Willie Mitchell talks about rejoining Kings line-up for WCF

Ending much speculation regarding his availability, Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell finally made his return to the line-up for Game 1 vs. the Blackhawks. In the 3-1 loss to Chicago, he had 16:49 of ice time (15:11 of that coming at even strength), was a plus-1, recorded two hits and one blocked shot.

Afterward, he shared the following…

On the overall game:

“I thought we played fairly well, but I think you have to play great to beat a good hockey team over there. We turned a few pucks over. They’re a great rush team, they make you pay, and they did that tonight. So we need to clean that up. If we don’t make those turnovers in the neutral zone and don’t allow those rush chances, which they’re great it, that will give us a chance.”

On having the confidence to come back in any playoff series:

“Yeah, I think. We were fortunate enough a few years ago to win and you never win it the same way. You have to win it different ways, face different adversities. Definitely looking for a better start in here and bury some chances and clean things up and move onto Game 2.”

On when he knew he would be playing in Game 1:

“I talked to Darryl this morning. I was itching for the last series, but it was kind of a quick turnaround after my injury. I didn’t have many practices. So this morning I chatted with him and I was in. It was exciting. I’m excited that my teammates gave me this opportunity with the way they played last round. It was a hard fought series against the Ducks and it gave me the opportunity to get in here and be a part of this. I just wish it was a better result for us.”

On how he felt in the game:

“I felt pretty good actually. They say the first one is always the easiest because you’re so full of adrenaline. It’s the second and third after being off for a couple of weeks where you kind of have to play a smarter game. It felt good. Hopefully I continue to build on my game and help my mates out.”

On the disallowed goal:

“There’s always a few things going on. As a player, you just focus on your game and let the refs and coaches decide that stuff. We’ll just go about our business.”

On how the Kings played:

“I think we played fine, as Darryl would say ‘OK is not OK.’ Like I said, that’s a real good hockey club over there so you’re going to have to play a great game to beat them. We’re going to look to regroup and do a better job.”

MORE GAME 1 COVERAGE:

WCF Game 1: Comments from Blackhawks locker room

WCF Game 1: Darryl Sutter quotes after Kings loss to Hawks

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