At the Dallas Stars’ morning skate today we had a chance to chat with two defensemen at opposite ends of their familiarity with the LA Kings. Alex Goligoski has seen them just 10 times over his six years in the NHL, with half of that spent in Pittsburgh. Trevor Daley, on the other hand, was drafted by the Stars in 2002 and tonight will mark career game number 50 vs. the Kings. So he knows them pretty well.
Here’s what each guy had to say…
– Goligoski on playing the Kings for the first time this season: “They’re obviously Stanley Cup champs. I don’t think they’ve had much of a roster turnover. We know that those two guys are out on D, but it’s the same team, you know? They’re going to play an honest game. Chip it in, go work, and that’s kind of what we know about them.”
– Goligoski on if there’s extra pressure playing the Stanley Cup champions: “For us? I don’t think so. We haven’t seen those guys yet this year, it’s been a while. We know how the game’s going to go. We know what it’s going to be like – same thing as any team in our division, just kind of grind one out here. I don’t think there’s any extra pressure. Just go play.”
– Goligoski on the Kings size being intimidating when comparing it to Dallas: “I don’t think so. We just got done playing St. Louis. I think Anaheim has got some size there, and San Jose with those big guys. I don’t think these guys are any bigger than the other big teams I guess.”
– Daley on if the Kings’ size intimidates them: “Not really. I’m not a bigger guy, so I deal with size every night. So it’s not much for me. But, they’re a good team. They’re big, strong guys. It’s going to be enjoyable one tonight.”
– Daley on if it still matters playing the defending Stanley Cup champions nine months after the fact: “Yeah, for sure. Everybody wants a crack at them. They’re where the league is at right now, is those guys. As of late they’ve been playing some really good hockey too. So, I’m excited to get a chance, to get a crack at them tonight, and see where we’re at.”
– Daley on who he’d love to lay a big, clean hit on tonight if the opportunity arises: “Any one of them (laughs)…I’ll go with Jeff Carter.”
For the record, the Stars are somewhat of a smaller team. Both Daley and Gologoski are listed at 5-foot-11. Plus, they only feature three forwards who are at least 6-foot tall and 210 pounds – with one of them being 41-year old Jaromir Jagr.
By comparison, the Kings have seven guys bigger than that among their 12 starting forwards.
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