[Box Score] – [Game Page] – [Game Recap] – [Buffalo Reaction]
[Shift Charts] – [Head-to-Head TOI] – [Corsi and Fenwick] – [5-on-5 Faceoffs]
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Danny Syvret
Q: Can you go through that one goal?
“It was a point shot that came, and the guy was driving the net. The rebound was kicked out, out of my reach. I tried to lift his stick, but he pretty much had a gaping net.”
Q: Earlier in that play I didn’t notice who was in the corner. Were you in the corner?
“I think it was Matty [Matt Carle].”
Q: So it was just him getting it to the point?
“Yeah it was just a point shot. A point shot with a guy driving the net, rebound was kicked right out to him. I took a swing at his stick and missed it, and he had an open net.”
Q: It was the only rebound of the game that Bobrovsky gave up in the slot. Everything else was in the corners or other areas.
“Yeah they’re going to drive the net. They’re going to shoot everything as well as we are. They just happened to capitalize on their one.”
Q: It seemed like you guys had chance after chance, and you couldn’t put it behind Miller.
“Yeah we’ll get more chances as the series goes on. We just have to bear down. I think there are a lot of times where we had chances where the puck was kicking around in the crease and whatnot, and we just couldn’t get it up, so I think we’ll be fine.”
Q: If that was your formula for the rest of the series, can you get 60 minutes like that and end up ok?
“I think we played pretty well other than the fact that we didn’t score. I liked our game. I thought we played real well. We controlled the play, and we got a lot of chances out of it.”
Q: The pucks in front of the net that you just eluded to, does that have anything to do with the way they play, that they make it more difficult?
“No we’re trying to shoot, and there are rebounds available there, and they collapse low with lots of bodies around. We just happened to not be able to get our sticks on it.”
Flyers Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky
Q: Does it feel good to get your first playoff game under your belt?
“It feels great but I would have loved to have won it. It’s only starting”
Q: Can you talk about the sequence when the goal was scored?
“Everything happened really quickly. The defenseman shot it at me and the rebound went right to the other player. It happened so quick I couldn’t react in time.”
Q: What was going through your mind at the beginning of the game when you saw a sea of orange and heard the crowd be the loudest it has been all year?
“It added some energy and emotions but I tried not to pay attention to it. I didn’t want to get distracted from my game.”
Q: Are you happy with the way you played?
“I can’t be happy when we lost.”
Flyers Center Mike Richards
Q: It seemed like you guys had chance after chance but you just couldn’t get it past Ryan Miller?
“It’s frustrating obviously. A loss is not easy and you kind of wonder where you went wrong and what you could have done. But we created a lot, we didn’t give up much, and we were pretty tight defensively. We just have to find those pucks. I think four or five times tonight I missed some tips. Pucks were just missing the net and we have to find that.”
Q: How much do you go back to what you guys did last year, as far as thinking about overcoming after you guys were down?
“Well experience is something you have to draw upon, not only throughout the year, but in playoffs. We can’t be discouraged by what happened or by losing a game. We knew we obviously weren’t going to run the table and have constant success. We have to fight through things and we’ve proven that we can in the past. It’s another situation where we just have to be prepared for Saturday’s match.”
Q: How far off are you from last season’s playoffs?
“I don’t know. I’m not commenting on last year.”
Q: You guys have lost some one goal games recently in the last couple of weeks, but Sean O’Donnell talked about how different this one feels as far as better play?
“Like I said, we played well. Obviously we have to get more bodies in front of Ryan [Miller], more screens and tips, and maybe a little more hungry on these pucks. Give them credit, they did a good job clearing house and getting second and third opportunities away. We just have to find a way to score a goal and defensively we have to be the same. I didn’t think they had a whole lot of chances but they had that one rebound. Other than that, it was a pretty good defensive game for us. Even though we played well we didn’t get the win and results are the biggest part of this season. You have to find ways to win hockey games. But, if we keep playing like this we’re going to have success I feel.”
