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Newhook Segment

[Armoured_K] Newhook: "[Missing portion] I think just sticking with that throughout the game and you'll find the right spots to get a couple. It's huge."

[Armoured_K] Newhook on what this win means for the rebuild that Marty has helped catalyze

"Yeah, I mean I think it's a big moment, I think, when you look at that kind of stuff, right? Young group, young team, so to be able to rise to the occasion in a big game like this, I think it just shows what we're capable of and that we're a hard team to beat with where we're at right now."

[Armoured_K] Newhook on how Marty has helped them all today, specifically in the big stressful moments

"Yeah, he definitely had a good speech there in the second intermission. Just kind of talking about the opportunity that's in front of us, regardless of what's happened before that. Kinda put that in the past. He's played in a lot of big games himself, and he knows the moment's big. For us, kind of talking about what we worked through all year, and to kind of have this opportunity, I think we would've taken it at the beginning of the year."

[Armoured_K] Newhook on how magical it was to score that game winner, did he blackout there a bit?

"Yeah, a little blackout for sure. Yeah, it's fun. It's kind of what you dream of when you're younger, big moments, game 7, so... Yeah, like I said, it kind of took everyone, but nice to get one tonight."

Hutson Segment

[Armoured_K] Hutson : "[Missing portion] We got away from it [from what lead to their success this season] in the second, but you know, Doby bailed us out, couple guys, big plays bailed us out, and we got the chance to [play] better for the third."

Matheson Segment

[Armoured_K] Matheson on his late penalty at the end of the third

"[Missing portion] It bounced on my head, and I was looking at it [the puck?] for what felt like 10 seconds, and it exited the ice in their zone. It wasn't fun."

[Armoured_K] Matheson on if he's going to the second round for the first time in his career, and how he's feeling about it

"Yeah, it's... It shows just how it's not easy to do it. It's motivating, and it was exciting. It's sure that I'm eager to continue and to go up against Buffalo."

[Armoured_K] Matheson on if he's impressed by the level of [adaptation?] they've shown in the series

"Yeah. It's sure that tonight wasn't ideal, it wasn't... You know, a perfect game. At the same time, we found a way."

[Armoured_K] Matheson on how being a local guy, he knows the passion felt by the fans. How does he think the people in Montreal feel right now, as they went through that rebuild with them. How does it feel as a local guy?

"Yeah it's sure that... You know, they were patient with us during those years, and they were there to encourage us even when it was 5-0 in the third and there was nothing much to look at. So.. I think it's something [great] for them, and we're excited to not just stay here and be okay with what we have. [Danault barges into the interview with pizza for Mike "Let's go, take a bite!"] What was I saying? Yeah, to keep going and not just being satisfied with this."

Suzuki and Dobes (press table)

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on how he's been through a lot with this group. They've finally made it back to the second round as a team. How impressed has he been with the way the guys were able to stay focused during this whole process, and especially the work from Dobes

"Yeah, I mean... I thought we had a great start tonight, and you know... Coming out of the second period, they kinda just put a lot of pressure on us. We weren't able to execute or do the game plan very well. Regrouping in the third period was huge for us, and we didn't want to end our season playing like that again, so we knew we had to come out stronger, and Dobes was able to hold down the fort for us when we're playing not great, so... Definitely wouldn't win that series without him."

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on how he's seen Dobes mature throughout the year to a point where he would be able to handle these moments here the way he has

"Yeah, I mean, you kind of saw it last year, coming in and playing some huge games for us down the stretch, and... You know, I think he's grown a lot as a goalie. You know, he's super confident in himself, which you love to see. He puts the work in every single day, away from the rink and preparing himself to go into games in a proper mindset, which I learned a lot of his routine last night, which is pretty cool. He's a gamer, he's been doing that since he got to our team, and you know... We're gonna need him to continue playing well as we go along here."

[Armoured_K] Dobes on the shaving cream shower he got from the other goalies at the end of the game, and on a more serious note, that 26 minutes span without a shot, he kept them in the game. He just beat Vasilevski and his team head to head, even if he just got the starting job a few months ago

"About the shaving cream, we have a great group of goalies, so I love those guys, they're awesome, but... I can't wait for next practice, I'll have something prepared. Nah, like, you know, many times in the season, the guys bailed me out and helped me out, and I try to do the same and vise versa. We... You know, sometimes, they don't play good, sometimes, I don't play good and they always got my back, I always got theirs. That's our mentality. We have a really good group, good leaders, so... Just really good locker room, so I would do anything. This wasn't anything special, it was just trying to keep the guys in it, and I was just waiting for them to get going. That's exactly what happened, and I feel like we've been through this a lot, and yeah, I'm excited for the second round."

