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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: DEVILS v RANGERS


May 20, 2012


Brad Richards


NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Practice Day

BRAD RICHARDS:  It's better.  Just reacting to that.

Q.  Just talk about how he plays and I guess how that makes you guys feel when he says something like that.
BRAD RICHARDS:  Yeah, I mean, we know Prustsy is an honest player.  Hockey sometimes (indiscernible) but you're definitely not going out there trying to headhunt.  Never done it in however many games he's played, and he plays the game the right way.
So I don't know, it's not really a big issue in the room of that.  Like I said, I think if you look at the whole game, there's more than that instance, so...

Q.  Do you feel like the thoughts and emotions you just expressed needed to be said if not by him just by the team?
BRAD RICHARDS:  I didn't see everything he just said.  I wasn't in it.  But I have an idea what was said.  But I didn't see it.

Q.  One of the things he said is you guys are told when you get hit, get up, don't stay on the ice.
BRAD RICHARDS:  I don't know if anybody's not told that.  I mean, most hockey players‑‑ mostdon't dive.  I don't know.  I can't speak for any other team.  But most teams any team I've played on, most guys don't lay on the ice, most guys when they get hit.

Q.  In the locker room in the years past if guys dived it comes up in the locker room, guys say don't be doing that.  Or is it sort of everything goes in the Playoffs?
BRAD RICHARDS:  You see it sometimes.  If it becomes a big issue, I'm sure it gets weeded out or talked about.  But I think it's reading into it too much right now.  I don't believe hockey players have that intent of doing that.
But there is always exceptions.  There's guys that have reputations of diving in the league.  That's for sure.  But for the most part we like to keep the integrity of the game.

Q.  Feel like it's just one more thing?  You guys have rolled with a lot of different things as far as the NHL goes and the Playoffs and things like that, it's just one more‑ possibility if Prust gets suspended, just one more thing to put aside and focus on‑
BRAD RICHARDS:  We can't do anything about it.  Like I said, we feel there was worse things on the ice last night, if you want to go with head shots.  It's obvious.  You can look at them.  See them.
But either way we have to play a game tomorrow night.  And no matter what goes on around us or outside of the team in the game, we're getting ready for that.  Prustsy is not with us tomorrow or if he is, it's the same mindset for everybody else in here.

Q.  Another thing that was brought up was a legal hit in terms of freeing up Kovalchuk on the power play.  Is that something that you noticed?  Is that something that you guys have had to adjust to?
BRAD RICHARDS:  We're trying not to get picked, obviously.  That's how they score a goal in the second game.
But sometimes you get picked.  We're trying to let the refs know and have them look at it.
But, again, that's out of our control.

Q.  Have they been receptive...
BRAD RICHARDS:  They're trying to look at a lot of different things.  I'm sure every team's bringing something up to them to try to push it in their favor.
So you just try to remind them it looks like a set play.  And whether they call it or not, that's out of our control.

Q.  Kind of common theme, Game 4s in the first and second round.  Anything you feel needs to be improved or corrected going into this Game 4?
BRAD RICHARDS:  I mean, we gotta realize where we're at and the opportunity we have to take a 3‑1 series lead.  Got away with kind of that roller coaster ride we've been on.  But we gotta‑ hopefully the third time we realize‑ I don't know if we'll win, but at least come out with a really good effort, give ourselves the best chance to win.
We know we can't play, continue to play like we did in the first period or have another first period like that.  You're playing with fire.  So we'll be focused on getting a good start and giving ourselves a best chance.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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