POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS ST. LOUIS BLUES Monday, May 27, 2019

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY POSTGAME On the play of Connor Clifton… Well he’s certainly not afraid to get involved. We noticed that when we first saw him and it was almost a detriment at times. We saw him at a rookie camp in Buffalo, so he’s learned when to go, when to be a good support person on the rush, he’s done a great job for us since he has been here. He has the ability to separate so he can skate and beat his guy up ice, he goes to good spots, that’s how he got his against Carolina, right in front as well. So good for him. Real timely goal for him, he was a little fortunate but his stick was on the ice, he was ready for the puck and he got a good bounce on that one. He’s certainly a guy that can add some offense to the back end. Sneaky kind of guy, he’s not a guy you notice a lot, he’s not flashy but he’s certainly good out there.

On getting away from the Patrice Bergeron & Brayden Schenn matchup… It wasn’t going our way, it’s that simple. I thought Bergy’s [Patrice Bergeron] line had a tough time finding their game tonight and the other guys were a little bit ahead of them, in terms of their puck possession. So we’ve used Kuraly’s [Sean Kuraly] line all year against good lines. So we decided to maybe go that route which worked out for us tonight and we’ll reevaluate on Wednesday. Or [Charlie] Coyle’s line, I thought that they were having a good night too. More offense against offense and I think they had the puck a lot and that’s usually how you contain good lines. Usually Bergy’s [Patrice Bergeron] line will have a lot of offensive zone puck possession but for whatever reason tonight they weren’t able to do it as much as they typically do.

On what he liked specifically about Sean Kuraly’s line tonight… This is what they do. They possess pucks, they can skate, they play simple hockey and I think against St. Louis if you play north, especially for us being off as long as we were we had to not get drawn into the fancy stuff, the east-west stuff, stuff that you’re doing in practice because you don’t have the competitive edge. It showed on the second goal, we just mismanage the puck, even the first one we got a little loose so at the end of the day they are always going to play a straight line game and sometimes they get rewarded and sometimes they don’t but they always play the same way. That’s what they did tonight, they got rewarded by going to the net, they’re always good defensively, Noel will add the physicality. Going back to the previous question, we made the switch, we need to be a little more physical against that line and I thought they were able to deliver on that too.

On what worked so well to limit the Blues chances… Well I think typically for most of the year we played good team defense so it starts with that, that’s our identity. I thought we broke pucks out better as the game went on. They’re a forecheck team, that’s how they establish territory and it’s part of their offense and certainly the second goal was a product of that. And the first one that’s right, they threw it behind Zee [Zdeno Chara] so both of their goals were behind us so we started managing it better and breaking out, I think that limits their opportunities. I don’t know them as well but watching them, they’re not a huge line rush team because they are forecheck dominant. We stayed out of the box, I think that helps limit the chance attempts. They’re spending energy killing penalties so I think that takes away from some of their offense. And I think we just know how to check. I think we’ve done it to Carolina, Toronto, Columbus, we know how to play winning hockey when we need to and limit the other teams chances and that’s a credit to the veteran guys in the room.

On the makeup of his team being able to come back against a team like the Blues… Well listen, I wouldn’t make it a habit. I don’t think we’re going to be able to do that every night against a good team. St. Louis is certainly a good team. So, but I think some of it was, we weren’t too happy with the way the game was going. We weren’t playing our game. We weren’t playing to our standard. And I think after the second goal, our guys, that kind of woke us up. And from there, need something good to happen. And it did. That Kuraly play with Clifton got us into the game, got the crowd back into the game. All of a sudden, wow we’re starting going. You know, we start skating. Second period can be tough on one team with a long change. Whatever team starts to dominate, I always found that the second period they’ll continue to dominate because the other team gets stuck getting the puck out, changing, they never really establish anything. So, we were able to build on that first goal, but our team has been resilient all year if you watch our group. Not necessarily from comebacks, but just, you know different guys in the lineup, different guys producing, we’re genuinely going to up and down lineup guys that are going to play hard and they’re not going to quit. That’s for sure. They’re going to respond. Tonight was a good example.

