BOSTON BRUINS POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS NEW JERSEY DEVILS Tuesday, January 23, 2018

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On if the Bruins were off their game or the Devils were on theirs to start… Probably both. They were a desperate team. Well, I shouldn’t say desperate; that’s not fair. They were more urgent than us, more urgency, wanted to play behind us, get on us, create some anxiety in the forecheck, and I think they did a good job with that. I don’t think we executed as well as we needed to early on to sort of suppress that. Eventually we found it. Part of that was in our D not getting back there quick enough; part of it is the forwards not getting some bumps so their D can’t get back there, and winning the wall battles. I think when we started winning the wall battles, more pucks, we got a little cleaner.

On Tuukka Rask… I think quality saves were more late. I think early on there was a lot of volume of shots. I think their game plan was clearly funnel everything to the net, see what happens. Sometimes you can’t let the shot clock dictate how you are playing because I thought we had some good looks from the slot. They clearly had better puck possession than us, and that was the issue. Sooner or later when you start funneling pucks to the net, bad things happen for us – penalties, bounces, deflections, and that’s what happened, obviously, their first goal. So, that was a concern, but I thought Tuukka was our best player.

On the new defensive pairings… I thought there were good moments, and there’s moments that they need to work better together to break pucks out. But, until you watch the whole game again tomorrow and find out were we supporting well, was the option not there for them? Things happen quick, and it looks like at times, wow the D missed that one. Yes, there were some times when they didn’t execute, but were our forwards working to the right spots to make those passing lanes bigger? And that’s part of it. We’ve always said that here; the four guys without the puck are equally as important as the guy with the puck if you want to be a transition team, and that’s something that we’re going to look at.

On the clock malfunction… I think we all knew what the penalty situations, including the officials. We just couldn’t get it going is my understanding. Maybe they couldn’t get it up on the clock. It seemed to take an awfully long time to resolve. At the end of the day, you’d think maybe you could find a way to use a stopwatch and keep the lines – but hey, they’ve got to get it right. After a while I just wanted to get playing again. I do believe we lost some momentum. At first I thought it was good because our first unit five-on-three got some rest and they were going to get a little breather, but then it got to the point where it was a bit too long of a delay, obviously.

On Rask being more active… I think part of is how is the opposition. Are they getting to the net? Are they trying to bump him? Are they trying to take away his eyes? You’re fighting to find pucks. We want Tuukka to compete in there to find pucks, and I thought he did a terrific job with it—trying to get him out of harm’s way because there was a lot that seemed to hang around the slot. Like I said, I think it was a game plan of theirs to funnel them all in there and see what they could come up with, get bodies to the net, and it was an effective strategy at times. He was more active, but probably it looked like in a good way from where I was.

On giving players new opportunities… Part of it is we’re along the way now here and you’re playing this game, and you want certain guys to grow. It’s a result-oriented business; you need wins. We’ve been fortunate lately – we’ve gotten a lot of them. Tonight, there was times where we left some players out there to see if they would battle their way through it just that game. We just decided that, you know what, we’re not going to go to the automatic guys. Even having Krech [David Krejci] out there at the end on the wing is something that we’ve experimented with. Brandon [Carlo] – end of the second period – we had [Ryan] Spooner and [Jake] DeBrusk, that line that we want to build some confidence in their ability to defend and protect leads. That was a bit of the game plan as the game went on when it looked like we didn’t all have our A-game anyway, so let’s see how it played out and let these guys grow a little bit. On Brad Marchand’s confidence… He had a lot of confidence tonight, a little too much at times. That’s what I was talking about; sometimes you lose a bit of the respect for who you’re playing against in time and score, and we’ll talk to Brad about that tomorrow. There’s times to be strong on the puck, and there’s times to make plays that you believe you can make in front of you and attack. Not only Brad – a few of us got a little bit that way where we made some plays in hindsight that you would go, that’s probably a high-risk play at the time. That’s where I thought we got off our game and gave them unnecessary life, but we got away with it. That’s one of 82. Hopefully you learn from it and it doesn’t become a habit. If it becomes a habit, we got problems. If it’s just one of those things where we’re a little too confident, well, we’ll dial it down a little. On Bergeron’s goal… Well, it is his bread and butter. He scored the majority of his goals from there. Great chemistry with Marsh. They were killing five-on-three two high and one low a little bit. Usually you see two are low and one high lot of times. There were some opportunities low; we got one across to Krech, just missed, and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] made the appropriate read as they were covering low and kind of went against the grain and good timing play and a great shot. Doesn’t surprise me from there; he tends to be able to hit it and hit it well. I’ve said this before; he is out there with Jay [Pandolfo] pretty much every day working from that spot, moving in to the puck whether it is five on four, five on three situations, so good for him. On if he is no longer considering moving Pastrnak from the Bergeron line… Right now, we’re not considering it. There may come a time if that’s what’s best for the team, but right now we like the way it’s working. I like the way Krech is playing in general with his linemates as well. Right now, I think it’s the best for the club, and the individuals are buying into it as well.

