After waiting more than 20 years for the Kings and Ducks to meet up in the playoffs, the rivalry kicked off it the most brilliant way possible – with overtime. Both teams went through the usual feeling out process in the first period and found themselves tied 1-1 at intermission. Later, Teemu Selanne’s goal near the midway point of the third period looked like it might hold up as the game winner, but no so fast. Anaheim had come back on so many teams this season it had sort of become their calling card. This time around though, it was the Kings who out-Ducked the Ducks. Marian Gaborik tied it with seven seconds left in regulation and added another in overtime to give the Kings a Game 1 victory and early series lead.
Immediately following the action on the ice, Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler shared the following thoughts back in the Ducks locker room……
Getzlaf on the biggest thing that he takes away from the game:
“It’s a four game series, as we know. You have to win four, it doesn’t matter which four. Obviously tonight we had it in our grasp and we weren’t able to put it away, and that’s something that we obviously need to look at tomorrow.”
Getzlaf on the Ducks’ play:
“I was pretty happy with our effort anyway. We played well and we had opportunities to score goals but we didn’t capitalize. Our power play need a little bit of work for tomorrow. Other than that, I thought we played a pretty good hockey game.”
Getzlaf on Jonas Hiller’s play:
“I thought Hiller played great. There was no questions for us, he’s been great all year. Those two are battling for that spot, and that’s what we want- that competition, I guess.”
Getzlaf on containing Drew Doughty:
“We played well, we played hard. That’s the main thing. We got our forecheck going the way we wanted to and it was pretty successful throughout the night. Like I said, we had some opportunities where we could have put those guys away, and we didn’t.”
Getzlaf on the game tying goal:
“Gaborik hit it out of the air. Those are the way things goes during playoffs, and we just have to respond.”
Getzlaf on the Kings playing with five defensemen:
“You know what, I didn’t even notice, to tell you the truth. Drew Doughty plays half the game anyway. Whether you have five or six or whatever, Doughty is on the ice most of the time. I don’t think it affects their rotation that much.”
Getzlaf on if tonight’s game was different from a regular season match-up:
“No, I thought it was great. It was up-beat. Fans were into it, everyone was into it. It was great. It was a good, hard fought game.”
Getzlaf on how much he notices fans:
“When you’re out on the ice, you don’t notice a whole lot. You know the atmosphere and the building. When you’re on the bench and those kind of things, getting ready to go, you really appreciate the crowd and the noise that they’re giving us.”
Getzlaf on letting the game get away:
“It’s hard, but that’s playoff hockey. It’s one bounce here or there and things change. We just have to get ready for the next one and go from there. ”
Getzlaf on moving on from tonight’s game:
“Yeah. That’s what playoff hockey is all about. Like I said, those one or two bounces, you win one in overtime, we lose one in overtime. Now we just have to win one in their building.”
Cam Fowler on the bounce on the tying goal:
“Those things are going to happen. We have guys laying their bodies on the line trying to block shots. I couldn’t tell, I’m not sure if he batted it out of the air or what happened. Those are things that are going to happen some times. I was proud of that way that be battled. I still thought we came out in overtime and played really well. Unfortunately, they were just able to capitalize on that chance that they got.”
Fowler on Jonathan Quick’s play:
“You have to tip your cap to some of the saves that he made. He’s the type of goalie that you think you have him down and out, and he’s athletic enough to make those saves. As shooters, we have to bear down a little bit more. If you see any net at all, you really just have to bear down and try to finish. He did a good job at making the key saves when they needed him. We have to figure out a way to put some more bodies in front of him and try to put a few more past him.”
Fowler on the atmosphere of the crowd:
“It was great. It was an awesome building. Our fans were unbelievable and they had their fair share of support, too. As players, we feed off that energy and we hope that that continues because it was a great building to play in.”
Fowler on going into overtime in Game 1:
“I think it speaks to how close we really are. Both teams like to play similar styles. We knew coming into the series that we weren’t going to get things easy. If we were going to get a goal, we were going to have to really muck it up in front of the net. I think they feel the same way. It’s going to be challenging going forward with these teams, because we know how hard they play and they stick to their systems. It’s going to be a fun series and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Fowler on the team’s mindset going into Game 2:
“Yeah, there’s not much else we can do. We can try to build on the positives- I thought there was a lot tonight. We go to the tape tomorrow and maybe look at some things that we want to change and maybe some things that we can improve on. Monday is a new day and it’s going to be a very important game for us. You don’t want to go down 0-2 when you have home ice advantage. That’s going to be a huge game for us and we should be ready for that.”
More post-game comments from the Kings and Ducks can be viewed at the links below.
KINGS-DUCKS PLAYOFF COVERAGE:
Doughty on Kings fans, Selanne, Richards and Game 1 OT
Game 1: Gaborik, Quick, Sutter talk Kings OT win in Anaheim
Game 1: First batch of Ducks quotes after Kings OT win
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