Round 2 Game 1 Postgame Quotes Nashville Predators vs. Jets

Predators Quotes On if he would have liked to see anything different tonight, other than the final score… I think there’s always things we can do better, but we’ll look at it and try to get better for next game.

On whether they have created more traffic, in his opinion… All coaches at this time of the year will scream for traffic. At the end of the day it was probably over 25 quality chances and we just didn’t find the back of the net. So, you give them credit and move on and look for another day, it’s okay.

On the difficulty playing against Connor Hellebuyck, who is on a hot streak… That’s up to us. Our job is to get to it, shot selection and just offensive-zone play. We had a couple of opportunities in the power play, so better execution. There’s things that we’ll look at and try to get better at but you’ve got to give it to their team.

On whether he agrees that this was their best performance so far in the playoffs… Yes, but we’ve got to win hockey games. I think you can hang your hat on that sometimes in the regular season when you’re talking about a process and a long haul and a big picture. But right now, if you give me two choices on where to be, our game or their win, I’d take the win. It’s about winning hockey games right now.

On the first two goals from Winnipeg… For me we need to do a little bit better job of picking up in front of the net. It seemed like we had some players available, the shots came in, there were second opportunities. It’s difficult in that situation too, I felt like we were pressing, pressing, pressing, doing all the right things and it comes down to it’s in the back of the net. But I do think that they came off of rebound opportunities, so for me that’s always a chance to do a better job right in front of your goaltender.

On the goalie change from Pekka Rinne to Juuse Saros… The goals, they were really tough for Peks [Rinne]. We need to do a better job, especially on those first two that you’re talking about. It was just to change it up, to go in a different direction, to send the game in a different direction.

Center Ryan Johansen On Winnipeg Goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s performance... He definitely played well. A tip of the cap to him. He played a very strong game; obviously we just have to find a way to score more goals. I’m sure there are a few things we can do [to disrupt him]. It’ll be good to go over some video tomorrow and break some things down so that we can look at and improve on to increase our odds scoring some goals.

On increasing traffic at the net... You can always have more traffic. Goaltenders are unbelievable, especially this time of year in the playoffs so we have to do everything we can to score.

On believing this was one of their best games... I would agree. We played very strongly. It’s too bad that doesn’t matter, though; you have to win a hockey game. If they’re up 1-0 that’s all that matters. For us though, there are some good things we can look at for sure, and some things we can improve on.

On believing in this team in seven games... Of course, what am I supposed to say, I don’t believe we can? We feel like we were the better team tonight, so we keep taking steps forward as a team and we’ll find a way to win some games.

On losing Austin Watson... He’s been driving our team. I’d say in the first series he was arguably our best player. Watson’s really had his coming-out party this year, he’s been showing what he’s made of, and I still believe he has another level and I believe he was getting there. It sucks to see him go down, but I haven’t talked to him or seen him yet, so hopefully he’ll be alright for next game.

On the mental battle of not getting the results tonight... You can’t let frustration creep in and you just have to focus on your next shift. There are a lot of things that go on in a best-of-seven series. We’ll look at the positives and looks at the things we can do better and move on from there.

On remaining even keel and not dwelling on the loss... It’s very important. We have a smart group and they know how to handle situations, especially this one. So for us, we’ll take tomorrow and I’m looking forward to hanging out with my dogs on the nice day – maybe take them to the park – and then get back to work.

Defenseman P.K. Subban On if he is worried about the series after tonight’s game… We’re okay. We will all sleep well tonight. We’ll be ready to go back at it on Sunday. There’s no question how well we played tonight. Like I said, the bounces didn’t go our way. I’d like to hear what they (Winnipeg) say about that game.

On Connor Hellebuyck’s performance in tonight… We threw a lot of pucks to the net. He made some really good saves, but like I said, I think that’s the best game we’ve played in the playoffs so far. We’re fine in here. I think that’s probably the best I’ve felt. I’ll take it and get ready for Sunday.

On his confidence in being opportunistic in the series… It’s not even about being opportunistic. I don’t think that’s how you win championships in professional sports. You play the right way, and I think we played the right way tonight. We were fast, we were strong, we cycled the puck and we got pucks to the net. We did a lot of things. We hit, (and) we hit early. I think we were first on a lot of pucks. For us, right now, there’s a few things we need to clean up. A couple mistakes cost us, but bounces are going to happen in a hockey game. That’s just the way it is.

