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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: KINGS v COYOTESMay 18, 2012Rob ScuderiLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day THE MODERATOR: Questions for Rob Scuderi. Q. You've been this close in the past and gotten there. What do you have to keep as a mindset when you're just one win away from getting to the Cup final? ROB SCUDERI: I think the biggest mindset for us right now is to finish this series. You get up 3‑0, everyone starts looking ahead. I think one of the good things that this team has is we've been able to stay grounded and focused on what we have to do, and that's to hopefully finish out the Phoenix Coyotes sooner rather than later. Q. What do you have to do to keep that focus? ROB SCUDERI: Just the same thing we've been doing. We've been preparing ourselves well. We've executed our game plan very well over the course of these playoffs. If we stick to that, take it one period, one shift at a time, I like our chances. Q. (Question regarding being up 3‑0 and not winning the final.) ROB SCUDERI: I guess I don't think too much about that. You'd rather have a lead in a series than have it be a battle constantly. The only thing that might be a little bit of a battle is when you have too much time off and trying to get right back at it, especially in a conference final, final, whatever round you're going to next. Sometimes too much time off is a little bit of a pain. Q. Do you remember what that was like in '08? ROB SCUDERI: I believe we had a significant amount of time. I think Detroit was maybe playing Chicago. They had played maybe two nights after that. It got forced to a Game 6. I remember sitting around for a while. To be honest, I thought that team was just better than us that year. I thought they deserved. I don't think the time or layoff had anything to do with it. If you can't get up for the Stanley Cup finals, you're probably in the wrong field. Q. You mentioned the focus of your team. To what degree has Darryl encouraged that or nurtured that? ROB SCUDERI: He's a very straightforward guy. I think one of the reasons we've been able to stay grounded as a team, even with big leads in the series, he can bring it back out of you pretty quick. If you are thinking ahead or certainly if you're playing like it, he's going to let you know in a heartbeat. It's pretty easy to keep your focus on what's directly ahead of you instead of getting worried about what's too far ahead. Q. What does Dustin Brown mean to this team? ROB SCUDERI: He's our captain, leader, sets the tone for us. He plays physical. He plays fast. He plays hard. I think he sets the tone for us in a lot of ways ‑ to repeat myself ‑ both physically and scoring ability. He's done it all for us this post‑season. Q. In your time with the club, have you noticed any particular changes or improvements in him this year? ROB SCUDERI: Not really. I think he's been the same guy since I got here. Certainly with some playoff experience, you know, maybe you'd have to ask him, but I think that over the past few years he's really taken a more active role in his responsibility of, again, trying to set the tone and trying to set the pace for our team. I think he's done an excellent job. Q. You mentioned Darryl has a way of bringing you back down to reality. Do you recall that happening in these playoffs so far? ROB SCUDERI: Not with language I could quite use right now (smiling). But, yeah, every once in a while, if you have a couple shifts, you start to see the team losing some momentum to the other side, like I said, that's his responsibility, and I think he's done a great job, like I said, just keeping us focused on one thing at a time. He'll let you know. That's a fact. Q. There's been talk about what a busy four days it has and will be for the Staples Center. What does it mean for this city to have all three teams playing? ROB SCUDERI: I think it's great for the city. I mean, especially the Kings and the Lakers have been very successful over their existence. For the Kings, it's been kind of a long drought as far as the post‑season goes, post‑season success. It's fun to see the city rally around it and get into it. It's not something that happens often. Hopefully all three teams can go even farther. Q. Dave Tippett commented about his frustration, the team's frustration, over diving, embellishment of plays whether it be in this series or the playoffs in general. Have you seen more of it in these playoffs or as the post‑season has gone on? Is it an issue? ROB SCUDERI: I think it's kind of a tough question. It's something I'd rather stay away from. It's up to the ref's discretion. In my opinion, I think they've done a good job. Not a shocker, we've had more power plays than they have. I think the refs have called the game. You can't call the score, you have to call the game. I think they've done a good job so far. Q. When you hear an opposing coach say something like that, do you find it hard not to take it as an accusation? ROB SCUDERI: Whoever has more power plays that game is going to be happy, whoever has less is going to think the other team embellished or what have you. We've been on the other end of it at times and felt like we were short‑changed. Apparently in this series, it's the other way around. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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