Jimmy Howard (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

Jimmy Howard

DRW: Do you put any additional pressure on yourself as a goaltender now that you are behind in the series?
JH: “No, I don’t think so. You’ve still got to play loose. There’s no reason to get tight because when you get tight, you can’t play your best.”

DRW: The penalty kill has been outstanding, six-for-six in Game 1 and 31 straight over the last eight games. Talk about the job they have done.
JH: “They did a great job the whole night. We knew Nashville had the best power play in the league coming into the playoffs. They did a great job in front of me and we’ve got to continue to do a good job as the series goes on.”

DRW: How do you wind down after a tough playoff game?
JH: “You’ve got to just relax. The playoffs are an emotional roller coaster and you just have to continue to keep a good mind frame. We just hung out. I had Slingbox set up in the room, so we watched a little bit of the Vancouver-Kings game and went to bed at around 12:30.”


Ty Conklin

DRW: We know you wanted to be out there, but what were your thoughts on Game 1?
TC: “I thought I saw a good hockey game. You had two teams that competed extremely hard. Obviously, there were a lot of penalties and a lot of special teams play. The first two goals were kind of tough bounces really, but I thought we played well even though we were on the wrong end of it.”

DRW: Even if you don’t play, do you still get riled up and energized by what’s going on around you?
TC: “If you aren’t playing in the game, you don’t get the juices flowing on the same level as if you were out there. It’s hard to compare what it’s like. When you are out there, you are in the moment.”

DRW: What is a typically playoff off day like on the road?
TC: On a day like today, we’ll be around the hotel quite a bit. We might grab some lunch now, relax and do some more relaxing. It’s not like we’re going out or anything. There actually can be a lot of downtime, more so than in the regular season, because you aren’t packing up and going to a new city for another game.

DRW: How are you using that downtime?
TC: Like today, I was up at probably 8:30 or 9 for breakfast, hung around the hotel for a bit, called the family back home, watched some TV and came over for practice. I have ripped through all of the TV series I have gotten into. Kind of caught up on everything.

DRW: What kind of shows do you enjoy?
TC: I don’t watch Madmen, but I just finished up Game of Thrones. Sons of Anarchy is another one I enjoy.