Ivan Barbashev scored twice, including the game-winner, to secure the 3-1 Game 2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday at Ball Arena. Here's what Head Coach John Tortorella and a few Golden Knights had to say following the Game 2 victory.
Head Coach John Tortorella on the trust in the locker room…
Our guys know what to do. I'm going to tell you that right now. Our room is good, no matter what's going on. We're going to face some stuff in the next game as far as momentum swings coming our way against us. We have a good room. So that's what you rest on. At least that's what I rest on. We trust them. And the biggest thing is they trust themselves.
Tortorella on the team’s performance and progression of the series…
We've got some pretty good goaltending. Let's state that right away. [Carter Hart] has been very good in the first two games here. We faced a lot of pressure tonight, a lot of time in our end zone, blocked some shots. I thought we did a pretty good job in the middle of the ice. A lot of action was going on there, but some of the pucks didn't get to the net. We're just trying to play. There's not a lot of things we're adjusting. We're trying to play our game the way we feel we need to play, and we found a way. We're going to have to be better each and every game. They're going to be better. We're going to have to be better in all areas.
Ivan Barbashev on his game-winning goal and Pavel Dorofeyev’s impact…
I think the whole shift was just back and forth. I think [Pavel Dorofeyev] and [Jack Eichel] just kept putting some pressure on them. We got a turnover, and I think it bounced off Pavel. Jack got it, and he just passed it to me. Pavel's been really good for us. He's a huge part of our team, and he has been getting better every single game.
Barbashev on the Golden Knights capitalizing on their comeback experience…
We just played simple. I think we've been a really good third-period team all season long. We've had a lot of comebacks. We just stuck with that.
Carter Hart on putting your body on the line for the team…
We knew that they were going to try and fire a lot of pucks tonight from all angles, and we got a lot of big blocks there. We set the tone early. There was a huge block early in the game. I think it was [Noah Hanifin], I'm not 100%, but I think just the willingness to block shots and the willingness to sacrifice for the better of the team, it's crucial.
Jack Eichel on the confidence of his line…
The three of us want to take pride in playing a complete game and doing things the right way defensively when we don’t have the puck. It was good to be able to contribute offensively tonight. I thought we had a few chances there in the first game and weren’t able to capitalize. It’s one of those things where you just keep trying to make plays when you have the opportunity, and it was good to see a few go in, but you just try to do the little things right, and those things come.
Eichel on the third-period comeback…
Obviously, we were able to come back. We were able to come from behind, down a goal. I thought we played a patient game. We had some chances early, and credit to their goalie, he made some big saves. We just want to try to defend hard, and when you get an opportunity, capitalize. I thought we did a good job of that.
Eichel on elevating his game in the postseason…
For me personally, I’m just trying to be a complete player. Help our defense when we don't have the puck, do the little things right, compete, and when you have the opportunity to produce and make plays, do that. It's always been a focus of my game, and I think it's something that you really need to hone in on this time of year. We know how hard it is to win, and a lot of that falls on playing hard defensively.
Dylan Coghlan on the importance of blocking shots…
It’s just one of those things you have to do. I think [John Stevens] said it a few times, it hurts more if it goes by you. So just having that mentality and trying to do everything you can. I think it started as a joke, but I don't think anybody takes it as a joke. It's true, if it goes by you and it's in the net, then it's not a great feeling, rather than taking it to a soft spot, and it stinging a little bit. I think we're willing to do whatever.
Noah Hanifin on Eichel’s game and his impact on the team…
Phenomenal. He's such a good 200-foot player, but man, some of the offensive things he can do with the puck, how smart he is, how patient he is. He steps up at big moments, and that's what you need out of your best players. Incredible by him tonight.
Hanifin on coming home with a 2-0 series lead…
It's big, obviously, getting two on the road. But it's far from over, and we know that. It's a long series. They're a great team over there, and we've got to stay even-keeled. We have to come home and really take advantage of home ice and dig in. Game 3 is going to be huge.