On the team’s power play needing so little offensive time to create chances to score… Well we got some skill. Guys that can finish. Some individuals that can do some things 1-on-1. I think Charlie got a bit of a break. I don’t know if that hit his stick or not, but JoJo got through there once too. Hit a post. So, we’re okay with designing breakouts whether it’s a chance to score off the rush. We did well against Carolina. And we encourage our guys to attack if it’s there. I thought it was sloppy tonight in general, our power play. It didn’t execute as well as it typically could. So, that has to do with the break. I think you lose your edge a little bit. I also thought we generated some good plays that, real nice play to March through the seam just fired on him. Like I said, hit a couple of posts. Had some net front tips cause I think St. Louis makes it difficult to get inside. We like to play down low in the power play, so now you’ve got our strength against their strength and for the most part they won the battle there tonight, but at the end of the day we were able to get one off the rush. It was very timely as well.

On what he likes about Clifton’s instinct on that goal… Well, it’s one of the reasons he’s here. Cause he can, he’s got good hockey IQ, he’s learned when to go, when to be conservative, when to pick the right spot without being risky, without putting us at a disadvantage. Kind of slides in there. All of a sudden he’s there. Obviously that’s smarts and it’s also foot speed. He’s a better skater I think than people realize. He’s stronger on his feet than I think the people realize. When I say people I mean the opposition. So I think that’s what allows him to be there and he’s got a little bit of that, they call it “Cliffy hockey.” He just plays. He plays on his instinct and right now his instincts are good to him and it’s working.

On what are the main things the Bruins need to do better for next game… Start on time, we pride ourselves on that. I didn’t think we were bad but you know, at home you want to be the dominant team. We’re been really good in the playoffs first period, so that’s one thing. I thought we were bad at the blue lines in terms of being hard on pucks early on. I think that had to do with, you don’t like to talk about it, but the time off. You’re not – you don’t have your edge yet to battle. You try to replicate it in practice but it’s just not going to happen, you’re risking injury too much. So those things should come a little more naturally on Wednesday, I hope. You know, they’re a heavy team and if you’re not willing to battle you’re going to lose pucks all night. They reload well so I think – the third part was that when we did win a battle we didn’t move our feet to get going up ice, we kind of looked around to make a play so at the end of the day, we’re playing right to their strength, which you know, they work hard, they reload, they’re strong on the pucks and as soon as we seemed to win it, we gave I right back. I think that was the problem in the first period and we figured it out in the second.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK On the importance of the defensemen contributing offensively... Yeah, well I think that just tells a lot about our team. We play for each other, everybody’s willing to do the dirty work and willing to do the offense as well. So, not surprising, but happy to see guys get rewarded, you know, they’re – we’ve got a lot of D men who can skate, who can join the rush, and today it showed.

On the team limiting pucks on net in the second and third periods... Yeah, well I thought we had a great second period after that cough up in the first. I mean, only thing I can do is to just tell myself to stay focused and try to make that next save and give us a chance, keep us in the game. Luckily, I didn’t really have to do anything. We pushed back and got some goals out of that, so just pretty much a spectator after that.

On what Torey Krug’s big hit can do for the bench... Well, he’s the type of guy that never gives up. I saw him battle in front of the net and I just wanted to tell him to get out of there during the rush, you know, but it’s – you’re playing in the Finals so there’s going to be battles all over the ice – and I think he had no helmet on so he wanted to make sure he made the highlights to make that hit. I mean, like I said, he’s a guy that never gives up and he battles hard.

On the contributions from young players this season and postseason... Yeah, I mean, we’ve kind of built this group over the past couple years and we’ve had a lot of young talent coming in, a lot of young guys, and you know, we’ve had a lot of injuries this year so guys have had to step up and they’ve really relished that role and taken it upon themselves to be leaders and be difference makers. So, it really doesn’t come as a surprise to any of us on the team, you know, that’s what it’s all about. You just go out there, you make the plays, and you play within your skills and it shows. Like today, you saw Cliffy’s [Connor Clifton] goal – he plays fearless and it’s great to see; great character as a young player.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD SEAN KURALY On the record high number of multi-goal comebacks in the league and how they accomplished that today... I don’t know; that’s a good question. I wasn’t aware of that, so for us I think we just tried to play our game and play hard and I’m not sure what’s going on around the league but obviously there is a little more space for offense from what you’ve said, it seems, and teams are coming back I guess. I don’t know why.

