RASK – SEIDENBERG PRESS CONFETENCE

TUUKKA RASK
DENNIS SEIDENBERG

Q. Talk about what’s been working so well on the penalty kill for
you guys.
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: Well, I think we try to stay compact in our zone.
Once the puck is bobbled, if you see a chance to pressure them, we do that.
For the most part we’ve been doing a good job keeping them to the
outside.
Then there’s Tuukka. He always seems to make that save. We try to
clean up for him to get the rebound or for us to clean it up.

Q. Tuukka, there’s frustration mounting on the other side.
Quenneville was saying how few opportunities they’re getting. Talk about
the defensive help that you got in front tonight.
TUUKKA RASK: Tonight was great. If you take the first period out of
the last game, I thought the last two periods in that game was really good.
Today we continued to do that.
I mean, they had shots, but most of them came from the outside. We
eliminated a lot of those rebound opportunities. I think that’s something
what every team likes to do, and we succeeded today.

Q. Dennis, before the game this morning you talked about how the
team needed a better start. How did you like the start that the team got
off to?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: It was decent. I mean, it was not the best, but
I think we came out pretty solid. We tried to get pucks deep, tried to
forecheck them, tried to force turnovers.
It was, I think from both teams, a pretty slow start, a little
tentative maybe. But we slowly got it going and started skating better
once the game started, found our game eventually.

Q. Puck management, puck possession in general, how big of a role
did that play?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: Pretty good. I think, like I said, in the first
period maybe a couple times we tried to make too many plays on the blueline
instead of getting it deep.
But the second and third period, I think we did a decent job getting
it deep, getting it behind their Ds, and forechecked from there on.
That’s when we can put pressure on them and try to get to our game.

Q. Tuukka, you mentioned the rebound control. Tonight it seemed
that was one of the better games you played in terms of that. How did you
feel in that regard?
TUUKKA RASK: Yeah, I thought today was pretty good. I mean, they
shot high shots from off the wing, and I was able to just catch a lot of
them with my glove. Then a few loose pucks were laying around there. Our
D or forwards took care of that.
It helps when we get the puck quick, then just move it forward. It
helps our breakouts a lot.

Q. The two new lines, third and fourth lines, they seemed to be
gelling very quickly. How do you feel about that?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: Like you said, they played a strong game. They
skated hard, kept the game simple. That’s what you want from guys that
haven’t played with each other.
It’s about playing basic hockey, getting pucks deep, forechecking,
getting pucks to the net. They’ve done a good job working as a unit and
communicating out there.

Q. Tuukka, from your vantage point, what seemed to spark the scrap
in the final minute there?
TUUKKA RASK: I have no idea. Well, I think Z was battling in front
with somebody there. I was just focused on the puck. I had a tough time
trying to find it. I didn’t really see what was going on.

Q. Dennis, in general, in the warmups, Zdeno goes down in a
collision. Were you concerned for his health?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: Well, at first you always are concerned that he’s
okay. But once I got to the locker room, he was fine. He just lost an
edge. The ice was not the best tonight. A few guys had to get their
skates sharpened, or the sharpness adjusted.
Again, we knew he was okay once we got into the locker room.

Q. Tuukka, they were saying they didn’t get a lot of scoring
chances. All of a sudden at the end of the game a barrage of chances.
What is it like for you when there’s some time between all those chances
and all of a sudden you have that pressure?
TUUKKA RASK: Well, I think I’ve gotten used to that already during
these playoffs. There’s been a lot of games like this that you don’t get
quality opportunities, then all of a sudden, there’s four or five of them.
But, I mean, you’re playing the last five minutes of the game, you
know they’re going to throw everything at you, what they possibly can.
That’s the case.
Got the penalty there. Got a little lucky there, one save off my
blade and the post.
For the most part I think we kept them outside, as Dennis said,
blocked a lot of shots, took care of the rebounds. That’s always a
positive sign in my mind.

Q. Tuukka, you talked about blocking shots there. You talk a lot
about the layers in front of you. As a goalie, what does it do for you and
how much do you appreciate when you see Dennis blocking a lot of the shots?
TUUKKA RASK: It’s a huge help, obviously. We’ve gotten better, a
lot better, as the season has gone on. They’re not trying to play goalie,
they’re just trying to be in the lane.
All the other guys are taking care of their ice, keeping their head
up, looking to guys behind them or in front of them.
Dennis, for example, today, he blocked shot. Our D did a tremendous
job during the playoffs doing that. I like that, as long as they block it
and not let it go through, we’ll be all set.

