BOSTON BRUINS POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS Thursday, January 10, 2019

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On if it felt like they should’ve won this one… I thought we certainly gave ourselves a chance to win the game, didn’t happen again against this team. So, have to get over that hurdle, but yup. A lot of nights that would be good enough for points, if not two points, but not tonight.

On Ryan Donato’s play… I thought it was one of his better games, on the puck, attacked well. Obviously, finished a nice play. What I liked about that play that he scored on was that he actually covered up for the defenseman. He was in the right position when the puck found him, so as a coach those are the strides you hope players make over time. One that he missed in assignment is very similar the other night, so good for him because he can finish plays, we know that. And, he’s around the front of the net, so that part of his game we like. He’s always competitive there. It’s just rounding it out, so tonight he was arguably our most effective forward.

On the JFK line tonight… Yeah, they did, one of our best lines. Didn’t get nervous with them out there. I think there was a shift in the third they got a little bit, maybe, soft on a slot-battle puck. JFK [Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson] looked like he had it. Ryan [Donato] started leaving early, but other than that. That’s one where you want to make sure they bear down. Think they got caught out there against a good trio, so recognize the situation too, but nope they held their own and outplayed whoever they were against for most of the night.

On the first power play unit… We were off. We just lacked execution on the power play early on. I think we found the right guys, but the puck was either hopping on us or we had a play off the rush, just over Marchy’s [Brad Marchand] stick and then Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] to Pasta [David Pastrnak], that seam, that bumper play they run, Pasta’s still recovering from high to low and then we’re just – [Torey] Krug makes a play to Jake [DeBrusk] alone in front and it just hops over. You know what I mean? We finally get a rebound, throw it over the net. It was just off with the first group. It’s going to happen. We weren’t just a little enough for the other team, and when we were on there the one power play the guy made some real nice saves on – who was it Marchy on a give-and-go? And Pasta on a backdoor and Bergy before that. Definitely generated some looks on it. Eventually the other group got one for us, but yeah, we could’ve used one more on it.

On what it will take to beat Washington… Well, I don’t have a great answer to that or we probably would’ve pulled it out of our hat a while ago. I think an effort like tonight. First of all, it starts with defending well because they’re a very good offensive team. We did that for the most part. We, again, gave up some quality chances, but it wasn’t a lot of quantity. Obviously, another save, the difference-making play in the game. It’s 2-2. We get that save and come down, who knows how long it goes. That could’ve made a difference. We got some saves after that, but we weren’t able to put one by him to get the equalizer.

Usually that play that makes a difference in a close game. They made it. We didn’t. Let’s get ready for Toronto.

On having Noel Acciari’s line against Washington’s top line… Yeah, and you’d like a wash, ideally. They did a pretty good job. That play was a little bit harmless, it looked like. We had a puck, got knocked off it. We’d like to obviously be able to kind of eat that puck down low, but we didn’t converge to [Alex] Ovechkin. We had four guys there, so it’s tough to get upset. No one was cheating. No one was leaving town on it. We were just all kind of around and not quite closing off that play, and, as you know, he can finish. And he did.

On Jaroslav Halak not seeing the puck as much made him rusty during the game… Not a concern at all when he doesn’t see a lot of rubber. It means we’re playing well in front of him, to be honest with you, especially against this team. He saw lots – both goalies saw lots last time we played them, so that was part of the game plan, to limit that. We did that. Only he can answer whether he gets, loses, whatever word you want to use, if he gets stagnant, loses focus. Only the goalie can answer that question. Obviously, there’s one net. Tuukka’s [Rask] playing very well now. We’re trying to get him as many starts, so that’s obviously going to limit Jaro’s activity. So, when he’s in there he’s got to basically, as we said earlier in the year, outplay the other guy. That’s kind of been the mantra with a lot of players in our group, and that’s kind of where he’s at now if he wants to get more starts.

On Marchand not fighting Lars Eller… Well, there was obviously some bad, some leftover residual effect from the previous game, but I think Marchy recognized the situation. We’re trying to win a hockey game. You take care of business, as Marchy did, when the game was basically decided last time. So, I thought he did – showed very good discipline. Did what he needed to do for team to help us get on the power play, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to cash in.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND On if he felt that it was a struggle to get back momentum… Yeah, it’s frustrating. When you get back in the game like that you want to try to stay with that momentum and it seemed like every time we got a goal there they scored right after. So it’s tough to win when you do that, but we had a good game. I mean, we could have easily won that game, their goalie had a lot of good saves, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

On if he wanted to fight with Lars Eller but realized it wasn’t the best situation… Oh yeah, I mean, I haven’t looked at the stat sheet but I don’t really feel the need to check proof anything. He plays you know, maybe 10, 12 minutes a night and I’m playing 20. So in a one- nothing game – to go on the power play, it doesn’t make a lot of sense so that’s the way it is.