Flyers Defenseman Kimmo Timonen
Q: You guys played a good game defensively
“Well I was going to say that I thought we played pretty well tonight. Obviously [Ryan] Miller was pretty good tonight. You never want to lose a game, but if you want to take anything out of it I thought we played pretty well. But, somehow we obviously have to score goals.”
Q: Not scoring on the 5 on 3, is that a momentum changer?
“Every time you get a 5 on 3 you get a good chance to score. We had some chances there too. Obviously the power play we need to talk about tomorrow. Maybe do something else. It seemed like we didn’t really create enough chance at the end when the game was on the line. Obviously we have some work to do on that.”
Q: The fact that you are down in the series, how much can you look back at your success last year and say it’s no big deal?
“You know its one game. Like I said, you want to win every game. Obviously we didn’t today. Now we need to move on and take something out of it. I actually thought that we played pretty well. We got to keep working hard and wins will come. Like I said, it’s the first game and we lost. Now we have to move on and focus on game 2.”
Q: Did Bobrovsky answer some critics today?
“I thought he played pretty well. The saves he had to make, he made them. Like I said, we got to score goals here if we want to win. I’m sure that’s the topic tomorrow.”
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Carle
Q: You guys had a lot of chances tonight. Do you feel like you had the quality chances that you need to win the game?
“Yeah I think we threw a lot of pucks at the net and generated a lot of shots and opportunities. We know how hard it’s going to be to beat Miller. I think we just need to have more of the same, maybe just a little more intense on rebounds and stuff, but he’s [Ryan Miller] a good goalie and tough to beat. He showed that tonight.”
Q: You guys not getting it done to begin the series, how much can you guys rely on what you guys went through last year in the playoffs, getting down and finding a way to come back?
“I think we can. You just have to have the attitude that it’s just one game, and they didn’t win the series tonight. We have every opportunity to come back in game two and even this thing up. It’s going to be a long series. I think we knew that going into it. They have been one of the better teams in the league over the last month or two, so we knew it wouldn’t be an easy task beating these guys.”
Q: Obviously the consequences are a lot more in the playoffs, but do you feel like you’re an improved team from the last game of the regular season?
“Yeah tonight was a pretty tight checking game, and I think we gave them too many opportunities point blank. Bob [Sergei Bobrovsky] made the saves he needed to, and on the goal, it was just a good play by them to get a puck on the net. It’s a tough play for a rebound to kick out like that for the defenseman. I think we can take a page out of their book in that sense and try to do that next game.”
Q: Were you guys really disappointed to not take advantage of that five-on-three?
“Yeah any time you get the opportunity to have a five-on-three I think you need to score. It’s one of those things where it’s a momentum killer. The other team picks up momentum as well if they kill it off, so that was a big turning point I think. At the same time, we had chances after that, so the game was still within grabs at that point.”
Flyers Wing James van Riemsdyk
Q: Seven 20 goal scorers on this team and you still couldn’t find the answer against Ryan Miller. How frustrating was that for you guys?
“Yeah definitely. We have to do a better job next game of getting those second chance opportunities. He did a good job of eating the first shot we took. We did some good things bust obviously not good enough.”
Q: The power play chances tonight, again, you couldn’t find the answer. What do you have to do differently with the man advantage?
“We have to keep at them and keep getting pucks to the net. We need to be a little bit tougher around their net and good things will come.”
Q: How frustrating was it that you had so many chances tonight. How frustrating was it not to get anything past Miller?
“We had some good chances but at the same time we need to get a few more second chance opportunities and that’s a good way to score goals in the playoffs.”
Q: Do you think being down 1-0 in the series with what you went through last year could serve you well?
“You never know. Obviously you don’t want to be down in this situation but at the same time we need to battle back from adversity and we know what it takes to do that.”
Q: Did you feel like you dominated the game aside from the scoreboard as much as it looked like?