On what was going through his head after his goal in the third... Yeah, I think a lot of the same. It’s – just trying to enjoy the moment, enjoy the game, and we’ve got a group that makes that pretty easy and our leadership and the guys that have been here before kind of take a lot of the burden and kind of just let us just play and that’s kind of, I think, the result tonight.

On his line relishing the opportunity to face top scoring opponent lines... Yeah, I think it shows that obviously our coach has in us to go out there and do that job, and we know what our job is when we’re out against a line like that. It’s to make it difficult for them to create any offense, and you know, they’re a great line so it’s tough. But the expectation from us was just play them hard and play them honest and make them earn every inch and if they beat us with their skill – which will definitely happen at times – then so be it, but we’re not going to let them beat us with something silly that is a mistake by us.

On the team’s physicality and establishing a physical presence early in the series... Yeah, I think so, and we just – the focus for us I think is just playing our game and we’re good when we’re skating and we’re hard on pucks and I think the physicality just comes out just naturally from some of our guys, just the compete in us, and you saw that like with the hit from Torey [Krug]. But yeah, I think we just try and play our game and usually when we do that we’re skating, we’re having fun, we have the puck, and things are going well. So I think it’s kind of a byproduct of playing the game the coach wants us to.

On if being cast in the fourth line role is a motivator to score points... Really, I think we’re just trying to play as hard as we can, and the role or whatever it is, is something I think that maybe other people talk about or whatever, and we’re just trying to play good and play as hard as we can, and wherever – we’ve got a lot of good players on the team, so it’s kind of where we’re put in the lineup, and we just want to do the best that we can for the team. We’ve got a heck of a team in there, and a lot of guys that have been around for a while, so we’re just trying to do the best that we can and wherever they want to put us is all good.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN TOREY KRUG On if the St. Louis Blues were trying to get into his head… Every game in the NHL, since I’ve been in the league. I’m a 5-foot-9 defenseman. I’d probably doing the same thing if I was on the opposing team. I’d probably try to run me right through the boards. It’s no secret that a strength of mine bringing up pucks and their strength is being on the forecheck, so they’re going to be coming. I know that. They’ve been coming all playoffs.

On if he was surprised about the animosity from the St. Louis Blues… When everything is on the line like that, it’s going to come to the surface a lot quicker. This isn’t a team we see too often, so the rivalry factor isn’t there, but I’m sure by the end of the series, it will be something to talk about for a very long time.

On how important it is to get offensive contributions from guys like Connor Clifton and Charlie McAvoy… That’s the NHL today. If you get contributions from your backline, if you get contributions from your bottom 6 forwards, you’re going win a lot of hockey games and you’re going to have a chance to go far in the playoffs. And that’s what we’ve had up to this point and that’s what we had tonight. And that’s why we won the game. It’s crucial.

On if he was aware that the St. Louis Blues had the most points among defensemen… No idea, couldn’t tell you.

On if he knows how important the hit that he delivered on Robert Thomas… It’s part of the game. And momentum swings give your team boosts of energy. I don’t know what they [the St. Louis Blues] were feeling on their bench, but if it pushes them back and catches them off-guard then great for our team. But I think it gave our team energy and that’s all you’re trying to do out there. Just try to make little plays throughout the game that push your team in the right direction and that was one of them.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD PATRICE BERGERON On the importance of getting their first goal… Yeah of course, the first goal definitely helped getting us going and I thought we got back to playing our game the right way, I think our pucks were a little bit better, second and third were much better.

On whether the difference in the game was how much better they were able to handle the pucks in the second and third period… They’re a team that’s really good on the forecheck, they turn the puck over a lot. I think we have to be smart in taking care of the puck. When we do, and keep things simple, we get out of our zone and that helps going forward. I think the north-south kind of game is a lot more of what we need to do in this series.

On Sean Kuraly’s ability to score clutch goals… He’s been doing it all year. That line got us going, obviously and got us the game-winner. We are a team that has relied on everybody all year and tonight was another great example.

On the importance of getting goals from defensemen… I think that’s how you get to this point. It’s by relying on everybody. The way we’ve been successful is by everybody chipping in and doing the job on any given night. It’s only one game obviously, we’re going to look at some video tomorrow and be ready for game 2.