Defenseman Ryan Ellis On his thoughts about tonight’s game… I thought we played a good game. (It was) probably our best in a long time, to be honest. Give them credit. They found a way to win that game, but overall, I liked our effort and I liked our performance. We have to clean up a few things and we’ll come back on Sunday.

On how the team is making all of their chances count on the scoreboard… I mean you get a bounce, maybe. That’d be nice. I think we can do a bunch of different things in their end. Overall, we got a lot of shots and a lot of great efforts from the guys in here. It sucks to lose that first one, but I think we can take the fact that we played a really good game.

On being clipped by a skate… Yeah, my face kind of felt like it burnt where I got cut. Then, I saw the blood. It is what it is.

Defenseman Roman Josi On the team’s performance… I was hoping for some more chances, but I thought we did a pretty good job of shooting the puck. We had a lot of zone time and tried to take chances.

On if he is encouraged by the team’s play despite the loss… I thought we played well. I thought we started well. We had a good first period and we followed it up…we had a lot of shots, a lot of zone time and a lot of pucks our way.

On the positives the team can take from tonight… I think there’s always something positive you can take (from the game), even when you lose a game. I thought we did a lot of good things tonight. I think there’s a lot of things we can do better, too. We can work on those things and come back.

On Connor Hellebuyck’s performance in goal tonight… He was good. We knew he’s a great goalie. He played well tonight. We just have to bear down on the opportunities and keep shooting.

On trailing in the series… It’s a big game. You’re playing at home the first two games, and after this first one we definitely want to win the second one. We’ve been in this situation and I think, even in the first round, you can’t get too low. After a loss, you have to look at some things and do things better and just get ready for Game 2.

Center Kyle Turris On liking the way the Preds played tonight... You’re always trying to improve and find things to do better and improve on. We’re just looking forward to Game 2. I think we created opportunities and we were buzzing in the offensive zone at times, we just couldn’t bury them.

On improvements that could have been made... You could always say there are things that could have been done differently, but game one is done and we’re looking forward to Game 2. You could say you could do this, say you could do that; we’re just looking forward to Game 2 now.

On the missed opportunity of having the shots advantage... I don’t know about that. It’s Game 1 of a long seven-game series. We’re looking to get back at it in Game 2 and go from there.

On his line’s play tonight... We talked about how the first round is done and we’re just excited to get going in Round 2. I think we created a lot of opportunities tonight.

Jets Quotes Head Coach Paul Maurice On if he thought they “stole” a win tonight… Nope. No, I would not use that. They put a lot of pucks to the net… Most of what was at our net was a heavy scrum. There were lots of plays within two or three feet of the net, which we would like to clean up. But there certainly weren’t a lot of odd-man rushes or things like that, [or anything] of the high-risk nature. We weren’t at our best, I’ll give you that. I think we can play better and I think we will as this series goes on.

On where the strong performance of the goaltender [Hellebuyck] would rank… There’s great difficulty in a lot of the saves and finding the puck in those scrums, but he’s built for that. He’s a big man that moves well and tracks well in traffic – especially close traffic. So, he’s capable of that kind of game in that kind of environment. That’s what he’s good at.

On the line combination that resulted in Tanev’s goal in the first period… Brandon (Tanev) has played exceptionally well; it gives us left and right hand centermen in a line that has a bit of a shutdown role. Bryan (Little) has been an incredibly strong player in the playoffs for us and I’ve moved him – he’s played two or three different lines at center – and he continues [to play well]. So that was part of the idea – I wanted to get him the minutes. That just gives us a better chance to win it. He needs to play in the top nine with the way he’s playing for sure.

On the team’s confidence in winning after securing a win despite the stats of the game… We have to earn a better game. We’ve got to work a little harder. I don’t feel as overwhelmed as the stats will tell me I should at all. I’m usually pretty honest about that – I’m not trying to protect the group. It’s their [the Predators] building. They had a lot of (jump early) and they put an awful lot of pucks on the net from all over the ice. We can handle the net-front scrums a little bit better. We (could’ve gotten) an opportunity to get the momentum shifted at times with the power play. I thought they got some chances there and some excitement off that. I’m not worried about those stats.

On how he would describe his team’s ability to capitalize on the chances they had in really important times… [It’s] important because they’ll hit a post and we’ll go down and score and things like that. It’s not something we want to rely on. We know they’re going to get some zone time honestly. We can move the puck a little bit better. They’re a really heavy, pinching team. The benefit of that is they’re going to spend a little bit more time in your end of the ice than maybe other teams would. The negative – at times – is you can get some breaks off of that – some 2-on-1’s and some higher-quality opportunities to put the puck in the net.