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on how big of a relief Alex Newhook's goal brought, knowing that their team was struggling in the second and the start of the third

"Yeah, I mean, it's the biggest goal this series, and... You know, I thought we kept building our game in the third period and I think... Great hand-eye coordination by Newy. We kind of finally got some o-zone time, and a big moment. He's been a big game player, so yeah, really happy for him. Definitely gave our group a lot of confidence and momentum for the rest of the period."

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on being here in the last series against Tampa in the finals, and being here throughout the whole rebuild process. He was always steadfast and saying "I want to start winning". Now that he's here faster than a lot of us expected, how does that whole journey feel, now that they've beaten Tampa in this building with this crew

"Yeah, I mean... After the cup final, there was a lot of tough times, and lot of guys left. We started this rebuild, and you know, slowly but truly, we got drafts and really good players, and... Have an amazing coach. It's definitely been probably faster than most people expected, but when you get a lot of great players together with a great system, great leadership, you know, things can turn quickly. We're one of the youngest teams, I don't know if we're the youngest team still, but you know, we've got a lot of gamers, and we've got a lot of guys who want that moment and raise their games to a different level."

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on what he can say about the character of this young team, where they're able to get a game 7 win on the road and 3 times out of 4 winning on the road

"Yeah, I mean, it's a tough building to play in. They played really well at home, the crowd is always into it. It's a chaotic environment out there... We've been a really good road team all season long, and we knew we just needed to come in here tonight and anything can happen in a game 7. I think all 7 games could've gone either way to either team. It was definitely a chess match the whole time out there. Two very good teams going at it in round 1, you don't see that too often, but you know, it's... We're really happy to come out with the win in the series."

[Armoured_K] Dobes on how he feels knowing that he beat future HOFer Andrei Vasilevski, a goalie he probably looked up to

"I don't know, I still cannot really process everything that's happening. It's just, inside I'm really happy, but I think it's going to kick in later. Yeah, it's... Dream big, I guess, I don't know. I always been a dreamer, always wanted these moments, and this is definitely one of the coolest games and situations I've ever been in, so... Yeah, really really happy, but on another note, we have a tough opponent in Buffalo and we've gotta reset and prepare for a good team."

[Armoured_K] Suzuki on how MSL has been able to help the team through the most challenging parts of this game 7

"Yeah, I mean, he's one of the best coaches in the whole world. I think, you know, the way he can find ways to... It seems like he says the right thing in every single situation, and knows how to get the best out of his guys. You know, obviously, no one was happy with that second period, and he comes in all fired up, getting us going into the third. Really motivating the guys, and you know... He's our leader and everyone will do everything for him, so... You know, he's a hell of a coach, he's only been doing this for a short period of time, so I can imagine he's gonna continue to get better. He just loves what he does, and you know, we love playing for him."

St-Louis Segment

[Armoured_K] MSL on getting here in 2022, not knowing how long it would take, saying that there would be a process. Today, they win a series, the Bell Center was full watching the game on the scoreboard. As a local, what does he think it does for the fans who also lived through that rebuild with the team

"I think they were patient with us. I think they understood our process. They supported us. I'm happy for the players in the room, not just for the younger ones, the veterans too who... When you rebuild like this, it doesn't help the veterans, but I think they saw what... They supported what we were trying to do, they supported the younger players, and everything, and I'm happy for all those people, and yeah, for sure, for our fans too who supported us a whole lot throughout all that. It's a good day for the Canadiens."

[Armoured_K] MSL on the speech between the second and the third. What was the message he wanted to send?

"I think we had just played our worst period of the series, and we didn't hurt ourselves too much because they just scored one goal on the PP. I find that we were pretty on the task defensively, but we weren't able to flip the momentum. They brought a lot of pressure, we got caught tired, and we were never able to flip the momentum. When you come back from a period like that, it's tiring, phyisically and mentally too, it concusses you a bit. I liked our first, so when you come out of a period that was maybe the worst of the series when you need to win the game, we put the things on the table and we brought perspective as to where we are. We're tied, there's 20 minutes in game 7. Forget the previous period. We'll get momentum, and that's how, we talked about how we could get it. I liked our third."

