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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: FLAMES v LIGHTNING

May 29, 2004

John Tortorella

CALGARY, ALBERTA: Game Three

Q. How was practice today and the mood of the team?
COACH TORTORELLA: Everybody is fine. We had a good travel day. We're ready to go.
Q. Not trying to stir it up, but did the broken glass interfere with your preparations this morning?
COACH TORTORELLA: No, no. The rink people were fine. We just wanted to get a quick skate in. Those morning skates are overrated anyway. We just wanted to get a sweat and to deal with the altitude a little bit, but we're fine.
Q. We have talked a couple of times last couple of years about Nolan Pratt, when he's happened to be the odd man out of the lineup. How much of going with 7 is a result of his performance in these playoffs?
COACH TORTORELLA: Well, it has a lot to do with it. Pratt came in when Jason was hurt and has done a great job for us. Joanne, you have got to remember this time of year, it's not so much depth chart as it is chemistry, a lot of it is chemistry. To yank Nolan out of there right now and some things he's done in our first few rounds, it just isn't right. He's done too many good things for us. It allows us to play with seven and we think it's worked pretty well with us.
Q. We have just finished talking to Cory Stillman. He talked a lot about the fight, the way things ended for him that night. He's not much a fighter, you pointed out, but that he didn't turtle; that he stood up for himself. As a coach, how do you expect kind of him to respond after the way he finished that game?
COACH TORTORELLA: You mean tonight?
Q. Yes.
COACH TORTORELLA: You guys make a big deal out of that third period. I think that third period is just playoff hockey. I don't think there's a big deal at all that went on there. Stiller and Ference fight, Andrei and Simon fight. Even if there were three or four more, to me it's part of playoff hockey. We go on and prepare for our next game. As far as Stiller, I don't think there's any difference in his preparation. He's one of our top line players and has to play like a top line player, so as far as the stuff about the third period, we're getting little bit crazy about that. That's part of it.
Q. Can you talk about the success that your team had in the faceoff circle in Game 2 and why is that? Do you expect that same success in Game 3 and how important is that?
COACH TORTORELLA: Faceoffs are always important. Obviously in your end zone defensively you want the puck, as we found out in the first game when they score on their first shot with one draw. Offensively if you are able to get it, you don't have to get through the neutral zone to get the puck in. You have the puck in the offensive zone if you win the draw. Faceoffs are always important as far as puck possession and I think if you are going to be successful, puck possession is a very important thing.
Q. You had talked about the 7 D men before. Maybe just Calgary is a team with their forechecking tends to soften up kind of the big four on maybe Detroit or San Jose, the fact that you can spread the ice time around to seven guys, is it an advantage having to spread it out?
COACH TORTORELLA: I don't know. Going from six to seven, I don't think there's a real big difference. Why we're doing it, I don't -- it gives me a lot more flexibility within a fourth line. I was playing my fourth line center two or three minutes and I have got pretty good defensemen in Jassen Cullimore, who has been probably one of our top defensemen that's able to play. But having said that, I think our other six have played very well. As far as what the other teams are doing against us, it doesn't come into our thinking. We're happy the way it's working with 7 D, it puts some very good people on the ice at certain times that we want. I guess I will put it that way.
Q. Would you say that your team has learned a lesson of intensity in game No. 2. Do you think that they will carry on in this direction tonight as opposed to Game 1?
COACH TORTORELLA: I think we have gone through all the series as far as understanding how hard you have to play through all our series. I think all the teams that have been involved in the playoffs have gone through little dips here and there, and they learn how important it is to be there as far as the little battles and things going. So I don't consider it just from Game 1. I thought we struggled with it at times in the other two series but found our way. That's the great thing about playoffs. It's a series. It's not one game, and you are out or one game you are in. So you need to find a way to respond and I think response is the most important thing when you get into a 7-game series.
Q. You don't think first goal matters particularly for your team. But the first goal in Game 1 seemed to deflate your team; first goal in Game 2 seemed to give you a psychological lift. Is that an element of your team or is it something that just happens as a fluke?
COACH TORTORELLA: I think in Game 1, I am not so sure it deflated us. I just don't think we played well at all in Game 1 as far as a lot of things just as far as our mindset. In Game 2, I think when you score the first goal, and I don't want to get into -- I have read so many stats here the past six weeks as far as if Brad Richards does this or you score the first goal or this or that happens, this guy brushes his teeth that way, you get that done. I think the most important thing is it establishes momentum. That's a key thing within a game and within a series is momentum, how long you can keep the momentum going your way. So you get that first one, it gives you that, and if you can play with it for a while the momentum is still on your side, so that's the key thing, I believe in playoff games and playoff series, how long you can keep that momentum going your way.
Q. Most of Fedotenko's goals have come within a very small area of the net. Was that difficult for him to learn to play in that area? He mentioned it was something he had to develop.
COACH TORTORELLA: He felt he was struggling in that area a bit as far as where you have to be to score goals. Rusty has always been a willing player, but I think it comes down to sometimes players have to evaluate themselves and players don't like doing that. They don't like to evaluate themselves; they just want to go out and play no matter if it's going good or bad. Sometimes as you go along, especially during the regular season, things need to be pointed out. We put him in more of a grinding-type role to get him involved more. Remember, this is a guy that scored 36 goals for us in the regular season past two years. He's a goal scorer. He can score. Making sure he has adjustment mentally that you have to play in those areas to score goals has helped him tremendously.
Q. Aside from which way Marty St. Louis brushes his teeth, your relationship to the college game, do the college players have any advantage, with Martin St. Louis playing at this level, or is it all equal?
COACH TORTORELLA: I am not sure where you are going with it. I don't know how to answer that question.
Q. I wonder if the college guys have any advantage, intangibles or whatever?
COACH TORTORELLA: No. I don't equate college, pro or whatever it may be, or junior, I -- Marty St. Louis is a young man. He simply got an opportunity and used his opportunity to prove people wrong. I think his motivation is proving people that you were wrong about me. I think that's a great motivation.

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