On how he raises his game in the playoffs:
“When the game means a lot more, it’s definitely more fun to play. It brings out the best in a lot of players, sometimes it brings out the worst in guys. Speaking for our team in general, I think these games bring out the best in us.”
On whether it matters if the play the Ducks or Sharks next:
“No, it doesn’t matter, but if the Ducks end up coming out of the first round, it would be a lot of fun to be a part of that series.”
On his goal late in the second period:
“It was a fortunate break, turnover in the neutral zone, Scuderi handed it up to me and I cut to my wing and I heard the bench yell shoot and it’s pretty simple after that and I think just went off I think Polak’s stick.”
On if he’s ever had a goal like that:
“The timing no. I don’t think I’ve ever scored with 0.2 second left or whatever it was. I’ll take it.”
On if the bench helped:
“It’s a big help. Anytime the bench talks, whether it’s heads up for a hit or you got time, chip or things like that, I think there was probably 20 guys and three coaches yelling for me to shoot.”
On how much time he thought he had:
”They’re not going to yell with 10 seconds left. Their timing–someone is looking at the clock at the same time they are looking at me. You got to trust your teammates.”
On if he’s ever hit a buzzer-beater like that before:
“No, that’s as close to a fade-away as I’m gonna come I think.”
On how good it feels to win, given the tough start to the series:
“It’s a huge win. You know, we didn’t play our best hockey, but we got the job done. And that’s what it’s about in the playoffs. You may not feel the best that day, but it’s more will than skill in the playoffs.”
On the team’s ability to view the series on a game-by-game basis:
“Yeah, we try to simplify each game. First five minutes, you know, even first shift. Last five, things like that. You want to set small goals. Win the first five, things like that. Try not to think about the score, or the score in the series.”
On if that mentality comes from the coach or the players:
“Yeah, it come from the coaching staff, but the coach can yell and scream all he wants; the players have to buy-in. And we have a great leadership group inside this locker room, and they lead by example. Whether it’s on the ice, or on the bench helping younger guys. We have a great group of guys here, and we play for each other.”
On when he felt the series turned:
“I don’t think there was ever a turn. I think it was a roller coaster. Constant merry-go-round as far as momentum. We just got it at the right times and held onto it.”
On the Blues doing anything different tonight:
“They played great. They hit some posts. It’s a game of inches, and we got ourselves on the right side of them. And we’re going to have to play a lot better to get through the next round.”
On if the mood in the room was different going into the third period:
“Maybe a bit. We knew the opportunity that we had. Anytime with a minute left in the period, especially after the Blues played so well, and probably dominated us for the most part, we knew that it could be a back-breaker. So we wanted to make sure that we could stifle any offense they had going into the third. And make sure we put pucks in good places. We didn’t do a good enough job with that, but we got away with it.”
On Quick not getting down on himself after the Game 1 gaffe:
“He did the same thing in the Phoenix series. When Derek Morris scored from the center-line. That’s what I was talking about with our coaching staff, to our leaders, to even Quicky. We have that belief inside this room. I think I read a quote from Ben Hogan. He built up a wall behind each shot. So you know, you start fresh on the next face-off. You can’t do anything about the past. You just go out and play the next shift, and try to do better. Simple. There’s no secret to success. It’s just hard work, compete, will.”
On if he knew how much time was left on his shot:
“No, I didn’t.”
On if he heard the crowd yell:
“No, I heard my team yell. I was coming right by the bench. You’re late to the pile here, right? (There’s other guys to talk to too.) You’re very important to come in here, and ask questions that have already been asked, right? (laughter) The bench was yelling shoot. So I knew there wasn’t a lot of time. I don’t think they were playing tricks on me.”
On if he ripped the shot:
“Oh, I put everything into it. 242.5 pounds. It may have deflected off a shaft. (It did.) No, it may have. And it was going pretty hard.”
On some guys maybe throwing it in the corner:
“Why would you throw it in the corner if you have a chance to shoot on net? You may as well, you never know what happens.”
On Derek Fisher hitting a similar shot in basketball and t-shirts coming out of it:
“Yeah, I actually watched that game, but I think it was awhile back. He’s done it a lot more than I have, and he’s a well-respected player in LA. At least in my book, in basketball. In the playoffs he was able to elevate his game.”
On how much chirping was going on in the series:
“There was a lot more in the first two games. But, that’s what playoff hockey’s about. You get a big hit, you’re jacked up. You let the guy know that you hit him hard. It was a lot of competitive and fun banter, but you try not to let that get in the way of what you’re setting out to do.”
On how it feels to send the Blues home:
“It’s always great to win a series. We didn’t play our best, but it’s nice to get this vote of confidence by clinching or beating St. Louis in the series and moving on to the next. We got a lot of work to do, but it definitely builds momentum for our team.”
On the key to a good playoff beard:
“Nurturing.”
On who has the worst beard:
“Just for a lack of surface area, I’d probably say Toffoli. We’re just more concerned with him growing as a player. He played a great two games when he came in here. He wasn’t just chipping it off the boards, but when he had to chip it, he made strong plays, and then he made great plays with the puck. He’s only going to get better, and everybody on the team has to get better.”
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