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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: FLYERS v LIGHTNING


May 17, 2004


Dave Andreychuk

Martin St. Louis


TAMPA, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. There's been a lot of attention put on Keith Primeau as being a guy who has kind of led the charge for the Flyers. Would you guys like to see somebody on your team kind of take that charge or do you feel you have enough guys, and have it just be a collective effort?
MARTIN ST. LOUIS: No, I think every series we all try to step up and make a difference, but sometimes you have got to take it upon yourself, not wait until somebody does it. If we all try and do it hopefully somebody is going to step up and do it. That's something, when you are a guy who is getting most of the ice time and you are a guy that's a key guy and is depended on in many situations, that's the kind of pressure you want. You want to be the difference. I think we have got a lot of guys that want to be the difference. It's just a matter of doing it.
Q. What about the downtime in between games, I mean I know you are practicing with all the emotions, wanting to play that next game; is that kind of hard? What do you do with your downtime?
DAVE ANDREYCHUK: Obviously we don't skate as much when we have days off. I think the series are better. There's more energy. You know, years past you were playing every second night, I think your energy level was down. Guys are well rested now so there's a lot more energy in the games. So you obviously on your time off you mostly rest because somebody is too, you know, mentally I think you try to stay into it. I am not the most friendly man at home right now (laughter) because of the fact that you have to stay into it mentally on these off days.
Q. Obviously Philadelphia has kind of been riding a successive wave with Primeau. You guys have always played with the team concept that it doesn't matter who steps forward. Are you looking for one guy, one starter to lead you guys to the Finals?
DAVE ANDREYCHUK: I won't necessarily say we need one guy. I think collectively we need efforts from everybody. Obviously star players are the ones that have carried us all year long, and they are going to carry us again. So that has been the success of our team, it is not just one guy that they have to key on; it's been a bunch of guys. We have been doing that same thing in the Playoffs.
Q. You are one of the number of Lightning players who have never been this far in the Playoffs. Does this feel different to you or is it just go out and play hockey?
MARTIN ST. LOUIS: Well, it's a lot of fun. It feels different. Sometimes you don't realize what you are actually going through until you take time for yourself and really think what is happening. This is a great situation right now. We gave ourself a chance to be in this situation and hopefully move on. But this is the times you play for your whole career. This is the time right now you are still playing hockey mid-May, and you have to catch yourself sometimes, this is really happening, but you can't be thinking about that too long. You have to go out there and really elevate your game and make the difference.
Q. Has it gotten to the point four games into this series - I know Tim Taylor has talked about you don't really build rivalries in the NHL until you face each other in the Playoffs. Has it gotten to a heated point where you guys have gotten a distaste for each other?
DAVE ANDREYCHUK: I don't know if it's a distaste, but obviously we know their personnel pretty well. Don't put the lines on the board anymore or who is going to be paired together. We know their tendencies, we know what they do. I guess when you get down to the Playoffs that's what happens. You play a team that many times you are going to realize some of what is going to happen on the ice. There's no secrets anymore.
Q. Is experience at this point kind of overrated, experience as far as Playoff experience to this point?
DAVE ANDREYCHUK: I'll let Marty take that one (Laughter).
MARTIN ST. LOUIS: I think at this point in the Playoffs I think we have proven to people that we can play and win series and we won two so far. I don't think at this point when it's 2-2 series that I don't think experience is going to become much of a factor. I think it's all about battling and wanting it more than the other team regardless of, I mean more experience they have it's who wants it more at this point in time.
Q. Are you surprised that there hasn't been maybe consistency from both teams, you play a great game, not so great; then a great game, it's kind of going back and forth?
DAVE ANDREYCHUK: I don't think either team has jumped up and taken the stranglehold on the series. For our team we have played well at times, but we have not played well at times. That's why we are in this situation. That's why it's 2-2. I think that consistency in our game has to be there for us to win this series. It 60 minutes, it's obviously start of games, but inconsistent play is what is going to lose it.

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