sure

that your voice is the only one that they hear?

COACH TORTORELLA:  I think it’s very important that we’re concerned

about our locker room and what goes on in there.  It’s not just listening

to me, it’s listening to some of the experienced people that have been

through some of this stuff.  A lot of our guys are new at this as far as

playoffs, let alone playing in the third round.

So I think it’s very important that they listen to their teammates,

whether it be in between games or within the game itself, in between

periods.  So that’s what we try to do.

We’re concerned about our locker room.  We’re trying to close that

down and just take care of business ourselves there.  We really don’t spend

too much time worrying about what you guys are speaking about, and that’s

certainly not trying to be disrespectful, but we certainly don’t.

We have a lot of things that we have in our room that we have to fix,

that we have to deal with, and really block out all the other stuff.