“I thought we had some good chances but obviously they had a good game. It’s the playoffs. The margin for error is so small and we showed that tonight although we had some good chances. They made a bang-bang play and it’s a 1-0 game and that’s it.”
Q: What was the emotion out there as well as in the locker room?
“I think you could feel it at the morning skate today that the guys were that much more focused and that much more ready to go. We’re going to have to be ready right off the hop again on Saturday.”
Q: Is that something you fed off of today?
“Yeah being in the playoffs and the crowd was great. It got us fired up. Hopefully we can get one by him next time and we’re just going to have to keep at it here.”
Q: Is this a game where you can build off the good things?
“I guess but at the same time in the playoffs if you don’t win, there’s not much you can take out of it. There were some things we could use like you said but at the same time when you don’t get that win it’s tough.”
Q: What was the issue with the power play? Is it anything different than what else you were going through which was facing Ryan Miller?
“He did a good job. I don’t think we had too many grade a chances off second opportunities and that’s something we are going to have to try and continue to do.”
Buffalo Sabres Center Paul Gaustad
Q: (Inaudible)
“I thought it was something that was big. We executed it, our game plan was simple 5 on 3 and Tim Connolly and the other D (Defensemen) men did a great job. It was big for us and our PK (Penalty Kill) was great all night.”
Q: Is it tougher to get going again after you get all those penalties? You finally did in the second, you got a little bit of flow going once you got out of the penalty box.
“I think it’s tough because some guys don’t get ice time but I honestly think we did a great job of coming off of those PKs (Penalty Kills) and not being down too much. There is going to be streaks for each team as well and I thought we handled it.”
Q: What do you think about with 90 seconds of penalty kill when you don’t have your stick in your hands?
“It’s a bit of panic but its feeling vulnerable, you don’t have a stick and not much to do. You just try to get into shooting lanes as much as possible and try to block shots. Those three guys did a great job definitely on that for me.”
Q: Did it come naturally?
“No”
Q: What you had to do?
“In that situation you get low, try to block shots and that’s pretty much all you can do there.”
Q: Was the penalty kill maybe one of the big keys to winning this game? I mean you kept getting them thrown at you.
“I think special teams are big in playoffs as in regular season but I think our PK did a great job. Our PP (Power play) was ok but again we won the special teams battle tonight and it was big for us.”
Q: The meaning of this win, to come on the road and get the first one on the road like this and guarantee at least a split here.
“It just means we won a game, that’s it. Were not going to be too high on it, it was a hard fought game and were going to have another one and just move on from here.”
Q: Is there some things you want to clean up?
“Absolutely, yeah, you have to improve and adjust throughout the series. Both teams are going to adjust and it’s always that chess match.
Q: I asked you this morning about Ryan (Miller), it looked like right from the start that he was just…
“Consistent, consistent yup.”
Reporter: Yeah consistent, totally.
“That’s his thing, I have seen a lot of pro athletes and Ryan is by far one of the most consistent I’ve seen and not only hockey players but athletes. He is a consistent player.”
Q: Is there any point in the game where you’re like, they could take 100 shots and they might not score on your guy?
“No I don’t think that was our thought at all. I think we know we have to play hard in front of him and Ryan is the first to admit we have to play our system for him to be effective and I though we did.”
Q: You guys did a really good job taking away the east, west. I thought actually both teams did, a lot of sticks in lanes I saw.
“Yeah, sticks in lanes, stick on stick, block shots I think both teams played well tonight.”
Flyers Center Danny Briere
Q: Danny, I guess there’s frustration of having a lot of shots and nothing to show for it?
“Well, you have to give Ryan Miller a lot of credit. He was good tonight. We just have to do a better job around him and try to get to the rebounds. I thought that maybe we let him see too many shots but it wasn’t a bad effort. We controlled most of the play and we had the puck for the most part. [Sergei Bobrovsky] was good. Ryan [Miller] was even better. There are going to be nights like that. If we keep playing the way we did tonight then I think we’ll be in good shape at the end of the series.”
