BOSTON BRUINS POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS CAROLINA HURRICANES Thursday, May 9, 2019

BOSTON BRUINS POSTGAME QUOTES BOSTON BRUINS VS CAROLINA HURRICANES Thursday, May 9, 2019

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On the plays Marcus Johansson made throughout the game… Well, the goal, he got to the net for a second chance. We didn’t feel it earlier in our power play. We generated enough action at the net, so clearly a good play from Krech [David Krejci] to March [Brad Marchand], win the puck. He’s our net-front guy. We like him on the goal line too making plays, but sometimes you have to be taking away the goalie’s eyes or getting ready for a rebound. He did a good job there, paid the price. The first one, to [Steven] Kampfer, wins the puck out of our zone, good stick, good acceleration and then has the composure to make a play. Not too often with Carolina can you go back. They reload well, maybe they over backcheck, looking back on it, but we found the open guy. There’s certainly pockets there you can find, but he made a hell of a play. He sees the ice well and space. He can do that. He’s a good player for us.

On Marchand pulling Connor Clifton back from confrontation so that the Bruins could get a power play… He’s turning over a new leaf, eh? Marchy. Listen, he’s been in these big games. He’s a Stanley Cup Champion, so he understands maybe a little more than meets the eye sometimes. There’s a time and a place where you really have to be disciplined. I mean, you have to be disciplined at all times, but there’s certainly other times where you really have to put yourself in check, so it was great for him to do that. It helped us, right? We had the early penalties, so he was starting to get frustrated. We saw that with [Sean] Kuraly’s penalty, and then we kind of settled in and realized that tough is winning pucks battles, toughness is going to the front of the net, toughness is blocking shots. It’s not how you react in a scrum, so we figured out eventually, and they took some. Good for Brad. We’ve put an “A” on his shirt at times this year for a reason, and I’m glad to see that he made that decision tonight with a younger guy.

On Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo matching up against Sebastian Aho’s line… I thought we were pretty good. The analytics will dictate it I guess. I thought we might have had a slight edge, in general. I don’t remember them making a lot of plays, that line. I know there was a stretch in the third there. I want to say five, six, four minutes, something like that. They had some pressure on us. They might have had an off-net chance, and then one from the slot, obviously they scored the goal, but they got open. But they did a very good job on it. I think it’s a good matchup for Brandon. He’s long, he can skate, so those taller left-wingers he can handle, or he can the smaller guys. Torey’s done it all playoffs. He’s done a really good job, played truly the number four hole, the second pair, so he’s usually seeing a really good line. So, good for them. We needed it. Obviously, missing Charlie [McAvoy] who’s going to create some extra opportunity. Hopefully, the guys dig in. We saw that with [Steven] Kampfer. He gets the first goal for us. I thought Clifton, like I said, was drawing penalties, was physical. He hits [Jordan] Staal early, and I think that was the reaction from, you know, he wanted to pay someone back, and unfortunately he got him from behind [Chris] Wagner, so good for Cliffy. So good for Cliffy. I mean, he can be a physical guy and did a good job for us too. Getting back to your question, yeah, moving Carlo, but it doesn’t surprise me. They’ve done it all playoffs.

On Jake DeBrusk getting down on one knee and then getting up… I only saw it after. I don’t know if he took it right in the shnozz or what. There wasn’t one coming around the boards, but it hit him in the chest, whatever. We were aware that we were taking away – if you watch their d, they were cheating behind the net. They were taking away how we relieve pressure, so we talked about hey maybe let’s just get it right to the front of the net, see if we can battle it there. So, he made a great play I think from his knees. Is that the power-play goal you’re talking about? Bergy’s? Yeah, so good awareness by him. I think it was a good adjustment by us, great finish by Bergy.

On if he saw the puck coming out... I just saw the puck come to the front of the net, Bergy shooting it in, then a lot of noise. Like I said, for me it’s a lot of noise. If it’s for us, I’m happy. It’s for them, I’m pissed. That’s just the way it works I think, and then you dig in and watch the replay and see if there’s anything open.

