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Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger •
Every media outlet, fan, radio and news station in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia has been going crazy trying to come up with a unique nickname for the Penguins/Flyers series. Well, as I spent the past week anxiously awaiting the start of this series I came to the conclusion that there is no name that could do it justice. This rivalry is one of the best in hockey…maybe in all of sports.
This rivalry transcends sport, sure it manifests itself on sheets of ice, football fields and baseball diamonds, but the bottom line is that Pittsburgh thinks it is better than Philadelphia and vice versa. If you don’t believe me, just ask some one from either city. That is why this series is going to be so amazing…
This rivalry has a ton of history that will be floating around the rafters of each building…history that will inevitably be contemplated and remembered with much vigor throughout. Growing up in Pittsburgh and following the rivalry was something I will never forget.
When I was a kid, I didn’t think the Penguins would ever win a game in Philadelphia. The 15-year losing streak in the Spectrum was unbelievable. It was what the Penguins did then, they lost to the Flyers on the road…and many times at home as well.
Scott Paulson and Jim Krenn, then of the WDVE morning show, changed all of that back in 1989. The duo went up the Philadelphia and found a way onto the ice in the Spectrum in full witch doctor garb…or as the Post Gazette put it today, “When The Streak ended on Groundhog Day in 1989, it was front page news in Pittsburgh. Radio personalities Scott Paulsen and Jim Krenn of WDVE had gone to the Spectrum that night dressed as witch doctors to lift the hex.”
Another of my favorite memories was the Hex-Towel. A local convenience store in Pittsburgh was selling the Hex-towel during the 1989 playoff series between the two teams. The towel was white and featured a picture of what was supposed to be Ron Hextall and it seemed to be working…Hextall was getting angrier at the Penguins forwards by the game, even chasing Rob Brown after an exuberant goal celebration at one point. The towel was rendered moot when Ken Wregget took to the ice for the series clinching win, there by breaking the collective hearts of Pittsburgh yet again.
I hated to see big Tim Kerr planted in the slot and burying wicked wristers behind the likes of Wendell Young, Frank Pietrangelo, Steve Guenette, and even Tom Barrasso. Brian Propp’s patented goal celebration where he would remove his glove and make a shuffleboard motion towards the heavens was always a great agitator…you just know that he was throwing a leaner too! Keith Acton was always under my skin and I wasn’t even on the ice…and how could I forget the love/hate relationship I had with Rocket Rick Tocchet. He is one of my all time favorite players, but I never like watching him scorch the Penguins.
There are moments that have probably gotten to the Flyers as well, though they are few. Sure there is the Kaspar hit on Big E and almost every move that Sidney Crosby makes, but the most agitating thing had to be the 8-0 sweep of last season’s regular season series. That really seemed to leave a nasty taste in the mouth of most of the Flyers and is probably the one thing that the Penguins have done over the past 40 years that has cut the deepest.
Ironically, one of the most memorable moments might be one that didn’t involve a big hit, goal or win/loss in the standings. It was a night back in 1993 when Flyer fans showed the world how special ALL hockey fans are when they gave a standing ovation to Mario Lemieux. Lemieux had just received his final cancer treatment and surprised his teammates by taking the ice in Philadelphia that evening.
This is going to be a special series…relish it, as these kinds of rivalries do not exist in every market. The Keystone Clash gets underway in just under 6 hours!
Series Notes:
The Penguins and Flyers met eight times during the regular season with the Flyers winning the series 5-3. All three wins for the Penguins came on home ice.
The Penguins have reached the Conference Finals five previous times in their playoff history and hold a 2-3 record in those series. In both of those series wins, they went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins are 19-23 all-time in Game One of a playoff series including 12-11 on home ice.
The Penguins are 0-3 in playoff series against Philadelphia.
On May 4th, 2000, the Flyers beat the Penguins 2-1 in a game that went to five overtimes. Keith Primeau scored at 12:01 into the fifth overtime period.
Jaroslav Modry will dress for the Philadelphia Flyers in place of the injured Kimmo Timonen based on Coach Stevens press conference today.
