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Game 2: Coaches' press conferences; notes
posted by Dave Stubbs at 23h58 EST on May 26
Q. Obviously you wanted to come out hard tonight, especially after losing Game 1. How frustrating were the first 12, 13 minutes of the game not getting shots on goal?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: It's tough to generate any offense.
Q. So I understand, you're concerned about the fact that refs aren't calling it tight enough on the obstruction right now?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: They're good at it. They're pretty good at it. The first thing that I see that they're really good at it on the obstruction.
Q. Franzen returns tonight. What was your game plan to kind of slow him down?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: No, we don't have any game plan regarding one player. We have a game plan regarding a team. I thought tonight we played hard. We got some chances. They played well. They played well with the puck.
But it's hard tonight. Their intensity level was a lot better than the first game. We're going back home and a place that we were tough to play against. We're going to try to keep skating, and hopefully with the work ethic by moving our feet. I've always been a true believer, when you've got speed, you can usually generate more scoring chances or you're capable to generate penalties.
And we don't have the calls, and we're having a hard time to generating scoring chances.
Q. You mentioned experience. Is that showing through in the first two games, experience versus youth?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: I thought tonight we played hard. I thought tonight we played hard.
Q. Does Kronwall leave his feet when he hits?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: Occasionally.
Q. Is there anything you can do to give Malkin more space out there?
COACH MICHEL THERRIEN: I thought his intention was there tonight. We've got to keep supporting him, and eventually, players like this, usually they find ways.
FRANK BROWN: Thank you, Coach.
Post-Game Interview With:
DETROIT RED WINGS COACH MIKE BABCOCK
NHL's FRANK BROWN: Questions for Coach.
Q. Can you comment on Gary Roberts on Franzen, please?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I haven't seen it. I heard he didn't have the puck, and I heard he tried to sock him in the head. I didn't see it, so it's hard for me to comment.
Q. With Franzen being able to play, can you talk about the plan you had for him and how much you wanted to play him? And he sure did get a lot of ice time today.
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I didn't have a plan. I was just going to play him. He's fine. He's in good shape. And we didn't worry much about that. They didn't use that many people. It made it hard for us to use our fourth line tonight. But that's the way it goes. We got a good effort, found a way to win.
Q. Weird question, can your team play any better?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: We're going to play better. We've been a good road team all year. We're going to have a real good game in Pittsburgh. And we're excited to get on the road. And sometimes at home, when you're matching all the time, it disrupts your flow a little bit. We can get to Pittsburgh and let the guys just go, let them go out the door and play hard.
And we feel we can be better. We thought when we got up 2‑0, we kind of got a little cautious, instead of staying and going after them. But we'll be better next game.
Q. Can you talk about how much the experience you had against Dallas may be a benefit heading forward in this series?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I think in any series that you play real good teams. I mean, we've been fortunate, we've played three really good teams who played real hard against us.
And finding a way to win, I think, is important. But we were in the same situation here against Nashville, we were up 2‑0, went for their building, didn't win. Last year went to Calgary 2‑0, didn't win. So you gotta find a way to win the next game.
Game 1 was the biggest game when we were playing. Game 2. And now obviously Game 3 is the biggest game.
Q. Did that first part of the first period really set the tone for the whole night? I think they went 12 or 13 minutes before they got their first shot.
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: We wanted to come out and get going here tonight. And we didn't think we did that last game. We thought we were nervous. And tonight I thought we were a little bit better in that area. And we got some timely goals.
Q. Because they didn't get any shots on goal, Ozzie was sitting there for half a period. Then all of a sudden they had a flurry on that power play three straight there. Can you talk, he's been phenomenal at the thing that goaltenders supposedly fear the most?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: He's been real good. We didn't give up a bunch. But when we did with Staal, we turned ‑ Lilja fell down and Staal walked down the pipe. He ended up missing the net. He was obviously in a good spot. He made some good saves for us. He knows he's not going to get a ton of rubber, but the rubber he does get, he's got to be there for. And I think he's playing well, and I think our team is.
Q. Are you surprised that you defensively have been able to shut them down the way you have?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I don't know about surprised. All year long we've done a pretty good job defensively. We had the fewest goals against in the National Hockey League. That doesn't happen by accident. That's over 82 games. We have committed people that way, and we feel we have a pretty good plan and our plan is simple. We like to play on offense.
So the faster and better you play defense, the more time you have the puck.
Q. Pittsburgh's talking about having to get in on your defense, get on the forecheck, make them turn it over. The same thing we've heard from every team you've played. Why doesn't it happen? What do you do that prevents it?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Good thing about that is I don't have to coach their team, I only have to coach mine. I don't have to come up with that solution. We've got good "D", and I think our forwards get back in a hurry and we try to get it going.
We knew they were going to try to lay it in more in this game, and we thought that was to our advantage. The more they give up possession, the more we're going to have it.
Q. Is it a good thing or a bad thing when Pavel is running to the defense of some of the other guys on the ice?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I guess the way our team's built is we don't have as many North America guys that would be dropping their gloves and fighting right there. The way we try to do it is we try to play as hard as we can between the whistles, and we try to shoot the puck in the net when you take penalties. And to me, we just try to keep our poise and play.
