QUOTES Round 2, Game 5 Monday, August 31, 2020

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH BRUCE CASSIDY On the pride he has in the fight from the team… Yeah, this team is resilient. We’re disappointed. We thought we were the better team tonight and we wanted to play on. We put ourselves in a hole obviously, but felt we played well enough to win tonight, get it to game six and then see what happens from there. They’re a good team too. They know how to win, they’ve done it a lot in overtime this season, and they made one more play than we did.

On the last … No I haven't looked at it to be honest with you, we just went and addressed the group. You know clearly we were in the D zone before that, so the actual shot, just obviously they celebrated. D- zone coverage we could close quicker getting out, we want to front all shots and then close, but I think our guys were fatigued as well, so you got to be careful you don't give yourself up, got two big blocks from Nordy but we couldn't keep it out of our net.

On Halak’s game… Outstanding. Really good. We didn’t give up a high volume of shots but some really good quality ones from the crease early on. Killorn I know had one, there was a post. Second period, was it Palat in front of the net, or the third? I can’t remember now, but some good ones right in front of him. Some real good saves there. And the goals were deflections. Our D weren’t able to get under their stick, it’s something they do well. All three goals were generated by their blue line. Credit to them. But as far as Jaro goes, he stopped everything that he literally could. So tons of credit to him. And their goalie is obviously good too, he made some big saves and it was a night where both goalies were on.

On the hit on McAvoy… Yeah I mean we had hoped there'd be something there, but there wasn't, so not our series to get those calls, but at the end of the day we did have a power play late in the game, third period, so we had an opportunity to win it on the power play, unfortunately weren't able to generate enough. But yeah, I would hope something came up, but it didn't. We saw that hit on Kuhlman too the other day, nothing happened, so that's hockey some nights.

On his message to the group postgame… First of all, I told them, for me it’s always an honor and a privilege to coach these guys. Listen, there’s days where as a coach I’m frustrated, fans, organizations, players themselves, but they, we come to work every day. We’re disappointed it didn’t go better for us, no doubt. There will be some evaluation of players, coaches, up and down, that’s what any good organization will do once their season is done. That’s what I told them, it’s a privilege and an honor and I appreciate their commitment. So going to your second part, there was a commitment to be here, a lot of sacrifices for every player that’s here, management, worker, to be away, you’re confined. I still think the situation, the NHL handled it terrific, the accommodations, but you’re still confined to a certain extent, and that’s different so you have to be mentally dialed in so to speak and to find structure in your day that’s different than normal life. Having said that, probably better to ask that a few days from now, once you’re back to your normal life. You probably reflect on what you did for the five, six weeks a little better because it’s become routine for us. We’re at the hotel, at the rink, couple activities to do, we’re together eating all the time, so certainly some camaraderie, some bonding. Some lonely days too, you miss your family, but the end of the day, that’s the commitment you make if you want to win the Stanley Cup. That was the ask this year and here we are, but we’re not going to get that opportunity this year obviously.

On Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug possibly playing their last games… Well I don't want to speculate if those are their last games, so those are decisions that will be made by the player and management going forward. I’ve said all along, grateful to have an opportunity to coach Zee. It was early in my NHL career so to speak, later in his playing career, so he helped me a lot. Torey is a little different, I got him more well into my American League career and he was just basically starting out, so it’s a much different situation, where you almost feel like Zee probably helped me more than I've helped him and with Krug it was a little more of watching him grow and being a bigger part in his development. Both great Boston Bruins and we'll see what happens down the line because like I said, those are decisions that will be made and as I said, I love both those guys and what they mean to the Boston Bruins and hopefully what they’ll continue to mean for the Boston Bruins.