On how good it feels to be up 1-0… We’re only a quarter of the way there. We know they’re going to come out even stronger for game 2, so we have to be ready for that.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID BACKES On the St. Louis Blues not being able to get things going in third period… Part of that is breaking pucks out quickly. If their [the St. Louis Blues] forecheck is on us, it’s difficult to break out. You pinch and you recover well. We stole some pucks. In the first they were surprising us with their back pressure and we had to move pucks a little bit quicker and manage it better, so that they can’t just tip pucks in with speed and get on us. That was a big key to our second period, start to get o-zone time and be able to not let them in our zone and occupy our zone time after time. Kind of what we did in the first on the power play. We probably had the majority of our offensive looks in that first period and yeah, we dug a hole.

On if he took Bortuzzo’s number after the exchange they had… I’m not taking anyone’s number. I’m trying to win a hockey game. I think our guys are all doing that. We’re focused on what we need to do. Numbers can be taken and revenge may be later, but we came to play a hockey game and our guys were focused on what we needed to do.

On if Torey Krug’s hit gave the bench energy… That gave me some goosebumps. He’s battling in our zone. I don’t know what kind of twister game they were playing in front of our net. But I was hoping we would change and he doesn’t have a helmet on, but he goes right up the ice and lays a big hit. He thinks he’s playing thirty, forty years ago. That was an exchange, I think that was Torey Krug establishing himself in this series. And that was from my perspective a big boost.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN ZDENO CHARA On the first period… They were better. But I thought as the game went on, we got better we played our game. We were able to capitalize on our chances.

On the second period shot differential… I think we could have made better plays. You know they obviously did a great job as well, so I think that it’s more on us to execute and make strong plays.

On Sean Kuraly… Yeah, he is obviously a strong skater. He’s got the ability to take the puck. He’s quick to get to them. It’s very nice to see him get rewarded.

On the entire fourth line’s play… I thought they were strong and played well. They were able to contribute offensively.

On his wrist… Yeah, I’m fine I just got a cut. So, I just needed a couple of stiches.

On the two goals in the second period… Oh I think when there is opportunity to join the rush and jump into the plays, you know, I think there a time and place for that and I think both goals were good examples of kind of deciding to go in and join the rush and obviously one was a good bounce and the other was a good shot.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CONNOR CLIFTON On if he liked how the team was playing and still felt momentum when they were down 2-0… Yeah we weren’t pretty hot at first, but we weren’t expected to be. Obviously 11 days off, long time, but thought we came out okay, and then even better in the second.

On Krug speeding down the ice without his helmet… His courage and that you don’t want to mess with that guy. Don’t make that guy mad.

On what was said between the first and second period to get the team going… Not much. We were 11 days off, like I said. It’s tough to come out and be 100% sure. We were a little flat. It is what it is. We knew we could play better.

On his decision of going to the net for a goal… I guess, I saw 3 on 2 and I just saw an opportunity to go to the net and luckily it hit off my foot and went in.

On Sean Kuraly’s pass and his game overall tonight… Yeah I think, a goal and assist, I think it was even more than that. He was playing his game. He was all over the ice. He was finishing his checks. He was winning pucks back and getting pucks to the net all night and great for him. He had a great game tonight.

On his thoughts going into game 2… I think we need to be a little better and I think we will be.

On how they limited the Blues to 3 shots in the 2nd period… Team defense. Obviously we took away time and space and that’s what we want to do especially against their top lines.

On how hard it is to defend Sean Kuraly… I mean, it can’t be done really. Especially when he’s doing his rink turns and you never know where he’s going. And he has that big body. So, he was great tonight.

On rust being a real factor at the beginning of the game… Yes and no. I mean, yeah, we weren’t perfect, but I don’t think we’re ever expected to be perfect. We pushed back and came back for a second and we did great.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD MARCUS JOHANNSSON On what happened after St. Louis took the lead… I think come second period we picked up our game a little bit, we got a little more physical, we started moving our feet and moving the puck and we ended up spending time in their end. We didn’t give them as much room, and I think that’s kind of when we started taking the game over and from that point we had control of most of it. For 40 minutes there we just kept going.

On what it is like when he has his legs going… It’s a lot of fun, a lot of adrenaline. This time of year you don’t think, you just go out and play and I think that is when you play your best, too. There’s no time to second-guess out there you just go out and play. Whatever you can do to help the team, you’re going to do it and it’s a lot of fun.

