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Post Game with Babcock
by Alanah McGinley on 05/28/08 at 10:32 PM ET
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Transcript from the post-game Q&A with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock after game #3.
Q. You outshot them by a pretty big margin early on. I think it was 9‑1, or 9‑2. How much of a role did that play in tonight’s outcome? Do you think things would have ended differently if you got one early?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I think tonight we got off to a pretty good start on the road. I thought we were under control. Then I thought they had a pretty good push after a timeout, scored a goal. And I thought they controlled the next, I don’t know, 20 minutes of the game.
And then I thought we battled back pretty good. The third goal was a tough one for us to give up, just because it makes it hard to come back. But I thought we had a good push at the end.
The other thing, I didn’t think we used our bench good enough tonight. I thought the specialty teams were early. I don’t know if we used enough guys.
Q. What was your impression of the Penguins’ physical play tonight compared to the first two games?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I thought they were on top of us more. I didn’t think we executed as much coming out of our zone. I didn’t think it was a factor early. I thought it was a factor when we didn’t execute.
Just like most teams, when you get turning pucks over in your own zones, you know they’re going to be more physical because they have more opportunity to be.
Q. Strategically, did the Penguins do anything different tonight than they did in Detroit?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, they won. They got to the puck a little quicker at times. They scored first, which helped them. You know, I didn’t think ‑ I thought Crosby and Hossa were better. More energy and controlled more plays.
Now whether that be the matchup or whatever, I thought they did a pretty good job. You have to give them credit. They found a way to win a game. I don’t feel that we were dominated or anything. But I thought they had some quality scoring chances. Like I said, probably from 15 minutes gone in the first to probably five minutes left in the second, I thought they really had some opportunities.
Q. What would you say was probably the turning point in the game?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I thought ‑ that’s a real good question. You could say the first goal, yet I thought we were in good position there. When they got the third, it made it harder for us, for sure. No question. It was one of those goals where we had the puck. We should have had the puck out. We should have made a play. And we didn’t.
And they had some traffic in the crease, kind of bumped our goalie out and ended up in the back of it.
Q. Can you talk about the play of Zetterberg and Datsyuk and their line specifically tonight compared to what you got from them the first two?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I thought those guys tried to do too much tonight. I thought the coach played them too much, and I thought they tried to do too much. So they stayed on too long.
And we didn’t have the same kind of tempo coming off our bench that we did in the first couple of games.
And it’s always ‑ I like the fact that you’re trying. But you gotta do more by doing less. That’s everybody. Just play the simple game that we play all the time and stay poised and keep going at it.
Q. Can you comment on Chris Osgood’s game tonight?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: It was fine. They bank one off of him from behind the net. Those things happen. I thought they had some good chances, better chances than they had in the first couple of games.
I thought I had no trouble with our goaltending at all.
Q. You mentioned briefly you weren’t happy with the way you used your bench tonight. Can you expand on that?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: What I mean, there was two penalty kills and two power plays early. And we wanted to be 35 seconds a shot. We end up being 50 seconds at a time. You don’t have the same kind of tempo coming off your bench. And in the end, I don’t think you play as good a game.
Now, part of that is sometimes you get caught out. They’re doing a good job on the forecheck and playing in your zone. So those things happen to you. But we didn’t have the kind of tempo, and therefore we didn’t use as many people as we should have early enough in the game.
Q. Tomas Holmstrom, they took a couple of penalties against him tonight. Seems maybe there was a little more physicality towards him, did you notice that as well?
COACH MIKE BABCOCK: I thought Tommy did a good job going to the net. I think they tried to do something each and every game. That front ‑ he drew, I think for certain, two penalties. But our power play has to be better.
Our second unit was really good on the power play. Generated good chances. Our first unit didn’t generate near as much.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins | KK Hockey | Permalink
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