Posted on by IPM Editor
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GAME 7 POST GAME PRESSER
25
Apr

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GAME 7 POST GAME PRESSER

HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK 

On if it was up to the players to close out the third period:

I think you’re all part of it when it goes good and you’re all part of it when it doesn’t go good. The bottom line, to me, is you own it all as the head coach, you own it all as the players. That’s just the way the game is. The best way to fix things is to take total responsibility yourself. Any way you look at it, we came into the third period in a great spot. If you go through the last 10 minutes of the second, we played really well, we controlled it, we were in good spots. There was no reason for us not to continue through the third. In the end though, they pushed, they shot the puck and it went in the net. You have to give them credit for that. Here you are, for them and us, it’s all right there, there’s one period to go and, I mean, I don’t think anybody in Toronto or anybody on our team would have complained about me telling you that we were right here. Even when we got down one in the third, I don’t know how many minutes were left, but lots of minutes. We were still in a great situation. Once they got the next one, we weren’t. Mentally, we weren’t at all.

On if the players can look back and see growth that occurred over the season and series:

I guess what I would say to you is they may be able to look back in a couple of days. Right now, and I’m cognizant of this when I’m talking to you now, right now you can’t say anything. You’re emotional. So, keep your mouth shut for a day or two and look at the whole picture and be able to comment on that versus — you know, at the start of the series if you told me we were playing Boston and it would be like this and we’d be right here going into the third period, I would have taken that all day long.

On if Gardiner made the right play on Boston’s fifth goal:

I don’t know. I already kind of answered your question there, I’m not really commenting on anything. I didn’t go in like I normally do and go through the replays or that. We’re done. So, we’ll have lots of time to look at those goals and get that figured out. The bottom line is we went out for the third period and they scored and we didn’t. Once they scored, they tilted the rink and I don’t even know how many looks we had if we had any.

On what Matthews will take from the series:

I think that’s a good question for him in a couple of days. The bottom line is the League is a real good league and when you’re a real good player, you play against the best players who check you the hardest. They’ve got the scouting report on you, they work hard. That’s just the way it is. Part of your growth process is learning to fight through that. If I’m not mistaken I think — Pavel [Datsyuk] was one of the best players I’ve ever coached, a two-way guy — I think he went four years without scoring a playoff goal. I could be wrong, but it’s hard. It’s real. These other teams are competing and they want to win too. I don’t think Bergeron and Marchand and Chara and these guys — they’re dialed in to play against you and, so, you’ve got to find a way to get to the next level. Some of these hard knocks are a growth opportunity for you in life because you’ve got to embrace it. You’ve got to dig in and you’ve got to grow your craft in the offseason.


RON HAINSEY (24:19 TOI)

On why the team couldn’t hold the lead in the third period:

A couple of different reasons but the bottom line is we gave up six before the goalie got pulled. That’s a lot. That means you’ve got to score seven and that’s a tough chore even though it seemed like it was certainly possible in the first half. We just couldn’t hold the leads. We had three of them and couldn’t hold them, especially there in the third. They had two 4-on-4 goals, which was – I don’t know, one was a point shot so it’s not really pertinent but the other one he got some space and some offence took place there. Certainly, we weren’t good enough holding the lead, we lost three of them.

On if it’s more disappointing to lose with the lead after coming back in the series:

It hadn’t crossed my mind. Leading going into the third from where we came from is disappointing to lose. We had an opportunity in front of us in the third to win with the lead and we didn’t do it. Pretty cut and dry, especially coming back like we did.

NAZEM KADRI (4 SHOTS)

On tonight’s game:

It sucks, but we’ve got to take the positives out of it. Obviously, we would have loved to advance but, you know, I think for the future we’re going to be a team to be reckoned with. We’ll be back in this situation.

On how much the team grew over the course of the series:

A lot. Our backs were against the wall for a few games and we responded well. To win three straight playoff games in a row and two out of three on the road is obviously a tough task. We gave it our best shot.

On the key lesson learned in the series:

To just keep applying that pressure. It’s just a maturity thing and hockey is a game of momentum swings. You’ve got to be able to withstand them, especially on the road. Everything is not going to be pretty but they were able to get to more pucks than us and put them on the net.

PATRICK MARLEAU (2 GOALS)

On if the team was in a good position through two periods:

Yeah, I think so. I think it turned out that mistakes we did make they capitalized on in the third. They came back there, stormed back there and got the lead. They hung on.

On what allowed Boston to come back:

Some mistakes. I’m going to have to look at some video, but obviously mistakes we shouldn’t have been making at this time. We did and they capitalized.

AUSTON MATTHEWS (8 SHOT ATTEMPTS)

On how Boston got back into the game:

I think they just made a big push, they got that big goal there on that 4-on-4 and they got the whole atmosphere going, got momentum and they were able to capitalize on a couple of other chances.

On being disappointed to end the series with one goal:

Absolutely. The first half of the series I probably wasn’t good enough and the next half I had chances. I thought I did things right for the most part and just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities. Sometimes that happens, it’s the way it goes. It’s frustrating, for sure. You always want to contribute on the scoresheet like that. It’s frustrating.

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IPM Editor