And the stuff after the whistle and all that, that's not going to win us any games. Between the whistles is. And we're just going to try to continue to play the way our team's built to play.
Q. As a coach, obviously you come into the series expecting to win, but you couldn't possibly have expected to have back‑to‑back shutouts in the first two games, right?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: No, but we were hoping to have back‑to‑back wins.
When you see it in the NBA, no one wins on the road at all. I think it's real important you look after home ice. Nothing's happening in a series until you've won on the road, after you've looked after business at home. So they're going to get regrouped and they're going to have their best effort and we gotta have our best effort in Game 3.
Q. You're keeping Malkin out of the ‑ Malkin, zero shots. His whole line, zero shots in this whole game. Do your star players get up for playing against these star players that they don't usually get a chance to play?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I don't know if they're getting up for it anymore than they would against anybody else. It's the Stanley Cup Final. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. You gotta be jacked up to play, and it's pretty evident who ‑ Malkin is up for the MVP of the League. It's evident that him and Crosby and Staal, and you can go through a lot of the forwards, are really talented people.
So we have to shut those people down if we're going to be successful.
FRANK BROWN: Thank you, Coach.
2008 STANLEY CUP FINAL POST-GAME NOTES - GAME 2
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 0 AT DETROIT RED WINGS 3 - MAY 26, 2008
OSGOOD POSTS BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS IN STANLEY CUP FINAL
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood is the fourth goaltender in NHL history to post consecutive shutouts in Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and the first since New Jersey's Martin Brodeur, who notched a pair of 3-0 home victories over Anaheim to start the 2003 Final.
Consecutive Shutouts To Open A Stanley Cup Final Series:
1926 Clint Benedict (Montreal Maroons), vs. Victoria Cougars *
1945 Frank McCool (Toronto Maple Leafs), vs. Detroit Red Wings
2003 Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils), vs. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
2008 Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings), vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
* Western Hockey League champion. NHL clubs began to compete exclusively for the Stanley Cup the following season.
OSGOOD IMPROVES STANLEY CUP FINAL RECORD TO 6-0
Osgood improved his career record in the Stanley Cup Final to 6-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average in seven appearances. He had a no-decision in one relief appearance in 1995 against New Jersey, won all four games in Detroit's sweep over Washington in 1998 and the first two games of the 2008 Final.
Osgood is the second goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first six decisions in the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal Hall of Fame netminder Bill Durnan won each of his first seven -- four against Chicago in 1944 and three against Boston in 1946.
OSGOOD'S UPDATED 2008 PLAYOFF STATISTICS
Osgood made his 2008 playoff debut midway through Game 4 of the opening-round series against Nashville and captured his first nine starts of the postseason (two against Nashville, four against Colorado, three against Dallas). His win tonight improved his playoff record to 12-2 with a League-best 1.38 GAA, .939 save percentage and three shutouts in 15 games.
Osgood upped his playoff shutout streak to 137:33; the last goal he surrendered was to Dallas' Stephane Robidas at 2:27 of the third period in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
TEAMS LEADING 2-0 IN STANLEY CUP FINAL
The all-time record of home clubs sweeping Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final is 30-1 (.968). The only club to win the Stanley Cup after losing the first two games of the series on the road was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens, who defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games.
RED WINGS' STUART, KRONWALL, DRAPER PAD PLUS-MINUS RATING
Red Wings defensemen Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall and center Kris Draper each have posted a +6 rating through two games of the Stanley Cup Final. They recorded +3 ratings in the 4-0 Detroit victory in Game 1 and also were +3 in tonight's 3-0 win.
RED WINGS BENEFIT FROM QUICK START
The Red Wings held a 2-0 lead and an 8-0 edge in shots on goal before the Penguins recorded their first shot on goal of the game, at 12:01 of the first period.
PLAYOFF TRENDS
* The Red Wings improved to 9-1 at home in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs; their only home loss was to the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
* Tonight's loss marked the first time in the 2008 playoffs and in 32 games overall that Pittsburgh has lost consecutive games (Feb. 28, 5-1 at Boston; Mar. 1, 5-4 at Ottawa). Tonight's game also marked the first time the Penguins have been shut out in consecutive games all season. Pittsburgh has not scored since 4:03 of the third period in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against Philadelphia, a season-long drought of 135:57.
* The Red Wings improved to 12-1 when scoring first, 13-0 when leading after two periods and 13-3 when outshooting their opponent.
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Why do you 2 guys (grabbing the cup and zepfan) keep with the unprovoked attacks, I always end up making you look stupid.
Because YOU are an I-D-I-O-T!
Capice?!
"I always end up making you look stupid."
LMAO
How does that song go again? Oh yeah...Dreamer, nothing but a dreamer...
It goes with your other mantra...same old song and dance.
Some of you guys are being too hard on Therrien, no other eastern conference team would do any better, Detroit is just that good.
Yeah, let's leave Therrien alone and go for Gainey's jugular instead.
C'mon Zep, you know better than to bother responding to pussy fart.
Yeah, I should know better. Sometimes it's hard not to reply to clowns like PF.
