December 10 postgame quotes: Ottawa

Guy Boucher, on whether there was one particular turning point in the game:
Well obviously we put ourselves in a hole right off the bat, but we’ve had success coming with the guys showing character and we were doing it. I think the biggest deflator was the end of the second period there. I think we dominated the second period, we were all over them and we played great. The guys believed we could come back, we know that we’re really good at 1-goal games so we just needed to keep it at 1 and that goal we were first on puck in that zone and that should not happen. We have to be better in the last few seconds and if that doesn’t happen then you know 1 goal behind and we’re digging and we’re looking good so I think that was a big deflator.

Boucher, on Stone’s powerplay shot that missed an empty net:
Yeah, I mean that hurts because it becomes 3-2 and we’ve got plenty of time to come back so I think those moments where you could get the wind in your sails, you know couldn’t get it but we put ourselves in a deep hole right off the bat so it obviously becomes a difficult job to come back. But the effort was there and our guys battled hard. We only gave them 19 shots in their barn so we did something right. But again though we were passing up shooting opportunities and that’s starting to be something that concerns me and we have to stop that.

Boucher, on what he’s looking for from his team during a back-to-back:
Well obviously we had energy today, I mean you could see it. We had a lot of drive, lot of energy. We had for the first time in a month two days in between games so they gave us that but tomorrow it’s a back-to-back and we’ll see who’s going to be in the lineup and we’ll study them. But we haven’t looked at them at all because it was all about today. We have to find away, it’s another good team. It’s a team that has experience, that’s done well, so we knew this was going to be a difficult trip so we’ve got to make the best of it.

Boucher, on Chris Neil playing his 1,000th game in the NHL:
Yeah, you know we wish for him that it was a better ending. I think everybody is pulling for him in there, I think he played a really good game, he got involved. I mean he continued to do the job that he’s done for so many years and I thought he played well with the puck. He gave us momentum so besides the fact that we lost I thought his game was really good and he can give good memories at least of that. And it was classy from the organization here also too acknowledge his 1,000 games so all in all I think there is some positives for him to draw from this game. We certainly are very happy to have him in our ranks and have him celebrate 1,000 games which very few guys are able to celebrate.

Boucher, on whether he had any concerns about the clock starting late in the second period:
Nope. I’ll be honest with you, at that point for us we’ve just got to shut it down. We keep it at 1, it wasn’t about getting a goal there it was about getting off the ice. We had done the job in the second period, we had looked very good, we had the momentum, we needed to get into the third period with a one-goal lead. We’ve done it so many times this year coming back so I was confident we could come back, so no. I’m not looking at clocks, I’m not looking at penalties, I’m looking at ourselves just doing better. On the powerplay we missed some opportunities to shoot, we missed some open nets, and on the penalty kill we’re usually better than that and we can’t give that goal in the last seconds of the second period. So I’d rather look at what we can control than hope that the luck turns our way.

Chris Neil, on getting his 1,000th game “under his belt” despite the loss:
Yeah obviously it would’ve been nicer to get the two points but I thought after the five minute penalty and they get two powerplay goals that set us behind, but I thought we did a good job responding. Our second period we had them hemmed in their end for long parts of the period but we came back, we were resilient and kept fighting and then even though we left that period down 3-1, I thought we still battled hard and they were able to pot the fourth one which put the nail in the coffin, which hurt us. But I think for us, for me, the teammates are here with me and they support me 100% and I think they were just as excited for this game as I was. That’s how close we are in here and that means a lot to me.

Neil, on whether there were any nerves pre-game:
I was saying to Phil Varone, he said ‘Are you nervous?’, I go ‘It feels like my first NHL game again’. But once I got out there and going, I thought they were going to make me do the lap by myself but I was kind of looking and Condo kept coming so it was exciting. It really was. To be able to be around as long as I have and play as long as I have and still be able to go out and work hard and do my thing, it’s a privilege and an honor, it really is. And hopefully it sets a good example for these young guys as something to strive for and you look around the room a lot of these guys can get 1,000 games too.

Neil, on whether his fight “epitomized what he’s done for 1,000 games”:
Well you see Nolan, it wasn’t a dirty hit or anything on Bob but he goes after one of our skill guys I’ve got to go out and let him know. That’s what I’ve been trying to do my whole career is stick up for my teammates and pay attention to details and it just happened that I was up next to go. So I just went over and let him know and he was a willing participant and I think he’s a tough kid and I think it’s one of those things where I thanked him after. It’s part of the game and it’s an exciting part of the game, even Boro answers the bell after that hit. I think that gets both benches fired up. It was an intense hockey game, they’re a physical team as well and so are we so I think we knew we were going to be trading a lot of paint tonight.