On defensive matchups… We tried to get Zee [Zdeno Chara] and Carlo against bigger bodies, and sometimes the way we look at it is five on five scoring as well. Sometimes guys might surprise you who the leaders are. Tonight, you looked at their top group – you see [Jesper] Bratt and [Nico] Hischier even though they split them up, and [Kyle] Palmieri. That’s a smaller group, so maybe it’s a better matchup for the [Matt] Grzelcyk-[Kevan] Miller or [Torey] Krug, so Zee gets a [Miles] Wood and a [Stefan] Noesen or a [Brian] Boyle later. They have a lot of five-on-five goals, those players, so that’s what we looked at tonight. When [Taylor] Hall is out and they don’t have that big name so to speak, then it becomes a little more by committee; he gets who he gets. You know Ottawa – I know if [Mark] Stone is in, it will probably be him; he does a lot of their scoring. That happens rarely where he doesn’t have a defined matchup in the other team’s top high-end talent, and tonight I think we mixed it up a little because of that. That’s not being disrespectful to Jersey; it’s just the way it played out; that’s their lineup. On if he expects to see more first period volume shooting… I would assume so, and I would assume that when you’re going well that teams want to bring their A-game. They’re gunning for you, and our guys are getting used to it. They want to make sure that they’re out there and proving that they can play against a very good hockey team. I think more tonight their start was they lost a home game last night, so the natural thing to do was let’s not turn down shots a lot of the times. We would probably do the same thing with our group. If we’re not scoring, make sure we get an ugly one, usually the philosophy. I don’t know if that was the directive, but I have to believe it was. BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK On being a little more active than usual in net tonight… Like making scrambling saves you mean? No, I don’t know. It was just one of those games where you have to battle a little more. The first period wasn’t too bad but then after that, in the third a couple times but just trying to keep the puck out.

On if being a little more active was a result of not seeing the puck well tonight… Yeah there was a lot of traffic and a lot of tips and stuff. They got shots through and they crashed the net hard. So a lot of times, you know the guys bump into you and nick your skates and stuff so you end up sideways and what not but it’s a battle. Sometimes goalies have to battle through stuff like that too and you just try to stay as compact as possible.

On being out of his comfort zone a little bit tonight… It’s not really. A lot of those shots, like that [Miles] Wood guy, every time he shot the puck it dipped and I just couldn’t control it. It’s tough but like I said you just try to stay compact and behind the puck. There was a lot of shots that they took from bad angles and I couldn’t control the rebounds, just one of those nights that the puck doesn’t really stick to you as much as usually you would like it to but then you just have to battle and make the rebound saves.

On if he thinks this is his best year since he won the Vezina Trophy… I don’t know. I really feel the same. I think our team is playing really great hockey and a lot of that credit goes to them. As long as your team plays good then you have a chance to look good too. I think that’s the biggest reason.

On how dangerous Patrice Bergeron is from the slot area… Yeah well he finds that dead area there a lot and then he practices it a lot. It’s tough when that defenseman is kind of screening the goalie there and he finds a way to get it by the defenseman and the goalie can’t see it, then chances are it’s going to go in. But he practices it a lot. He’s one of those guys that is always trying to find ways to get better.

On what it’s like to face shots from guys like Bergeron in the slot area… Well I mean if you get a good read of it, and see it and see it develop, then you have a better chance. But a lot of times there is traffic and guys are going to the shooting lanes and passing lanes and you kind of miss that split second that you don’t see the puck and it makes a big difference. He’s good at finding that dead area for sure.