Q. It’s June 17th. It was a humid day today. I suppose we should
expect the ice to not be great. Just how bad was it out there? Looks like
the ice conditions are pretty crappy.
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: It is pretty bad. When you try to shoot, try to
swing your blade on the ice, it feels like it’s sandpaper. It’s really
rough. When you try to pass, the puck bounces.
That’s why you have to keep the game simple, like I said. If there’s
a play to be made, you have to make sure it’s an easy one. If not, you
rather choose to go over the wall and out.
Again, there was breakdowns today, but we seemed to cover them up a
little bit better than the other side today.

Q. Does that create any challenges for you, as well?
TUUKKA RASK: Yeah. I mean, you know, the ice was pretty good in the
start of the periods. Then pretty quickly it got really chippy. It’s
tough to get the read off of shots when it’s really a mess out there with
the ice.
You just got to be extra careful with the crazy bounces and stuff.
You don’t want to make any stupid mistakes playing the puck either. You
just got to be extra careful.

Q. Dennis, a lot of talk in the room about you and Patrice doing a
lot of the things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. What does it mean
to you when people say you’re one of the unheralded heroes of this team?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: It’s something nice when you hear something like
that about you. I mean, yeah, that’s my job. I haven’t really been
scoring, doing anything offensively. I better do that stuff (smiling).
It’s fun. I enjoy playing tough minutes and doing the little things,
just like everybody else in this room. We all thrive in tough games.

Q. How much of a relief is it to win a game in regulation after
three overtimes?
TUUKKA RASK: I mean, it’s better, I guess. A win is a win. We’ll
take a win any day. It gives you a little extra time to recover.
Obviously, you go triple overtime, overtime the next game, it takes a lot
of energy out of you.
But we’ll take a regulation win, sure.
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: Same thing (smiling).

Q. Dennis, you got up 2-0 and kept attacking, almost made it 3-0.
How much of that were lessons learned from what happened in Game 1 when you
had two-goal leads twice and gave them back?
DENNIS SEIDENBERG: We told ourselves when we came into the locker
room, we said, we’ve been in this position and we gave up the two-goal
lead, so let’s do it better today, keep attacking.
If you attack, it’s tough for them to score in our end.
We did a good job, kept playing our style, kept putting pucks deep,
except the last couple of minutes actually. They threw everything at us,
like Tuukka said earlier. They got quite a few chances. For the most part
we did a decent job.

Q. Tuukka, the defensive play of Patrice, you’ve been playing behind
it for a while now. What are your thoughts about the way he defends?
TUUKKA RASK: He’s really patient and he’s really good at reading the
play. He always knows where everybody is. He knows when the guys are
behind him and when they’re in front of him.
You know, he just makes the right reads all the time. Then when
there’s time to lay down or block a shot, he does that. He does a great
job standing on his feet, too, and taking care of those passing lanes.
He’s got to be one of the best in the league for doing that. I like
playing behind him. It’s awesome.

BOTH TEAMS RAMPING UP DURING SECOND PERIOD

BOSTON- (June 7) Ahh, now that’s a little better.

The Penguins and Bruins settled down in the second period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals and shook off some of the cobwebs that were evident in the first period.

While neither team has yet to find the back of the net, both had power play opportunities as they did in the opening period.

After p laying 4 on 4 thanks to a Brad Marchand-Matt Niskanen dust-up Pittsburgh had had the man advantage as Marchand was called for a second penalty (intereference) on Brooks Orpik.

Goaltending continues to be the name of this game. Tomas Vokoun and Tuukka Rask have been excellent between the pipes.

The one thing that is noticeably absent in this game is the familiar pinging of the puck off of the Bruins pipes. The Pens haven’t been snake-bitten like they were in Game 3.

Pittsburgh out shot the B’s 11-6 in the period. Total shots on goal for the game is 17-20 in favor of the visiting team.

