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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

May 27, 2004

Darryl Sutter

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Two

Q. The team that loses a game always talks about getting their desperation level, quote, unquote, up for the next one, and they don't seem to have any trouble doing that most of the time. The team that wins now has to manufacture that. How do you go about doing that?
COACH SUTTER: We remain really consistent right through the playoffs, so I don't think you know, that's where there's seven games, you know, I know we were asked the last series, too, and when you lose a game, how you remanufacture -- or how you manufacture that or refined that. Well, you know, when you go to 16 teams, go to eight and go to 4, go to two, you are going to lose games along the way. We would all love to win 82 and we would all love to be 13-0 at this point.
Q. Some of the players have been saying today that they haven't played their best game the last little while. They said they want to play like they did in Game 5 against San Jose. Is that a blueprint that you would love to see again tonight?
COACH SUTTER: Everybody is looking for perfection, perfect game. No shots on goal. No offsides, no penalties, no turnovers. All those things. As long as everybody is wanting to still try find the perfect game within themselves, then we know we're on the right track.
Q. We all know what the Yelle, Saprykin and Simon line brings defensively. How good is it for you guys when they start chipping it in on the other end?
COACH SUTTER: I think they are a good two-way line. I think Simon has, I am not sure, but I think he has got four goals. Steph's has got a couple. Olie has got a couple. You know, when we put Saprykin up there was to give us some more offense and some more speed on that line. It wasn't to be a great checking line.
Q. On the road it seems like you guys, especially, but teams in general in these playoffs have had so much success on the road. Tell me about your team's mindset --
COACH SUTTER: Doesn't matter where you play. Other than ice surfaces, and crowd and weather, makes no difference. Used to be it made a big difference because the size of rinks were so different. Ice surfaces were so different. You could get some hometown bounce in terms of penalties, but that doesn't happen now. I don't think it makes any difference. The guys are -- hey, the best teams in the league are good road teams, too, so when you are not a home-ice team coming in, you have to win on the road. It's that simple. Otherwise you are watching it on TV.
Q. Obviously you don't want to look too far ahead, but would you be satisfied leaving here with a split at this point?
COACH SUTTER: I will be satisfied if we win tonight. You know what, when you guys talk about the last game, it's like last year already. I mean, I don't even look at it like that.
Q. Can you tract your thoughts a little bit about the Lightning over the last few years in terms of seeing them coming with the young nucleus.
COACH SUTTER: Every team -- you have to build your team and develop your team and draft your team, and along the way tweak your team. And if you look -- if you look at it over a series of years, that's exactly what they have done. They put themselves into a position over the years to become a really good club.
Q. Seems that Roman had a difficult transition from starter to backup, yet he's clearly an integral part of your team. Talk about how he made that transition and how he still works with the team.
COACH SUTTER: How he made that transition was he tore his knee up.
Q. His knee is better now, isn't it?
COACH SUTTER: Yeah, his knee is better.
Q. There was a sense that both ways in Game 1 obstruction maybe wasn't called as tight as it has been at sometimes in these playoffs. Would you expect things might be called a little tighter tonight?
COACH SUTTER: I think you know, we really -- we really didn't know anything about that until we were told about that from the media. I don't think that -- obviously we don't play that style, so I don't know if they are talking about their team holding up, I don't know. I think once you have a 3-nothing lead, your game changes, or 2-0 lead. There's three zones out there and it's a not a hellbent for leather all the time. It depends who is on the ice, who you are out against. Time of game. Score of game. I didn't think the obstruction was a big deal. I think that if, you know, the team that wins doesn't talk about it, the team that loses does. (Laughs).

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