BOSTON BRUINS QUOTES Round 1, Game 4 Monday, August 17, 2020

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On the McAvoy hit changing momentum of the game… Well from my standpoint you know clearly [Jake] DeBrusk scoring, I mean we're having a really tough time, specially five on five, so that started it for us. Now we're back in the game right, we got a chance. And then the McAvoy hit. I think we were playing and we were going to push and we were pushing, so obviously it helps us a lot, but I think it really demoralizes the other team. When one of your veteran players, a leader in your room, or really a respected player in this league, takes a good hard clean hit, like I said it affects your group. So it affected us positively and probably them in a negative manner. They lose a guy that's a shutdown centerman and had been doing a real good job against Bergy’s line that game, so for us it really helped.

On Jake DeBrusk… Yeah obviously he's a guy that measures himself probably too much about just with his goal scoring. He can bring other things and hound pucks and make plays and be a net-front presence on the power play, we've changed that up a little bit, but there's other ways you can contribute, especially in the playoffs. But we need some goals, let's face it, we’re having a tough time, missed some open nets early on and five on five scoring had been a few games. So good for him, happy for him. Sometimes he gets streaky, so hopefully this sets him off. [Ondrej] Kase, again around the puck a lot, hit a post, some tough luck around the net, but he keeps playing hard, good on the walls, made some plays there to help us out. So I like their game. Krech, puck was finding him, unfortunately like I said he hit a post was off net a little bit but eventually went our way.

On Charlie Coyle playing wing on the top line… Well listen we needed offense and he's a more proven scorer than Anders [Bjork]. Anders is playing hard, pursuing pucks, that's a big ask of him going against top line, against [Jakob] Slavin and [Dougie] Hamilton, too, so we just felt that we're having trouble scoring. We feel we're defending really hard, not giving up much, but we do need some offense to give us a boost so that's why we put Charlie there. Put [Sean] Kuraly back in the middle with some young legs, it puts Bjork on his left side, I've always said he seems to have a little easier time there. Obviously depends on our lineup, what's available, and then Jack [Studnicka] on the right, gives us a young line that can really skate, pursuit pucks, and I thought it gave us energy too, so helped out all around eventually. But at the end of the day like I said I think was a big goal by Jake, a big hit by Charlie McAvoy that got us going and the other guys played well where they were slotted in.

On the fourth line’s activity on Connor Clifton’s goal… Well a couple of times what we've been doing offensively is shaking a check and walking up the half wall, and I thought plays were dying on the half wall for whatever reason early in the game. We weren't crisp with our hands. I thought our legs were there, the energy was there, we’re on the bench we’re engaged in the game, but our hands were off early on in the game. We weren't making plays we typically make, we missed some opportunities with good looks either wide of the net or over the net, so we talked a bit about changing sides maybe in the o-zone once you create a turnover and that's what happened with Nordy, you got his separation, come out the other side. They’re a man-to-man team, maybe their winger lost sight of the D. And the other thing we challenged the D after the first period to be more involved offensively in terms of helping create offense and get your shot through and work in the offensive blue line well. So Cliffy, he wanted to let the coaching staff and myself personally that he can do it and they can get the job done, so I was very happy for him. I mean, he's come into the lineup, hasn't played a lot of hockey, couple points tonight, big goal for us. And that fourth line, Nordy deserves to be rewarded, they played hard, been really really good for us and nice to see them get on the score sheet as well.

On Jaroslav Halak… Yeah I think they're both pucks he typically saves, both stoppable pucks, certainly the first one. Second one the guy is coming with some speed so there may be some options that Jaro has got to be careful he doesn't come out too far and challenge, [Jordan] Martinook can really skate, but yeah the end of the day we kept playing. You got to play through some stuff. These guys in the room know you win as a team, you lose as a team and I’m sure they wanted to pick Jaro up and eventually the puck bounced our way so hopefully get some work in tomorrow and be a little sharper in Game 5.