On if they accomplished what they set out to do… Well obviously, we’re not advancing, we’re not even going to game six, so clearly we didn’t reach our goal. No argument there. Why, we’ll dissect all that. I do believe with the turn of events with the pause, obviously stuff going on in the world bigger than hockey but once we got back here, it wasn’t the same as a normal season, it just wasn’t. So it’s not an excuse, I’m just telling you, personnel was different, who was healthy, who was not on a lot of different teams, the environment. And at the end of the day, it’s unfortunate it worked out that way for us in terms of our hockey season, but like I said, we were still grateful to be back to work, a lot of people aren’t, so our guys feel that in there, they got the opportunity to play for the Cup, we’re not going to get it this year, so I guess that’s on us we weren’t able to beat a very good Tampa team.

On lack of 5-on-5 scoring… A lot of things go into it, you know five on five scoring I think we're middle of the pack most of the year so it's always something that we built our team around good habits, good team defense, so sometimes that will take away from the offense, the way we try to defend and keep the puck out of our net first and always we pride ourselves on the kill, so we have people in our lineup that are going to be very good penalty killers and have and are and sometimes that affects scoring ability. And that's just the way it is sometimes in the , how you build your roster that way, so we know that, but this series I think we misfired some, execution issues, a little bit of tough puck luck, we got some at the end finally on Krech’s goal, but a little bit of that was us having a net front traffic, and that's a little bit of what we missed against Tampa, getting in Vasilevskiy’s eyes. And listen you don't need me to tell you he’s a world class goaltender, you're going to have to get some second chance screen tips. I think we didn't generate a lot of offense from our back end, in today's game that's required to be a high end five on five team. But like I said they're a very good defense, so we gave a little bit in that area. And then some secondary scoring, some guys that we needed to score a little more in the middle of the lineup weren't able to get it done this series, and that's credit to Tampa. To the last part of your question I mean they’re a very good hockey team, they're not easy to score on, so we have to tip our hats to them too and look for answers how we can get better. They’re in our division, going to see them a lot, have seen them a lot, so that’s something we're going to have to conquer.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND On how he feels after the game… It’s a very disappointing finish to what we – we had a great year. Obviously, it’s been a very different playoff schedule and it was a lot of time off. But we have a hell of a team and we expected better out of this year. We thought we had a chance to – Tampa has a great team, don’t get me wrong. Don’t want to take anything away from them, they have a great team. Just, the way things were rolling throughout the season, we thought we were going to go all the way. It’s a huge sacrifice to come here and guys had to really dedicate a lot of time and effort to be here. And it’s kind of a waste of time now. We spent the last three months getting ready for this. Being here and we walk away without anything to show for it. It’s tough and you never know how many opportunities you’re going to have to win a cup. We never know if we’re going to be back in the finals again or in even in the playoffs again. Every opportunity missed, it hurts.

On if it ever felt like picking up where they left off… No, it felt like we were starting a new season. The amount of time we had off was the same as an offseason. It felt like we were having a whole new year. But it doesn’t matter. We’re playing for a cup. We’re playing for the opportunity to win a cup. We were all trying to prepare the best we could. Obviously, every city had different situations, whether guys could skate or not and we tried to prepare as best we could and unfortunately, we fell short.

On if they will look back on what could have happened… I mean, you can always look at what ifs but the fact of the matter is we were fortunate enough to be able to play. I think we have to be grateful for the opportunity to be here, regardless of how difficult it was and the sacrifice we had to make. A lot of people are going through a lot of things and we’re fortunate to be able to be here and have the opportunity to play. It really doesn’t matter what could have happened or what would have happened. This is what happened.

On what areas where they came up short in the series… That’s tough. Obviously, we haven’t had a chance to breakdown the whole series. They’re a good team. They exit their zone quick and they have some great players that made plays at the right time. They’re deep, they have a lot of depth and it showed. They had different guys score throughout the whole series. They didn’t rely on one line. They’re a good team. They beat us. It is what it is.

On playing with Chara… Yeah, he’s an icon in Boston and it’s been – who knows what’s going to happen but it’s a pleasure to go the rink with him every day and see the dedication he has to the game and has had to the game for so long. It’s difficult to do what he’s done, day in and day out. The way he prepares and the way he still cares so much and he’s one of the most, if not the most, driven person I’ve ever met. And he’s going to be a hall of famer. He’s one of the best defensemen, best players to every play the game. Like I said, it’s been a real honor to play with him. I obviously – we have no idea what’s going to happen but he’s an incredible teammate and captain and leader and I don’t have enough good things to say about him.