Q: Was being 0-5 on the power play what made the difference?
“Yeah. We didn’t score. I thought we did well, we created energy, we moved the puck around, and we took some good shots. But, we have nothing to show for it, so it’s disappointing.”
Q: Danny, how much do you look back to last year and assure yourself that you guys can get out of this?
“Yeah, it’s just one game. Like I said, we didn’t expect to beat them in four anyway. We know we can win on the road, we’ve proven it all year. So, we take a little step back and we have to focus on the next game.”
Q: Is it a key for them to keep you guys from getting second and third chances?
“Yeah. That’s where we have to get a little better, at finding the rebounds. Their defensemen did a good job clearing the net. That’s an area that we have to be a little better and a little more competitive.”
Q: How about that five on three, was that a game changer?
“Yeah, [Ryan] Miller made some good saves. We took three or four shots. You know, we did what we wanted to do. Sometimes it hits the stick and goes in, but this time it didn’t. We had some good shots, we had some chances, but the puck just didn’t go in.”
Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette
Q: Peter would you look at that and say that’s the recipe to win this series?
“Obviously I didn’t like the score. Ya know we need to win hockey games, that’s what it comes down to when you’re in the playoffs, it’s not like the regular season where you can be happy with the process. The process was good, the score board wasn’t, so we just need to continue to push.”
Q: Was the 5 on 3 a turning point in the game?
“You know when you have 35 seconds, I don’t know how much we had, you know it was an opportunity and we couldn’t get it done and I don’t know if it was a turning point. We were pushing before in the offensive zone, we were pushing after that as well, and we just couldn’t get it passed them tonight.”
Q: Both sides seemed to have limited chances..?
“It was a tight type of game, for sure, a lot of shots got blocked, we had a lot of opportunities at the net tonight. You know defensively for us, I’m sure it’s the lowest we’ve given up scoring chances since I’ve been here. Their goaltender played well, they capitalized on a nice rebound chance, and won the hockey game.”
Q: How much can you look at last years team when you were down and there was no panic, compared to this year’s team?
“Well, I think there’s a lot of confidence in the team, even after the game tonight. This is a new team and a new year, and I think everyone is familiar with what we did last year, but through the course of it, we’re going to win games and lose games. You got to be resilient and bounce back, so, there are a lot of positives to take from tonight. We got to get back to work tomorrow and get ready for game 2.”
Q: You were 0-5 on the power play and missed on a 5 on 3. What can you do to change this?
“There were lots of things that happened that were good. There were lots of shots and attacks. However like the rest of the game, we didn’t find the back of the net.
Q: Is not having Chris Pronger a difference maker on the power play?
“If Chris Pronger was available he could be a difference maker. I think that speaks for itself. But he’s not so there is not sense in worrying about things we don’t have right now.”
Q: Was this one of those games you did everything you could but just couldn’t score?
“I think we can be better. There are things we can get better on and we will focus on that tomorrow and be ready to go for Game 2. It’s the scoreboard that we need to make sure we have in check. We did a lot of the things we wanted to do but that’s not good enough in the playoffs.”
Buffalo Right Winger Patrick Kaleta
Q: You talked about how anxious you were coming into tonight, how big was it to make a contribution?
“It was awesome. I have been unfortunate with a couple of injuries this year blocking shots. I have watched my teammates battle hard night in and night out and not being able to be a part of it on the ice kind of hurts a little bit. I wanted to go out there and be a positive contribution to the team and was fortunate enough to get a goal.”
Q: Getting Game 1 in a short series is big; how big is it for this team?
“You know, you go into a Game 1 like every other game, and you take it one by one and that’s what we are going to do. You learn from this one and move forward and get ready for the next one.”
Q: I know you talked about the goal; what did you see?
“I just went to the net. It started off with a good play by Gerbs (Nathan Gerbe) down low being hard on the puck and then Goose (Paul Gaustad) with a great pass to Grag (Marc-Andre Gragnani) and Grags with a good shot and I just went to the net and finished my rebound.”
