Byron: 'It was a special moment'

TORONTO - The Canadiens practiced at Scotiabank Arena on Friday in preparation for Game 2 of their series against the Maple Leafs.

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Following the on-ice session, defenseman Jeff Petry, forwards Paul Byron and Eric Staal, and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Petry on the veteran experience of Byron and Staal:
Those guys played a key role in Game 1. Moving forward, it's going to come from all different guys. Those two stepped up big for us. I don't think there's any point in the year when Pauly ever doubted himself or felt bad for himself. He was a guy that showed up to work and put in the effort every day. It was good to see that it paid off for him.

Petry on the play of the Canadiens' defensemen in the series-opener:
We had good gaps. I thought we made it difficult for them to come in the zone with possession. When they did have to dump the puck in, we worked as a unit of five to break the puck out. We've got to expect that they're going to come hard on the forecheck and we've got to be ready to do that again.

Byron on his short-handed strategy:
I just try to read the play and react. I cut the play and won the foot race against their defenseman. It's the best time of the year. We all want to play in the playoffs. It's incredible to experience moments like that. It was a special moment.

Byron on the photograph of his game-winning goal:
A lot of people sent me the picture. It was a special moment. It was important for us to win that game. Now, our focus is on the next one. We have to elevate our game a notch. We have to be at our best and control the game. We have confidence in our group. We have a lot of energy and we're confident that we'll be even better in Game 2.

Staal on stepping up in the postseason:
The emotion and the intensity is such a build-up, especially with the time that we had off. You almost have to do things to calm yourself and to try and put yourself in the most relaxed state you can before the puck drops because everyone has that same feeling, that emotion, and you've still got to play the game. You know that level of intensity is going to be there. It's going to be amped up throughout everybody that's on the ice, but you also still have to play the game, make plays and do the right things with the puck. It's about preparing the right way to make sure that you're set and ready. We came out with a purpose in Game 1. That can't change for us. We know it'll be a huge test in Game 2. They're going to be better than they were and we're going to have to raise our game too. It should be fun.

Staal on his impressions of Jesperi Kotkaniemi:
I think what jumps out is his skillset. He plays at a high pace, he's got a great shot and a great release. He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's all the things you want. Sometimes, it takes time for guys to kind of put it all together and to find ways to consistently be successful in terms of creating offensive chances, but those tools are there, no question. You can see that on a day-to-day basis. He's been fun to get to know. He's a good kid. He loves the game and he's passionate about it.

Ducharme on making adjustments to the power play:
It's a question of execution. We had a few chances, but we want to create more. We want to give ourselves options more quickly and execute better. We have to be aggressive and attack the net. We'll work on details with our players. We definitely want to do a better job in Game 2.

Ducharme on what he expects from the Maple Leafs on Saturday night:
We know them. We faced them 10 times during the regular season. I don't think they'll completely change their playing style. They'll try to be better, but that's our goal too. They'll want to create even more things offensively in order to generate more scoring chances. We'll be ready for that.