Commnets from both locker rooms after the Kings defeated the Rangers in double-overtime of Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final…
Anze Kopitar on fatigue:
“I’m a little bit drained, but you know if that’s what it takes to win a game. I think every single guy in here is prepared to drain himself pretty good, so it’s obviously nice to get the win. I think once you’re in the game you don’t really think about anything. It doesn’t matter what period you’re playing in really. You’re just trying to move your feet as good as you can, support the play, make the plays that are there and just be focused really. I guess it doesn’t really matter that it’s double overtime.”
Kopitar on coming back again from being down two goals:
“I think we’d rather be up 2-0 for sure, but honestly I don’t know what it is. We put ourselves in a hole again, and then we came back, they scored a quick one after we scored the second one to make it 4-2, so I think that just shows the character again of this team and resiliency and we never quit and got it done eventually.”
Jake Muzzin on emotion and fatigue:
“Emotion and fatigue involved: There’s a lot of emotion going in, we’re down early, some guys get down, in playoffs you got to control that emotion and kind of keep it level, you’re going to be up, you’re going to be down and we’ve been battling through that the whole playoffs. San Jose, Anaheim, Chicago, right to here. Fatigue, both teams are going through it. It’s a battle and you’ve got to get some rest here, get some fluids in us and get ready for Game Three.”
More from Muzzin:
“It’s not too bad (fatigue) both teams are doing it like we said. We’re getting used to it I guess. You just battle. You’re in the zone, you’re playing, you’re having fun and that’s what it’s all about. Winning games in the playoffs and battling in overtime and we’ve been lucky to come out on top in three of them here.”
Muzzin on the approach heading into the second overtime period:
“Just calm, confident, we can do this, we’ve done it before, let’s do it again, and we went out and did it.”
Rangers forward Brad Richards on the outcome of the game:
“It was just a good hockey game both ways. It is tough to give up two two-goal leads. Tough one tonight, right now. Two games with one shot and we can win and we have to win our two at home.”
Richards on takeaways
“It is tough to take out positives because whether we lose in overtime or not, we expect to win every game we start and the way this one went is tough. We are going to have to get over it quick, to win our two at home.”
Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh on the outcome of the game:
“We have a lead and lose it, but we still have a chance in overtime and we had a lot of looks, but it didn’t matter.”
McDonagh on his play:
“It is a good start. I’m feeling good. You have to maintain your focus all the time out there and make sure you make good decisions.”
One heck of a game it was. That third King’s goal could’ve been called either way, imo. Wish tomorrow’s game was Tuesday instead because one day off isn’t enough time for us fans to completely recover (let alone the players).