* * * * *
Press Conference Transcripts from today:
Sidney Crosby
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Sidney.
Q. Sidney, with Kimmo Timonen out of the series, apparently, how does this change the approach of maybe your forecheck in terms of the Penguins going at them? He's likely their best puck moving Defenseman if not their only solid one. Does it change in terms of how you might approach that forecheck?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Oh, no. I mean, we're not going to change anything. I think we come with a lot of pressure typically, and that's not going to change because he's out. So I think we kind of go about the same things. Obviously, that's a loss for them. But at the same time, we're a prime example when guys go down other guys can step up. So I don't think we're looking too much into it.
Q. What was it like to open up the first two series at home, and how do you expect tonight's atmosphere to compare?
SIDNEY CROSBY: It's always great. You want home ice advantage. And you earn that right during the season. But we really want to take advantage of that and make sure we use that energy to our advantage. You know, for us, we want to start the same way we have for the past two and make sure that we're solid, and starting off the series right.
Q. You said you don't expect your forecheck to change with Timonen out. But how would you expect their game to change with him out?
SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't think they're going to change too much. I mean, as far as systems go, everything's going to be the same. But they'll probably change the power plays, he's a big part of their power play quarterbacking it. Usually him and Richards were together back there. So I'm sure there will be some adjustments there. And for us that will mean a little more adjusting to. Because we don't know who is going to fill in that spot so we'll have to adjust as well.
You know, both teams are kind of in the same situation.
Q. The further you go in the playoffs, how exciting is this for you? Because for a lot of guys this is just the first time to the next step? Or do you just try to keep that under the level?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, you just take it one at a time. You can't get caught looking ahead. I mean, in a series, in a game, period. Your focus has to be on what you have to do and your task, and if you worry about that, you hope you get the results, but you can't look far ahead.
Q. You've been through the route obviously with the Memorial Cup, which is different from a standpoint, but still are there some similarities that you were able to draw from that a little bit?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think anything in your past experiences like you said, Memorial Cup and memorial juniors and where there is a little more pressure. You just try to think back to what worked, what didn't. I think if you look back to all those situations, all the guys will tell you you've played in big scenarios or big situations. You just have to focus on what you have to do and nothing outside of that. You know, I think going through that helps you do that in these situations.
Q. You said you're not going to really change your game plan with Timonen out and they're probably not going to change a whole lot. But when you get to this point in the playoffs you're looking for any kind of advantage, things are so tight. Is this the kind of break you guys look for at this point? Are you guys paying any attention to this? You've got to be at least a little happy that your top Defenseman goes down.
SIDNEY CROSBY: It's one of those things that you can't get caught thinking about it because you don't want to assume anything. An easy assumption would be maybe their power play is not going to be where it needs to be because he's out. But that could make us pay. That means that we're overconfident, and I don't think we can afford to do that.
To be honest, we've worked too hard to let other situations affect the way we play. We'd be hurting ourselves by doing that.
As I said, we're a prime example. When guys were out, we had a lot of guys step up and we surprised a lot of people. I'm sure a lot of guys in that room are trying to do the same thing. So it wouldn't be smart on our part to take that lightly.
Q. What have you seen in the development of Ryan Malone's game that has allowed him to have such a solid, all around season?
SIDNEY CROSBY: He's definitely been consistent. He's got the opportunity to play in the first power play. He's a big guy. He's really made a name for himself as being the guy in front of the net. He's got a presence there. He's got a great scoring touch. As well he's been pretty responsible with their penalty kills, so he's become a pretty complete player and a big part of our team.
Coach Therrien
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach, please.
Q. When the team loses a key player like the Flyers losing Timonen, do you have to caution your players not to relax? Or do you even address the issue with your guys?
COACH THERRIEN: Well, obviously, this is a huge loss for them. With all the respect for the other defensemen, he is their best defenseman and their shut down guy, and was playing really well. But in the meantime it is giving an opportunity for another player to step in. But in the meantime for us, our philosophy hasn't changed. It's not about them, it's about us. How are we going to play, how are we going to handle ourselves on the ice. And we know how they play, and we're well prepared. We're excited about tonight. But in the meantime, you know, we're not focusing on who is going to be there and who is not going to be there.