On not getting frustrated after not scoring on the first power play ... Well, I think we did a little bit, to be honest with you. We did get frustrated. We didn’t get in. We have to make some adjustments there. We talked about things you can do, but until you live it, it makes it difficult. But at the end of the day their an experienced group. They know that we need them at that particular point. The power play was what was required because they took a few penalties, so it might be the penalty kill on Sunday that needs the big kill. So, I think our group’s been pretty good at identifying some key times in games throughout these playoffs. We got to step up, and that was one of them, a big goal for us. Both of them, really. It changed the complex of the game, so good for them.

On having a different mindset heading into the third… Oh, I think so, right? Because no one’s really happy after the second. You know, we talked about it internally. I’m not going to tell you everything we said, but we’re not real happy about our second period. It’s been a bit of an issue for us, so they know. They have to dig in. It’s just the way it is. Usually, it’s not magical. It’s usually you have to outwill the guy with the puck. You take their second goal; we lost four puck battles continuously on our way up the ice. They won four. Let’s put it that way. We have to do more of that, and I think we did on those goals. We won soe pucks. JoJo [Johansson] won one in front and Jake makes a great play, and Bergy finds one and wins it in front. That’s the way it goes after that. I thought we did a good job in that area.

On Steven Kampfer’s performance… Well, it’s good more for the group, I think. I mean, obviously, the individual is happy, don’t get me wrong. But the whole bench—the way our team is constructed and the way those guys want to play for one another. I think it means just as much to the rest of guys to say, ‘Hey, this guy hasn’t played in a while, he’s ready, he’s on time, he catches the pass, he’s not flustered, he zips it in a good spot,’ so it just tells you, preparation and maturity, too, to be able to jump into that spot, not get flustered. But I think it means just as much, like I said, for the group to know, ‘next man up.’ I mean the expression around Boston has been here for a while, and we’re certainly going into it.

On Chris Wagner’s performance… Well, Chris found his rhythm, offensively, second half of the year, you know. He had a career year, goals-wise, so clearly it had something to do with confidence, something to do with playing time, maybe his linemates, but this playoff, he hasn’t been quite as comfortable. But tonight, I think he had five or six or seven shots. He’s played, now, consecutive games, so part of that’s on the staff, me to make sure that we build his confidence, and most players need that, a little trust of the staff. So, he’s earned that, now. We just made different decisions as we went along with what seemed right, but I think for him, now to find that secondary scoring, that’s been a big, big part of our success here in the playoffs. It hasn’t been one line or a shutout. We’ve seen it with his linemates. Nordy [Joakim Nordstrom], [Sean] Kuraly have done it. You know, Johansson, [Charlie] Coyle early, so you know, the more you get from there, Kampfer tonight, Wagner, it’s going to lead to success generally, and all the stories of previous teams that win, there usually is some level of secondary scoring, and we’re getting it.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN STEVEN KAMPFER On his conversations with David Backes and how it felt to get a goal tonight… I mean it felt great. I couldn’t have done it without Marcus here making a great play, so I think a lot of it – like I’ve talked to David before – it’s about keeping your mind in the moment and making sure you’re ready for your next opportunity.

On how scoring his goal felt like… It was awesome. I don’t know, it’s nice to get a goal, get the lead early. You know, the fans here are awesome, so just I guess to hear the crowd after was awesome. But, you know, you’re just trying to jumpstart the team and hopefully it keeps going.

On getting comfortable early on after not playing for a while… Yeah, I think, you know like I made a comment this morning, is your first couple shifts you either want to get a hit or you want to make a play and I was fortunate that was my first shift in the game. You know, I got to make a play, so it was nice. But, you know, when it’s all said and done, you just want to help the team win and that was the end goal today and we came out in the third and we played really well.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD MARCUS JOHANSSON On how his game has been progressing and his confidence level... Yeah, I felt good. I think this time of year, as long as the team is winning, I think anyone would feel good. Couldn’t care less about who scores and who does what, as long as we get it done together, that’s the main thing and I think that’s one of the strengths of this team – that we have 20 guys that can do it and I think we’ve showed that more than once.