On whether the group showed poise shaking off the 2-0 deficit… Yes, definitely. The resiliency of our whole group, we stayed calm on the bench, we stick together, we stay positive. We keep playing our game. It’s almost like that second goal was good for us, it woke us up a bit. After that we took the game over.

On the lift Torey Krug’s helmetless hit gave the team… Yeah that was awesome.

On Sean Kuraly’s ability to score clutch goals… It’s unbelievable. Like we’ve said, I think everyone has said this, one of the strengths of this team is that we have four lines that can produce at any given time on any given night. What better time to do it than tonight? It’s not just they [the fourth line] scored the goals, I think they led the group to take the game over in to being more physical and I think that is what won us the game.

ST. LOUIS BLUES HEAD COACH CRAIG BERUBE POSTGAME On the first period… Turnovers. Second period I don’t think we skated very well. Also penalties were part of it all, but second period we got pucks but we just, we didn’t skate. Didn’t advance and turned them over and gave them momentum.

On whether it was frustrating that they took five penalties… Yeah, for sure. You know, it’s obviously a big… big thing we’ve been real disciplined most all playoffs pretty much. We weren’t tonight obviously with five penalties. We’ve got to be better there.

On what he feels changed after getting off to such a good start… Yeah, again, I thought the first period was good. I thought we were… did a lot of good things. Second period stopped skating, stopped moving the puck, turned it over and gave them momentum. You know, and then plus the penalties didn’t help.

On his assessment of Jordan Binnington in his first Stanley Cup Final game… Well he was fine. He made a lot of great saves. They had a lot of shots, a lot of good opportunities. Like I said, we turned too many pucks over. We didn’t move the puck very well, you know. I thought he was fine.

On having a number of turnovers the last time they played at TD Garden and what it may be about the Bruins style of play… Well they pressure you. They come hard. They’re a quick team. They get on you. They’ve got good sticks. They do a lot of good things. You know, they, you know, we’ve got to be better. They’re gonna… they’re gonna continue to do that, and that’s the way they play. They’re a good defensive hockey team, and they do force you into bad situations with the puck a lot of times, and you know, but we’ve got to be better than that.

On how difficult it is to turn your game around in-game as opposed to over a number of games… Well, I mean there were spurts of it, you know, here and there, but there was no flow. You know, we didn’t have the flow of the lines, one after another, getting to our game, getting on the forecheck. It was sporadic, so we didn’t get it turned around good enough. We had an opportunity. It’s, you know, 3-2. Pull the goalie out. We’ve got a lot of time, but they ended up getting the shortie pretty quick, so… not the shortie, but with the goalie out.

On whether it surprised him how the Bruins responded to the Blues goal at the top of the second… Well I don’t think that was a… like, we were fine and we’re playing and they went down on that partial three on two and off the skate and in the net obviously gave them momentum and I thought they were the better team after that.

On his assessment of Torey Krug’s hit on Robert Thomas… I did not see it down on the corner. I’ll have to look at it, so it was down on my left and I didn’t see it.

On whether there were any positives they can take away from this game… Well, the start of the game for sure. The first period, I thought it was a good period. I thought we did a lot of good things. I thought everybody was going. We were doing a lot of good things. I mean, we’re going to take some positives from that. We’ve just got to put it together for 60 minutes. Like, you know, they’re going to do good things. They’re a good team, and they’re going to force us into bad situations and things like that, but we need more than that than we gave tonight.

On some of the players’ comments about the penalites causing them to lose their composure a bit… Well it can, but the penalties, when you have five penalties it takes a lot of guys out of the game and that burns up a lot of energy from other guys, you know, that are killing all the time, but it’s too much. You know, we’ve got to be better there. We’ve got to be more disciplined. Calls are calls. You know, that’s the way it goes and we’re not going to complain about them. We’re just going to be better.

On what makes Boston a team with so much depth… Well they have a lot of good players. Four lines they use. They use everybody. They use all six D. They’re a good team. We’ve talked about it. We’re a good team too though. We have depth too.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID PASTRNAK On the slow start to the game and what turned things around… Yeah, well definitely the first goal for us, you know, that’s always the contact goal, or whatever you call it, and from there we were on our toes and played our game.

On how good it felt to win game one on the … Yeah, obviously it’s huge especially after a long break, but it’s only step one for us.

