Brandon Yip and Dustin Brown each scored for their team in the first period on Thursday night, providing the only goals of regulation. After nobody scored in overtime it took eight rounds of the shootout before the game was decided 2-1, in Nashville’s favor.
After the game, here’s what they were saying back in the Predators’ locker room…
FORWARD MARTIN ERAT:
– On his shootout attempt: ”It just depends what I want to do. I have to read the goalie if I’m going to go speed or if I’m going to go slow. Sometimes it’s better to go slow, depends on the goalie.”
– On the team getting two points: ”That’s what we have to do on the road and don’t give up that many chances. I think we had a couple of chances in the end and that’s the way we have to play.”
– On goaltender Pekka Rinne: “He played well for us, 65 minutes, it’s great when guys step up and get the win.”
GOALTENDER PEKKA RINNE:
– On the fatigue that sets in a long shootout: “I don’t think it’s in shootout, it doesn’t really set in and you try to face one shooter at a time, so it’s not like it’s hard physically but it was a tough shootout but finally we got the win, it was a big win for us.”
– On the team getting two points: ”That’s what we have to do on the road and don’t give up that many chances. I think we had a couple of chances in the end and that’s the way we have to play.”
– On finally getting a win: “This was my first win of the season and you know obviously six games. It’s been tough so far but hopefully it changes the course of how things go…I’m just happy to be with the big win.”
COACH BARRY TROTZ:
(Re game recap): “I think that we would have been mentally scarred if we wouldn’t have won that one…We were in four shootouts and we were 0 for 3, obviously tonight we got a couple of goals which was good. When you’re 0 and 3 in shootouts, last thing you want to do is to go in another one but we’re on the road here …we’re trying to get a little bit of an order in our game and I don’t think we hit stride at all…you have to find ways to get points.”
To see reaction from Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter, click here.
Pretty soon we’ll also be sharing a post-game conversation with former King prospect Rich Clune, who returned to Staples Center on Thursday night with the Predators.
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