Q: The way the game was going, was that the only way somebody was going to score; there wasn’t much around the net.
“I mean, that’s what I said, we have to give a big credit to our team defense as a whole and Millsy (Ryan Miller.) Like I said, people were criticizing how tough we are, but if you go down the line and see guys giving up their body to block shots and I think that’s the definition of toughness right now.”
Q: Good bet that that is your biggest goal ever?
“Probably yeah, it’s up there for sure. I was pretty excited and I pointed out earlier that I was unfortunate with injuries and I just wanted to come back and be a positive to my teammates and go back there and do whatever I can to help.”
Q: You know Marc’s [Gragnani] a good offensive player, was that part of your positioning thinking he was probably going to get it through?
“I saw the opening and I saw the defenseman in front, so I just wanted to go to the net, and you know if I don’t get that bounce, hopefully I create havoc and Gerbs (Gerbe) or Goose (Gaustad) are behind me and they will finish it. Its all about getting pucks to the net and getting bounces this time of year.”
Q: Obviously, the penalty killing was huge, especially getting out of that 5-on-3.
“That’s what I said, the team defense as a whole; you can start with Millsy (Miller) and move on up. Out penalty kill did a fantastic job. Like I said, in order to win here, we need our whole team and everyone’s got to come together. We know we can play better and we are going to learn from tonight and move forward.”
Buffalo Defenseman Chris Butler
Q: Inaudible
“It was very good; we are trying to make sure there are clear shot lanes for our goalie so that he can see the puck and most of times he is going to make the save for us.”
Q: Good Game 1 though; talk about being able to win this on the road.
“I think when you go on the road; your goal is to win one game. The crowd here, it’s a crazy environment, everyone wearing their orange, its quite an experience coming in here; they are loud and rambunctious and I think we’re happy with the way we played but I think if you ask both teams, there’s a lot of room for improvement on both sides.”
Q: It seemed like you guys kept the second and third opportunities away from Ryan [Miller]; talk about them not getting that second or third shot.
“He did a great job of controlling rebounds. Any rebound that there was, he did a great job of kicking it to the side or not even allowing that second opportunity and our job as defenseman is to try and box out and eliminate those second chances and keep their forwards to the outside.”
Q: Along those lines; it’s as physical as I have seen you in terms of protecting him even after the whistle; is it a concerted effort to protect Ryan but send a message to them?
“I don’t know if I made a concerted effort, obviously everyone knows the playoffs are going to be a little bit more physical and I felt that that was an area I needed to be better in. I’m just trying to box out around him; to not let guys come through the crease and maybe take a bump or a shot at him and that’s just kind of something I was working on.”
Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff
Q: Can you answer now about Ryan Miller?
“He was locked in tonight.”
Q: Did you see anything from him?
“No, but I mentioned that he had two and a half weeks of rest and a couple weeks of play. He is focused. I was a little worried about the lack of playing time, but he was efficient and he was on the puck.”
Q: Can you talk about Kaleta and that line tonight?
“Yeah I thought that line did a very nice job for us with puck control and plays down low in the first period. Again, a lot of times it isn’t the big line that gets it done and even on special teams, but five on five it is sometimes the guys you don’t expect.”
Q: With what Patrick Kaleta has gone through this year, battling back from injury, he was able to make a big play.
“He has had a tough year when it comes to all of the different injuries he has dealt with. I thought he was okay in the Columbus game. I didn’t really make my decision until today whether I was going to play him. It was a tough decision, but I thought he played very well. I thought he ran over a few people, but kept his game in control. I thought he played real smart.”
Q: You guys took a lot of the passing lanes away and a lot of the East to West game was removed. Would you like to see your forwards get to the net a little bit more?
“I didn’t think we generated enough opportunities and I told him we are going to get better. We need to get better.”
Q: What are your thoughts on your three young defensemen and how they are in the middle of the playoffs with just three weeks ago from where you were?