Q. What has allowed Ryan Malone to enjoy the season that he's had? It seems that he's always had a lot of the tools, it just seems that the consistency of his game has come together this year. What have you seen?
COACH THERRIEN: He learned a lot in the last few years. I really believe that he's got the tools to become the player that he is right now. I think number one thing is maturity. He deserves a lot of credit. He's an important player on our team. There's no doubt that he's playing on the top two lines, and he's doing a fantastic job with Malkin. He's playing on the power play. He's playing on the penalty kill. So, when you get responsibility to a player like this, and the success that that team is having, there is no doubt his role is more than important, and he accepts the challenge, and he's ready for that type of challenge. He made big strides the last two years.
Q. Last round you guys were coming off a long layoff, you were going into a Game 1 against an opponent you had seen a lot of during the regular season. What lessons can you learn from that series opener that can be applied to this series opener?
COACH THERRIEN: First of all, I think energy-wise, I think the players are anxious to play on both sides. If we do remember our first game it was kind of playing against the Rangers we almost felt the same thing. Funny bounces on both sides. It was not like a textbook playoff type of game. But we tried to stay focused this week as most as we can. One thing, players are really excited. I believe their players are more focused.
Second round is always a tough round to play emotionally. I mean, because when you start the playoffs you're talking about the playoffs for about two, three months with your team that you got to battle to make the playoffs. You've got to be there. When we start the playoffs there are 16 teams that are so excited to be part of it. So the emotions always go down after the first round.
We find a way to win that first game. It gave us a lot of momentum to that series, but now I think, emotionally it will be a lot different because we're getting closer to where we wanted to go. And that being said, this is going to be the same thing for both teams.
So this is what I'm expecting it's going to be a real playoff type of game tonight, even if it's only the first game of the series.
Q. Along those lines, you're a pretty good reader of your hockey club, particularly in the morning, though you say it doesn't affect the game. What vibes are you getting from your hockey club right now as you get ready for this series?
COACH THERRIEN: Their confidence, first of all. I think at this time of the year, confidence is a big part of it. They're confident because of the work ethic. They're confident about the way that they're playing into our system. They're confident because they know they're disciplined. That's why we got a good vibe with our team right now. And the team spirit when you're winning, obviously, it always helps. But even in tough times this year, I think the team spirit always was there with that young group. Right now I can see a bunch of young guys really excited to attack the third round of the playoffs tonight.
Q. You coached against John Stevens in the AHL playoffs I guess a couple times, any particular moments that stand out in some of those series?
COACH THERRIEN: Thanks for reminding me. We've been talking for that the last two days (laughing).
Q. I wasn't here, sorry.
COACH THERRIEN: He's doing what he has to do to be successful. And I have to do what I have to do to be successful for our own team. Like I said yesterday, he's a good coach. He's got success in the American Hockey League. What he did this year coming up from a tough year last year with the Flyers, he deserves a lot of respect.
We know how they play, and they know how we play, this is not brand-new for us or even for the players. They've been playing against each other for a long period of time. We bring different actors every year, but the focus is not on the coaches. The focus is on the actors. The actors will have to act. And they've got some good actors, some good players. We've got some good actors as well. That's why it's going to be a really interesting series.
Q. To your credit and your players' credit, you haven't had a lot of adversity in the playoffs in terms of deficits. You've only lost one game I'm sure you'd like to keep it that way. Do you have to go into this series and perhaps the next one with the expectations that it's going to get tougher? Or do you feel it's in your control to keep it the way it's been?
COACH THERRIEN: I don't think people realize how tough it is to win in the playoffs every single game. It's really demanding. You go through adversity during games. You could lose momentum, how are you going to react? That can be an adversity. Like last game, things were going really well for us. Hey, we lost our focus for about five minutes, bang, attacked the game. If you're looking for adversity, that was a little bit of adversity.