Mark Harriman
Senior Editor
Boston Sports Desk

CLAUDE JULIEN PRE GAME: PENS GAME 4

BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH CLAUDE JULIEN PREGAME

On what he told his team today about how they need to play…
I think we know how we need to play.  It’s about bringing it tonight. This is about one game.  It’s nothing more than about one game, what we need to do here.  So we try and minimize all the hoopla around everything and keep it to the one game, how we need to play. Again, I mentioned yesterday that we didn’t play our best game last game.  They played better.  So we need to be a better team tonight.

On what he likes about Kaspars Daugavins…
He’s a gritty player.  He’s strong on the puck, strong as an individual, he can shoot the puck.  Got a lot of qualities. We’ve always said we’ve got depth on this team.  We showed it when injuries crept up on defense.  Now we’ve got an injury up front.  He’s going to have to step in and do his job.

On being able to switch in and out of the third and fourth lines that he had at the morning skate…
That’s what I meant yesterday when I said I have lots of options.  I can interchange guys, move them around.  We’ll see how things go. That’s what I had this morning in the morning skate.  They know it can change.  Not necessarily set in stone.

On how Brad Marchand’s temper has helped him elevate that game…
He’s just more involved, more confident. But every year in the playoffs, not only does he become a target for other teams, but he responds to it.  What he’s got to do is respond to it in a positive way.  We saw him score that goal, the fourth goal, in Game 2 where he took off, scored a goal.  I think that’s a great way to respond. As long as he doesn’t cross the line – we’ve said that before – we’ve got to keep him in check.  His emotion is what makes him a real good player.  You have to let him play with some emotion. Again, as long as he doesn’t cross the line…

On if getting all of the players on the same page comes from them knowing the team’s expectations…
Just by talking with those guys, you talk to your team, you talk to lines, you talk to individuals, you do all of those things.  Coaching nowadays is a lot more of that. That’s why you see a lot of assistant coaches around, because there’s a lot of work to be done.  They do a lot of the video stuff.  You do a lot of the managing of players, individuals, groups. That’s how you try and make things work around here.

On if there are any lingering effects from the double overtime in Game Three…
Well, I mean, it’s going to be interesting because both teams obviously took the day off yesterday, didn’t skate.  The players that played didn’t skate.  So there’s no doubt, it’s going to be a challenge.  But it’s the same for both teams. It’s not about one team being worse than the others.  I think both teams left everything they had on the ice last game. It’s about recovery, making sure you’re ready to push yourself through it tonight.

On all of the players being equal and none being on a pedestal…
Well, that’s the way I feel a team should be.  Nobody should be on a pedestal.  There’s a lot of guys in there that you could easily put on a pedestal. Not only are they not put on a pedestal, they don’t want to be put on a pedestal.  I think we appreciate the fact that everybody’s important. As I said before, the Merlot line has always been regarded as something special because they’ve been treated the same as everybody else.  They’re not extra players, not fourth-line guys that don’t play much.  They’re guys that bring something to the team and to the game. I guess their input should be as valuable as any other input.  So you can get a 30-goal-scorer and say, Well, he’s quite a player.  But you also got guys that will probably save you 30 goals.  Why shouldn’t they be as important?

On if Brad Marchand ever gets under his skin…
Not for long [laughter].  When he does, it’s not very long.  It gets addressed very quickly. All that said, those guys are really good people.  I’m sure from other teams, you’re going to hear the same thing.  Their emotions are what happens on the ice.  But at the same time, I mean, I’ve been hard on them, but hard like any parent would be on their kid growing up. My job is about hockey.  He’s been really good about those things.  He gets it.  That’s why he’s kept improving.

On if he likes penalties being called in overtimes…
I know there’s been a lot of discussion about that whole thing. But anybody who watched the game, there was a standard that was established in that game.  That’s why nobody’s really complaining on the hockey side of it, either team. There were a lot of things that might have been, could have been called, but wasn’t.  It’s the both on same sides. You can go through the whole game, but if you took time to watch the game over again, you’d see a lot of things that didn’t get called.  At the end of the day, as long as the standards are the same for both teams.  We can argue we want a certain standard. I’d like my team to play the same every night, but it doesn’t.  It’s too easy to pick on referees, way too easy.  At the end of the night, it’s what the standard was.  If it was the same for both teams, there shouldn’t be any complaints.

