Let’s get rolling with some post-game quotes. Following the Kings 3-2 shooutout win, here’s what Simon Gagne had to say…
– On the Canucks chirping: “I thought it was pretty quiet tonight. I saw a couple things at the end, after the shootout – a couple of our guys with their guys. So, I guess it’s pretty much the same guys going after our guys or the same thing on their side. But, you could you see the tension and energy before the game. A lot of (our) guys don’t like those guys. And like I said (this morning), it was pretty much my first time last year playing against those guys – and I really didn’t have a chance to play them in that first round. I know they’re a team that has that reputation, that do those types of things – yapping and trying to make some dives and stuff like that. But, I thought tonight was a pretty clean game, a tough game. We all know that both teams can’t really be messing around with that type of stuff. We know it’s their game, but those two points were huge for them too. And in those types of games; sometimes they’re going to try to play a little bit cleaner, and I didn’t think it was that bad tonight.”
[Note: Several other players reported it was far from quiet on the ice. We’ll have those comments up shortly.]
– On his ‘boarding’ penalty: “I know the rules. I hit the guy on an icing, I know it was an icing; I heard the referee call it as an icing. I was racing for the puck and I know I have to play the puck with my stick. And that’s what I did. First of all, I thought I had the stick on the puck before him. But, at the end, their defenseman kind of pushed me on the side and that’s why it looked like I finished my check. But, I never finished my check on him. That’s what I tried to explain to the ref there, but it was a tough call he was coming from the corner. He had the net, he had Luongo in front of him so I thought it was a tough call on him to make and I saw the replay – I don’t agree with it. But, it happened. When it’s called you can’t change it, so I was really happy that we were able to kill it and get back into the game and tie it, then get a big win in the shootout.”
– On the intensity of the game, did it feel like the tight games last season: “It’s really hard to know what type of game is going to be played, but I think that we are starting to understand that it’s going to be a battle every night. First of all, we’re the Stanley Cup champions. So, every time a team is going to play us, you know we’re going to have their best game. So for us, we can’t take a night off. We have to expect them to play their best game. That’s going to be. In the short season too. we all know teams are going to be hungry for those two points. It’s going to be a battle to the end for us. And we all know that; we’re starting to understand that and you know it’s not pretty. We still have a lot of work to do and you know we’ll take those two points and now we start to get back into the mix again.”
– On how he’s feeling: “It’s not perfect, but my timing is starting to get a little better. Especially when I get the puck. My first game here at home was a tough one, especially after not playing for almost seven months and then after that not playing for a week, then playing in Phoenix. I thought it was a bit better. And tonight too, I see some stuff that I could be better at. Maybe a little bit more patient with the puck, but it’s stuff that the more I play will get better at. Slowly it’s starting to come true. Not a better way to play the game than go out there and do your best and hopefully that stuff starts to happen.”
– More on how he’s feeling: “It’s hard and it’s a hard situation for all of us. No preseason games and you have to go into the season. Especially for guys that didn’t get a chance to play this year overseas or in (other leagues during the lockout), it’s hard for all of us. But it’s a battle and you need to battle. You know it’s not pretty, it’s not easy. But, it’s something you know with time – your legs are going to start to feel better, your hands are gonna start to feel better, you’re going to get a better feeling with the puck.”
To read Gagne’s pre-game comments and thoughts from Sutter about his recent play, click here.
Courtesy of KingsVision, here are more post-game comments from Gagne:
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