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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE


May 31, 2001


Patrick Roy

Joe Sakic


EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY: Game Three

Q. Describe the play at the end of the second period, what happened there as you came out towards the net and the puck was --

PATRICK ROY: The puck was loose and I wanted to help the guys and get it, but I was in the race with Elias and it -- he was a bit ahead of me. I tried to just push it behind him but it was the second guy and I think it is-- is a play that I shouldn't have tried.

Q. Did you feel relief when the puck hit the post?

PATRICK ROY: I don't think it could have really scored. It would have hit my pad, it would be in the net. But I was not pleased with myself to take that. I thought it was a bad decision of myself.

Q. What was the key in that second period to really-- took it to them to sort of turn it around at that point?

JOE SAKIC: I think really in the first period, we got into penalty trouble and did a great job killing the penalty, you know, killing those off for the most part except for the one goal. But second period, staying on it we had-- we rolled four lines and it just seemed like everybody had a jump and I think that momentum that we got from killing most of the penalties that carried over in the second and guys were skating, we had a lot of jump tonight. That's something that we needed to do. Played a lot smarter game.

Q. Joe, that was quite a big third period. Everything sort of going against you, they had the crowd, the game was tied. I think everybody had anticipation. How about you being up 2 games to 1 taken back the to home-ice advantage?

JOE SAKIC: That was important, obviously, the way things turned out in Game 2. The way we played, we weren't happy with the way we played especially after they got the 2-1 lead. It is important for us to come out hard and play well and try and get the win. We got that, obviously. It is great to be up 2-1, but we know there is still a lot of hockey left and hopefully we can come out the same way in Game 4.

Q. There has been so much talk about your line against Arnott's line. Looks like your second and third and fourth lines are outplaying their lines?

JOE SAKIC: They have done a tremendous job throughout the Playoffs. At this time of year you need all four lines playing well. Your whole team has got to contribute and definitely our second and third and fourth lines have played well, especially tonight they got a couple of good goals.

Q. Can you go over the faceoff on the Bourque goal, what is it like since he has been there having him take that shot at the powerplay point?

JOE SAKIC: I tell you we all know he can shoot the puck and you just have to give him some space, and fortunately I got the draw, got it back to him, he just went to the middle, just let it rip, that was a cannon.

Q. Joe, sort of a follow-up on that, I know it is a team game and everything, but so much is written about Ray's quest to finally win one. Talk about the whole feeling on the team about him getting goal.

JOE SAKIC: Definitely you want to go out there and do your best and we are in the situation now, we are in the Finals and you want to do whatever you can to win the Cup obviously. For Ray -- if Ray wins, that means we all win, so that's something that we strived for from the beginning of the year and I mean we still got aways to go. You have got to get two more wins against the defending champs. It is not going to be easy but hopefully we can find a way to get it done.

Q. Patrick, talk about the Yelle, Podein, Messier line and the work they do defensively?

PATRICK ROY: I thought they made the difference tonight. They were outstanding out there. They blocked so many shots for us and it is a line that plays with a lot of heart and a lot of passion out there right now for us. And they certainly deserve a lot of credit for our success. Like the third goal by Danny, it was a beautiful pass by Nimo. It was a great team effort tonight.

Q. The other night you let Hejduk take some draws, I believe.

JOE SAKIC: Only one, I got kicked out.

Q. Your faceoffs tonight, did you feel good? Was there a rhythm?

JOE SAKIC: Yeah, I felt really good out there. I felt skating-wise and on faceoffs, got some bounces. Obviously you need bounces on faceoffs to get some confidence, but it is not just centermen. The wingers did a great job when there were battles of winning the battles.

Q. Two things tonight were noticeable, your stick work was great, you were able to stick check them in the neutral zone, prevent any rushes. Also you didn't let Brodeur play the puck at all behind the net pretty much. Those two strategies worked for you well tonight. Was that the game plan going in?

JOE SAKIC: Well, neutral zone, really, they have got a lot of speed, we said that before the series, that you have to be aware of that and not turn the puck over. But everybody did a tremendous job in the neutral zone forecheck, and obviously Marty, him and Patty are probably the two best guys that, playing the puck, you don't want to give them an opportunity to get that puck. I think everybody did a great job of their dumps, soft dumps and trying to keep it away from him.

Q. Can you just talk about that second penalty you guys took in the first period. After they had scored on the first powerplay goal. Did you feel like at that point probably everything was going against you and killing that penalty helped get you guys going back the right way?

JOE SAKIC: I don't really remember the penalty, but.

Q. 5 on 3?

JOE SAKIC: Yeah, that was -- oh, that was a huge kill right there. We took so many penalties in the first period. I mean, like I said, penalty kill, special teams are huge this time of year. Our 5 on 3, you know, limited them to a few shots and getting that kill obviously is a huge momentum booster for everybody.

End of FastScripts....

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