On if the loss of Gregory Campbell limits his options in the faceoff circle…
Well, I mean, we feel we have a lot of good faceoff guys.  Probably doesn’t show last game.  You lose a centerman, somebody else has to step in.  We have lots of guys.  A lot of times they put two centermen out there anyway. I hope it’s not going to be an issue anyway.  You don’t replace a guy like Gregory Campbell by putting another guy in there.  He brings a lot.  It’s when you lose a guy like him, you realize the hole that he’s left. Like every other team, you have to find ways to fill it, some of it will be by other bodies, some of it will be by other guys stepping in.

TIM THOMAS….WHO ??????

 

Kevin Flanagan is a BSD Correspondent covering the Boston Bruins

 

BY KEVIN FLANAGAN

BOSTON SPORTS DESK CORRESPONDENT

If you are a Bruins fan it doesn’t get better than this. Since the Monday Night Miracle against the Leafs the Bruins have been a juggernaut and they now stand one win away from their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in two years.

For the first time all series the Penguins decided to show up and give the Bruins what they expected to see from the start. They were flying around in the offensive zone and created enough pressure to put 54 pucks on Tuukka Rask.

He stopped 53 of them.

Step aside Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask is rewriting the record books when it comes to playoff goaltending. He leads the league with a .940 save percentage and has given up exactly 2 goals on 110 shots in this series against the Penguins.

Wow.

This is the same Penguins team that entered the series as the highest scoring team in the playoffs averaging 4.1 goals a game. Sid and his group of predestined Penguins were scoring at a rate not seen in the playoffs since The Great One was leading the Edmonton Oilers to 4 Stanley Cups in the 1980’s.

By turning the powerful Penguins into the punchless Pens the fantastic Finn is showing the world that playoff time is indeed Tuukka Time.

And how about Patrice Bergeron? The poor man’s Steve Yzerman continues to deliver when it is needed most. Not only does he score timely goals but he has been a major reason why Sid the Kid has become Silent Sidney in this series. Once again he delivered in overtime against the Penguins setting the Garden alight and bringing back memories of his game winner against the Leafs in the improbable game 7 comeback win.

The first 3 games of this conference finals series has exposed the Penguins for what they are, an assembled group of all-stars that assumed they could throw their sticks on the ice and win. They faced little opposition on their way to their date with the Bruins. They played a weak Islanders team that lacked goaltending and defense in round 1. They faced a Senators team who were decimated by injury and made their way to the playoffs on guts, guile and goaltending in round 2. Neither of which help prepare them for what was waiting for them in the form of the Boston Bruins.

It is said that every Stanley Cup winner must overcome adversity on their way to a championship. The Bruins rose to the occasion and did this in their first round series against Toronto. When faced with their first challenge of the post season the Penguins have cowered to the tune of zero points in the conference finals for their stars Crosby, Malkin, Iginla and Letang.

Come on and say it with me. Overrated.

Now the team that had been put on life support with 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd period of game 7 in the first round of the playoffs now stands 1 game way from playing for their second Stanley Cup Championship in 3 years. They are playing like the best team in hockey and have a pedigree of a champion.

Game 4 is Friday night. Time to pull the plug on the punchless Penguins.

PATRICE BERGERON TALKS ABOUT HIS GAME-WINNER…

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD PATRICE BERGERON

On a rough night in the face-off circle for you. Was it difficult to envision a win the way the regulation time went?
We found a way, I guess. That’s the only way you’ve got to look at it. It wasn’t necessarily our best effort in the first 60. But I thought we re-grouped well in overtime and we had some really good chances in the first overtime, and we kept battling and we said that we have to find a way somehow, and we did in the second overtime.

Almost 32 minutes of ice time for you. Are you tired?
Yeah, pretty tired, but it’s rewarding when you get the result. We have tomorrow to rest, and we’ve just got to think about Game 4 after that. But we’ve got to rest tonight and tomorrow. But I thought it was a big effort by both teams. It was really a hard-fought game, and we found a way.

Just if you could take us through the overtime goal. It seems almost natural Marchand to Bergeron?
Yeah, it was first of all a great play by Jags to take that puck on the wall there and just fighting and getting the loose puck to Marsh, and we do that chemistry where we know where we’re going on the ice. I knew he was going to try to find me there if I was driving the net, and I just went to the net and tried to have my stick on the ice, and he found me.