“Good, great and excellent, maybe great, real good, and excellent. They were real good.”
Q: How important was the penalty kill tonight? What contributed to that success?
“Penalty killing, obviously, was very good tonight. I think the desperation and the shot lane. We even lost the stick of Gaustad for a period of time, which was tough, but we kept our bodies in shot lanes. We didn’t give them that second opportunity down low. I thought it was the desperation and you could sense it. It is that time of year when you need a little bit more.”
Q: How did you handle scoring that goal early in the period?
“We have played forty of these games. We have been playing this type of game for three months. It has been the one goal game, whether it is 2-1, or 3-2, or tied late in the period. We have been tested continually down the stretch. We only really failed the test in the one home game. You can call one of the goals a bad break, but we knew that it is going to be extremely tough. Games tighten up in the playoffs.”
Q: You knew that they were going to crowd the net and yet in the first scrum, your defensemen and Ryan {Miller} stood up to Richards and others. That kind of set the tone that you are not going to let anyone cruise into the blue paint.
“I think it did. We said that we are not going to allow them near the paint, or try not to anyways. Obviously the referees will take care of the rest if it is unwarranted, but we are going to be there for him.”
Q: Can you talk about the three on five; you left those three guys out there for the entire thirty-eight seconds. What is the mindset that those guys have to do and the trust you showed in them?
“Again, Tim Connolly has been our best defending five on three forward. He is great at reading a play and he makes himself big. He can block a shot as well as anyone in this league when it comes to a five on three. You have to give him a lot of credit because he will stand in front of a guy and make himself big and if a guy shoots it, usually it hits him. He knows how to get in the lane. We kept pushing them to the outside and when they got it up top, we mirrored that top guy and we are able to limit the real good opportunities.”
Q: Was there a point, maybe after the Carter save, where you start thinking that they might not score on Miller tonight. Sometimes he is able to get in that mode or groove.
“I know this is a bad saying, but I’m going to be honest with you, I didn’t think either team was going to score tonight for awhile. There wasn’t a lot of the high quality type of saves for either goaltender and it looked like there was going to be one goal that would win the game. We knew we had to stay away from their high quality type of plays.”
Flyers Defenseman Sean O’Donnell
Q: Was that the pretty much perfect as a defensive game you guys could have played?
“Yea, it was one of those things we know with buffalo, they are very tight defensively also. Miller made some good saves, Bob made some great saves, it was just a kind of a chess match and they got a nice bounce there off the puck and give them credit there.”
Q: How frustrating was it though, you guys seemed to get chance after chance and just could not beat the guy?
“Very frustrating, you know. That’s what happens, you need to win four games to win the series and these things are going to happen. Give them credit, they played a real good road game, they got their split that they want. They are going to try to take the next one, we just got to keep getting a little more traffic and more shots on net, eventually one is going to go in. We hit a couple posts, he made some good saves, but I can’t find too much wrong with the way we played tonight.”
Q: Did the booing shock you at all being the first game and coming after the season?
“No, no I don’t think so. I think they are just frustrated, I think a lot of people had questions on how we were going to respond after our February and March and even though we didn’t win tonight I think everyone would agree this is a big difference from the way we played the last twenty games. I think the fans are just frustrated. They have waited for a winner for a long time here, and the city has teased them a little bit. I think they just got frustrated with the game that we weren’t scoring. Like I said, it was the first one to four, they got number one and we will be ready for game two.”
Q: Over the last couple of weeks going into the playoffs, you lost a lot of one goal games. How do you not get the question, here we go again?
“Because, like I said, this team was there last year, they got all the way to the finals and I think we have some veteran guys. I don’t think you can find anyone that looked at the game that thought that it looked anywhere like the way we played the last twenty to twenty-five games. It just didn’t go in for us, whether we can get some more traffic or do more things to throw Miller off. Obviously we would love to get our power play going a bit, but the chances were there. I think if we bring that kind of effort, maybe a little bit better execution, I think we’ll be okay. I don’t think you could come close to comparing that to the last twenty to twenty-five games”
Q: Scott Hartnell said this week that Ryan Miller is going to make that first save, its up to you guys to get those second and third oppurtunities.Did you have them and just couldn’t bury them?