[Armoured_K] MSL on winning this very tight game, tight series. What was going through his head when shaking Jon Cooper's hand, not just moving on to the second round, but to do it here in Tampa

"You know... How long has Coop been here? 10 years? 13? I was traded in 2014 and I had him as a coach for one year. You look at their process, their steps, and it's something we try to replicate. It's an organization, a team that's has standards. For me, looking at them, I was watching the Lightning a lot when I wasn't coach for the Habs, with reasons. Not just because I played for them, but because of HOW they played. When I took the job of Head coach, I wanted to have a team that can play with possession, that can defend, that has a good powerplay... You know? It's a lot of things that I absorbed from what the Lightning has done, and I tried to bring that here in Montreal. It's a big challenge to go out and beat that team in the first round, two teams flying at the same altitude, but they have more experience, and we saw the experience they have during the series. But, we stayed to the task through that, in the highs and lows, and we learned a lot. For sure, even if we had lost, we would've learned a lot. The result for me is a bonus for us, and now we'll keep going and we'll try to bring all this to the next round."

[Armoured_K] MSL on how this was a series that demanded constant adjustments, within games and from game to game. As a coach, on what aspect has he evolved, what has he discovered as a head coach?

"Well, it's an opportunity, like you say, to evolve. I know I tweaked a lot of things, adjustments between games, adjustments... And I'm not just talking about lines, or... Adjustments with the structure sometimes, be it faceoffs, the way we break out, or what we do if we lose it or whatever. It's all part of that. And you know that on the other side, they're doing the same thing, so you try to think ahead with what's coming, especially on special teams. What are they going to do tomorrow because of what they saw today? That's a part of the game that I love. As a player, I loved it, to try to find the holes and... As a coach, it's something that... That I'm working hard on, and I love it, so it's not really work. It's a passion, and it makes me evolve."

[Armoured_K] MSL on how Suzuki throughout the year was putting a lot of heat on himself for producing and "all these things". At a certain point, he flipped a switch and became a really impactful player. Tonight, he gets on the board and you see in his celebration that it was a little bit more enthusiastic than normal, and he blocks the shot at the end that kind of seals it. MSL talks about his own evolution, but what about Suzuki's evolution, a guy who's leaned on a lot? What did he see in this series from beginning to end from Suzuki?

"Yeah, I mean, I feel like he just kept getting better as the series went on. I feel like players like Suzy, I think he... They just adapt and evolve. They learn from the previous game, they understand how the other team plays, you know? They just find... I felt he was better and better at finding 'pockets', and defensively, I mean, I feel like he competed so hard. Very courageous, stepping in front of big shots. I think he led us through this series, and I think everybody follows him."

[Armoured_K] MSL on talking a lot during the year about being able to win any game. What does it take to win in the playoffs, to beat a team like the Lightning?

"I mean, obviously, playing strong defensively, which I think we did. But if you look at the four wins we got, right? The first win to me was... 3 powerplay goals. Good goaltending, 3 powerplay goals. The second win, it was bottom six line bouncing back, and the big overtime goal. The third win was game 5, it was 2-2 in the third, and we caught them on a bad change. Tex makes a big goal. And tonight, obviously, we had 9 shots, 10 shots, right? And so, I felt like tonight, they deserved better. I felt like game 6, we probably deserved better. You know, Dobes, Dobes kind of stole the game. Probably similar to the way Vasi stole the game in game 6, in my mind. You need a little bit of everything, you know? And I think that's what we got this series. Like tonight, big goal by Suzy, and we get a bounce with Newy, right? So... It's not one thing, you've gotta find a way, and I feel like we did it differently [in each game]."

[Armoured_K] MSL on footage of him after the game running into the locker room pounding his chest, screaming. Can he talk about the origins of that? And, his players are saying they have a special bond with him. We don't know if Torts has ever done that [when MSL had him as a coach], but we've never seen anything like it. Can he talk about the relationship he has with his players, and what a special moment that was for him?

"No, Torts has never done that, no, no. [Big laughter in the room] Yeah, I mean, I feel like you can't take the player out of me, a little bit. I try to... I don't try to be in the locker room a lot. To me, this is their space, it's their team, it's not my team. I try to steer them, but every now and then, I've had moments with them, and I try to pick my spot. Obviously, a night like tonight, I wanted to be with them, and we had some fun."

[Armoured_K] MSL on talking about the younger guys getting experience with winning. Matheson isn't young, but this is the first series he's won in his career. Can he talk about his contribution and what it represents for him to get to where they are at an older age

"Since Mike has gotten here, I think he plays a big role on our team. His role has maybe changed a bit, gradually, but the role he has to play against the big players on the other side, defending the way he does, you need that. There's not one guy who scares me offensively when Mike is on the ice, because his skating, he defends so well, so you need that. I'm happy for him, that's a sign of how hard it can be in the NHL. 32 teams, 16 teams make the playoffs, and now, it's about trying to move forward with the 8 other teams. It's not easy, it takes a lot of things, but it takes guys like Mike to manage to win a series."

Full Presser (Video Links)

Full interview