Dec. 20: Postgame Interviews

Dec. 20: Postgame Interviews

How much did uh Fox goal at the end of the second period kind of changed things for you guys? >> Yeah, I think uh you know, a lot. Anytime you can score, you know, first minute or last minute of a a period, it really brings some momentum and then um you know, Shanner’s line started that period and and went right in the zone, had a great shift and um we kind of just uh continued that for the rest of the game. >> Yeah. When you look at beating a team like that, you know, two-time cup champs, like what does that uh do for you guys’ confidence? >> Yeah, I mean, you know, they had a tough they had a tough backto-back. They played at seven last night and then six tonight. Um so, you know, the odds are kind of stacked against them, but um you know, you still had to go out. That’s that’s a great team and obviously the best team last couple years in the league. So, um we knew what we had to do and um yeah, even you know, when they came back and tied it. Um you know, we just kept our foot down and and got rewarded. >> What have been your impressions of of Bear Grren so far this three games, I guess? >> Yeah, I mean he he can make a lot of plays. Um you know, he’s got his head up a lot. He he wins battles. He he has the puck and he’s always looking to make a a pass. So, um you know, it’s been really impressive watching him. Um just his confidence level right when he got here, you could tell he wanted the puck on his stick and um you know, whether it’s off the rush or in the zone, he he’s made a lot of great plays. >> How much did uh did Fox go at the end of the second period kind of changed things for you guys? >> Yeah, it was big. Um you know, we didn’t feel that we were playing bad at all in the second period. just a couple things weren’t going our way and they gained momentum and um you know obviously to get a goal with you know basically no time left is pretty big for confidence going into the third. So >> yeah, when when things aren’t going your way in that second when you have the the the goalender call the power plays and what do you look for to try to kind of stem that momentum? >> Yeah, I think you know you want to I think they had a couple power plays so once you you know get a couple kills you try and get back in the ozone and start building your game again. And um you know [snorts] I thought the guys were really uh engaged in the game and really emotional and um you know there was a lot of uh yeah motion I guess on the bench and um you know it only kind of drove us to to perform better I thought um you know once we got a chance to get off the power play some five on five and and start to build our game again >> on your first goal like how are you trying to to tip that puck? >> Yeah, I mean it’s just one of those ones I had position on the guy uh in terms of stick position and um you know Whammy just made a great shot. Those ones are hard to to time up or anything like that or you know you kind of just got to hope it it goes off your stick and into a nice spot. So hope >> whammy because of C4. >> Yeah. Yeah. Uh yeah. Whammy Cam. So we call him whammy. Sorry. [laughter] Exposed him. >> And on on bear you probably were pretty close to it. Did you know that it it was >> I had no clue. No. Like I didn’t I thought it just kind of went straight in and then once he like pushed off the post with his glove I was like no way he saved that. Then I just saw the ref coming over like point and goal. So, um you know, I didn’t really have a great view on it, but Bergie seemed pretty confident it was in and uh when we went by the bench, they were like it’s going to be pretty close, but um you know, they called it a goal, so it was going to be hard to overturn. >> What were you uh most pleased with from your team tonight? >> Just the 60-minute effort. Um how poised we were with pucks, how uh smart we were with pucks, and um how relentless we were on our for check, our reloads, our gaps. you know, we were just connected in all three zones. >> That that poise with the puck. Where do you see that kind of show through in your day? The most >> coming out of the Dzone like we found in the middle of the ice a lot tonight, the most I’ve seen us. And like Robbie Fabry, some people would think it was a bad turnover. Um, but he had time to make a play and it hit like an ankle and it went back in our end and we played real good Dzone. Robbie Fabri got again. He held on to the puck. He found I think Sudter in the middle of the ice and we just went down on threeon two. Like that’s the kind of poise we’re talking about, you know, and I thought our wall battles were really good. You don’t beat Florida without being really good on the wall. >> Just beating a team like that, you know, we talked about them this morning and how their identity is pretty strong. Like what can that do for your group kind of moving forward? Well, I think when you have success against two-time Stanley Cup champion, I think those habits and details that gave you success, you believe in them just so much more. And so that’s the benefit of, you know, having success like we did tonight. >> The goalender and just what did you see on on that play? >> Um, what we saw was two players go into the crease uh not pushed in. Um, and usually last year, um, when that happened and they made contact with the goalie and the puck was shot, um, usually it was determined he couldn’t play his position. Now, the refs did explain to me that, um, they thought he did have time to play his position. And where I guess we both we disagreed on was the stick hit his arm as the puck was shot and that guy was not pushed in. So, you [clears throat] know, we understand it and it’s a it’s one of those things where you’re not going to be 100% especially with goalie interference. >> It’s similar to the Seattle one, I guess, in your mind, like there was contact, but >> the Holloway one, >> the one at the end of the uh Seattle game um that went forced overtime. >> Yeah. Um well that one we thought we were winning for sure. Like this one we thought we were winning it just because of the um unimpeded contact with our goalender. Um but Holloway last year did the exact same thing and it was reversed on us. So and last year that’s all and then he explained to me that it’s not it’s changed a little. >> So that just put more gray area into us. [laughter] >> We need more gray area. Yeah. At the end of the uh the second period, how much did that kind of kind of stem momentum for them? >> Yeah, it stemmed the momentum. Um and sometimes, you know, uh I’ve always believed uh in being spiritual, but the hockey gods is something I really believe in. And I thought we played a really good game and things were going against us and then we got that goal at the end of the third, at the end of the second, the fault goal. And it was almost like we were being rewarded for our patience and our hard work together, you know, and in the third period, I mean, let’s face sacks, they played the night before, but we played a smart third period with the lead. >> Did you know Bergen’s goal was in on on that shot there or what was your view from the bench on it? >> I thought it hit the middle bar. I was wondering I didn’t know it was in his glove. So, no, I didn’t see it. [laughter] >> What did you think of him on the top line? >> I thought he was good offensively. I thought they were dangerous. One of the more dangerous games they’ve had all year.

Robert Thomas, Jake Neighbours and Jim Montgomery speak to the media after a 6-2 win over Florida.