Post-Game 3: Kings not happy with their performance in 3-2 loss to Ducks

Quotes from the Kings locker room following their 3-2 loss the Ducks in Game 3 on Thursday night…

Jeff Carter on the overall game:

“We made some turnovers that cost us. We were pretty sloppy in the neutral zone and turned pucks over and getting rushes the other way, that’s something we didn’t do the first two games, so we have to clean that up. We have to be hard on pucks, make strong plays and get pucks deep.”

More from Carter:

“It’s not what we wanted to do, we want to go out and play with the lead every time we go out there. We gave up a power-play goal to start, which seemed like it was a pretty good play by them. They were passing it around pretty good, but the last two goals, they were turn overs that ended up in our net, we have to clean that up.”

Mike Richards on the overall game:

“The Ducks played harder than us tonight, they executed better. They were a desperate team and they showed up. We know what it’s like to be in that position, and if the other team is more desperate than we are, they are probably going to have more success… It’s difficult to battle from behind, they got the early power-play goal and it seemed like we were trying to play catch up. We probably didn’t execute on many of our passes especially in the second period there, and give them credit they played good defensively and kept us to the outside and we didn’t get too many quality chances.”

More from Richards:

“It wasn’t our best effort, or our best performance anyway, we were loose on some of our passes and just weren’t moving the puck crisp enough and they capitalized on the two power play goals I think, and a little bit of a breakdown in third. It’s 1-1 game, we have to learn from it and get better and match their desperation next game.”

Jarret Stoll on if Anaheim gave them the level of effort they were expecting:

“We knew they’d be desperate. I think that’s obvious. Any time you’re down in a series, you’re going to come in desperate. We have to match that desperation, and I don’t think we did that. We didn’t have it tonight. We weren’t good enough – a lot of areas, a lot of guys. [Reporter: What needs to be improved for Game 4?] With the puck, for sure. We were just going back too much, bobbling pucks, neutral zone stuff. Against a skilled team, against a team that likes to stretch it out and fire pucks out through the neutral zone, they got way too many odd-man rushes, obviously. That’s not our game and not our style. Just better with the puck. Just be sharp. Be sharp going through the neutral zone and getting our forecheck going and spending time in the offensive zone. That’s what we’re lacking right now.”

Stoll on both goalies being able to see shots clearly:

“There wasn’t a lot of traffic on both sides, I don’t think. For a guy that was coming in, that hadn’t played in a while since the Dallas series, we didn’t do that well enough. He had some easy stops. To be honest, he’s had some easy games against us the whole season. It’s got to change for next game, for sure, if we want to keep going the way we’re going… We expected their best game, for sure. It’s never going to be easy. Everybody has so much pride in the game, and there are so many good teams. Everybody’s good. Anybody can win this whole thing. You’ve got to play the right way. We didn’t tonight.”

Coach Darryl Sutter on home ice not coming into play:

“It is not that it does not come into play, tonight was a pretty well-played game. We could have won tonight, we could have won last game.”

Sutter on the Kings play:

“I thought we played really well, I’m sure they are going to say that too. The difference in the game was a turnover when it was 1-1, and you have a penalty kill.”

Sutter on Teemu Selanne’s goal:

“It was a turnover with about seven seconds left in a power play, so it is not a penalty kill, you just have to make a better play.”

Quotes from the Ducks locker room can be found here.

Bonus quotes from Jonathan Quick:

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