On how tough it was to come back after a tough first period… Yeah, 100%. You know, that’s what is the greatest thing about team sports, right? You’ve got 20 to 25 guys and you just never give up. And then, how I said the win feels good but it’s just the beginning.

On if the rough start to the game was attributed to the 10-day break… Yeah, obviously try to establish our forecheck and our legs – get our legs going, and you know, I don’t think we had a bad start but you know we didn’t happen to score the first goal but you know but big credit to our group that we came back.

On Torey Krug’s hit… Yeah, unbelievable you know. Stepped up. Big game by him [Torey Krug]. We all know he’s an offensive defenseman, but he was unbelievable in the d-zone today.

ST. LOUIS BLUES DEFENSEMAN On if David Backes embellished on the high stick … I don’t even know what happened.

On there being a lot of stretch passes… Yeah a little bit. We didn’t probably skate the way we needed to, it just got a little bit sloppy.

On the momentum change in the second period… They were aggressive more in the second period and I don’t think we were aggressive enough skating with the puck. So it wasn’t a great combo for us.

On the amount of penalties… Yeah, I mean we talked about this. This team feeds on the power play so we have to confine that.

On Tuukka Rask… Yeah, we have to find a way to get more pucks towards him and more bodies in front of him.

ST. LOUIS BLUES FORWARD DAVID PERRON On how the game got away from them… Yeah, I mean, obviously, I’m not going to judge the calls but they did happen and we end up in the box too much and that gave them a chance to get their touches and kind of get going in their game and shoot pucks on net and the numbers looked bad. A lot of it happened on the power play and we just didn’t play good enough in the second.

On not being able to get momentum after the Bruins second goal… Yeah, I mean, I think obviously when we score a goal the next few shifts are key to not get scored on and it was tough to get scored on. But again, things are going to happen out on the ice and again, it just wasn’t good enough. We lost our composure a little bit with the puck in the second and it is what it is right now.

On Krug’s hit on Robert Thomas… I honestly didn’t see it. I just went back to the bench, we got tangled up, I went to the bench and all I hear is the crowd. I tried to look for the replay and I barely saw it, so it’s tough to comment. Ask me again tomorrow maybe.

On Joel Edmundson being upset at his penalty… Yeah, I mean, there’s a couple that we weren’t sure. We’d like to maybe have the slashing one in the third, maybe, to make it five on three but again, I thought the refs – it’s a fast game out there and we just have to make sure our sticks aren’t in there and the same with my penalty.

On if they played their game in the first period… I think we can be even better and we’re going to have to be. And we’ve shown in the other series that we got better and better as the series went on every game. And even though it was a good period for us, we were still looking to be even better and when you get into penalty trouble then a lot of guys sit on the bench and it’s tough to get going and that’s what happened a little bit.

ST. LOUIS BLUES FORWARD BRAYDEN SCHENN On giving up a two-goal lead… Yeah two-nothing lead, it was early on hockey and we just didn’t play our game after that. I thought we had a good start to the first period, got to our game a little bit. We just started getting too spread out, we weren’t getting pucks in, turning the puck over. Whether it was by accident or on purpose we just got to take care of the puck. They’re good off the rush, they got mobile defenseman and they made the most of it.

On penalties… They got some calls there, obviously we just have to be more disciplined there. Give the benefit of the doubt to them tonight but we’re going to have these refs again and we just got to keep on battling and we’ll get our calls.

On applying more pressure on Tuukka Rask… Yeah absolutely, whatever we had 15 or 16 shots that’s not enough. He’s a world-class goaltender and we got to be able to shoot more pucks, we didn’t get enough traffic around him, enough tips, screens, we didn’t make it obviously very hard on him tonight.

On not being able to generate offense… We just didn’t get to our game, we didn’t get it deep, we didn’t have no grind time, we didn’t forecheck hard enough, we weren’t tight enough out there in five-man groups and they were able to break the puck out easy and come back in transition.

On the Bruins… We’ll watch some film and stuff like that and break it down. They did a good job tonight, they didn’t give us a whole lot of room there in the last half of the game and we got to find ways to create offense.

On having a layoff… That’s no excuse, absolutely not. They had more time than us so we got to be better for game two.

ST. LOUIS BLUES DEFENSEMAN JAY BOUWMEESTER On how the lead got away from them… I think it’s hard with penalties. We took too many penalties and then the second period – we just didn’t play very good. We just didn’t skate and move the puck very well and got hemmed in our end and they got some momentum and that kind of turned the game around.