On his play on the power play unit and creating traffic in the dirty areas... Good, I think I’ve been there most of my career on the power play – around the net – so, I’m pretty comfortable there and those greasy ones feel pretty good sometimes.

On Carolina’s defensive game in the first two periods... I think they’re really tough to play against. They’re all over you; they don’t give you much time and I think we didn’t quite get to our game and when we came out in the third period I think we played better, we played faster, and we were stronger. I don’t think we changed much; we just kind of got back to what we’ve been doing lately and what’s been successful, and that’s what we did and we got rewarded for it in the third period.

On if he sensed Justin Faulk’s hesitation that allowed him to get up ice... No, I think I just got a good jump and I got out in the lane and kind of – I don’t think he had much of a shot and lucky enough to get a stick on it and yeah, it kind of happened pretty quickly and I don’t think he thought I was going to come out that quick and kind of caught him off guard a little bit.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD PATRICE BERGERON On the importance of capitalizing on power play goals... Yeah, you know, we talked about – I think it’s been something all series where it’s been pretty even 5-on-5 and special teams have been winning games, and I think today is kind of the same thing. Early on in the game I thought we didn’t really execute the way we wanted to on the power play and in the third we talked about it; we talked about a few things that we needed to adjust and I thought we did that and got the result.

On if getting goals is contagious and players feed off the energy... Yeah, I think so. I think it’s nice to get those goals and I think we took the momentum once we did and after that it’s kind of, like you said, it’s contagious and every line got going and that’s what you need.

On the importance of staying patient and realizing it was only a one-goal game after the second... Yeah, I think it was a little bit of both. I think we needed to execute, be better, compete a little better. But that being said, I think there’s also a side of it where you can’t panic and you need to stay with it and realize that we’ve been – even though it wasn’t our best, we’re still a shot away from tying the game. So that’s kind of what’s being said, but we definitely needed to be a lot better and, you know, they’re a good team, they did a lot of good things and they’re tough to play.

On Tuukka Rask’s play in tonight’s game... It was huge all game, especially early on though. He’s made some tremendous saves. They’re crashing the net, they’re going to that net and he did a good job of holding his own.

On how they decide which entry to use on the power play... Yeah, I mean, we talk about it before somewhat, where if we do have two or three breakouts, you know, this is what we’re doing on the first, second, and third. So, just so we’re on the same page. I think we have to look at video and I guess assess what’s happened and what we can maybe take advantage of.

On the team’s play in the third period... Yeah, for sure. I thought the third was the way we want to play and not going to lie, the second goal got us going and got the momentum on our side, and then we got rolling. But yeah, the third period is a little more of what the type of game that we want to bring, but again, we’ve got to be better. They’re a good team and it was a tough game tonight.

BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK On the four goals being scored in third period by his team… The power plays we got they came up big and we made them pay, so that was big.

On his team’s power-play success… I think we were fortunate that the ice was still clear, guys were still snapping the puck around and they were making those seam passes. It’s a little bit easier when you can pass the puck flat. Instead of it being at the end of the period and having to adopt a shot-first mentality. We recognized the situation, in that second period we were pretty bad. We were fortunate to only be down one goal and then when you get those chances on the power play, you got to make them pay. Today we did.

On his defensemen stepping up with guys out… Yeah, it’s awesome. I’m not surprised at all, we have been doing that all year, it’s great to see. Kampfs [Steven Kampfer] got the big goal for us in the first period. We defended hard again, big blocks, pucks out, that’s what we have to do this time of year.

On how dangerous Sebastian Aho was out there… We did a pretty good job. That’s kind of their sneaky line, they find each other a lot and they get lost on the side of the net. A lot of time it kind of looks like a nothing play, they just fold those pucks in there, and then they find each other and it’s an open chance.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD JAKE DEBRUSK On what changed in the third period… I think urgency, I think that their very aggressive penalty kill and understanding if we break that pressure we can get some looks. I think MoJo [Marcus Johansson] had a really good one there to end the second. Just the time of the game as well, we understand that that is a big moment and if they kill that they get all the momentum as well, it was kind of a funny play just seemed to work out for us, it was a nice goal by [Patrice] Bergeron.