On the play of the defense this year… It’s great. It’s great. It’s awesome. Today, I think we had to defend a lot compared to the last few weeks but there was a lot of rebounds and they took care of them. So I think we were really good at getting the puck out of our own zone, wheeling with the puck and finding the open guy with the breakout. Guys did a great job.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND On the team’s slow start... Yeah, we didn’t have a great start. We didn’t have a great game. They publicly had an open, or a closed-door meeting last night, so we knew they were going to come out hard and play a good game and they did; you’ve got to give them credit. But, luckily we found a way to win and that’s all that matters.

On his goal in tonight’s game... Yeah, I was looking for Krech [David Krejci] originally and then he took him away and then I just tried to make a move. I got lucky a bit, but it worked out.

On if he was worried that the 13-minute delay would derail the team’s momentum... Yeah, a little bit. I mean, we had the momentum, you know, we had a big goal and it was still 5- on-3, so it definitely kind of took the wind out of our sails, but I mean, we still had an opportunity to capitalize and we didn’t. But, things like that happen.

On his confidence level... Yeah, at times. I think I could still be better. I turned the puck over a lot tonight; I didn’t have a good game. But, we capitalized when we had to and you’re not going to have your best game every night, but have to be better than I was tonight, that’s for sure.

On the play in the third that caused Marcus Johansson to go down... What happened? I don’t know; he got hurt. I don’t know what happened. I have no idea what happened. I took a shot and I tumbled down and he was hurt. So I don’t know what happened there, but hopefully he’s okay.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID PASTRNAK On if moving the puck quickly is something that is worked on in practice… Yeah, I think it was rimmed right? Obviously, you know it was coming on back and the guy kind of got stretched so I tried to move it quick to Torey [Krug] and you know, obviously from there it’s just [Brad] Marchand and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] in position. And this place is awesome.

On how dangerous Patrice Bergeron is from the spot he scored the goal from… Yeah, you know, he kind of made a step away from the slot, kind of closer to Marchy [Brad Marchand] and you know, he’s been working a lot this season so you know, it’s easy when you don’t even need a net front for the shot.

On who is more dangerous on the power play from that spot that Patrice Bergeron scored from – him, Steven Stamkos, or Alex Ovechkin… I mean, you can’t compare different players to each other. You know, all of them are in the league for some reason and they have great shots. But, I don’t want to compare anyone to anyone.

On the win not being their cleanest game… Well, we won right?

On if there is anything that they can point to that lead to a slow first period… Well, I mean, you know, we meet tomorrow and we get better and we have better starts. But you know, we got two points tonight and that’s the most important thing. So as soon as 12 o’clock comes, everything starts over and we’ll get better on our starts so you guys will have a better question.

On Tuukka Rask’s performance… He was awesome. You know, like you said, we didn’t have a good start and Tuukka [Rask] was unbelievable in the first period for us. It could have easily been 3-0 for them, but he made some great saves. You know, it’s hard when you’re waiting for a team coming off a back to back, you know they usually come out flying – even Montreal the third game, you know I think the first 12 minutes they were absolutely all over us. So, we knew it was coming, but sometimes you know, that’s why we have Tuukka and he got us going.

On if he feels like opposing teams are treating them different and coming at them strong… Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if it’s us – if it’s slow starts or if it’s them coming hard at us. So, you know, I guess I should that out and have a better start. No, to be honest, I don’t know. We were giving our best so give credit to New Jersey that they came hard at us.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN BRANDON CARLO On playing with Zdeno Chara tonight… Yeah, it was fun. I mean I feel like we didn’t really accomplish our goal in the beginning of having a quick start, but I feel like we remained calm and we’re a good enough team to bounce back in those situations so it’s good and we showed a lot of character there.

On sitting through the 13-minute delay during the second period… Uh, it’s not that bad, I mean we’re just sitting around kind of dancing to the music a little bit, watching the people in the stands and trying to stay warm. So, you know, I think it’s a positive attitude on this bench right now and we tried to keep it that way through the 13 minutes there.

On getting opponent’s best performance because of how well the team is playing… Um, ultimately yeah. I feel like we’re setting the example of when either a team comes into this building or we’re going to theirs that we’re going to give them a good, hard, strong game. And so, maybe putting guys back on their heels a little bit more when they see us coming up on the roster, you know that’s a good thing to have. And that’s something that we want to continue to maintain and continue moving forward.