Neil, on his slashing penalty that was rescinded:
… I got talking on the one penalty I had and I was like the guy slashed me and broke his stick so the other linesman saw it too so they were able to rescind it and… [Reporter: Not very often that happens to you.] No that doesn’t happen very often so I was happy about that one.

Mark Borowiecki, on the hit that led to him taking a major penalty:
I mean, it’s a penalty for sure. I feel bad about putting pressure on the team but if you’re a player that plays on the edge sometimes you’re going to go over it. You know we’re never looking to hurt people but sometimes you play hard and you get a little over-excited and that was the case.

Borowiecki, on whether he had any time to react during the hit on Toffoli:
Yeah I mean it happens so quick. Never mean to hurt anyone, never mean to put anyone in a bad spot. You guys know I play the game hard and it’s like I said, anyone who plays my brand of hockey is going to get a couple of those every season. I feel bad about putting my team behind the 8-ball there and I was hoping they could pull it out for me ‘cause I definitely felt bad for that one and I’ll take ownership of that.

Borowiecki, on whether it was good to see Toffoli come back into the game:
Yep, for sure. I had a feeling it probably wasn’t too serious. I felt pretty bad when it happened but he seemed to get off under his own steam there and came back.

Borowiecki, on whether the Senators had their “fair share of bad breaks”:
Yeah a couple of tough hops. Those first two, that’s the way she goes sometimes. That’s the NHL. It all comes out in the wash eventually, I’m sure we’ll get some our way down the road here but it’s one of those ones where I think we’re pretty fortunate we had a good chance to kind of come back and we gave ourselves [inaudible].

Borowiecki, on whether Chris Neil’s 1,000th game was a “typical Chris Neil game”:
Yeah I said not too many people get a fight in their 1,000th game. I’ve always looked up to him ever since I was, I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear this, but ever since I was a kid watching him play in Ottawa. It’s pretty special to be able to be a part of it. His wife was here, it’s just such a cool thing to see. An amazing experience, he’s a great guy and I’ve got nothing but good things to say.

Mike Condon, on the Senators being on the wrong end of some bounces:
Yeah, it was just one of those nights I think. Puck bounces up high, bounces off me and into the net. Shot to the net ends up on a stick on the backdoor. Brown makes a nice shot there, it was Brown, right? Last goal? I don’t even remember but it goes bar-down so. It was just one of those nights, I thought the second period we controlled the game, you know .5 seconds left that happens. So it’s unfortunate but guys fought hard but that’s just the way it goes some nights.

Condon, on the feeling in the locker room during the second intermission:
It was fine. We’re a resilient group and we’ve proven that we can come back in the 3rd plenty of times so credit to Peter Budaj for keeping us off the sheet there but it was just one of those nights where funny bounces.

Zack Smith, on “how tough the late goal in the second period” was:
Yeah that was kind of a tough one to come back from. You know we controlled the pace and created a lot of opportunities after the first half of the first period and we were rolling along there so it’s tough when they get one and they haven’t had a shot in quite a while. But that’s the way it goes sometimes, they get the bounces and they weren’t really going for us tonight.

Smith, on his goal:
Yeah, it was good. I think we’ve, our line’s been a little short of the bounces I think, or we’d like to think so anyways, but it was nice to contribute tonight. I think I had a little momentum after last game and we were able to contribute a bit there too so there’s one positive I guess to take from it for us.

Smith, on whether it will be an easy game to forget about and move on:
Yeah, you can’t dwell on it too much. We did a lot of good things tonight and special teams was the difference but like I said there’s some positives to look forward too and it’s not very often you play two back-to-back one o’clock games so it’ll be good to get back in the saddle tomorrow and have another opportunity.

Smith, on Neil’s 1,000th game:
Yeah he was there the whole time right from the start and he’s been around. He’s a true veteran for a guy to play 1,000 games and play his style of game is just a huge testament and I think he’s a great guy for younger guys to look up to and get advice on how to go through 1,000 games like that. It’s a huge testament and I was honored to start tonight back on the line with him and Kels so it was pretty cool.

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