Dan Bylsma Post-Game
On missed chances on the PP
I don’t think we had much zone time. It was more off the rush and within the first five, ten seconds of zone time we shot the puck and got it cleared, so we didn’t have the opportunity in-zone like I think we wanted to and needed to to have success. That was a factor, I think, in all three of the power plays.
On how Pens can keep a loss like this from lingering
We got a game on Friday. It’s one game. They did a lot of what they’ve done all season, or at least what they’ve shown they can do, which is keep coming and come back from deficits and they did that. They came back from down three and got a big goal there from Briere to get ‘em back and they kept chipping away and scored a big power play goal, which is what they’ve done [all year]. They’re a good team and they don’t stop. And the second half of the game we probably didn’t get to our game and where we needed to play, and they got back in it and pushed it to overtime.
On why the Penguins couldn’t sustain first period success
I’m not so sure [the success early] can’t be sustained, it can be. I think it’s more a matter of the real conscious decision, through execution and puck management, that allows you to play at that speed and [dictate] where the game’s played, and we were very effective at that in the first. We didn’t continue on that and it’s not a matter of sitting back as it is the other two elements, and they’re also a good team. They’re not going to just let us come at them. We have to be better, again, with that execution and puck management, so we can play at that pace and we can get on to the areas of the game where we can be effective.
On how a veteran team lacked the discipline to protect a three-goal lead
It certainly isn’t understanding of how we need to play with that three-goal lead in that situation we were in [that the team lacked]. I don’t anticipate every game being this same way, with jumping out to three goals and getting that lead, but I think that overtime’s real evidence of how they played. Every puck was in deep and they went on the forecheck and it wasn’t perfect every time, but they had repeated pressure in just a short amount of time, and that’s something we have to continue [to do] regardless of the score or situation, up three or tied going into overtime.
On if there might be a safer way to protect a lead than Pens’ typical style
I think playing our game would be safer. They’re very good off the rush, they’re very good at transition offense and any opportunity to do that leads back to them being able to showcase where they’re good at, and that’s a game we have to stay out of regardless of the score. The last two periods of hockey was too much of that. Too much back-and-forth and not really managing the puck in the neutral zone the way we need to [manage it to] play our game. I thought the way we played in the first was pretty safe and that’s the way we need to continue on no matter what the score or situation is. Going into a situation like the overtime, we allowed them to play on the aggressive side of the game and on the forecheck and as a result in the offensive zone.
On if Briere’s goal which was later showed to be well offside was frustrating
In the course of a game, for the linesmen, there are a lot of scenarios that are close to being calls either way. I think the linesman is going to wish it was a little closer than it was when he sees it again, but that’s not why we lost the game.
Audio courtesy of Jason Seidling and Pittsburgh Penguins, used with permission.
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