Marleau: 'We let it slip away'

VANCOUVER – After facing his share of criticism in these playoffs, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau finished the Western Conference Final with five goals and two assists in a series that ended in five games.

Marleau was on the ice when Kevin Bieksa netted the winner at 10:18 of the second overtime Tuesday night -- lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory at Rogers Arena -- and spoke with reporters afterwards.

Q: What happened on the game-winner?

Marleau: Someone said it hit one of the stanchions and right to Bieksa, who was looking behind the net thinking it was going to go around the boards. It was a bounce and he got a shot off.
 
Q: What are you feeling? More shock or frustration right now?

Marleau: A little bit of both. I think we had our chances to score earlier and we let it slip away.
 
Q: What does this group have to do to get over the Western Conference Final hump?

Marleau: Win more games. We got to win a few games, got to win the early games. It's a fine line of inches and we got to somehow find those extra inches to get wins.
 
Q: How good was Roberto Luongo tonight?

Marleau: He was good … he made a lot of good saves for them. We had some pretty prime scoring chances, but Roberto stood tall – an inch here or there and we get a break -- but it went the other way tonight.
 
Q: Can you describe the game winner again?

Marleau: I thought the puck was going behind the net and (Logan) Couture was yelling that it was back at the point. I kind of just turned and Bieksa was already shooting it.  Everybody else's head was turned behind the net.
 
Q: Weirdest goal you've ever seen?

Marleau: One of them, yeah. I don't know how it got back cross-ice. The puck was going down the boards on the glass. That's a bounce.
 
Q: Do you consider this a successful season since you were in the final four?

Marleau: I think a successful season for us is winning the Cup. Anything short of that is not good enough.
 
Q: The games were a lot closer than the series would appear. As an outsider looking in, how difficult is it?

Marleau: It is what it is. We didn't win games, they won games, but obviously you want to do better. You want to get those wins. You want to get those bounces. You got to work for those bounces, and it's frustrating to see it slip away like that.