On second period power play… I think that we got some looks there, our breakouts were not necessarily what we wanted they did a great job of clogging those up. I thought that we got some looks at the end of the second and our skill guys we’re feeling it a bit. In saying that I think that every power play every shift is different, when you go out there they are trying to do everything they can to kill it and you’re trying to do everything you can to score.

On his assist… Yeah the puck was bouncing too, I tried to sauce it to be honest with you but it was just meant to be, if I tried that again it wouldn’t happen. I think I actually deflected it off their defenseman’s stick too, it went right to [Brad] Marchand and he gives it to [Patrice] Bergeron and Bergeron usually puts that shelf, I don’t think he gets full wood on it and it goes in the net, I think that’s just playoff hockey too. It was a big time to score that goal for us, it was awesome to be a part of it.

On being resilient… Yeah, obviously when they took the lead it was one of things we talk about being resilient, every team talks about that but we have that belief just like every other team. Our big guys stepped up, I think that even the guys that didn’t get on the score sheet in the third period really played a solid game. Zee [Zdeno Chara] clocked some major minutes and Tuukka [Rask] was solid in net. It gives us all confidence that we know we can do it it’s just a matter of going out and executing and understanding it’s not going to be easy it’s going to get harder each game. Carolina’s a very good team and we saw that tonight.

On if his assist was his best ever… I’m not sure to be honest, I didn’t have that many assists this year so. I think it’s one of my better assists I guess, it’s a big goal for us and anytime you can be part of a goal that puts us up in the third period is huge. It was more so just a lucky play.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CHRIS WAGNER On the third period… We took advantage of our power plays early and that’s huge, we tied it up pretty quick there and then I think we kept our foot on the gas for the most part. We were getting pucks in and I thought we won a lot more puck battles in the third.

On struggles early in the game… I thought we were better in the first then we were in the second to be honest, we were getting chances really early and then we backed off, they woke up and started playing harder. We came in here and talked about how we didn’t want to waste one at home and we successfully didn’t do that in the third.

On his goal… Yeah that’s huge, it’s more important that we won. It’s huge getting the win in game one, especially at home. It’s a good confidence boost for me too.

On adjusting to Carolina’s play… Yeah, the shot total I don’t know if it says it all really because they shoot from everywhere but they’re good at it and that creates scrambles around the net. They’re also hard around the net too. I think we did a pretty good job of boxing out especially in the third and clearing the garbage up.

On Bruins ability to score… Our power play is obviously very talented, when they’re clicking they’re clicking pretty well. They weren’t great in the first two periods but then they talked about it. A lot of our leaders are on the power play too so they did their thing and that turned out to be the difference.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD JOAKIM NORDSTROM On if he knew the penalty was being called on Dougie Hamilton or on the contact at the other end… Actually, I didn’t see what happened, the other situation that you’re talking about because I was just kind of trying to get the puck back down to the corner, just heard the whistle.

On if he got caught with an elbow… Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think he meant to do it, it was more the timing of it.

On Marcus Johansson’s performance… He played unreal. Really good, the puck seemed to find him, he looked really fresh too.

On Johansson being dialed in… Yeah, he’s been really good for us. I think, especially today, the puck seemed to find him, like I said, and it was passing his way. He seemed to find, you know, those open spots with the pucks, too, so it was a good performance by him.

On the difference between the third and second periods… Yeah, I think the third period, we just came out with a little bit of a better jump. Just played better overall, starting in the D-zone, and we were, I think, just harder to play against in the O-zone too. We were getting closer to the net and just finding those second chances.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN ZDENO CHARA On what changed between the second and third period… I think that we were making plays where we could retrieve pucks better, we were winning more battles and we capitalized on some chances.

On how much his team’s forecheck created penalties in the third… I think we were placing pucks in better areas where we could go and forecheck. Our power play was obviously moving the puck well, and they made a difference in the game.

On there being no panic from his team in the third… Well I think you see every round starts with Game 1, the teams are making adjustments as the game goes on and as the series goes on. You could tell both teams were testing the waters and it was quickly full on. Made some adjustments as well and I’m sure they’re going to do the same.

