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Coach Therrien Today
by Paul on 05/17/08 at 03:09 PM ET
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Q. I guess is there any concern about Malkin and Sykora for tomorrow?
COACH THERRIEN: They should be ready for tomorrow. They should be there.
Q. Is it just a sickness?
COACH THERRIEN: A sickness. And we believe at this time of year rest sometimes can be more important than practice, and they should be there tomorrow.
Q. This is déjà vu for you. You’ve been in this situation before. Does it help it’s a similar situation?
COACH THERRIEN: Certainly helps. But, in the meantime, every series is different, but it’s a challenge. Every game is a challenge. Tomorrow’s going to be a different challenge. It’s going to be fun to be part of.
And usually we bring our game, an “A” game for a challenge like tomorrow. And I’m expecting tomorrow we’ll have an “A” game.
Q. How did Gary Roberts feel after practice today?
COACH THERRIEN: He felt pretty good we’ll see tomorrow.
Q. Think he’ll play tomorrow?
COACH THERRIEN: We’ll see tomorrow.
Q. How important is home ice advantage throughout the playoffs for you guys?
COACH THERRIEN: Home ice is huge. And you work really hard through the course of the season to get home ice. We felt comfortable in that building. We like to play in front of our fans. Our fans have been great, and we’ve got their support. And that’s why we’re glad that Game 5 is going to be home. We’re glad that we have home ice advantage, because we’re a tough team to play in our building.
Q. What do your guys have to do to avoid playing the kind of game that Philly likes to play, as they did for a period or so?
COACH THERRIEN: Well, they played really well in the first period. They were desperate. And we had a hard time in that first period to match that desperation. But I believe in the second and third we started to play the way we’re capable of playing, and we’re going to need to bring that to the next game.
We’ve got momentum, especially in the third period. We could have tied the game. We got some great chances. Biron was good, obviously. So we’ll try to bring the momentum that we got especially in the third period to the start of tomorrow’s game.
Q. Timonen and Coburn, if they come back does that have much impact?
COACH THERRIEN: We focus on our team, how we’re supposed to play. Timonen is a good, obviously, he’s a good defenseman for them. But when we played Ottawa we had a similar thing. They got Alfredsson back in the lineup and it brings some energy.
But it’s demanding for players. Especially when you’re missing so long, you lose your game shape. This is playoff hockey and a playoff game. They’re demanding.
But, for us, Timonen is going to have to be ready to play a playoff hockey game. In the meantime, it’s not about them, it’s about us. And we’re going to play, and we’re going to focus on the way we’re supposed to play.
Q. Can you give us perspective of what Jordan Staal was doing? Can you put his performance in perspective?
COACH THERRIEN: Yeah, you know, we deal with adversity in a different way. Obviously, he had the loss of his grandfather. This week he came back and played probably his best game of the playoffs, so that was a good inspiration for him, there’s no doubt.
Q. Hoping for a few more power plays now that you’re back home?
COACH THERRIEN: You know what, I’m a true believer about speed, and we’ve got a team that can skate really well. And tomorrow we’re going to have to use that speed, because I believe speed brings scoring chances. Good speed, you can play a good checking game. When you lose the speed really well, it’s tough to contain.
If we keep using our speed, eventually we’re going to have the power play. We’re going to draw penalties. Obviously, we haven’t gotten a lot of power plays in the last few games, but we’re going to keep using that speed to try to generate the power play.
Q. You said the players are going to go out and have fun with this series. Is this time of the year fun for you or is it more stress?
COACH THERRIEN: It’s fun. We’re fortunate to be part of it. We work hard to be part of it, and they’re fun games to be a part of. We’re having a good time right now.
Q. You guys talked about not falling into their trap and doing what they do. How hard is it not to fall into it, considering guys like Ruutu has two black eyes and stitches. How do you not retaliate or keep from retaliating?
COACH THERRIEN: We believe, eventually, we’re going to get rewarded.
Q. Talk about Malkin is he just being defended well? Is he struggling a bit?
COACH THERRIEN: That line is going to have to play better. You’ve got to give credit to the Flyers. They contain that line really well. I don’t like to focus only on one player.
Like with Malone and Sykora and Malkin, they’re going to have to bring their game to another level tomorrow, and we expect that. They know, they’ve been there in the past. This is going to be a huge game. Everyone’s going to have to be on top of their game.
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