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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: KINGS v DEVILS


June 9, 2012


Peter DeBoer


NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Game Five

THE MODERATOR:  Questions for Coach DeBoer.

Q.  In Game3, they had the edge in hits.  Game4, you guys turned it around, had a big gap.  Is there a relationship there?  What do you expect for tonight?
COACH DeBOER:  I think the discrepancy, you're probably talking 10 hits a night.  Both teams are playing physical.  I don't think that's going to be the determining factor.
Everyone's playing hard out there.  It's a physical series.  There's a lot of puck battles.  There's a lot of fight for territory in the corners, in the front of the net.
I don't think there's a correlation.  I think tonight both teams will come out and be real physical.

Q.  Any lineup changes?
COACH DeBOER:  No, same lineup.

Q.  Can you maybe talk about Zach, when the offense isn't coming for him, what you've seen from him.
COACH DeBOER:  Zach's game is so much more than the stat line.  He's the heartbeat of our team.  He's the identity of our team.  He forechecks, he back‑checks, he kills penalties, plays in all situations.  He really is our barometer.  He's the guy that makes us go, whether he's scoring or not.
Again, I don't measure his game on goals and assists.  He's creating opportunities.  They're eventually going to go in.  He's had these type of situations before.
It's tough out there right now for anybody to score.  But I'm not concerned about his game.  I know it's going to come.

Q.  How important are the first 10 minutes going to be for you guys, maybe score that first goal?
COACH DeBOER:  Yeah, it's important.  The first goal's important.  Again, I don't think there's any secret that we won the last game because for the first time in the series we found a way to get some momentum.  It hasn't been for lack of effort.
I think we've pushed hard enough in first periods of games in this series to grab the lead at different points.  But Quick either has made a big save or they made a good defensive play to keep us off the boards.  That momentum is important, for sure.

Q.  With both Petr and Henrik back in the lineup, have you talked to them about your thought process going into that?
COACH DeBOER:  I don't see that as an issue.  I don't have to talk to those guys.  Between them, they've got decades of experience at the NHL level in the playoffs.  They know their bodies.
I don't buy that the second game is going to be tougher.  You're in the Stanley Cup Finals.  They're ready to go.

Q.  You were saying you didn't think physicality would be the determining factor in the game.  What will be the determining factors in this game?
COACH DeBOER:  I didn't say it wouldn't be.  I just think both teams are going to be physical.  I think, you know, probably what's going to decide this game, like all the games, is execution, who executes, who can finish a play, get a goal, who can score on the power play, who can execute the best all over the ice.
It's not one thing.  You get to this point, you've got two good teams that play good in all three zones.  It's who executes the best.
Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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