On if they feel like they left everything out there… I think so. We prepared. We worked. These things have to work out perfect to win. The team that wins, that’s how it goes. Everything needs to go your way. You need the calls, the bounces. Everyone needs to play their best all the way through. It’s tough to look back and say what if. Like I said before, we only have so many kicks at the can. And everyone, I think especially when we retire, we’re going to look back on it and say – I think that’s more when it’s going to hit us and say what if. It is what it is. You dwell on it, it’s going to hurt. It’s going to suck. This is how it goes. Only one team can win.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID KREJCI On how Torey has become a leader during his time in Boston… Torey is a great player. He always has your back. We definitely don’t want to see him leave. A great friend. I can’t say enough about that guy. But at the same time, it just kind of hit me after the game that the core group, a few of us, we have one or two, three years left. With the pandemic going on, you never know what’s going to happen. So, it’s just kind of – I just got a little sad right now. At the same time, I don’t regret coming into this bubble and fighting for the Stanley Cup. If I would have to do it again, I would.

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD PATRICE BERGERON On the emotions with the core group getting older… Yeah. It’s definitely something that crossed my mind. You never want this to happen and obviously, see what happens I guess going forward. Obviously, wish that everyone is coming back and we can have another chance at it. It’s been – it’s always a pleasure and a treat when you’re going out there with guys that you’ve been around for 10 plus years. You’d like to keep that and carry that, and keep going. Keep going with them. Obviously, lots of very great young players as well that are on the rise and we should be excited about. But you’re right that, it’s a fact.

On if they ever thought about how many years the core has left... I think personally anyways, I was coming in trying to be in the moment. I wasn’t trying to think about the future and just trying to enjoy what’s there in front of you. Sometimes there’s too much of that going on. You think about the past or you think about the future, you don’t really enjoy the present. That’s what I was trying to do and stay there. When a night like tonight happens, that’s when you start thinking about it a little bit more.

On if they felt like they could get back to how they were playing in March… There was definitely a different training camp with lots of guys coming in and out. Not being able to skate and what not. We really didn’t get the training camp that I’m sure we were hoping for. That being said, I know that around the league, we weren’t the only team that was going through that. I think that we’ve always been a team that’s been comfortable with the uncomfortable, I guess. Those were things that we couldn’t control and that we had to find a way. And that’s it. I don’t think we – I don’t want to use that as an excuse to be honest with you because we were 24 teams in the same situation.

On fighting back facing elimination… Yeah, obviously it was definitely a unique experience with being in the bubble with no fans. That was definitely was unique. Obviously, the outcome is the same. Still giving out the Stanley Cup and still competing on the ice. It was an adjustment. Let’s be honest. That being said, yeah. It is the type of team that we have. But then we fell short and it’s definitely tough to take right now.

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN ZDENO CHARA On what his decision is on coming back… I haven’t made that decision. I obviously just finished the game and I’m going to be open minded.

On a sense of what if for the season… It’s easy to be thinking, what if. Things happen. Those things happen without any of us who are in control of them. I think the whole world kind of had to be kind of thinking about other things and everything was kind of put on hold. We realize that that’s something that could be different, but at the same time, we all went through it. Every team and every sport. Every country pretty much. That’s just, what if is kind of something we can be sitting here and giving different opinions and thoughts. I think we all realize that, at that point, the health and safety was the priority for all of us.