Just to go back to the first part of that goal and like you were talking about with Jagr, how impressive is it to see a 41-year-old guy come up in a 95-minute game and make a play like that? He seemed to have a lot of energy and playing his best in that second overtime.
Yeah, I think he’s got that experience, I guess, to always be at the right place on the ice, and on that play it’s just a perfect example that he’s buying in and he wants to help in any way he can, and that play right there, we don’t get a goal if he doesn’t make that play.

Tuukka’s performance? He was fantastic in net.
Yeah, he was great. Again, we should say he’s been great all Playoffs, and he’s really given us the saves that we need and the energy, the momentum that we need in order to do the job in front of him. They had some really good looks that we should have done a better job defensively, and he bailed us out.

You’ve obviously played overtime times before. Can you put into words how it feels physically at this point? Is it the legs? Is it the back? Is it the dehydration? Is it all of the above? Can you put that into words for us?
Yeah, I think it’s a little bit of everything. It’s also mental. You’ve got to stay sharp and find a way, but I think it’s all in your head. As long as you don’t feel tired in your head, your legs are fine. But you’re right, your body is cramping up and you’ve just got to find a way, just keep battling, because I think everyone is in the same situation. But obviously as it goes on, the more cramps you get, I guess.

Is this the most weathered your face has looked in a while?
Yeah, I guess, but it’s all good. We go in there, we’re all buying in for a team, that’s fine.

How big was the penalty kill tonight and you guys go 6 for 6 and you got a lot of momentum?
Yeah, it was huge. We know the offense they have and the firepower and the plays they make, and you’ve really got to — it’s a five-man unit I should say with Tuukka in net on the ice, on the PK and we were really good to make sure we had our heads on a swivel and we were talking a lot, but definitely the penalty kill was huge tonight.

We’ve seen this team rally around guys that are injured. Campbell tonight. How did that play out?
Yeah, it was a huge play by him. Again, we’re talking about details, we’re talking about little things that goes a long way, and that block was super. That’s the way he is. He sacrifices the body always for the team, for the better of the team. Obviously we tried to rally behind that and do it for him because he’s a big part of our team on and off the ice. It was great, but at the same time we — it was a tough game, we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for game 4.

Jaromir Jagr set up your goal with some good work among the boards. He’s been known forever as a skill guy. Does that kind of illustrate what his time here has been like and what you guys have come to expect from him?
Yeah, I think it just explains that everyone is buying in, everyone is doing everything in order to get the success and to get the wins, and it doesn’t matter what it is and who it is, and Jags is a perfect example. He’s pretty much a legend, he’s a guy that’s going to be in the Hall of Fame at some point, and he’s doing the little thing right there just to fight for the puck, and you notice that as a teammate, and it goes a long way, as I said, and we all need to do that.

Do you have the impression at all that you took the Penguins‘ kind of best punch tonight and still came out on top? To what extent do you think this can give you some kind of mental advantage going forward?
Well, I really believe that Pittsburgh has been through it before. They have the experience, so we know it’s not over. We’ve really got to make sure we’re even better in Game 4 and we know they will. They’re a great team, and we respect them, and we’ve just got to be in the moment. We can’t get over-excited both having three wins because you need four.

Sticking with the Penguins a little bit, it seems like in three games, guys like Crosby and Malkin would have something on the scoreboard and they haven’t. Does that surprise you that they haven’t gotten on the board yet?
Well, I think they’re amazing players but we’re trying obviously not to just go one guy to defend these guys. They’re really good obviously. We both have five guys on the ice. We’ve got to obviously tie it up in our zone a little bit more, but Tuukka has made some huge saves, also, but it’s about everyone buying in. But like I said, it’s three games. There’s a huge one. It’s all about Game 4 now. That’s the way we’ve approached it all Playoffs and now it’s all about that next game.

 

KREJCI..”HAVE TO PLAY EVEN BETTER….”

BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD DAVID KREJCI

On “the experience factor”…
The past few years I think we’ve been up 2-0 in a series. We’ve been down 2-0, and it went either way, so I think we’ve learned from that and we’ve got to stay in the moment and just take it game by game.