On not finding traction on the power play tonight… I mean, we easily could have had a few chances – or a few goals. We had a really good look every power play, it’s just sometimes they go in. I mean, last game we had one go off a body and one go off a skate and you know, that’s just the way it bounces sometimes.

On if it’s frustrating to play better and lose…

Yeah, I mean it can be frustrating but we had a really good effort tonight. We kind of controlled the play the whole way through and really the only looks they had were their goals and a couple late when we were forcing. We were the better team tonight, but they’re a really good team over there. They find ways to win and you know, that’s why they did so well last year and they’re a good team again this year. But we had a good effort.

On if there were positives to take out of this game… Yeah, I think so. You know, we can definitely take some positives but at the end of the day you gotta get the points, and we didn’t get them tonight. But, you know, it’s just another game in an 82 game schedule. And it’s another big one next game against Toronto, so we just have to get prepared for that.

On the young players playing up… Yeah, they got a big goal there for the first one there and they had a good game. I mean they competed hard. You know, that team, they compete well. And you know, they’re building chemistry. Again, it helps when you play with each other more and more and you’re able to practice with one another so I think you’re starting to see that in their game. They had a good game tonight and we’re going to need that going forward.

BOSTON BRUINS LEFT WING RYAN DONATO On if he thought the team deserved a better result… Yeah, I mean, I think when you put up that many shots, you always think that you should be rewarded for it. I think a lot of the guys would agree that we played hard. We gave it our all, and sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. When you get that many shots, you know you’re doing something right, but obviously there are some corrections there, something that we need to do to prevent them from scoring four goals, three goals.

On if he feels like his confidence is growing… Yeah, I mean, I think whenever you can score, it’s going to grow your confidence. I think it’s good to have your confidence in your teammates, to the teammates. When you’re playing that much and you can finally get rewarded, even though you might be hitting the post a lot and have a couple goals come back, I think it was a nice feeling for me, personally. I think a lot of the guys were happy to see that, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to work on making sure we get the win.

On getting that time and space to score… Yeah, it doesn’t happen often in this league. We did, actually, some video the other day and that was one of the things we corrected, was make sure you have a third guy when their D goes down, and obviously, paying attention to that paid off.

On if there’s pressure at this point in the season… Yeah, of course, I mean, when we play the way we know we can play, hopefully good things will happen. We just didn’t get rewarded for that tonight. When we have all four lines contributing, it’s a hard team to stop.

On his line’s performance…

Yeah, I think the two things we’ve gotten better at is being comfortable playing in the D-zone. Like, Minnesota, we were doing everything we can do to try to get in the offensive zone, but sometimes it’s just not your night, you’re not going to get it down there, but being comfortable playing in the D-zone and making sure you’re not giving up anything, and then, contributing offensively and getting chances is also huge for us.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CHRIS WAGNER On how they played tonight… I thought we did a pretty good job for most of the game. I think that was [Alexander] Ovechkin’s first shot when he scored. I mean, pretty good shot. We had five guys tight, and they feather a pass through, but you know, you can’t… I guess you can’t make one mistake against that line. I thought we were pretty perfect up until that point, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I think we had a lot of chances, especially in the first two periods. It just didn’t go in, but I don’t know. It was a nice challenge to have, and it’s nice to be trusted like that.

On whether he likes back and forth games like tonight best… Yeah. Yeah, it’s kind of turned into a rivalry I guess. Obviously we haven’t had great success in it, but yeah, it’s always fun when the games get ramped up, and obviously that’s gonna happen more and more down the stretch when points mean more. Especially this weekend and then Monday too.

On whether he was saying anything to Jonas Siegenthaler when they went at each other early on… No, I didn’t… I didn’t really. I usually keep my mouth shut for most of the time unless I really get fired up, but yeah I didn’t… I don’t know. I don’t say anything. I just try to hit as many people as I can, keep my mouth shut.