On what was said at second intermission… No I mean it's typical, a couple of things we can do better for offense, like I said changing sides behind the net we thought would be a better approach than shaking a guy one on one walking up the half wall. That seemed to work better the other night to be honest with you, got a lot of slot looks, that worked pretty well in the double overtime game so obviously they've made an adjustment not to let us have that time and space. That way we're playing a little close to the net. The wraparounds, Reimer plays deep in his net, that's a difference with him than [Petr] Mrazek, so some of those wraparounds there may be some pucks lying around or coming out the other side like Cliffy’s goal, he might not be able to get out and challenge like Mrazek could, so just a few minor adjustments. And other than that, just stay in the game, keep playing, maybe you know push the envelope a little offensively. You’re down a couple, having trouble scoring so you're not going to go out there and gamble, but you need to be proactive offensively and it worked out in our favor.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD JAKE DEBRUSK On breaking through with a pair of goals… Anytime you can contribute in a win, it’s huge. Obviously, we’ve had some pretty good looks in the series. I just wanted to number one, try to find my game and just help the team. I kind of got lucky on the first one, I’d like to say, and a great play by my linemates on the second one. We rallied to win.

On the reaction to McAvoy’s hit… He’s got a lot of meat over there. I didn’t actually see the hit live, but like you said, the reaction of the bench. Anytime – it’s so weird without fans, to be honest with you. Anytime there’s a big play or a good scoring chance, the only way you know is by the bench reaction. Obviously, it was a big hit and it was a good moment for us. That’s when we’re coming hard.

On his line’s consistency… I think anytime that you don’t get chances is when you should be worried. Obviously, Carolina, they play a different kind of style in the D zone. You have to give them credit too. Obviously, their goaltender has made some good saves and they’ve been playing checking hard too, so you have to kind of take – I guess to your question, that desperation factor, yeah, obviously you feel that. I feel that pretty much right away out of game one. Pretty much after I missed that empty net. It’s one of those things, like you said, this year going through some dry patches. This is not the time to have those. Obviously, it’s a little part of the game. It’s a big part when you score and help the team win. But in saying that, I think that if I can play a good forechecking style with those two players on my line, I think that it opens up space for them to generate.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CHARLIE MCAVOY On his hit creating momentum… You have to be able to create your own energy on the bench and going into that third period and obviously you’re down two and the game hadn’t really been in our favor. We had some chances and stuff but we were looking to create some energy and that was kind of the message – that we weren’t out of it. It was opportunity to step up and make a hit, try and separate a man from the puck. We were already playing well. And just to see so many guys step up and make tremendous plays tonight when it really mattered to get us a win was just so awesome to see. It really lifts the spirit of the team.

On his thoughts about how to deliver the hit… I started skating backwards, tried to kind of take a proper angle there. You want to make sure all your stuff is in so you don’t deliver a dirty hit. You never hope to injure someone. Just to take the puck from a man and I hope he’s doing ok. All I’m thinking is to try and separate a man from the puck and try get us possession back as quick as possible so we can play offense and try and tie the game up. That was really my only thought process. The game moves so fast and I just wanted to deliver a clean check and just do my job.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND On the character of the win… We have a ton of character in our room. We didn’t plan on coming back in the first minute of that period. We always say it’s a process and we continue to build every shift and that’s what we did. We just continued to impose our will and play our game. And when we play like that, we’re a tough team to play.

On the McAvoy hit… We were very aware. You never want to see a guy get hurt. It unfortunate. Hopefully he’s hockey. He’s a big player for that team. He’ plays hard minutes. He’s a shutdown guy. He plays all situations. It’s a tough guy to lose for them. But it started before that. The play that Jake [DeBrusk] made and that line made on that first goal gave us a ton of life. And then Cliffy’s [Connor Clifton] goal, that was a great job by that line as well. After that first one we start to roll and we got a ton of life. Any time you have life, it’s a dangerous thing, you can feed off it. Again, especially with our group, the way that we play and the emotion and character that we have, it’s when we’re at our best.

On the assist from Krug on his goal… He’s such a smart player. He saw me going. I saw the turnover, I think they were making a change. I just started to go, we made eye contact. He made a great play to get it by that one defender. I was a little surprised actually when I looked up and there was nobody there. I thought there was going to be a D man coming across the ice. But, a good break by us and great play by Torey.

