Off-Day May 29 Quotes: Lidstrom and Zetterberg

Q.  Are you more frustrated than anything else?  You played a pretty good home game to come away empty handed.  You must still feel confident considering how you played last night?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  I thought we had a pretty solid games.  I thought we had turnovers that they capitalized on.  Against a skilled team, offensive team like that, you have to cut down on your turnovers.  I thought we were guilty of that.  I thought we did a good job in our own end, too.  We knew they were going to come after us and put more pressure on us.
   
I think in the first period we played well.  We had some quick passes, but overall, I think we can do a better job in our own end, too.

Q.  Nick, you guys were up 2 0 in Nashville in the series and 3 0 in the Dallas series.  What experience can you bring into this one?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  You have to win four games.  It's not over after you're up 2 0 or 2 1, even.  You have to have that mentality that you have to stick with it for four wins.  And whether it's, if you win four straight or if you have to find ways to come back after a loss, that's something we can learn from the first series that you mentioned.
   
It's not going to be easy.  They're a very good team over there.  And we know that, too, coming in.

Q.  Nick, sometimes do you just have to shrug it off and say:  You know, that 87 guy, he's not too bad.  And that was his night?

NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  We know he was a good player.  He's proven that for the short time he's been in the League.  And we know that, too.  And we have to continue to stay close to him and take his time and space away.  And we're together as a group of five on the ice.  If we're too spread out, they can come with speed and they can find the lanes and use their skill to their advantage.
   
We would have had to have continued to play tight against them.

   
Q.  Nick, did you get the feeling that in that third period you guys were really coming on strong and you just ran out of time, and maybe if it was a few minutes longer, you would have caught them and tied it up?  If so, can you carry the momentum in the next game or does it all start over?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  We're trying to take the good things we did with us to the next game.  I thought we finished the game strong.  We had some chances to tie the game up, as well.  That's something you want to build on.  You want to carry it into Game 4 and take the good things with you.  And I think that's one of the things we can take with us that third period where we played real hard.

Q.  Henrik, Mike said last night he thought he used you and Pavel too much, maybe the shift length got longer than he would like.  How do you think you've played in the first three games, how would you assess your play?
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  I think last night, yeah, the shifts were a little too long.  And that's what happens when you want to do too much.  And it's easy to stay out a little bit longer.  And you get tired.

Q.  Can you talk about the way that your head coach kind of dictates the mood of the team at times.  He came in here with the media, joking, good mood, talking about getting away from hockey.  How is he controlling the mood of the team, and how does that influence you guys in a pressure situation?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  I think he's real good at knowing when to be a little looser on the group, knowing when to push us a little bit more at other times.  I think he's got a good feel of the group that he has, when to say   come out with those things, and when you have to not let the guard down and come after us a little bit.
   
So he's been with us for three years.  I think it's been a learning process for him, too, to get to know the players.  And I think he knows us real well as a group, and he knows when he can push us a little bit more.
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  I think he said it pretty good.  He's been with the team for a while now.  And we had the core guys who have been here for a long time too.  So he knows us pretty good, when he needs to push us, and when he needs to take it easy and have a little fun.

Q.  Nick, behind the bench, compare Babcock compared to playing for Scotty Bowman, what's the difference?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  (Laughter).  They're similar in the way Scotty could be real intense, too, behind the bench and really stay on us.  And other times he would kind of leave the team alone.  And I see the same things with Babs too.  I think Babs is more hands on, where he's involved in a lot more decisions than maybe Scotty was.  I think Scotty used Barry Smith and Dave Lewis a little more because they had some experience, too.
   
So I think their coaching style is very similar, too, where they want to be the intense, don't let the group be too loose at times, and at other times, you have to get on them a little bit.  And knowing who to push and who to leave alone a little bit.  So I think they both had that, how to react to different people, where some you have to stay on and push a little bit.  Others you're going to have to encourage a little bit.  So I see a lot of similarities in that.