On if there was something Boston was doing that was keeping the cycle game from going… Well, I mean, we played into it, we were turning pucks over – giving a lot of pucks over at the blue lines, that sort of thing. Coming back – they’re a good team. Good cycling and good – you know, they can control the puck down there if you give them a lot of time so I think it was more of just how we didn’t take care of the puck and gave them too many opportunities coming back at us. And then the second period’s, you know, long change and that sort of thing. That’s kind of when they took the momentum.

On if they played their game in the first period… Yeah, the first period we were pretty good, came out pretty good. Obviously when you score early, that helps, it helps settle everybody down. But yeah, that’s generally how we want to play. The last two periods, I don’t know how many shots we had, but we didn’t have nearly enough and it’s just a reflection of we just didn’t have the puck down low and we just played into their hands too much.

On the penalties… Well, I mean, we talked about it. I don’t know what the calls were or whatever, but yeah, it’s tough to win when you take five penalties. Especially against a team that has a really good power play.

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY PREGAME On preparing like it is just another game… We talked about that this week. I mean, obviously, the magnitude of it’s not just another game, but we want to try to prepare like we have all year for all hundred games, as you pointed out. I think players are typically routine-oriented, so the closer you can stick to it, the better it is. Obviously, there’s going to be a few differences this time of the year. Games start – from the stuff that’s going on around it obviously, we ask them to enjoy that, but get focused in on how they usually prepare. That’s what I talked about this week, I think where our leadership group has come in handy for us; they’ve been there before, so they’ve kind of sent that message to the guys ahead of them.

On when he will get nervous and when the nerves will go away… Typically, I’m not a guy that gets nervous; it’s more anxious. We’ve been waiting a long time. Are the guys prepared, which sounds like an odd question when you have 11 days, but there’s always things that go through your head. Did we miss something along the way? And then, excited to see what the opposition has, how we’re going to respond. So, that’s more what I personally go through, scenarios in your head that play out, but I imagine when we step on the bench and the crowd gets into it, it’s real then. It’s game on. It’s been a lot of talk, but like I said, at about 8:20 tonight, it’ll sink in that we’re in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On Matt Grzelcyk… Well, I assume he’s excited to play. There might be some nerves from him. I’m sure his parents are excited. As for what we need from him, we just need what we’ve gotten from him: A steady play, puck moving, some grit – he’s absorbed a lot of hits to be able to make plays and be able to outskate their forecheck. We’ve talked about, I think that’s one of the things they want to establish, if not first, then certainly at the top of their list, so our defensemen are going to have to get back on pucks and get it moving so that’s not a strength of theirs. So, that’s the biggest thing we need from him: puck retrieval, execution, transition game.

On Connor Clifton… He’s a gamer. I think he competes hard. He’s got lots of courage. He’s slowly found what he can do at this level and what makes him successful. Pretty good puck mover. When we first saw him, he was a little reckless for what we thought would be able to get away with at this level, and he’s calmed that down. They’ve done a great job with him in Providence teaching him when to go, when to be a little more conservative. For us, the biggest thing, he’s got to get his motor running. I think he’s real effective player when he’s got his feet moving, because the game comes a little bit naturally for him when he’s moving. When he’s not, he’s an average player, and that’s when he can get exposed. So, that’s what we’re looking for for Connor. I suspect like a lot of guys, young guys, he’ll have a bit of nerves, but when he gets that first hit under his belt or first good play, hopefully he’ll settle in and play.

On how the players have handled the layoff… Yeah, I guess until we play, it’s going to be hard. I think they’ve handled it well. We’ve mixed in rest versus work. Yesterday, our practice was scruffy, not going to lie to you. I thought the day before was excellent, so which one are we going to – as a coach, which one do you take? I trust the leadership group that they’ll have our guys ready. We’ve put in a plan this week we feel will allow us to have success in the first game. Until we get out there, who knows? So, tough question to answer in that regard. I feel we’re ready, but until the puck drops, don’t know.

On if Brad Marchand will be in the lineup… Yeah, he’s playing.

