Flyers Center Claude Giroux
Q: Were the guys pretty quiet this morning?
“Well I mean you got to turn the page. If you lose 1-0 in overtime or 7-3, I think in playoffs that’s what’s so great about it, you just got to turn the page and get ready for next game.”
Q: Ed Snider was here this morning; did he say anything to you?
“No not yet. I saw him walk around when we had meetings, so we didn’t have time to talk to him.”
Q: When you see him walk around, does that grab your attention? He is one guy who definitely cares about his team.
“Well he cares for sure. He is always around, always after games comes into the room and shakes guys’ hands. He is always happy. I think he believes in us for sure.”
Q: Do you take that responsibility a little heavier when there’s an owner that’s hands on like that?
“Well anytime you see someone important like that, that cares so much, it obviously helps your motivation and want to play for a guy like that.”
Flyers Defenseman Sean O’Donnell
Q: How would you describe the mood of the team this morning?
“We are upbeat. We are optimistic. I think to have success you need to have a short memory in this game, whether it’s a good game or a bad game. I think guys were more dejected and bummed out after the game. But you get a chance, you go home and you sleep on it. You wake up the next morning and there is nothing you can do about it. You got to get ready for Monday’s game. I think the guys are ready to come and atone for yesterday afternoon and hopefully tie this thing up 1-1.”
Q: Is it easier to bounce back after the team is embarrassed and not much is needed to be said?
“I think you are dead on there. It’s funny, the first game against Buffalo we lost 1-0. The guys were optimistic because we felt like we had outplayed them and the chances were heavy in our favor. We just ran into a hot goalie and we lost. We said we don’t have to change a whole lot. We can just keep doing what we are doing. We couldn’t say that after game 1 against Boston. We also feel optimistic because it was very uncharacteristic. We were very sloppy in our end. I thought Boston played a good game. We had made a lot of mistakes, blown coverage and things that were very uncharacteristic of us. We feel like that can be fixed so we are ready for tomorrow.”
Q: Do you worry about the team’s effort at this time of year?
“Like I said, it’s one at a time. Yeah I don’t think that was acceptable, our effort last night and our execution. But that game is done. Whether it was a double overtime loss, a shutout, or 9-8, we didn’t win the game. We have to put that one behind us and move on to game 2. I think one of the strengths of the team is when we have had an effort like that we usually bounce back and respond. I think this team will do the same thing tomorrow night.”
Q: Did you get a strong indication from yesterday about the physicality of this series?
“I don’t think it was an overly physical game yesterday. People finished their checks. It’s only been one game, but I thought there was a little more chippyness and chirping and that kind of stuff and big hits in the Buffalo one. But it has only been one game. It also takes a lot away when it is 5-1 halfway through the game. It kind of takes some of the steam and momentum out of both teams. They kind of play a little differently. I don’t think we got a chance to really hate one another yet. I expect it to be a physical series as we move on.”
Q: Some players called last night an eye opener, did you get the feeling that some players were shocked from last night?
“Yeah I think after the game the guys were kind of like ‘what just happened?’ We didn’t play the way we wanted to. We had a lot of blown coverages. But I think other than the tip-in goal off the faceoff, the first 5 that [Boucher] was on for, were all rebound goals. They got inside of us and we didn’t have good coverage. I think that’s what is pretty uncharacteristic of our team. There are a proud bunch of guys in here so we are ready to respond.”
Q: David Krejci said last night that a lot of the Flyers mentioned his injury last year and that kind of motivated him. Are there times when it’s just better to let a sleeping dog lie?
“You get certain players. I think anyone who has gotten to this level has a sense of pride. I wasn’t here and can’t comment on what happened last year. But I read about how he supposedly struggled in the first round and he certainly made up for that last night. I don’t really buy that kind of stuff about be careful what you say, don’t wake a guy up, you don’t want to do this because most guys at this level, if it takes another team to say something to you or whatever. I think most guys motivate themselves and not have someone kind of stir them to wake them up. We didn’t execute last night and they did. We need to make sure we get it back.”
Flyers Center Danny Briere
Q: You said last night that game had to open some eyes, do you get that feel this morning?
“Yeah it wasn’t a lot of fun. We realized how bad we played and how made mistakes we made, how many brain cramps we had yesterday. There are a lot of things we needed to rectify.”
Q: Is it easier to bounce back from a game where everyone knows what went wrong compared to a 1-0 game where you thought you played well?
“Sometimes we talk about an eye opener. Sometimes it makes you realize the effort need to be at its highest. You can’t afford to take it easy and hope that somehow you will still be in the game. What I am hoping is that everybody had their worst game at the same time and that we can move on and start playing better. We can’t just go in to the next game hoping to win, like we did yesterday, we have to believe that we can win.”
Q: Is it a concern that effort is a question at this point of the year?
“I don’t think it was really effort. I think it was brain cramps. There is a difference between effort and making the wrong decisions. I think those are the few things we need to rectify, the few mistakes that we usually don’t let happen.”
Q: Was that a product of the Bruins doing some things you didn’t expect?
“Not at all. We knew. We were well prepared in that department. We just didn’t execute. That’s why we got into so much trouble. We know they have a big team and are going to be physical. Sometimes even against smaller team we never made those mistakes that we made last night. Sometimes it good to watch tape and realize how many bad things you did, which we did this morning.”
Q: The high stick by Chara wasn’t called. What happened there?
“I don’t think it was intentional. He was battling with someone else in front of the net. But the thing with him is that every time he battles he always has his stick is always in the air. At the size he has, I don’t think he needs to do that. You are supposed to be in control of your stick. But it happened, like I said it wasn’t intentional on his part.”
Q: Did it get you on low or high in your head?
“On the side. It was on [the right] side of the head.”
Q: Do it reach a point where you say how many times can we reach into the well and battle back?
“Not at all. I think we seem to play better when we are under pressure and forced to find some desperation for some reason. I wish we wouldn’t have to go there all the time, but for some reason this team seems to play better in those situations.”
Q: When does that kick in? Does it start tomorrow night?
“I hope it does. Two home games like that, you don’t want to waste both of them. We have to use that energy from our building to our advantage more.”
Q: Is it something to see Ed Snider walking around practice?
“It’s pretty cool. That’s why he is considered one of the best owners in any team sport. He is very passionate. He loves his team, loves his players. It’s pretty cool to see him.”
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