It's demanding to win in the playoffs. But, you know what, that team went through a lot of adversity through the course of the season, and I've said that before, but I still like to repeat myself on that. When we lost Crosby and we lost Fleury, and we lost a lot of guys from our lineup, that was adversity to try to make the playoffs because our main goal was to try to make the playoffs like all the teams.
Those guys did a fantastic job to stay focused, and to bring their game to another level with that challenge. Playoff for me is not always about adversity. For me it's more like a challenge. Every game is a challenge, every series is a challenge. And we see it more as a challenge than an adversity.
Q. I talked to a couple of the players about what a typical day is like on a game day. They go home, take a nap, and play soccer whatever. What is a coach's typical day? What do you do on a game day?
COACH THERRIEN: Watch videos, we prepare, we watch videos. We've got meetings to prepare. Everyone's got their own routine. But one thing we've got to make sure is that we prepare our team as much as we can. In the meantime, you don't want to over-prepare the team.
We had a meeting yesterday with the players. It's not because in the playoffs we want to change things. We don't want to change things at all because the players are comfortable with the preparation we did during the regular season. So it's not because we're in the playoffs we're going to start changing things. So we're doing the same things.
Q. If you can go back and draw on the experience you guys had when Sidney first went down, as a coach, what is the specific challenge that first game when the team loses a player and is trying to have guys step in new roles? From the coaching standpoint, what is the biggest challenge you have to get your team just in a state of normalcy?
COACH THERRIEN: They've got to believe. They've got to believe they could do the job even if you end up missing a lot of players. When a group believes what they could achieve, well, that's a big step. That was a back-to-back game we played here. We lost against Tampa Bay. We went to play in Montreal, that was a huge challenge. We got a shut out from Marc-Andre, went 2-0 up there. And I think that was a huge win for us. Especially mentally. And they knew that they got to play a team game if they want to have any type of success. And that will give us a lot of confidence to finish the year.
Q. How is Max Talbot progressing?
COACH THERRIEN: He's still day to day. But he's not going to play tonight.
Q. Any other changes in the lineup?
COACH THERRIEN: No. No.
More post game...
This rivalry transcends sport, sure it manifests itself on sheets of ice, football fields and baseball diamonds, but the bottom line is that Pittsburgh thinks it is better than Philadelphia and vice versa. If you don’t believe me, just ask some one from either city. That is why this series is going to be so amazing…
This rivalry has a ton of history that will be floating around the rafters of each building…history that will inevitably be contemplated and remembered with much vigor throughout. Growing up in Pittsburgh and following the rivalry was something I will never forget.
When I was a kid, I didn’t think the Penguins would ever win a game in Philadelphia. The 15-year losing streak in the Spectrum was unbelievable. It was what the Penguins did then, they lost to the Flyers on the road…and many times at home as well.
Scott Paulson and Jim Krenn, then of the WDVE morning show, changed all of that back in 1989. The duo went up the Philadelphia and found a way onto the ice in the Spectrum in full witch doctor garb…or as the Post Gazette put it today, “When The Streak ended on Groundhog Day in 1989, it was front page news in Pittsburgh. Radio personalities Scott Paulsen and Jim Krenn of WDVE had gone to the Spectrum that night dressed as witch doctors to lift the hex.”
Another of my favorite memories was the Hex-Towel. A local convenience store in Pittsburgh was selling the Hex-towel during the 1989 playoff series between the two teams. The towel was white and featured a picture of what was supposed to be Ron Hextall and it seemed to be working…Hextall was getting angrier at the Penguins forwards by the game, even chasing Rob Brown after an exuberant goal celebration at one point. The towel was rendered moot when Ken Wregget took to the ice for the series clinching win, there by breaking the collective hearts of Pittsburgh yet again.