On his pride in the team and thoughts of continuing… I’m obviously very proud of this group. Since obviously the phase two, if you want to call it, everybody made some huge sacrifices and we were a committed group to get back to where we left off at some point in March. I think that everybody showed up in great shape, ready to play, committed to come into the hub city and do whatever it took to play the best hockey that we could. I’m very proud of the group. Guys were playing very hard and doing whatever they could to win games. It’s a learning experience for many players and hopefully this will make this group stronger and more resilient for the future playoff runs. Definitely, it’s still very raw and disappointing. I know personally and speaking for all the guys, they left it out there and played with their heart.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HEAD COACH JON COOPER On playing overtime games… Clearly we've we're getting used to it. If you want to advance you have to win these games, it's all there is to it, and it was gutsy. Just the fact that we lost Kuch and we were down to 10 forwards and I'll tell you that was a little deflating obviously when we gave up the goal, but as we told the guys, it was a blocked shot, an unfortunate rebound and a broken stick or maybe we don't even go to overtime. So we were doing a lot of the right things, but we needed every ounce of our energy to get through that first overtime. Tongues were dragging and it was tough and how they managed to play that second overtime I don't know. I was trying to move different guys around to give a little bit more break to our forwards, but I was noticing they were just as tired as us. And to look back and say we played 14 minutes and 10 seconds of a second overtime and only give up one shot on goal, it was a pretty committed effort by the guys and fortunately for us one went in.

On managing guys minutes… Part of the challenge is the match and it's a lot I guess easier when the team you’re playing is behind because more often than not they're going to be putting out, you know what lines they’re going to be putting out. In overtime it’s a little bit different, game’s tied, I don't know how they're going to run their bench all the time, so that's probably the biggest challenge. And then it's keeping guys fresh, like you really got to have a gauge on who’s gassed and who's not and pretty much everybody was but there's some guys, like I know he’s a defenseman but Victor Hedman seems to never get tired and we have a couple forwards up front that have that and there's some guys that break down faster so you have to like manage their ice time, but it was about just managing our game and as that overtime went on I thought we did a really good job of that.

On Kucherov… Well any time one of your players leaves there is concern level so I can’t you know like we're really excited we won this series. I don't have an update, but I will tomorrow. He did come back afterwards and played for a little bit so obviously we're hopeful and maybe I don't know, hope we get a little bit of a break here so we can rest our guys including him.

On the trade deadline acquisitions… The one thing about our organization, I don't know how others work, but Julian came in and we sat down with myself and then as a staff and talked about what we needed. And if you want to say that prototypical top six bottom six forward, we didn't feel like getting top six forwards or pulling in that type of player, that wasn't what we needed. We were looking for some guys that had a little bit of dirt under the nails. And oftentimes it's not how many score but it's how many you keep out of the net, and are you going to be a pain in the ass to the other team, are you going to be able to wear a team down. And skill does that to a certain extent, but anybody that's been a part of playoffs knows that the game it's a grind and you need those type of guys who can fight through that stuff and we found them and it's clearly really helped us.

On Andrei Vasilevskiy’s workload… Not only is our team playing well but our goaltender is playing well and so it really helps when you're getting contributions from everyone. As for the him playing more than anybody else, he got a five-month break so I think he actually wants to play more and I don't know how many games we've played, what's the quick math how many games have we played, 10-15 games over a decent amount of time. He's feeling pretty fresh. He's a young guy and so we're pretty comfortable especially when we've been fortunate enough to win two series in five games that he's getting ample rest. And just like everybody on our team, what’s happened to us last year, guys want to be on the ice to rewrite a new story and he's no different and he's done a heck of a job that's for sure.

On Ryan McDonough… It’s hard to come back when you haven't played, I don't care how good you are, just the timing, the speed, it’s a fast game out there and so it took him a little bit to get that back. The big asset for Mac is his skating and when you've got that usually you can catch up pretty quick and he did.

On winning so many one-goal games… To be honest regardless of the score I'm proud of this team. They've done everything we've asked all year and I think I said this this morning every home reporter and fan wants your team to go 82- 0. It hasn't been done yet and I doubt it's going to be done. But they've made a conscious effort to put themselves in the position they are right now and all the credit goes to them. They’ve worked at it, they’ve worked with their game, they've worked their mental mindset, and like I said you don't know how these games are going to turn out, especially when you get the overtimes, break here, break there, but we feel like we've earned our breaks, but it's because of what those guys have done in there. The team just begins to coach itself and it's all because the players and how hard they’ve worked and what they've been pushing for.