NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: DEVILS v AVALANCHE

May 26, 2001

Rob Blake

Sean O'Donnell

Joe Sakic

Scott Stevens

ROB BLAKE: I think the thing we learned that there is no way we can sit back. We are a team that's real aggressive, almost overaggressive and when we get the puck going and moving and skatin, that's when we are out our best. No way we can sit on a lead.

ROB BLAKE: Definitely. You know he is back there. You know it's going to take a great play to beat him. If he sees it coming, he is going to stop it. He has been a wall back there for us.

Q. Suffice it to say, Sean, the pace has been turned up over Pittsburgh. Any cause for adjustments?

SEAN O'DONNELL: I know, coming out hard the first ten minutes, I think they had most of their chances. Now they got a powerplay which I think created some momentum for them. I think we played well the last five, six minutes of that period. Hopefully come out with more like that.

SEAN O'DONNELL: Well, he is definitely an adversary. We have talked couple of times throughout the Playoffs. One of the things we said before we congratulated each other when they beat St. Louis and we beat Pittsburgh we said we will talk again, meet with a hands shake say good luck. If I get a chance I will hit him and he throws that big butt out at me.

JOE SAKIC: I just went down the side and made he made a perfect play. I just skated into it. I went down. I didn't mean to go 5 hole, but it ended up going 5 hole.

JOE SAKIC: We had our jump out there for sure. We have just got keep building on that. A lot of hockey left and we have to make sure we use that momentum and carry it over to the next period, and keep doing the same things we have been doing.

Q. Scott, is this what you expected from Colorado, first time at home, a lot of energy, a lot of activity?

SCOTT STEVENS: They skated hard and came at us hard. But we weathered the storm. We have got to start skating a little bit more ourselves and be a little more aggressive at times.

SCOTT STEVENS: I think we will keep the same pairings. It is just a matter of getting us out there at the right time. They are making short changes out there so it makes it a little more difficult to get the right matchups.

End of FastScripts….