On Steven Kampfer’s game… Outstanding, for a player that’s been out of the lineup for quite some time. I’ve been talking about him a couple days ago, he’s always in a positive mindset and he works hard. It’s not easy to come into a playoff game, for a guy like that who’s been out of the lineup for four or five weeks he did a hell of a job and obviously a big goal for us and yeah he played a strong game.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN CONNOR CLIFTON On if Brad Marchand saved him a penalty in the third period after the Jordan Staal hit… Yeah I would expect that, he’s a leader. Obviously we had a power play and it was a bad hit but he stopped me pretty fast.

On what it was like playing with Zdeno Chara tonight… It was pretty awesome. Obviously a tremendous player, tremendous leader, he helped me out a lot tonight, he was pretty vocal as he always is and I thought we played a solid game.

On the game being pretty tough in the corners tonight… Yeah well they’re a heavy team, they’re fast and they can make plays so obviously that’s a recipe for success and we got to take away time and space and I thought we did pretty good. They got some chances but every game we’re going to give up some.

On the Hurricanes trying to make a lot of plays with tips at the side of the net… I think we noticed that too. They funnel a lot of pucks to the net, they’re always looking for sticks, their defensemen are pretty active so I think it’s pretty important to get our box outs and get our stick lifts net front.

On the team surviving the second period against Carolina’s onslaught… Yeah I mean it’s the Eastern Conference Final. Obviously they had pretty good push in the second. Tuukka [Rask] came up big a couple times and we matched it, came in here during the second intermission and knew we had to clean things up and play a better game and we came out and did exactly that.

On how important it is that Tuukka Rask is playing so well… It’s awesome. If he sees it, he’s going to save it so we put a lot of emphasis on boxing out net front, getting on sticks because he’s been so awesome for us.

On if there is anything that the team took out of the series against Toronto and Columbus… Yeah I would agree. They are skilled and fast and big. You got to know who’s out there obviously. A couple of the lines are really shifty and good and make plays so you have to take away time and space and manage the puck well and for the most part we did that.

CAROLINA HURRICANES HEAD COACH ROD BRIND’AMOUR On if he had any thoughts on Dougie Hamilton’s interference call… Which one? There’s no point in commenting on that. There were penalties both ways I thought, some were called and not called so I mean there’s no point in getting into the officiating.

On if he thought Dougie Hamilton was playing on edge tonight to get those penalties… Well he’s playing on the edge, we all were. Not me but the guys were. He was trying to be engaged and maybe took it too far. I haven’t even looked at them, I’m as frustrated as everybody on some of the calls but again I think we got to kill them. We take a penalty, we have to kill them and we didn’t do that.

On if he saw what he wanted to see from his team during even strength play… For twenty minutes we did. Our second period was fine, we got skating. First period we came out slow. Third period obviously the penalties put us back on our heels right from the start and we never recovered.

On if he liked the response from his team in the third period… Well it took all of the momentum out. Six minutes right away killing penalties. We had a couple good chances near the end but didn’t execute very well on the 6 on 5 and it ended up in our net and the game’s over at that point.

On if he was happy with how the guys coming off injury played tonight… Yeah it was fine. Ferls [Micheal Ferland] I don’t know how much he played, he’s been out for so long. He had some chances and obviously he took a penalty there. That was the one I had a hard time with. It didn’t seem like too much. Then Petr [Mrazek] was fine. We left him out to dry there at the end but I thought he was solid.

On how he liked the play of his top line tonight… They did fine. They had some pretty good chances that just didn’t connect. We aren’t going to win if we don’t play better than that. We had spurts but that’s not going to be good enough I don’t think during the regular season and certainly not good enough at this time of the year. We’ll regroup and try to get better for the next game.

On if he got any advanced warning that they might be calling it tight in terms of penalties… Yeah they do that every time. Again I’m not going to talk about that. We took penalties and we need to kill them. Whether they are good or not or they let some go that should have been called, I mean that’s going to happen every night so we need to come up with a better way to kill them and then when we get our power plays we need to make them count.