On playing the last shift tonight… It’s great. You know, I’m glad that they trust me in that situation and I’m going to go out there and do everything that I can. Try and block shots, keep the pucks to the outside, and I feel like ultimately we accomplished that. They guys that you are out there on the ice with, you know, they definitely know how to handle that situation, so that eases my nerves a little bit I guess you could say, so I definitely feel pretty good about that situation tonight.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN TOREY KRUG On the good year that the Bruins defense is having… Yeah, it’s been good. It’s been talked about a long time being a weakness of this team, in terms of the six guys back there. But you come into the season with a chip on your shoulder and want to prove that it’s actually a strength of the team. We’ve been good so far and want to continue that roll.

On if the delay with the clock malfunction slowed the Bruins down… I thought we were okay. They obviously had time to figure out what were doing and we weren’t able to come away with a second goal, which could have been huge for us. It’s tough when you have delays like that, but you just have to put your head down and keep going.

On if he thought the Bruins would be this good at the start of training camp… We believe every single night, we have a chance to win games. We know that it’s not going to be perfect. Every night you’re not going to win games. Right now the way that we are playing and the confidence in our system and our players are all playing confident as well, and Tuukks [Tuukka Rask] is back stopping us, along with Doby [Anton Khudobin]. We have a chance to win every single game, so we are going to continue to look at it like that.

On if the breakouts not being as clean as normal was due to what the Devils were doing or what the Bruins were doing… I think they were playing extremely fast, especially in the fist period. We had a hard time keeping up and getting ourselves into the game. Eventually we got going, but it still wasn’t pretty because they did a good job on the forecheck and taking away our options. I think they realized what we were trying to do back there. At the end of the day, we were just trying to win battles on the boards and continue to get the puck moving. And that’s how we scored that second goal in the end of the second so were just trying to get back. We got to get back quicker and make better plays.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD RILEY NASH On the goal he scored… We were just trying to have a solid forecheck. Finally won a puck, turned it over in their zone. Thought actually early on we had a couple of looks; turned a couple over. Early in the first, I walked around the net, looks like I just missed it high. Just try to get something going and we were reeling there a little bit. So just try to get a good forecheck shift going and throw it on goal and it went off here, there, everywhere and in.

On if teams are getting up to play the Bruins now… I think so. At the same time we just have to match that intensity and we knew that they were going to come out with a little something extra, but you have to match that. I think a lot of times we have gotten off to good starts, so I don’t think it’s something to be all too concerned about. But at the same time, it’s got to be addressed right away. I guess you find out next game if it’s a routine, or a habit or not. We knew that they were going to be desperate, but you got to match that.

On if he feels fortunate that the Bruins came out with two points tonight… I thought that they were good. Seeing their record lately, I don’t think that indicated the way they played tonight. They’re fast, they’ve got some skill and they put a lot off pressure on the D when you’re not forechecking properly. I know Tuukks [Tuukka Rask] was good tonight. Some nights he’s going to be our best player and tonight was one of them.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS COACH JOHN HYNES On the penalty call in the second period… They made a mistake. They made a mistake. That was the explanation I got.

On frustration with the clock and not playing well… Yeah, I mean both teams have that though, so you just have to deal with the situation in the game that comes up. You know, it is what it is.

On the referees’ explanation of the clock… Yeah, at the delay they were trying to figure out the clock and the times and what was accurate and what was not accurate. So, that was what the discussion was then. But then later, the refs talked to Miles [Wood] and myself and just said they made a mistake.

On having to compete in order to be successful… Yes, I think we do.

On giving an update on Cory Schneider… I don’t have one.

On losing players to injury and coaching through that… Just because of the way that we play, it was a game that was pretty easy to coach player wise. I thought everyone was playing well, so even when we were short defensemen, I thought we were playing fairly well at that time. Lot of times, if you have injuries or you have special situations like that, if your team’s playing the way we played tonight, it’s pretty easy because guys are all competing so you can put any one in there.

On any communication with Cory Schneider’s injury after the second goal… Nope.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS FORWARD MILES WOOD On how the referee made the double minor call… Um, he came back to the bench and he just said sorry that they screwed up. Um, but that’s what it was.

On what the penalty should have been… Just one penalty.

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