On if he can appreciate the skill level and excitement of the Final in the moment… No, I appreciate it. They’re a good team. They’ve earned their way to be here. It’s a great story. It just shows that you’re never out of it if you can find your stride. The teams that played better in the second half this year, that’s a bit of the story. We were one of them, Carolina was one of them, St. Louis, so they’re peaking at the right time. But, like I said, we’re concerned about ourselves. As a coach, you want to see what St. Louis brings, but our focus has been on us. We’ve done that all year, how we’re going to play, what we need to do to be successful, and you hope that that team will have to adjust to you. It’s not always the case, but that’s the way we’re looking at it, and we’ll make our in-game adjustments as we go, whether that’s line matching, whether it’s how we change our forecheck, power-play entries, all those things kind of evolve organically. Listen, I’m a hockey fan. I’m looking forward to a great series, great hockey, and our job is to come out on the right side of it, so that’s the plan.

On any other lineup changes… [Zdeno] Chara will decide if he should get in there or not. No, same thing. Tuukka [Rask] is starting. Everybody that finished the game up front, I believe we have the same 12 forwards. Yeah, and Johnny Moore will be out. Zee’s back in.

On the Patrice Bergeron and Ryan O’Reilly matchup… Well, on our end, I can control it here. Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] will probably play against the [Brayden] Schenn line. He generally plays against the best offensive line. We won’t get away from it if there’s o-zone draw situations, he’ll go out against whoever’s out there, because we do like their offense. We like to start them in the o-zone because they’re a threat to score every time they’re on the ice. We’re able to do that because of our other lines. We that, well, if we get away from the Schenn matchup, then [Sean] Kuraly can handle it or [Charlie] Coyle or [David] Krejci, so we’re comfortable with that. I don’t think I’m telling you anything that’s a big secret. He’s going to play against one of their better offensive line. If we find their third line is dominating us, then we might make that switch over there. Right now, Schenn’s their top group, [Jaden] Schwartz is having a great playoffs; we know what [Vladimir] Tarasenko can do, so I suspect you’ll see that matchup. He might want O’Reilly against him. Like I said, we’re not going to chase it all night. We’ll do what we think is right, but after that, I don’t like to disrupt the flow of the game, and if our guys are on, then usually it works itself out if all four lines are playing well.

ST. LOUIS BLUES HEAD COACH CRAIG BERUBE PREGAME On preparing for the series… Yeah we had plenty of time to go over everything, it’s just about getting out there and playing. I think the team is in a good spot, they’re obviously anxious to get going, get out there our first few shifts and make contact and get involved and get the nerves out.

On the status of Vince Dunn… Pretty close, he’s still day to day… He’s out tonight.

On Carl Gunnarsson and Robert Bortuzzo’s play… They’ve done a good job of obviously eating ice time up and defending well and doing the little things right. I think they’re both difficult to play against, Gunny [Carl Gunnarsson] is different than Bortz [Robert Bortuzzo] obviously but they both have good sticks and they block shots and do all the little things, defend the net really well, simple plays out of our zone, they’ve done a good job.

On Tyler Bozak… Yeah for sure, I think Bozy [Tyler Bozak] has had a tremendous year for us and has gotten better and better as the year went along. I think he’s done a great job of bringing along Thomas [Robert Thomas] as a young kid and grooming him, I think he’s done a tremendous job there, him and Patrick Maroon. That line has been very effective for us for quite some time now and a lot has to do with Bozy [Tyler Bozak]. He’s a real smart player, he plays a 200-foot game for us and I think he’s just done a real good job of bringing that kid along and really giving us good minutes, face- offs, penalty kill, power play, been an all around player for us for quite some time.

On what Jaden Schwartz has meant to this team during the playoffs… Yeah, I don’t think anything really clicked. I think his work ethic just paid off. I mean he was struggling to score offensively, but his work ethic didn’t change and the way he played didn’t change. He kept doing the things he always does and in the playoffs he’s been hot for sure. I mean the goals are going in, but he’s going to the hard areas around the net and he’s obviously a big part of our team and why we’re here today.

On what role Alex Pietrangelo played when helping re-build the team… Well, for sure he’s the captain of the team, but I think his play on the ice speaks for itself. His leadership, it’s his play and night in and night out he does the job on the ice for us, but I think off the ice him and I have formed a good relationship with each other. I confided in him a lot. He’s been around here for a long time with this team and this organization and he’s been a very good player. So, him and I formed a good relationship with communication, talking a lot, and I think for me he was as important for me as I was for him, going forward.