“I think so. I thin we had some, he is a good positional goalie, a lot just hit him. There was one there where Jeff Carter had a point blank shot in the second period, I don’t know if Miller made the save, just so much as he got over to the right area and it hit him. He is going to make those first saves, but if we could get more traffic and not let him control his rebounds or make the save and not be comfortable. Then maybe we could get some more rebounds. That’s definitely what we have to do.”
Q: What happened with the power play tonight?
” I am not sure. I don’t go out there so I am not probably the guy to ask on that. I think we just have to find a way to make more difficult for him. You look at some of the goal s that were scored last night, in Detroit and stuff. They seem to have a guy planted right there and there is a big difference between being close and not quite being right in front of him. I think some of the times, especially the five on three, Miller was able to get comfortable, come out and challenge and make that save. Our guys did a good job, but we just got to find a way to make it a little more difficult for him.”
Q: Are there positives you could take away from tonight?
“Yeah, I think so. Like I said we hit a couple posts, they had a couple of good chances and they made a nice play on that one goal, got a nice bounce and Kaleta put it in. I think it was a good game. Like I said there were a couple areas where we could bare down, but for the most part it was a good sixty minutes.
Q: Your goalie played well?
“Played really well. I think Bob answered a lot of critics, we never questioned him. As a team we didn’t play well the second half and Bob was part of that. But we knew we were revved up to come in here game one and he gave us every chance to win tonight.”
Q: You got four blocked shots tonight, do you see that as a misleading number?
“Well, I don’t know. Sometimes you have more, sometimes you have less. I think you look at blocked shots as not a good stat if they had thirty-five to fourty shots on net. But they had twenty or twenty-four shots on net. So, you know if we only had four, then they only had about twenty-seven to twenty-eight attempts. I think it can be a little misleading, sure. I think defensively we did a good job, we cleared the way and Bob was able to see that person to make the save.”
Buffalo Sabres Goaltender Ryan Miller
Q: Ryan you talked this morning just calm, cool is that how you felt throughout because that is how it looked?
“Yeah, I told myself no matter what happened out there I was going to stay contained, stay cool. The first scrum of the period didn’t look that way, them coming to the net. For the goaltending aspect of it I just wanted to keep it calm. I knew I was going to get help around me, we’ve been doing a great job the last few months of collapsing down and covering backside plays. I could really wait and make my reads. Especially in the second period I think there were two instances where I really trusted the back side coverage by our guys and they came through for me. So I was able to feel like I could commit to the shot lane and squaring up and they were battling around me.”
Q: What about the saves there on Carter in the second, that was late and big?
“Yeah they had a good shift the end of that period. It was one where it didn’t look like he was going to come to the net that time so I got a little bit of a lean and anticipated that one coming and just kind of got over and blocked the net. He had to hurry up and make a decision; it was just a one-timer off-hand. I just got there early.”
Q: How much does experience play into this you think, big game experience like that?
“I think it helps but I mean you always feel anxious, you feel that nervous energy before any game and you want to see how the game is going to start playing. You can’t control everything out there it’s just a matter of stick to one mind set and I’d say with the help of my guys we accomplished that. I didn’t have to worry about too many scrums in front, they were worrying about that. A couple times they did get inside and they did get some crease presence. We did a good job of stepping up and getting a hold of some pucks and some blocks. I thought we were pretty strong in that regard.”
Q: Did you want to establish early one defenseman down in the crease area?
“Its more of just it draws the ref’s attention to it. So the next time he is stand there he knows it’s my cause a scrum. He is going to keep talking to those guys but I don’t see that lightening up as the series goes on. I think that you’re going to see guys in the crease on either side. That’s the kind of game you’re going to have to play when you are in the playoffs. Sometimes it turns into a bit of a grind.”
