Comments from the Kings locker room following morning skate at Staples Center, in advance of Game 6 vs. the Anaheim Ducks later today…
Drew Doughty on the biggest change in their game since San Jose:
“I think that we’ve just gone back to the way LA Kings play. We just wanted to score goals. We just wanted to get the lead early, take them out of the game, play solid defense. We weren’t giving up a lot of goals against. It’s not like us to be giving up—I think we gave up four, last game. It’s not like us to be doing that. We’ve got to get back to our good defensive play. We need to be giving up 0 to 1 goals a game and after that we should be scoring two, no problem. We did those things in the last series and we need to start doing them tonight here.”
Alec Martinez on facing elimination and if it’s really just another game:
“Obviously there are some pretty big implications but I think sometimes if you think about that too much, it can get the best of you. Obviously you have to recognize the—for lack of a better word—severity of the situation. You’ve got to understand what’s going on, but at the same time you can’t really look at it—it’s like last series. You can’t really look at it as “you’ve got to come all the way back.” You just take it one game at a time. We just focus on getting a win tonight and just take that approach.”
Martinez on the challenges of playing at home during this year’s playoffs:
“I don’t think it has anything to do with the building. It’s the same. Fans are awesome, things like that. This year we’ve said we wanted to take a better focus at home and get more wins at home. At this point in the playoffs, it doesn’t really matter where you’re playing. You’ve got to bring your A-game if you want to win.”
Martinez on the effect the young kids from Manchester has on a morning skate:
“It’s good. It’s good to have those guys up here. They get their round for playoff time. That’s one opportunity I didn’t really have when I was in the minors. I don’t think they made the playoffs my first year. I got hurt at the end of the year anyway. It’s a good experience to have guys like that, for them to be around and know how things work. But yeah, it’s good.”
Martinez on the importance of that first goal and taking the early lead:
“Yes, it’s the focus that we try and take. We obviously want to get that first goal, establishing a good start, especially against this hockey club. Regardless of [the] building, tonight you want to establish a good start at home. I think that’s a big part of our focus. Especially against this team. As evident [from the] last game, you can’t dig yourself a hole and give them the opportunities that we gave them because they’re going to capitalize on [them]. They’re a really good hockey club. The start is definitely a big part of it.”
Bonus quotes…
Dustin Brown:
Anze Kopitar:
Videos courtesy of KingsVision.
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