On playing in a “hostile” environment in Pittsburgh and coming back to their home arena…
We’re going to have to play even better than we did because they’re going to be desperate. It’s a really important game. It’s a big difference if it’s 3-0 for us or 2-1 for us, so it’s going to be a big game. The game is going to start from 0-0 so we’ve got to be ready to get off [with] a good start.

On having pride in being dominant off the faceoff circle…
I think we have pretty good centermen, and as long as we’re winning the faceoff that means we’re going to start with puck possession, so that always helps.

On whether there is an extra pat on the back when they are up against someone like Sidney Crosby who is skilled at faceoffs…
We’re just going on the faceoff and trying to win. It doesn’t matter who you go against. Obviously you know who you’re going against, but you’re mindset is to win and do whatever it takes to win the faceoff.

CLAUDE JULIEN AUIDIO PRESS CONFERENCE: GAME 2 PITTSBURGH

 

 

 

SO FAR……SO GOOD…..GAME II MONDAY NIGHT….

Kevin Flanagan is a BSD Correspondent covering the Boston Bruins

 

BY KEVIN FLANAGAN

BOSTON SPORTS DESK  CORRESPONDENT

Step one complete. The Bruins went down to the Consol Center in Pittsburgh last night and took home ice advantage away from the pompous Penguins.

One game does not a series make but the Bruins certainly got off on the right foot.

As expected the bad blood didn’t take long to start flowing as 1:32 into the 2nd period the Penguins resident piece of crap Matt Cooke lined up Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid right between the numbers on the back of his jersey slamming his head into the glass and earning a 5 minute penalty for boarding.

Once a dirtbag always a dirtbag.

And how about Sid the Kid sticking B’s goalie Tuukka Rask at the end of the 2nd period? The Princely Punk of Pittsburgh then cowered behind the referee when Bruins captain Zdeno Chara stepped up to give Crosby a piece of his mind.

Sid might want to go back to a full face mask for game 2 if he continues his weasely and whiney ways.

Nothing demonstrated more the “no backing down” attitude of the Bruins than Patrice Bergeron throwing down with Evgeni Malkin during the scrum started by the cowardly Crosby at the end of the 2nd period. Even if the fight didn’t amount to much it sent the message to the Pens that to a man the Bruins were willing to fight for the opportunity to play for their second Stanley Cup in 3 years.

While Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was outstanding on his way to his first playoff shutout Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun played every bit like the journeyman he is. Even though the Pens may lament the number of posts they hit Saturday night as former Bruins goalie Gerry Cheevers was often quick to point out, if you hit the post it means you missed the net.

There is sure to be a lot of heavy lifting left before this series is decided. You have to expect a better Penguins team in-game 2. The Bruins cannot continue to take the number of penalties that they took in-game 1 and expect the same result. The Penguins are too talented not to take advantage of their power play opportunities.

That being said Bruins head coach Claude Julien likes to say that the key to success for his squad is playing their game and not worry about what the opponent is going to do. This was clearly on display in-game 1 as the Bruins more times than not won the one on one battles and established their physical brand of play.

The series continues Monday night in Pittsburgh. Look for the Bruins to continue to try to physically impose their will on the Penguins while the sons of Sid will certainly try to step up their attack. The Pouty Prince of Pittsburgh is sure to be hungry to even the series and one can only expect him to pull out all the stops in order to do so.

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a lot like a heavyweight title fight. The Bruins took round 1 on Saturday night. If they are able to take round 2 on Monday night they may just be on their way to a knockout.

 

CHECK OUT BOSTON SPORTS DESK YOU TUBE CHANNEL FOR BRUINS INTERVIEWS FROM GAME 5

JUST POSTED: BSDLIVE@YOUTUBE

TOREY KRUG

GREGORY CAMPBELL

JOHN TORTARELLA

CLAUDE JULIEN

DENNIS SEIDENBERG

KRUG UP TO THE CHALLENGE !

Bruins rookie Torey Krug had 4 goals in the series

BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN TOREY KRUG

On becoming a major contributor so quickly…
Yeah, it’s a great feeling. I’m glad we closed it out tonight in front of a great crowd. It was so loud in there I could barely hear myself think sometimes. It was a great experience.