I hated to see big Tim Kerr planted in the slot and burying wicked wristers behind the likes of Wendell Young, Frank Pietrangelo, Steve Guenette, and even Tom Barrasso. Brian Propp’s patented goal celebration where he would remove his glove and make a shuffleboard motion towards the heavens was always a great agitator…you just know that he was throwing a leaner too! Keith Acton was always under my skin and I wasn’t even on the ice…and how could I forget the love/hate relationship I had with Rocket Rick Tocchet. He is one of my all time favorite players, but I never like watching him scorch the Penguins.
There are moments that have probably gotten to the Flyers as well, though they are few. Sure there is the Kaspar hit on Big E and almost every move that Sidney Crosby makes, but the most agitating thing had to be the 8-0 sweep of last season’s regular season series. That really seemed to leave a nasty taste in the mouth of most of the Flyers and is probably the one thing that the Penguins have done over the past 40 years that has cut the deepest.
Ironically, one of the most memorable moments might be one that didn’t involve a big hit, goal or win/loss in the standings. It was a night back in 1993 when Flyer fans showed the world how special ALL hockey fans are when they gave a standing ovation to Mario Lemieux. Lemieux had just received his final cancer treatment and surprised his teammates by taking the ice in Philadelphia that evening.
This is going to be a special series…relish it, as these kinds of rivalries do not exist in every market. The Keystone Clash gets underway in just under 6 hours!
Series Notes:
The Penguins and Flyers met eight times during the regular season with the Flyers winning the series 5-3. All three wins for the Penguins came on home ice.
The Penguins have reached the Conference Finals five previous times in their playoff history and hold a 2-3 record in those series. In both of those series wins, they went on to win the Stanley Cup.
The Penguins are 19-23 all-time in Game One of a playoff series including 12-11 on home ice.
The Penguins are 0-3 in playoff series against Philadelphia.
On May 4th, 2000, the Flyers beat the Penguins 2-1 in a game that went to five overtimes. Keith Primeau scored at 12:01 into the fifth overtime period.
Jaroslav Modry will dress for the Philadelphia Flyers in place of the injured Kimmo Timonen based on Coach Stevens press conference today.
* * * * *
Press Conference Transcripts from today:
Sidney Crosby
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Sidney.
Q. Sidney, with Kimmo Timonen out of the series, apparently, how does this change the approach of maybe your forecheck in terms of the Penguins going at them? He's likely their best puck moving Defenseman if not their only solid one. Does it change in terms of how you might approach that forecheck?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Oh, no. I mean, we're not going to change anything. I think we come with a lot of pressure typically, and that's not going to change because he's out. So I think we kind of go about the same things. Obviously, that's a loss for them. But at the same time, we're a prime example when guys go down other guys can step up. So I don't think we're looking too much into it.
Q. What was it like to open up the first two series at home, and how do you expect tonight's atmosphere to compare?
SIDNEY CROSBY: It's always great. You want home ice advantage. And you earn that right during the season. But we really want to take advantage of that and make sure we use that energy to our advantage. You know, for us, we want to start the same way we have for the past two and make sure that we're solid, and starting off the series right.
Q. You said you don't expect your forecheck to change with Timonen out. But how would you expect their game to change with him out?
SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't think they're going to change too much. I mean, as far as systems go, everything's going to be the same. But they'll probably change the power plays, he's a big part of their power play quarterbacking it. Usually him and Richards were together back there. So I'm sure there will be some adjustments there. And for us that will mean a little more adjusting to. Because we don't know who is going to fill in that spot so we'll have to adjust as well.
You know, both teams are kind of in the same situation.
Q. The further you go in the playoffs, how exciting is this for you? Because for a lot of guys this is just the first time to the next step? Or do you just try to keep that under the level?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, you just take it one at a time. You can't get caught looking ahead. I mean, in a series, in a game, period. Your focus has to be on what you have to do and your task, and if you worry about that, you hope you get the results, but you can't look far ahead.
Q. You've been through the route obviously with the Memorial Cup, which is different from a standpoint, but still are there some similarities that you were able to draw from that a little bit?
SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, I think anything in your past experiences like you said, Memorial Cup and memorial juniors and where there is a little more pressure. You just try to think back to what worked, what didn't. I think if you look back to all those situations, all the guys will tell you you've played in big scenarios or big situations. You just have to focus on what you have to do and nothing outside of that. You know, I think going through that helps you do that in these situations.