CAROLINA HURRICANES DEFENSEMAN DOUGIE HAMILTON On the penalties… Well, I just watched both of them, so I didn’t agree with either, so not much else to say. The game’s over now, and nothing we can do about it now.

On if the penalties killed their momentum… Yeah, for sure, I think we were playing a, I guess, not bad game, but had the lead in the third and took some penalties and gave them the lead, so tough to come back from that.

On if the game was called tighter than normal… I’m not going to comment on the refs.

On if the penalties were undisciplined or unfortunate… I don’t think they were penalties, so neither.

On if he got an explanation for the penalties… No.

On if it was hard to lose the game this way… Yeah, for sure, it stings. Obviously, we know we can be better obviously, but it stings when you lose like that, for sure.

On how much the team had prepared for Boston’s power play… Yeah, we know how good they are, obviously, a lot of talent on there, and we can’t take penalties. That’s the biggest thing, and tonight we did, and it bit us in the butt.

On playing against his former team in the playoffs… It’s just hockey.

On going nose-to-nose with Zdeno Chara… Just a hockey play, I think. An old friend.

On the fans chanting his name… I mean, I don’t really care. I’ve been chanted, they’ve chanted my name before, so for me, it is what it is. Obviously, unfortunate that I was in the box and taking those penalties, and I mean, it’s playoff hockey. That’s what you expect.

CAROLINA HURRICANES FORWARD SEBASTIAN AHO On the momentum shift in the third… Yeah, of course, I mean, they scored a couple PP goals, and that was kind of it. We didn’t get to our game after that, so it was kind of, you know, before that, it was right there for us.

On the chances in the second period… Yeah, I mean, we won that period, right? So, that was a good period by us, and we had some more chances too, then they made good saves, their goalie. That’s the game we want to play, for sure.

On knowing the team can stick with the Bruins… Yeah, it’s good that we have been in this situation before. We were down in Washington, so it’s all good.

On the message from the coaching staff after the game… I don’t know, everyone knows that those penalties kind of cost us the game, but it’s fine, we’ve just got to stay out of the box and keep playing our game.

CAROLINA HURRICANES FORWARD GREG MCKEGG On if he was concerned his goal was going to be taken away… Yeah, you know, I didn’t really see where it went, and it just kind of got pushed in, and that was that, and then you know, I saw the bench, and they said it was in, so I was pretty sure it was going to be a goal because I didn’t try to run into him. I got pushed from behind.

On if he paid a heavy price for his goal… Yeah, I mean, that’s playoff hockey. I think you’ve got to go those areas if you want to score goals this time of year.

On if they felt in control heading into the third… Yeah, I mean, we were in a good spot, up 2-1. Just, you know, couple bounces here and there, and they capitalized, and that’s the game.

On if the penalties were the difference maker… Yeah, I mean, obviously them getting two power-play goals kind of put us back on our heels a little bit. You know, it happens. It’s going to be a long series, so we’ve just got to get back out on Sunday.

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY PREGAME On the defensive lineup… Yeah, [Steven] Kampfer is in. Charlie [McAvoy] is out, unfortunately.

On Steven Kampfer being able to handle the long stretches of time off… Well, just staying sharp is hard. Especially playoff time, the intensity ramps up, but I think, to counter that part, I think he knows the value of being ready as opposed to a game in the middle of January. The stakes are just so much higher. He’s a veteran guy, so he gets it, wants to be a part of it, a good thing and a good game. So, I think your focus is more sharp this time of year, so that kind of balances the two things, but it’s not easy. It’s a tough spot, but every team gets dealt that hand with certain players throughout the series, and teams that respond the best usually advance. They had to do it with their backup goalie, Carolina, in the middle of the last series, so you have to be ready. The guys that are good pros, you hope they’ve taken care of themselves; I think Stevie has, and I believe he’ll do fine.

On who will make up for McAvoy’s absence on the penalty kill… Zee [Zdeno Chara] and [Brandon] Carlo, clearly, maybe asked to extend a little. We’ve got to be careful there. Grizz [Matt Grzelcyk] has been doing it, and [Connor] Clifton would probably take some of that on, because Kampfer will be more of a power-play guy for Charlie’s minutes. Clifton will probably take more of Charlie’s PK minutes.