On the importance of DeBrusk get some results… Especially for his game. He kind of thrives when he gets a goal, gets a bounce. He feeds off of that and gets a ton of confidence. That’s when he’s at his best. We just knew he needed one and he’s been all around it. He’s been playing really well. Has had a lot of really good, prime opportunities that he normally puts in. He came up big when we need it. He did a great job tonight. He really stepped up in a big way. I love the fire even – he starts battling a lot harder and competing harder and he was more engaged in the game. A great game by him tonight. We needed him to step up and he did and came through when it mattered.

On Cassidy having a feel for the lines… He’s been around for a while now and I think he understands when guys are feeling it. You can see the way that guys create energy and start to feed off one another. He understands that now. He’s been around long enough and he’s a very very smart coach. You can see that from the get go, as soon as he got here. He’s very smart systematically, a very smart coach and has a lot of knowledge for the game. And he just – the more he’s around and the more he coaches, obviously, he understands each player on his team and the situations that they’re good in and when they’re at the top of their game and when they’re tired and when they’re not and when he can put them back out there. He’s doing a great job, obviously, it showed tonight. He made some big choices, but the right guys out at the right time and it paid off.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CONNOR CLIFTON On his mentality on his goal… Great pass by Nordy [Joakim Nordstrom], but I was ready to shoot all the way. At intermission, Butchy [Bruce Cassidy] was harping on getting more pucks to the net, and bodies, and we did exactly that. Great net front presence by those guys in front and fortunately it went in.

On how hard it has been to stay ready after all the time off… It was an awesome game. But honestly, I’ve been ready. I’ve been preparing physically and mentally for the past five months. It was just about getting an opportunity. I tried to just compete and play hard and was fortunate to get a goal tonight.

CAROLINA HURRICANES HEAD COACH ROD BRIND’AMOUR On why the team got outshot in the third… A lot of reasons, we just we weren't ready to continue to do that dig in that we needed to do, little battles. They threw everything at us and we didn't have an answer. It was tough to watch that’s for sure. I love this team, I love my guys. We learned a lesson today, though. You know I got to take the good always with this group, and it's been mostly good for me for a year and a half, two years, with the effort and the way they play, and I got to take the bad on this one. It wasn't good. You know we just sat back and we let them take it to us, and you know that's what championship teams do, they take it to you. So you know we got to learn from that for sure but this one is going to sting for a while.

On if killing the penalty at the start of the third should’ve propelled them… Yeah I mean we killed some penalties tonight, not all that well, I mean they had some good looks. That should of got us kind of going. But I don't know, I mean it was one of those where we just couldn't stop it. You know it was like I said tough to watch from this team because we usually, that's not something that I've seen out of us ever. So you give the other team a lot of credit and obviously they came after it, but the lack of kind of push back there, we needed something, that I haven't seen in this group. So I’ll take the heat for that. I mean I needed to have my guys better prepared for that third period that was coming up. I’ll learn as well.

On James Reimer coming out on the DeBrusk goal… Yeah I don't know, I mean Reims was great tonight, he kept us in the game, had us a two-nothing lead, so I don't know, I just think it was one of those third periods where we took the foot off the gas and the other team certainly had it on and everything that could have went wrong went wrong. But it's not even the score, it's how we played that period that's really disturbing for me. I got to have my guys better ready to go in the third for such a crucial game in our season and I didn't.

On Jordan Staal’s status… I haven’t even been in there to see him yet, so I don't know what's the status.

On where the team goes from here… That’s a good question. I mean I’ll take some time here because emotions are obviously at a certain point. You know it's what I've always said about, even taking over as coach, I wanted to make people that support this organization proud of how we play. I think we've done that for most of the time that I've been here, and today we didn't, and that's the most disturbing thing for me. So we’ve got to pick the pieces up and make sure we put an effort forward that you can say, that's how it should look and be proud of it. Win or lose, you got to be proud of how you play and that didn't happen tonight.

On how the team comes back from this in this environment… Yeah well that actually is probably the best question because there is a lot at play here. We talked about it this morning, I think it makes it a little harder to dig yourself out of the hole, I think for sure. But you know like I said, I mean we will pick the pieces up tomorrow and then I'm sure we'll have a better effort than what you saw, we better, in that third period. But we had a decent game going, so we did some good things, just that finish obviously, I've never seen anything like it, so we have to be better. I don't know what else to tell you. We got a proud group in there and I'm sure they'll bounce back.