Q: (Inaudible)
“It’s important we wanted to come out and establish that we could skate with these guys and play our system and win a game and go from there. We still think they have a load of experience and they’ve showed that they have been down and out before. So we certainly were not going to be comfortable in this situation. We like where were at but we know that this team has a lot of fight and were going to have to be ready.”
Q: (Inaudible)
“Just wait till everybody is calm. I think on a couple of face-offs we had some ideas of what we wanted to do. The one didn’t work out; the one did where Mysie (Tyler Myers) stepped through and did a good job of getting it out. For the most part we were protecting the middle and were pushing out, kind of like pistons on that 5 on 3 and it sent them more to the outside. They wanted that center shot but they didn’t quite align the screen they wanted. I think got a little bit delayed with our presence in there trying to box out on the corners. So they were little bit late on a few of those shots where I could see them. So a good job again by our guys and again it just comes down to how bad you want it during those penalty kills because you have to do everything in your power. I thought tonight was an example of our team doing a good job working hard and it was one of those nights where its going to be a grind and were just happy they couldn’t break through in the third.”
Flyers Wing James van Riemsdyk Part Two
Q: Are you saying on the power play…
“Just in general I would say, just having that guy in front of the net digging for pucks. I think we were hungry for it but it was just one of those nights where we didn’t get the bounces and stuff like that too.”
Q: It seemed the wind was really taken out of your sails when you couldn’t score on that power play. Was that when the game really changed?
“I wouldn’t say that. We are a pretty resilient group in there and we kind of kept coming at it in waves. They did a great job of keeping us to the outside and letting their goalies see every shot.”
Q: Obviously this one stings. But mentally turning the page, how tough is it to do it with a quick turnaround here to get ready for game two here on Saturday?
“We have to have a short memory in the playoffs. The games come at you pretty quick. No matter what happened in this first game we are going to have to respond in Game two. We know where we are at now and we are going to have to have that much desperation.”
Q: Some of the guys were saying this week that Ryan Miller will make the first save and you have to be there for the second and third opportunity. Did you feel that you were there enough for those opportunities?
“We had a couple of them but obviously we have to get more of those in the playoffs and get some more greasy type goals. He’s pretty good at controlling those rebounds and we have to make his job as hard as possible.”
Q: The power play really hurt you guys, especially that five-on-three. What happened there?
“I thought we had some pretty decent looks but sometimes the puck doesn’t bounce your way and that is something we will have to keep working on.”
Q: Is the key to beat them just to fire pucks at the net? They are a really quick transition team and Ryan Miller is the key obviously.
“They have some good players out there too and they capitalized on their chance there and we have to start burying our chances too.”
Q: You guys continued to talk about flipping the switch and getting it going. Do you feel like you played the type of game you wanted to play? It seemed the hits were there but the blocked shots weren’t there as much. Was anything lacking do you think?
“Maybe a little bit more urgency around the net but at the same time I think we played a pretty strong playoff type game. We were definitely physical and the guys were playing with some desperation out there but obviously we are going to have to kick it to a whole other level.”
Q: Just a matter of time before you crack that goaltender?
“We have to keep doing what we were doing, get pucks to the net and hopefully do a little bit of a better job of getting those second chance opportunities.”
Q: Were you happy with how the power play was working, what you were generating out there?
“We had a couple decent looks but, like we have been talking about, it’s about getting those second chance opportunities with a goalie like [Ryan] Miller. If he sees the first shot he’s going to save it so we need to get traffic in front of him and do a good job of getting those loose pucks.”
Q: Down the stretch we heard often that you were playing better and better but were just not getting the results you want. You played tonight a game that you would have drawn up other than the second chances. Is that frustrating that you’re on the same track of playing well but not getting results?
“Obviously in the playoffs if you don’t get the win, there’s not much you can really take out but at the same time we need to respond on Saturday night and I know we are going to do that.”
