New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI 2 at TBL 0

New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI 2 at TBL 0

Yeah, kind of l unfortunate or like fortunate bounce there uh and then just try to jam it. What can you say about the way that you sort of played especially late in that third period? Yeah, it was kind of a sloppy game a bit. Uh not much either way and we kind of stayed with it, stuck with it and found a way to win and that’s what good teams do. Yeah. Yeah, I think he gave all of us a boost there. It was a pretty hard fought battle and we kind of stuck stuck with it and uh glad we got the win there. You just beat Tampa twice in a week, Colorado. What does it say about this group? Yeah, I think it’s a statement. I mean, I think we’re we’re up there with any of the top teams in the league and uh we show it when we play against the top teams that we’re right in it with them. So, uh I think we’re playing some good hockey right now. We just got to kind of continue to build off of it. Take take us through kind of like that the goal and like at what point do you decide that that’s what you’re doing with? Um yeah, I think uh Tony tried to find me down low like uh let’s tip at the side of the net and uh Lee you got a touch on it, get the back uh back boards and it’s kind of too hard to get your body around and put it in. So let’s try to go try to get get in the net and just jam it. And also beating Colorado, what does that do for the group? Yeah, it’s it’s massive. Um you know, it’s uh it wasn’t our prettiest game tonight, but we found a way to win. Um, and that’s the biggest thing is, uh, you know, you’re not always going to have your a game every single night, but you know, if you can find ways to to pull it out and come together as a group, um, then that’s what you do. And, um, you know, you got to give a shout out to Sroi tonight. If it wasn’t for him, then, uh, I don’t think we’d be sitting here or standing here talking about two points. Uh, he was excellent tonight. He made massive save after massive save and, um, you know, kept us in the game and gave us a chance. On the ice late in that third period, the Lightning reporting it on, you know, came up big. What was the atmosphere like on the ice in in that that tight? Yeah, it’s just you know you you you do what you can. You you know they they forch check hard. They’re they’re deer aggressive and um you know they’re they’re they were relentless out there. So you just got to you know work as a group of five, get pucks out and um you know go from there. And you know I thought our D did a good job on in handling that pressure. They they came hard and um you know it was a it was a group effort. Top of that. I’m really not focused on this. uh maybe after after career let’s see it and I said wow it’s great but uh today I living just in moment and uh try just enjoy the game it’s and not not look at big things what was that feeling when when you saw Casey’s puck slide into the net and you knew the second goal yeah I mean it was 5 seconds left and I know what it’s puck in the middle zone, I know we have a good chance, but when I see his scores, it’s little like can can make a brief. Yeah. Three big wins this week. What were you able to carry through game to game to replicate that success? Uh I think we just do the right things and uh play smart and discipline. Um but today is the day over tomorrow new day and uh we should continue to do right things and play discipline and with calm and so he was outstanding. He was outstanding from the start of the game. He made um you know what I love he looks pretty easy and and that’s great goalending. I mean, nice where, you know, I remember myself. I mean, if I was, you know, everything looked easy. I mean, I knew I was on on on a good game and I think I thought that’s what I was. I mean, I have to admit, I mean, since Sergey has been here, I mean, he’s been playing really well. So, uh, good for us. Seemed like you guys were going to need a grinding type of goal to score there. Just what can you say about that entire play and Ken finding a way to get that? Yeah, I mean I thought that um start throwing more pucks at the net and it was a great play by by Callum. I mean try to hit the the the goalie from behind and and put it in. It was a big goal for us. I mean but um you know what I thought that the key was for us is to be patient and I thought that’s what we did all game and um they’re a good team on the other side so we had to to do u a lot of good things and and uh it was good enough to win the game. What has what exactly has has Sergey been working with with Ilia on that’s helped kind of, you know, unlock his game here? I think you just work on on basic. I mean, things I mean, it’s um I think there’s a lot of trust in the two of them. I mean, it reminds Well, every time I look at them, it reminds the relationship that I had with Franual when I was in Montreal. I mean, um, I think it means a lot for a goalie to have connection with with with your goalie coach, and that’s exactly what’s what’s going on right now for for him. So, I mean, have you seen any kind of technical differences, or is it all just kind of, you know, mental and confidence? I think it’s more general, like I feel like he’s he looks very confident out there and I think it’s a buildup of of going doing some good things and and little things and and a transfer in bigger things. Was there any concern? I know the Lightning were pretty mad about it, but was there any concern that power play was going to get negated by a slash there? I don’t know. I mean, a high stick is a high stick. No, no, no, no. A during during play after the power play started. What do you mean? Uh the the Lightning were complaining that Gensel had gotten slashed at one point. Oh my god. Okay. Sorry, I missed that. And I’m not gonna comment on that. I mean, you know, situation like this, I think we could argue that we could all do that from the start of the We could talk about the slash. We could talk about a cross check. We could talk about tripping. Obviously, when you lose a game, when no one’s happy. So, I mean, you’ve tried to find reasons why you lost. Did you know Richie had the the between the legs move in his in his arsenal? He he’d be able to do something like that? Uh, no. But I was happy it did work with Casey. Just again an empty net goal. Just talk about his warrior mentality. Gets the high stick there and and you know finds a way to still come through. We had a good conversation in New York uh before the Rangers game. Uh Casey and I and I have to say he’s been playing like wow outstanding hockey. He’s he’s got his energy going. I mean he’s he’s making right decisions. I mean he’s um bring that that on that line. and he bring that that experience and and that um calmness and even if he’s an energy guy bring that calmness and then that that I think makes Kyle and and and Gakcom pretty confident out there because of his experience and I I’m I’m very impressed with Case. I mean and I’m I’m happy for him because you always want to see your player performing well and um he’s doing like a great job for us. Obviously, he was off. When you when you say you had a conversation before the R that Ranger game, what what exactly went into that? Can you keep a secret? No. Yes. Right. Me, too. With with Casey, I mean, obviously had other guys playing on the penalty kill. Maybe his minutes weren’t up. Was that something where he had to Casey? Is that something that he had to reearn trust to be out there in the final minutes? No. I mean, it was just sometimes you just want to see guys play their game and sometimes I mean it’s it’s it’s just a matter of time and and I thought that Casey I mean sometimes you just need that conversation and and and I think you helps you to get back to where put your you know your focus at the right place and and and that’s exactly what he did and he deserve a lot of credit for it. Talk about the goalie being the most important penalty killer but how big was the PK tonight? Well, it was huge in the second period. I mean, twice they had they had really good chances. I mean, obviously, I mean, Cerelli had really good, you know, two great a around the net, but Helio was so good tonight. I mean, was moving really well and uh like you just said, I mean, sometimes you need your goalie to pull come out with big saves and and and that’s exactly what we got from him. Other than this, I thought we block shots, we clear, we we did a lot of good

Hear from Patrick Roy, Cal Ritchie, Casey Cizikas, and Ilya Sorokin after tonight’s shutout win vs the Tampa Bay Lightning.