Music: {allcanada} Kesler: 'We're definitely finding ways to win right now'

Saturday, June 4, 2011

{allcanada} Kesler: 'We're definitely finding ways to win right now'

VANCOUVER -- Here's how you can tell how good the Vancouver Canucks are feeling right about now:

Ryan Kesler laughed out loud. Yes, the usually grumpy yet intense center smiled repeatedly and laughed after he said, for what he called "at least the 100th time," that the Canucks are going to take the rest of the Stanley Cup Final "one game at a time."

Kesler and the Canucks have reason to feel good. They're halfway to the Stanley Cup thanks to Alex Burrows' winner 11 seconds into overtime on Saturday. Vancouver edged Boston, 3-2, to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.

Kesler, who played just about 23 minutes in Game 2, talked about why the Canucks were able to take over in the third period and what another dramatic win means for the team going forward into Game 3 on Monday:

Q: Can you talk about the response when you're down 2-1 because you seemed to find another gear that they had trouble managing to get to at that point?

Kesler: We came in after the second and we knew we needed to play better. Our battle level wasn't high enough and we needed to pick it up a couple of notches -- and we did. I think it speaks of the character in this room and really how bad we want this. We knew we were in a bad situation going into the third, but we knew we believed we could do it.

Q: How much is your speed becoming a factor in this series?

Kesler: When we move our feet and when we play a speed game that's when we're at our best. That's how we're successful.

Q: That's twice in a row now in the third period you guys were able to take over. What does that tell you?

Kesler: We want to wear them down just like we've wanted to wear down all the opponents. We want to play to our strengths and for whatever reason the third period has seemed to be our best period all season. We really seem to have a push in that third period. I don't know why that is, but we seemed to have a push again tonight.

Q: Was there a point tonight where you guys realized or started thinking, 'We have them on the ropes?

Kesler: Probably halfway through the third when Daniel scored. We were starting to generate a lot and play a lot in their zone, and that's when the momentum started to shift.

Q: Alex (Burrows) seems to have a knack for the big goal. Can you maybe explain why that is?

Kesler: Some players just have a knack, he's one of them. He's scored huge goals for this organization. Even years ago, when we were playing St. Louis he scored that big overtime goal then. I don't know why it is, but some players just have that knack.

Q: Does winning the dramatic way you guys have won these two games add anything for you guys going into Game 3?

Kesler: I don't know. I just think, for us, we're finding ways to win and that's important this time of the year. You need to find ways to win any way possible, whether it's the last 18 seconds of the third period or if it's in the first 11 seconds of overtime. We're definitely finding ways to win right now.

Q: This goes back to your goal in Game 5 against San Jose, scoring those late, dramatic goals. Does that have an impact on a team?

Kesler: I think it shows determination and it shows we never quit to the final buzzer. I don't know why it is, but we seem to play better when we're down and we seem to push harder.