On whether the key to a game like this is to keep the momentum and effort going… Yeah, I think we know we played a pretty solid game. A couple tough breaks, but you know, I think we outshot them 2-1 and kind of, you know, held the play for most of the game. You know, they’re a quick strike team, so you know, we gave up a couple odd man rushes, but overall I thought we played pretty good.

BOSTON BRUINS CENTER JAKOB FORSBACKA KARLSSON On whether his line played well… Yeah I think for some of the shifts we got some o-zone time and that’s where we want to be. I think we could have been better but there was some good things that we got to keep with it.

On whether his line is still in that mindset to prove themselves… Yeah I mean for us I think we want to play as much as possible but with that comes, like you said we got to be able play against the top lines and those sorts of things. I think playing good defense in games can lead to good offense for us.

On whether the physicality in tonight’s game felt more than average… Well I think that’s a good team, Washington, they’re a little bit of a physical team as well as skilled. Maybe to that sense a little bit.

On what specific areas he wants his line to improve in… Well I think we have to keep doing the things that we did well but I think we got to have a solid defensive game as well. That’s what we need to keep doing.

On developing a comfort-level to play in the defensive zone… Yeah it’s a little bit of getting used to each other but I think we’ve played a couple of games now so we’re starting to get that feeling.

On playing on a line with young guys rather than with veterans… I think every line is going to be a little different depending on what players. It’s fun to play with Danton [Heinen] and Ryan [Donato] because they’re such skilled players. That’s the biggest part for me.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER JAROSLAV HALAK On the overall effort tonight… I think we played a pretty good game. We controlled most of the game, and you know, they have some players that can score goals and unfortunately… you know, I didn’t make a save on the third goal. That’s the bottom line. I got outplayed by their goalie, and you know, they got a win, so we just need to be better.

On what he saw on the third goal… It went in. You know, it was just one of the shots, you know, top of the circle kind of low glove, so like I said, I just need to make a save on that one and it could have been still 2-2, and we would still be in the game, and you know, from that point on, you know, they just had it and they got another one. So tough sequence, but like I said, you know just need to be better I guess. The next game I get a chance and hopefully down the road I can help the guys.

On whether he was screened on that shot… No.

On how the team played in front of him defensively… Well, they didn’t get a lot of shots. They got some, you know, they got a breakaway first goal. You know, tough bounce on the first goal. You know, we had a chance to score. We didn’t. You know, it goes the other way, and you know, they scored a goal, so you just… that’s the way hockey is. You know, sometimes, you know, the bounces are on your side and sometimes they’re not, and tonight we needed one more bounce, didn’t go our way, so we just need to reset, regroup, and like I said, I thought we played a good game. We just… the result is not there for us.

On how challenging it is to stay in a rhythm when you’re not playing consecutive games… It’s not bad. You know, they didn’t get a lot of shots. They got some… some good chances, you know, in the first period and after they scored we came back and we outplayed them in the first. You know, we just didn’t score the goal. Like I said, you know, one of those games, like I said, that I just need to make one extra save, and you know, we could go in OT or whatever.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS HEAD COACH TODD REIRDEN On the impressive win streak against the Bruins…

You know, its always a – it’s a good rivalry. They play hard and compete and battle. It’s a difficult building to come into, especially this year again with them being I think 16-5 at home. So, we have prepared our team for a battle. Again, credit to our team for hanging in there for 60 minutes and doing a lot of really good things and coming out here with a win. Obviously, if we were to talk about one players that’s had a significant role we’d talk about Holtby, and the impact he has against this team definitely has been a difference maker.

On if he was expecting a physical battle… You know anytime the first game of the year goes the way it did, there’s a little bit of bad blood in that game. I think we knew they were going to come out of the gate hard at us. Our team was certainly prepared for that I think we held off that initial push from them really well. And then took advantage of our chances when we got them. So, that’s something we focus on. Make sure we are putting ourselves in good situations, don’t waste a lot of shots, and when we have the opportunity to create a high danger opportunity we take advantage of it.

On update on Orlov… Yeah he went through concussion protocol but he’s been cleared as far as I know.

On scoring right after the Bruins would tie up the game… For sure and that’s the leadership of our room. You look at the guys who scored those goals, that’s our captain Alex Ovechkin and the next one is our assistant captain Nicklas Backstrom. That’s our team, those are our leaders. We have special players on our team that love winning and understand the importance of game management and to respond right after and tilt them momentum back in our favor. Our leadership has been phenomenal for the first have of the year and just another sign of it tonight.

