Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth have very different plans for this weekend. More on that tomorrow though. For now, they have a game to play against the San Jose Sharks.
Throughout the season you hear about trap games, ones where a team might be caught sleeping. Is tonight one of those games, coming just before the All Star break that begins tomorrow?
The three Kings weigh in on the issue below and offered up some additional thoughts on the match-up at Staples Center.
But, first, coach Terry Murray‘s thoughts on the possible trap ahead…
Murray: Yeah, there’s guys looking, I’m sure. They’ve been looking ahead. They’ve already made plans and some guys are going to get out of town. But, it’s just part of the human nature. You just cannot let it get distracting for you. You have to plan, you have to live your life, you have a lot of things going on out there. That’s something you can’t stop. But, we all know (this is) the last game before the break and the importance of the game – to keep things rolling and do things right. It will be a fun challenge.
Doughty: No. I don’t think so. Even though all the players are excited about the break, I think everybody is really focused on the game – especially us. We’ve been losing way too much lately, obviously. Tomorrow’s game is critical for us. We’re definitely going to come out hard and play as hard as we can.
Kopitar: Right now we’re in a position where we shouldn’t be worrying about that. We need to get the points. Every game is a must win for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s before the break, after the break, just before the playoffs, whenever. We have to get two points and that’s the bottom line. So, everybody is going to be ready and after that we can enjoy a couple days off.
Ryan Smyth: Every team has different situation along the way and you just have to adapt as the game goes. No concerns. Just go out and play and execute out game plan.
How about the overall match-up with the Sharks…
Doughty: I think it’s going to be a tough tight game. Both teams are going into the break right after it. So, everybody is going to blow it out. You have nothing to really save it for. You’re going to get a few days off to rest up and get your energy back or to take care of any injuries. It’s going to be hard fought and it’s going to be fun.
Smyth: It’s going to be a hard fought game. It’s really close in the standings. If we win, we can catch them. Besides it being a divisional game, it will be important to keep things going and finish off strong before the break.
Yes it will!
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