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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

May 27, 2004

John Tortorella

TAMPA, FLORIDA: Game Two

Q. Can you talk about your defense in the first period killing off all those power plays. Did that really set a tone for you guys tonight?
COACH TORTORELLA: It was an important part of the game, with so many penalties called there. Again, I thought we did a pretty good job through most of the night with the penalties, and early on especially not allowing them not to get that first goal.
Q. You have probably seen those moves by Lecavalier before. Some of us are not used to them. How often does he do those and what do you think of them, specifically the one behind the net?
COACH TORTORELLA: Well, Vinny is a talented player. It's not the moves that I thought was the important part of Vinny's game tonight; I thought his presence was the most important thing. I thought he showed a physical presence. You look at him maturing, trying to show his team, "follow me." So the moves, that's talent. That's a talent level, but the presence that he showed tonight I thought was very important for our club.
Q. After every loss you have been able to step it up and have an answer and win the next game. How important is that to make sure you don't lose two in a row?
COACH TORTORELLA: Well, if you lose two in a row in a 7-game series, you are in deep trouble. Just do the math. So again, no one has this on a script. You just go about your business. You try to prepare everyday and just go about your business and find ways to win hockey games. Tonight we did.
Q. Do you have any idea why in the playoffs the team that scores first, 80% now it looks like, wins the game? What does it do on the bench and why do you have success when you have?
COACH TORTORELLA: I don't know. I think if you look during the regular season, it's probably the same thing. Again, we're not looking at all the percentages. It's a tight checking-type situation within the playoffs and that first goal, I think just allows your team to gain some of the momentum. As far as the percentages, I don't know. I have no answer why it happens. It's just a matter of trying to gain momentum.
Q. You were pretty strong yesterday about how your team didn't come out and take them seriously enough in Game 1. Did you know before this game how you guys were ready?
COACH TORTORELLA: Yeah, we knew yesterday. We knew -- we knew we were going to play the game we were supposed to play, the Tampa Bay Lightning is supposed to play the first game, we didn't. It is a mindset. Our mindset wasn't correct.
Q. Did you say anything to Vinny about being more of a physical presence or is that something he just undertook on his own?
COACH TORTORELLA: No, we haven't talked -- we have talked as a group. There hasn't been too many one-on-one type situations during the playoffs, but we talked about this in the Philly series that you allow Primeau and players like that to start joining in the presence of the game and the physical part of that, if someone doesn't step up and answer it, it runs the momentum their way. Not only Vinny but I think Richie has really tried to apply himself there. It's as a group. I think when you get into a playoff series, those little things that go on in the games are not just the goals and the goals against. It's those little things that go on that creates momentum. So we're trying to answer, and I think Vinny is beginning to understand that that's a major element of his game, allows him to get involved. So that was very important tonight.
Q. How important do you think it was -- yesterday you made it a point to kind of just keep Game 1 in perspective and to remain calm. How important do you think that was between games in terms of the impact that it has on your team?
COACH TORTORELLA: Well, I am not so sure I was calm in between games. I think we were honest I think you need to evaluate yourself. That's what a coach does. I mean, a coach's position right now in the playoffs is totally different than during the regular season. You need to be with them. It's a situation where you have to help them through some bumps on the road here. And not worry about what that player is going to be feeling three months from now because we're not playing for three months. That regular season mindset is gone as far as the motivational part.
This is trying to find answers going through as a team. I think evaluation is very important, but not to dwell on it. Understand where you are as a club and look for answers to try to find a response. I think our guys did a pretty good job tonight.
Q. Could you give us update on Lukowich's condition?
COACH TORTORELLA: He's fine. He's fine. He doesn't get hurt.
Q. With Philadelphia you had a familiarity. Is it an advantage or a disadvantage playing Calgary, who you really didn't know a whole lot about, only playing them once?
COACH TORTORELLA: Well, again, we don't spend too much time trying to be familiar with the other team. I think if you spend a lot of time trying to be familiar about the other team, you lose your identity. So again, we don't do much -- we don't do much talking about that. We're concerned about what we do and what our team identity is. That's where I felt our biggest pitfall in Game 1 was, is that we didn't play the way we're supposed to play. So the familiarity part of it, it's worrying about your team. That's the most important thing.
Q. Can you talk about how big it was in that third period to get those three goals, because up until that point it was a 1-nothing game, nip and tuck?
COACH TORTORELLA: It was, you know, traded chances a little bit in that second period when it was 1-nothing, and to get that second goal, I thought was very important. Then we had a little bit of a surge and we scored a couple more. Again, Calgary is a very good hockey team. Going into that third period we knew we had to try to keep playing aggressively and we found a way to get it done. Now it's 1-1 and it's a series.

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