On Vrana’s confidence level… He’s playing some excellent hockey. He has been strong all year for us. I guess the consistency for him is a major difference for me in terms of how we evaluate his game. I know we had some conversations this summer about the fact that he was going to be in the line up every night and wasn’t going to go through this in and out stuff anymore. He’ll be playing in the top six and it was up to him what he did with it. I said if you are not we’ll find another spot for you, but it is your job to lose. He renewed confidence in himself and his teammates believe in him. The work that he has put in, he’s earned it. He has earned it. He continues to earn it. I’m really excited how his game continues to head in the right direction. It’s fun to watch.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS GOALTENDER BRADEN HOLTBY On how the Capitals match up against the Bruins… We play pretty good against them. You know, I think we’ve had success against them, but they’ve always been, you know, good games. Just one of those things that seems to just happen, but they’re fun to play against. They battle, especially in tough areas, which might be why we’re so engaged in the games when we play them because they play hard-style hockey every game.

On the team’s defensive performance… Yeah, I mean, they worked to generate what they got, and obviously power plays were where they got probably their best opportunities, but I mean, I guess with shot totals, goals, you can never

really tell, but it’s two good teams, and you know, probably tonight, they deserved to win just as much as we did. That’s how good the game was, and that’s fun hockey to play.

On Jakub Vrana… Yeah, in the second half last year, he really turned it around. You know, he’s a kid that played a bit in the American league, and it really benefited him. He learned how to work, learned how to get better, how to study the game, how to be a real pro. He’s young, and he’s learning his lessons, so that shows, you know. He’s getting rewarded on the scoresheet with goals, and the speed that he’s playing all over the ice is really good right now because he’s paying attention to those details. He’s found a way to learn and pay attention to those, so credit on him. It speaks for the process, and it speaks for the type of kid he is because he wants to get better. Fun kid to be around. He’s one of those guys who when he scores, you’re up.

On if he feels engaged in the battle against Boston… Yeah, I mean, they make it hard on me with traffic and those type of things, you know, speed, the physical game. In an 82-game schedule, sometimes it’s tough to get a game like that, and sometimes it’s a little on the softer side of hockey. That’s just sometimes the way it is, I find, but whenever we play Boston, whether it’s the history, they’re always hard-fought games.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS FORWARD NICKOLAS BACKSTROM On the Capitals run against the Bruins the past five years… You know, I don’t really think there’s a really good reason. I heard about it before the game but it’s not what you think about it. You think about Boston as a great top 10 hard team to play against and a hard building to come in to play. Every time you play them you know it’s going to be a really tough game. So it’s just fortunate for us that we’ve been able to be successful lately. Yeah I mean even today a tough building to come into but I thought we played good defensively and did not give them a whole lot. They had a lot of shots I think we played really tight back there and Holts was great back there too.

On Holtby in goal… Yeah I mean every time you’re the other team starting a little better than us you know you need the goalie to bail us out. That’s what him and Phoenix [Copley] have been doing for us. You need that and I don’t know, in 60 minutes, maybe not our best game but I feel like we played good defensively and that’s what you have got to do against a team like this.

On the quick goals… Yeah it was huge. Every time when you have the lead it’s a lot better than being tied. Big response every time it was a big key in this game.

On if it was a playoff type hockey game… I mean I think every time you know it’s going to gets physical and it gets emotional after that and everyone is getting involved. It’s a fun game to play. I feel like these are the games you want to play and these are the games you want to be involved in.

On if he has taken a heightened approach to the game…

Yeah I mean, they are always coming hard on home. I mean there I feel like they are more physical at home than on the road. When they have played good they are a good team. Sometimes hockey isn’t fair, I mean they won the shots and we got the win. It’s weird sometimes.

On Vrana’s success lately… It’s great I think it’s great for all the young guys. Especially for a guy like Vrana, young guys want to be bigger in the NHL and be big players here. It’s a good start. It’s nice to see them develop that way.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS FORWARD JAKUB VRANA On getting first goal… A quick start is always important. When it goes in, it’s the first goal, I don’t know, tough answer. Sometimes I score first sometimes I don’t, it’s not important as long as you win games.

On bouncing back throughout game… It’s really important when we get scored on that we forget that really quick and we get to work quick. I have to say Holtby was unbelievable today, he had lots of big saves. Everybody came to play tonight.