On his goal…
I saw Segs [Tyler Seguin] had the puck up top. I just tried to get out there. I just hopped onto the ice from the bench and just tried to get open in position to get my shot through. When I take one-timers, I just try to make the goalie make a save with his hands, and fortunately it went in.

On where he would describe his confidence level…
It’s pretty high. It’s a good feeling out there, and the more the coaching staff puts me out on the ice, the better I feel. It’s a great feeling when your teammates are coming up to you, patting you on the back, and all the credit in the world to everyone.

On if he’s doing anything differently in the NHL…
I don’t think there’s anything that I’ve changed in my game. You talk to my college coach, you talk to Bruce Cassidy down in Providence, I think they’re all going to say that’s the type of stuff I do at every level.

On turning the momentum in their favor after scoring the power play goal…
Yeah, I think obviously that was the turning point for us. Getting the shots through, trying to cause havoc in the crease, I think that was a point of emphasis coach made between the first and second [periods]. I think that power play was the turning point for the game.

On focusing on playing his game instead of focusing on everything else…
Yeah, you definitely have to balance that. Every game I’ve been able to take a step back before the National Anthem, look around, close my eyes, think about everything for a second, understand how special this is. With that, I just go out there and play my game and just try to contribute to the team in any way possible. Every game I seem to find a way to.

On if the game is slowing down for him…
No, I don’t think so. I feel the same as I did in Game 1. It’s great because the communication up here is a lot different than it is down in the AHL. My teammates make my job easy, and I try to make their job easy as well. I don’t think it’s any slower.

On if he can become a dependable goal-scorer for the rest of the playoffs…
I have to do things like that if I want to stick around in this league. If I’m not going to be scoring or making an impact in the offensive zone, I’m not going to stick around. They’re just going to find a bigger guy who can do those things. Hopefully, I can continue. And like I said, I’m just trying to contribute every chance I get.

On if he ever imagined he’d be here now when he signed with the Bruins last year…
It’s been a crazy year. When I signed, I chose Boston for this reason. I wanted to win a Stanley Cup. I knew that they expected to win the Stanley Cup year after year, and I knew that we were going to be in contention every year. I’m glad that I just got the opportunity to come in, step in and contribute and try to help the team win. It’s been an unbelievable year, for sure.

On the importance of playing playoff hockey in Providence…
That was extremely important. I don’t think I’d be having the success that I am right now unless I played in those series. We played Hershey in the first round, and they were a big, strong team with a lot of older guys. It’s definitely relatable to up here. That league is definitely what it is used for—development. I’m very lucky that I got to play in that.

On how he gets shots on net…
I think it’s a combination of everything you just said [quick delivery, seeing the seam]. First thing, you want to get your feet moving and try to change the lane of the shot. Secondly, I think you can also catch them off guard with that quick shot. So, I think it’s a combination of everything. I’m just trying to get that puck to the net.

On if he has a special drill that helps him get shots on net…
Nothing like that. To be honest, I sit and take a lot of one-timers. My uncle owns a stick handling skills hockey company, and I used to spend my summers working with him. A lot of it, we concentrate on the small areas and getting your shots off quick. And then also down in Providence all year, I was working with the coaching staff, and they would just feed my one-timer after one-timer until I was tired.

On the transition to the NHL…
It’s tough, but I’ve said it before—you’re getting called up, you’re getting sent down. You come up here and you feel like part of the team, but you want to contribute. And when you do contribute, you feel like an even bigger part of the team. It’s nice having the guys come in here patting you on the back. It’s a great experience.

On signing with the Bruins over a lesser talented team and playing a bigger role…
I decided to come here because I wanted to win. They expect to win the Stanley Cup every year, and that’s my mentality. I just want to win. Also, I knew I was going to make it to the NHL. There wasn’t going to be anyone that’s going to get in my way. It was just my mentality, so I’m glad I was able to come to an organization that has the winning ways that we do.

On closing out the series for Tuukka Rask…
What happened last game, it’s in the past. It’s kind of funny. He’s got a sense of humor about it. We understand we expect Tuukka [Rask] to make those saves. That save in the third period on the breakaway was, that was also a game-changer for us. I think we spent the next two, three minutes down in their end with Lucic’s line. He’s a game-changer. He’s an unbelievable goalie, and we have so much confidence in him. We’re excited.