On handling line changes with David Backes on the second line… Yeah, we’ll mix it up. Generally, if he’s not going on the fly, then we’re coming out of a penalty kill or something. Usually, he goes on the fly for those. If it’s a faceoff in our end, I’ve often put out Charlie Coyle. Not that David can’t take draws, it’s just he hasn’t in a while, so you cover yourself with two centermen. Coyle is comfortable playing the wing, might be a way to get Charlie a few extra minutes if he hasn’t been on the kill and we’ve been in the box; that’s kind of what took place in Columbus the last game. But, generally on the fly, he’s going, unless we’ve made some sort of adjustment, so that’s an easy one there.

On if Noel Acciari is still out… Yeah. Noel skated this morning, feeling better, will not play tonight. He’ll be – he’s always been day to day, so Sunday afternoon would be the next target date for him. Saturday, if he’s full practice, then obviously I’ll give you a better update.

On the break between Game 1 and Game 2… I think the day off for us Friday will be good. We had a tough seven-game, six-game. It’s nice to get right back in it, the swing of things. You hope that’s an edge for us, because they haven’t played. Who knows how it will play out, but we also could use some rest somewhere. I think in the last series, we got it after Game 2, maybe. We need that extra day because we played a little more, so I think if – you generally don’t get a lot of those opportunities, so if we’re going to get one, I think it’s coming at a good time for us.

On if he can use players differently tonight knowing there’s an extra day off coming up… Yeah, you get an extra day. Especially on the back end, we have to lean on – penalty kill is a good example. Zee and Carlo a little more if we get into trouble more. And yes, up front, if you want to shorten your bench, we have an extra day in between. It’s always – I think you’re going to do it no matter what, and in the heat of the moment, you’re trying to win. At this time of the year, you’re not worried about, so much, the next game, but yes, having that extra day makes it that much easier.

On what he’s learned about Brad Marchand during these playoffs about his big-game quality… Well, March [Brad Marchand] is going to come through, or it won’t be for lack of effort. Sometimes they’ve got good players too that are stepping up their game, but I’m never worried about March in the big games. He proved that a lot of years ago that he can get it done. I think he thrives on it, and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron], same thing. Those two guys, they’re money when it’s crunch time. So, I guess to answer your question, I’m never too concerned about him, unless something happened in game that someone’s gotten him off his game, and you’ve always got to make sure you get him back in the right place, but if he’s in the right place, he’s probably going to come through for you.

On if he’s ever had to get Marchand back into the right place… I think there’s been a couple of instances we’ve had to talk to him about refocusing. I can’t tell you exactly when, but maybe once each series – ‘hey, let’s get back to work.’ Sometimes that’s on a day off or a practice day, too. Listen, the other day, it’s not always in game. Once I believe it was in game, once was either morning skate or a practice up in Toronto.

On if he believes Marchand is a better player when playing with an edge… I do. I think he’s got to have some level of intensity going on with the other team in the game I think always brings out the best in Brad. It doesn’t always have to be antics, either, could just be hard, competitive, two teams going after each other.

CAROLINA HURRICANES HEAD COACH ROD BRIND’AMOUR PREGAME On any roster moves… I’m hopeful. I’m hoping Fers [Michael Ferland] is going to get in there, so we’ll see. We’ve been saying that, it feels like, for a while now. He’s going to take the warmup, and then I hope he can go.

On Jordan Martinook’s availability… I think he’ll go, too. I’m expecting both those guys to play.

On changing the strategy with Charlie McAvoy out… Yeah, there’s no difference. I mean, obviously, he’s a good player for them, so it’s nice for us that he’s not playing, but I don’t think it’s going to affect their team. We certainly aren’t changing our game because he’s in or out.

On if the team is eager to play or if they were enjoying the time off between series… Not really. Yeah, this time of year nobody likes practicing. You know, we actually had a few [practices], so I think they just want to go play. I mean, that’s what this time of year is all about, and I hope they’re chomping at it.