Q. You said you're not going to really change your game plan with Timonen out and they're probably not going to change a whole lot. But when you get to this point in the playoffs you're looking for any kind of advantage, things are so tight. Is this the kind of break you guys look for at this point? Are you guys paying any attention to this? You've got to be at least a little happy that your top Defenseman goes down.
SIDNEY CROSBY: It's one of those things that you can't get caught thinking about it because you don't want to assume anything. An easy assumption would be maybe their power play is not going to be where it needs to be because he's out. But that could make us pay. That means that we're overconfident, and I don't think we can afford to do that.
To be honest, we've worked too hard to let other situations affect the way we play. We'd be hurting ourselves by doing that.
As I said, we're a prime example. When guys were out, we had a lot of guys step up and we surprised a lot of people. I'm sure a lot of guys in that room are trying to do the same thing. So it wouldn't be smart on our part to take that lightly.
Q. What have you seen in the development of Ryan Malone's game that has allowed him to have such a solid, all around season?
SIDNEY CROSBY: He's definitely been consistent. He's got the opportunity to play in the first power play. He's a big guy. He's really made a name for himself as being the guy in front of the net. He's got a presence there. He's got a great scoring touch. As well he's been pretty responsible with their penalty kills, so he's become a pretty complete player and a big part of our team.
Coach Therrien
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach, please.
Q. When the team loses a key player like the Flyers losing Timonen, do you have to caution your players not to relax? Or do you even address the issue with your guys?
COACH THERRIEN: Well, obviously, this is a huge loss for them. With all the respect for the other defensemen, he is their best defenseman and their shut down guy, and was playing really well. But in the meantime it is giving an opportunity for another player to step in. But in the meantime for us, our philosophy hasn't changed. It's not about them, it's about us. How are we going to play, how are we going to handle ourselves on the ice. And we know how they play, and we're well prepared. We're excited about tonight. But in the meantime, you know, we're not focusing on who is going to be there and who is not going to be there.
Q. What has allowed Ryan Malone to enjoy the season that he's had? It seems that he's always had a lot of the tools, it just seems that the consistency of his game has come together this year. What have you seen?
COACH THERRIEN: He learned a lot in the last few years. I really believe that he's got the tools to become the player that he is right now. I think number one thing is maturity. He deserves a lot of credit. He's an important player on our team. There's no doubt that he's playing on the top two lines, and he's doing a fantastic job with Malkin. He's playing on the power play. He's playing on the penalty kill. So, when you get responsibility to a player like this, and the success that that team is having, there is no doubt his role is more than important, and he accepts the challenge, and he's ready for that type of challenge. He made big strides the last two years.
Q. Last round you guys were coming off a long layoff, you were going into a Game 1 against an opponent you had seen a lot of during the regular season. What lessons can you learn from that series opener that can be applied to this series opener?
COACH THERRIEN: First of all, I think energy-wise, I think the players are anxious to play on both sides. If we do remember our first game it was kind of playing against the Rangers we almost felt the same thing. Funny bounces on both sides. It was not like a textbook playoff type of game. But we tried to stay focused this week as most as we can. One thing, players are really excited. I believe their players are more focused.
Second round is always a tough round to play emotionally. I mean, because when you start the playoffs you're talking about the playoffs for about two, three months with your team that you got to battle to make the playoffs. You've got to be there. When we start the playoffs there are 16 teams that are so excited to be part of it. So the emotions always go down after the first round.
We find a way to win that first game. It gave us a lot of momentum to that series, but now I think, emotionally it will be a lot different because we're getting closer to where we wanted to go. And that being said, this is going to be the same thing for both teams.
So this is what I'm expecting it's going to be a real playoff type of game tonight, even if it's only the first game of the series.
Q. Along those lines, you're a pretty good reader of your hockey club, particularly in the morning, though you say it doesn't affect the game. What vibes are you getting from your hockey club right now as you get ready for this series?
