Washington Defenseman Calle Johansson
Q: What is the state of the Capitals after this loss?
A: We have to do it one at a time. Hopefully we can win one, win another won then they tighten up. We believe in ourselves. We know we're a pretty solid team and can beat these guys. We need some luck and to come out tougher in the first period. We can't play 20 or 40 minutes. It's a 60-minute game.

Q: What happened on Detroit's first goal?
A: Everything was basically safe, Olie thought he had the puck, but it came loose and they poked it in.

Washington Goalie Olaf Kolzig
Q: Can Washington win this series?
A: We gotta come out and play our game. We can't worry about winning four games in a row. We have to come in and win Tuesday and move on. Who's to say we can't do it?

Q: What happened on Detroit's goals?
A: I wasn't screened on the last shot. It was re-directed off Calle's stick. I guess that's why the guy's paid $12 million. On the first one, I thought I had the puck long enough to get the whistle. That first one was deflating and it took the focus out of us.

Detroit Center Steve Yzerman
Q: What happened when you weren't able to put the Capitals away?
A: We were comfortable — it was a tight game and they scored. We didn't overreact, stayed focused and didn't fall apart and remained composed and scored again.

Q: What happened on Detroit's first goal?
A: I got a step on my guy — Tikkanen? — and cut to the net. Kolzig went off his feet and it was an open net for Holmstrom. It wasn't much of a play, I just got a step on my guy.

Q: Were you proud of only giving Washington one shot in the first period?
A: Well, we got off to a good start and they didn't put a lot of shots up, but that's not a concern for us. When they get a chance, they make it count, so we like to keep their chances down.

Q: How confident are you one win away from winning the Cup again?
A: The fourth game is the hardest to win. We have to concentrate on the hockey game and not on winning the Cup. It's tough to win that fourth one.

Q: How did the team feel after Washington's goal?
A: In the second period we didn't play great and we slid in the third. They had more chances. We'd like to hold them off the board, but you can't expect to hold them off the board. Just bear down after they scored.

Q: How close are these teams even though you're up 3-0?
A: It's very close. All three games could have gone either way. Three-to-nothing is misleading. They have been three difficult games.

Detroit Defenseman Larry Murphy
Q: How did Chris Osgood play tonight?
A: Ozzie played like Ozzie does play. He gives us a chance to win every night. It was another typical night for him.

Q: What about the cat calls from Washington's fans?
A: I couldn't hear it because there was so much noise in the building. I forgot all about it once the game got going, to be honest with you.

Q: How did Detroit respond after Washington's goal?
A: They scored and we held our composure. It took a tremendous effort to win the game and the difference in the game was the tremendous effort by Sergei [Fedorov].

Detroit Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom
Q: Give us your opinion of tonight's game.
A: It helps that we got the first goal and it put pressure on them to produce. They didn't have any chances in the first period, and they had chances in the second, but Ozzie played good. We're confident. We haven't won anything yet but we're focused on Tuesday night.

Detroit Defenseman Bob Rouse
Q: Tell us why Detroit's defense played so well.
A: It's not just the defense, the forwards are penetrating and forechecking and the forwards are dominating the boards. It makes our job look easy.

Q: How did it feel to hold Washington to just one shot in the first period?
A: We're not concerned about shots, we just want to play our game. Scotty put pressure on us and told us this is a huge game. He told us the importance of this game. He doesn't usually say much before a game, but he said a little extra before this one.