On the signs of growth the team has after giving the goal up 1:23 into the third and not playing all in the Predators end anymore… They’re going to bring their [defense] up. They’re going to get real active on the line, so they’re going to build more risk into their game. I think we can skate better than we did tonight.

Goalie Connor Hellebuyck On how he'd rank his performance tonight... I thought the guys in front of me were allowing me to see shots. They were blocking a lot. Our details were right and it's just a product of how hard we've been working.

On if Nashville's early shot advantage included quality shots or just quantity... I was making saves tonight, that's for sure. It's tough to really get into this one because it's a long series ahead of us and I know they're a great team and will push back, so I don't want to overstep myself and say something I shouldn't. We were really looking forward to this series and I don't want to feed them in any way. They were good.

On if there was a time he knew he was in the zone... I've been preparing the same way. I feel good. I do the same things and my body is right. I've got a great organization behind me. It's just the preparation.

On if he can tell when he's on his game... I just love playoffs. I love the intensity, I love the game in front of me. It's awesome and it's a little different. Intense is the best way to put it.

On scoring to go up 3-0 following a successful kill... That's always was nice. I guess that's just how hockey goes, right? You get a lucky bounce on one end and we capitalize on the other. We executed tonight.

On if he had concerns about a week between games for Winnipeg... For me, no. I like the rest, getting a little feel on the ice then getting off. That feeds well into my game. Build the body back up, get the little tweaks out of there and then you're ready to play.

Right Wing On the play of goalie Connor Hellebuyck... He was awesome. They (Nashville) were throwing everything at the net. What we were trying to do in front of him was just get bodies, get sticks, let him see things. You could tell early on that if he could see the puck, he was going to make the stop.

On watching from the penalty box as the Preds power play hit the post after his penalty... I'm annoyed at the call and I'm happy it didn't go in the net. It's a good play and sometimes you just need to get lucky. We hit a crossbar in the first. There's going to be more of those in the series. It was a good break for us.

On limiting Nashville's second chances in front of the net... We were prepared for a fast start out of them in their building and you could tell they were just going to fire everything on the net. From , from the walls, anything they've got they're going to throw at the net. It made it important to stay on our guys and keep a body between them and the net. Like I said, our goalie was swallowing most of those up.

On the plan to cut down on Nashville's possession time advantage in Game 2... We'll watch the tape. We can play better than that. We know that. We'll try to make some of those adjustments tomorrow and get a good night's rest tonight. Ultimately though, not every win is going to be exactly how you want it. You're happy to get the win and look to improve every game, not different than you do all year.

On taking a big step forward in these playoffs... It's been awesome. Great shot there. He's all over the puck right now. I think after the first couple games in the (Minnesota) series, he found his legs and he's been a horse. It's been great to play with him for a long time and he's making some big plays out there in a tough building.

Center Mark Scheifele On winning despite Nashville's heavy shot advantage... We capitalized when we needed to. We did a good job of clearing guys out front and allowed Helly (Hellebuyck) see a lot of them. Obviously Helly played an unbelievable game for us. We're happy we got the win, but we can fix a lot of stuff. Be happy tonight, then tomorrow it's focus on Game 2.

On if it felt like Winnipeg stole the win... There's no steals in playoffs. If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose. It wasn't pretty and probably wasn't how we drew it up, but we got the win and that's the main focus.

On what Winnipeg expected playing on the road... We knew they were going to come out hot. We knew there would be times they were going to have possession roaming around our O-zone, but we did a good job keeping them to the perimeter. Helly made a lot of big saves for us.

On the importance of stealing home-ice advantage with the win... It's big, especially the first game in Nashville's building. We knew they were going to come out firing, the fans were going to be loud. It's an exciting game to be a part of, exciting to listen to that crowd and we're happy we got the win out of it.

On avoiding panic when Nashville scored its first goal in the third period... That's the way we've tried to be all year. We've tried to stay even-keeled. Even after a win like tonight, we can be happy with it tonight, but tomorrow it's back to work, back to watching the game to see what we did well, what we can do better. Get back at it on Sunday.

On what it's been like for him taking advantage of opportunities in the playoffs... It's been fun. The first series was awesome and we knew this first game, the crowd was going to be nuts. They definitely were and it's a fun building to play in. We're glad we came out on the good side of things.