I blame it on boredom. ;)
I'm going to wait untill the HIO summit to finally reply to old P.F., not that I think she'll show, but untill I meet her face to face...I'm finished.
No more personal B.S., just hockey talk with the grown ups!
Looking forward to seeing you again Herb, you on Facebook? Look me up.
Go Habs Go
Technically, is it at all possible for Mario Lemieux to suit up and play in the rest of this finals??? They need Mario in the lineup like there's no tomorrow!!! Hypothetically speaking, would it be legal to sign him right now and get him in the lineup?(provided that he was in game shape).
'Lanche signed Forsberg just before the deadline for playoff eligibility. Your Mario dreams are dashed.
Once a loser always a loser. Face it, if they get swept Mikey will be looking for work this summer.
Wow - that's a bit harsh. The man did bring his team to the Stanley Cup Finals; is it his fault that his guys stopped playing?
1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat
2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."
Yes, ultimately it is his job to devise a game plan and get his players to buy into it.
So far he's been a total abject failure at it in this series.
Personally I was stunned when Pittsburgh even brought him back to coach the AHL team.
He's a link to our illustrious Houle Corey Stench of Failure regime that set this franchise back a decade.
The sooner he and his overmatched team is gone the better.
Well I believe that last year the Pens were ready just to make the playoffs like we did this year. This year they were ready to get to the finals. Unfortunately, I said this since the beginning of the series, no matter which team made it to the finals in the east, the west would win the cup. It could be nashville and I still beliee Pitssburgh would have trouble with the west. We can not play the style that the west plays... The east are a few years off from winning the cup again..
Players win games, teams win championships.
- Bill Taylor
4 straight, unless they want to win it at home.
everytime Pit has the puck, there are 4 wings closing down to rub the player out of the play.
Grit and Finesse at the highest level = Wings.
GAINEY....LEARN.
How about, CARBO....LEARN? Last I checked, GUY was the coach!
I watched both games, and this is probably the most boring NHL finals in the history of the NHL! There is only 1 team on the ice. It's a joke, and Pitt should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. For god's sake, give Detroit some competition! Pitt is truly invisible!
Did you already forget about Ottawa last season? Anaheim had less than HALF the skill Ottawa did and the Sens' choked, as per the norm.
I listened to his press conference 3 times and I still have no clue as to what he was talking about.
Don't take this the wrong way, but given the situation that Therrien and the Pens find themselves in, there is little more that he can do (publicly) other than blame the refs. I don't condone it but I certainly understand it.
It is excusable to get dusted in Game 1, but to come out flat and be unable to compete in both games must be totally deflating. I mean, they're in the Stanley Cup finals; for some guys this will be a one-in-a-lifetime chance. They're looking for someone, anything, to blame, something to get mad about, and all that's available is the refereeing. The alternative would be to undress the entire team at the postgame presser, as everybody knows that the Pens have only themselves to blame. I think Therrien believes his best move going fwd is to rally his team around the idea that they are getting a raw deal from the refs. Furthermore, if Therrien comes out and says that we were sh*t again he's really putting himself at the end of the plank b/c it's his job to ensure his team is ready.
Like I said, it's not classy, but it's totally rationale.
Wencz - well said. Therrien is just playing the only cards that he has at the present moment (publicly). The real question is what is he planning and saying with his team in private. The Pens must score first on Wednesday and then go on to win the game. If not, then the Wings get two days off with no travel. That could very well set up a Cup win in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. He can only do so much as the coach. The reality is that his young stars (Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury) must somehow play above their ability level to counter balance the greatness of Detroit. It's still possible but I'd start cleaning my clubs just in case.
The Original 24 Cups
To be fair, fleury has been left alone on a few goals.. As for the others.. Crosby and malkin are not ready yet.. They will win the cup, I just don't think this year..
Players win games, teams win championships.
- Bill Taylor
I don't think Pittsburgh can make a series out of it. If Therrien is talking the way he is it's because he realizes his team has little hope.
You're never in big, big trouble until you lose a game at home.
How many cups is it for Detroit since 1993? (it's a given they will win one this year) 3 or 4? Talk about great management and coaching.
1997,1998,2002...2008. Four of the past 11 cups.
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My ultimate dream: Captain Saku Koivu skating around the Bell Centre holding the Stanley Cup.
Look, I really hate to pick on him again, but shouldn't Therrien be showing a little more class than this?
Pittsburgh was completely outplayed in every facet of the game last night. And what does the Pittsburgh coach say? It's the effin' reffin' ... sheesh!
;-)
Thanks Mike! The Habs will kindly take some of that talent off your hands since you don't know how to manage them. Thank you.
TSN has some interesting stories on the upcoming draft.
It lists all the drafts since 1980...DAMN we picked some DUDS !!!!!!!
True, but we also picked some darn good ones!
Detroit is an awesome team and to criticize Therrien is just plain stupid. It wouldn't have mattered who they played, they are the best team in hockey right now..
If Pit can keep this team together without losing anyone for 2 or 3 years and Therrien is still the coach, you wont be saying anything about him then, they will be the next dominant team in the league.