On filling the time after their last game… Well, we gave some time off, which was great. They needed that, and then, you know, you try to get some good, hard practices in there, but you’re certainly not going to replicate what’s going on at this time of year, so hopefully the time off served us well and we’re not rusty or anything, but I think the amount of break was good, and now, we’re going to have to get cranking, right back up.

On what he’s seen from Jordan Staal this season… I see the same things you’re seeing right now. I’ve seen it for seven, eight years since he’s been here, so you know, unfortunately because we haven’t made playoffs, and we haven’t had successful years, so you don’t talk about those guys, and understandably, but his game is the exact same as it’s been every day that he’s been a part of our organization, so I’m not seeing anything different.

On if Saku Maenalanen will be an option… I hope so. I hope so. He’s skating this morning, and I certainly hope he can be an option for us soon.

On penalties and combating the Bruins’ power play… Yeah, hopefully we don’t take too many of those because that’s obviously one of the areas that they excel at, some high, high talent. You know, it reminds me a lot of the first series we had with Washington, and it was like that always. We know they have a good power play, and you know, the best way to combat a good power play is not take penalties. It’s not how you’re going to kill it. Everybody tries to do the same things, for the most part, but they have elite players for a reason, so staying out of the box is going to be crucial.

On keeping the sharpness up during the game… Well, yeah, that’s the key, is you know, we haven’t had a lot of practice time now. We’ve had a few. We try to be, you know, detailed and sharp, but at the end of the day, you know, we’re a young team. I mean, other than the couple veteran guys that we have, we haven’t had to play 100 games in a year, so I think the tread is not so long as you think, and I think for our older guys, the motivation there, knowing that, you know, they know this may never come around again, so they’re going to be giving everything they have. So, I’m not too worried about them.

On power play goal helping momentum... I don't really see momentum from one game to the next game on any issue, everything changes. There's definitely momentum within a game, but once the games over, we certainly always move ahead and park whatever's happened, good or bad, and focus on the next game.

On missing Andrei Svechnikov... He's a big part of our group. He's really excelled in the second half of the year. He's a dynamic player for us, he still makes his mistakes as a young guy is going to. We all have to understand that. He's got potential to be a game-changer, when the puck’s on his stick in the offensive zone there's potential for something good to happen, those are special players. Now that he's back in our lineup, I think that helps.

On making goalie decision and Petr Mrazek's health... It all factors into it. That's why we don't want to get ahead of ourselves on saying who’s going to go because obviously he [Petr Mrazek] needs to be a thousand percent ready, and that's the conversation to be honest with you he has with Mike [Bales], our goalie coach, and then they bring that to me if he's ready to do it. We're not going to put him in if he's not 100 percent mentally and physically ready, we don't need to. We got another guy who is very capable.

On assistant coaches running drills... We're a staff. I have to stand up here and talk to you guys. We wouldn't be where we are without the staff we have, it's not just Jeff [Daniels] and Dean [Chynoweth], it's Chris [Huffine] and LJ [Scarpace], the video guys. One of the things that we do really well is we have a great staff of people. Dean does a certain portion of running the team, I let him do it, he's good at it, I don't need to get in his way and same with Jeff. They've been a huge help to me as a new guy coming into it, it's a big part of our success the staff we have.

On Nino Niederreiter... Nino's been great, loved him from day one. It's funny, his agent and I go way back. I was over in Switzerland for about a month and played with him. He called me immediately when we made the trade and was like, "You're going to love him," and we do. Everything he's done for us has been noticed, everyone talks about it. It's probably one of the best trades in hockey this year. Again, he's one of those guys that can put the puck in the net. You can't have enough of those guys.

On Patrice Bergeron's line and the challenges they present... I'm going to hear about that over and over again and rightfully so. I don't know, how do you handle it? Do you just put your best guys out there and hope that they can play well against them? They're great players. I don't think you ever shut down great players. You just hope to contain them, and you hope your other guys can produce and make a game of it. We know how good they are. I said this yesterday, it's not just about those guys. They have a lot of other guys, too, that balance that team out. When they're on the ice, yeah, we're aware of them, but they got a lot of other guys too.

#05/09/19#