Q.  Perhaps both could address this.  One of the bright spots certainly for you guys last night was seeing the way Franzen played, when a guy comes back from injury, you never know how long it's going to take to get the rust off.  But looks like he hasn't missed a beat?
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  You know, I think he missed six or seven games.  And, of course, it takes a while to get back.  And I think the first game he played real good, too, and he was skating well.  And last night he scored a huge goal for us and it's great to see him back on the scoring sheet.  He's been tremendous for us the whole playoffs.

Q.  Nick, I know your group isn't concerned about how you'll bounce back, but I'm just wondering, even their coaches acknowledge how young they are and experienced.  Do you think last night you missed an opportunity to make this easier than it could have been. You had them almost out in the first period, and 3 0 would have been insurmountable?

NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  It would have been a lot better position for us.  But you know, we've seen situations like this before where you want to get that third win, you want to get a good push.  For whatever reason, the other team comes out and plays real well.
   
And I think we had a pretty good game, too, but they ended up on top.  So for us, we know that we've got to get back to playing the way we can and put this game behind us and take the good things with us.
   
But it's got to be tough.  They're playing real well, too.  So you have to stick with the game plan that we have.

Q.  What can the first power play unit do better?
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  We can be a little more desperate.  I think shooting more shots.  And I think last night we were a little bit too cute.  We couldn't get a puck to the net and be there for the second chances and for the rebounds.
   
So it's something that we have to really do better.  It's a big part of the game.  And we know we're going to get some power play chances on Saturday.

Q.  Henrik, are you aware, do you have like an internal clock that tells you when 35 seconds is up, and are you aware when you're going too long or is anybody yelling at you to get off the ice?
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  You feel it in your legs.  But sometimes if you've been on there for 30 seconds and you have a chance to go out for another rush, it's tough to go to the bench.  Sometimes you want to create some more offense.  And sometimes you get caught out there, and you will pay for it in the end.

Q.  The Penguins haven't lost at home since back in February.  What is it about this building that gives them the energy they need?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  They seem to be playing real well at home.  I think they feed off the fans here.  I think last night they came out with lots of energy, and I think the fans really help them with that.  I think they feel confident playing here at home.
   
So as a road team coming in here you have to play real well in your own end, and you have to make them play defense, too.  I thought at times we were able to do that in that third period, but we have to stick with it even longer.

Q.  What about the fact that they seemed a lot more relaxed once they got the lead in the game, which they hadn't had earlier in the series?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  I think the team that gets the first goal, it feels more confident, and the team that's behind are pressing a little bit more.  I think we've seen that in this series and previous series, too.  And that's one of the things that we've talked about that, stick to our game plan.  Even if we're down a goal or two, we have to continue to play with patience.  But you can't be pressing all over the ice and be vulnerable in the back end against a team like this.
   
So I think it's very important to just keep your patience to wait for those chances that you're going to get.

Q.  Nick, can you talk a little bit about what it's been like to be team captain?  Do you approach the game any differently?  Do you deal with players any differently than you did before?
   
NICKLAS LIDSTROM:  I think I'm more vocal, especially, in the room, maybe than I was in the past as assistant captain.  I try to talk to some of the younger players a little bit more.  Encourage them and try to help them out a little bit.  The same thing on the back end, too, with my defensive partners that you want to be a little bit more vocal and try and help them out.
   
And I do have lots of great help from the veteran players that we have on our team.  Chris Chelios has been a captain before.  Dallas Drake has been a captain.  Draper has been around for a long time.  And Maltby.  It helps my job to have experienced players around me.

Q.  When you guys went through this before in Nashville and Dallas and had an off day, what was the best way for you guys to kind of get away and relax and just not really dwell too much on the game or the situation and just make sure that the process was always moving forward?
   
HENRIK ZETTERBERG:  Well, I think we have an extra day here now.  And today we just will relax and try to think about something else than hockey.  And tomorrow we will come back here and we will have a good skate and go over our game plan again and get focused, ready to go for Saturday.