COACH THERRIEN: Their confidence, first of all. I think at this time of the year, confidence is a big part of it. They're confident because of the work ethic. They're confident about the way that they're playing into our system. They're confident because they know they're disciplined. That's why we got a good vibe with our team right now. And the team spirit when you're winning, obviously, it always helps. But even in tough times this year, I think the team spirit always was there with that young group. Right now I can see a bunch of young guys really excited to attack the third round of the playoffs tonight.
Q. You coached against John Stevens in the AHL playoffs I guess a couple times, any particular moments that stand out in some of those series?
COACH THERRIEN: Thanks for reminding me. We've been talking for that the last two days (laughing).
Q. I wasn't here, sorry.
COACH THERRIEN: He's doing what he has to do to be successful. And I have to do what I have to do to be successful for our own team. Like I said yesterday, he's a good coach. He's got success in the American Hockey League. What he did this year coming up from a tough year last year with the Flyers, he deserves a lot of respect.
We know how they play, and they know how we play, this is not brand-new for us or even for the players. They've been playing against each other for a long period of time. We bring different actors every year, but the focus is not on the coaches. The focus is on the actors. The actors will have to act. And they've got some good actors, some good players. We've got some good actors as well. That's why it's going to be a really interesting series.
Q. To your credit and your players' credit, you haven't had a lot of adversity in the playoffs in terms of deficits. You've only lost one game I'm sure you'd like to keep it that way. Do you have to go into this series and perhaps the next one with the expectations that it's going to get tougher? Or do you feel it's in your control to keep it the way it's been?
COACH THERRIEN: I don't think people realize how tough it is to win in the playoffs every single game. It's really demanding. You go through adversity during games. You could lose momentum, how are you going to react? That can be an adversity. Like last game, things were going really well for us. Hey, we lost our focus for about five minutes, bang, attacked the game. If you're looking for adversity, that was a little bit of adversity.
It's demanding to win in the playoffs. But, you know what, that team went through a lot of adversity through the course of the season, and I've said that before, but I still like to repeat myself on that. When we lost Crosby and we lost Fleury, and we lost a lot of guys from our lineup, that was adversity to try to make the playoffs because our main goal was to try to make the playoffs like all the teams.
Those guys did a fantastic job to stay focused, and to bring their game to another level with that challenge. Playoff for me is not always about adversity. For me it's more like a challenge. Every game is a challenge, every series is a challenge. And we see it more as a challenge than an adversity.
Q. I talked to a couple of the players about what a typical day is like on a game day. They go home, take a nap, and play soccer whatever. What is a coach's typical day? What do you do on a game day?
COACH THERRIEN: Watch videos, we prepare, we watch videos. We've got meetings to prepare. Everyone's got their own routine. But one thing we've got to make sure is that we prepare our team as much as we can. In the meantime, you don't want to over-prepare the team.
We had a meeting yesterday with the players. It's not because in the playoffs we want to change things. We don't want to change things at all because the players are comfortable with the preparation we did during the regular season. So it's not because we're in the playoffs we're going to start changing things. So we're doing the same things.
Q. If you can go back and draw on the experience you guys had when Sidney first went down, as a coach, what is the specific challenge that first game when the team loses a player and is trying to have guys step in new roles? From the coaching standpoint, what is the biggest challenge you have to get your team just in a state of normalcy?
COACH THERRIEN: They've got to believe. They've got to believe they could do the job even if you end up missing a lot of players. When a group believes what they could achieve, well, that's a big step. That was a back-to-back game we played here. We lost against Tampa Bay. We went to play in Montreal, that was a huge challenge. We got a shut out from Marc-Andre, went 2-0 up there. And I think that was a huge win for us. Especially mentally. And they knew that they got to play a team game if they want to have any type of success. And that will give us a lot of confidence to finish the year.
Q. How is Max Talbot progressing?
COACH THERRIEN: He's still day to day. But he's not going to play tonight.
Q. Any other changes in the lineup?
COACH THERRIEN: No. No.
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