Following the Kings 5-2 win vs. the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, here is what was being said in both locker rooms:
Kings coach Darryl Sutter on his defensemen:
“It’s good to see Robyn and Greene score, they don’t get much credit, and they can give you the blue collar every night. They are our two most consistent defensemen for sure. It’s always good to see them score.”
Sutter on the Kings’ win:
“We wanted to have a good first period. I thought other than those penalties, our penalty kill wasn’t that sharp in the first, our goalie made some big saves in the first, other than the penalty kill, I thought we were good in the first and second. I thought we were really good in the third. I think we have to learn how to play 60 minutes… We’re using everybody on the power play until everyone sharpens up. Everybody gets an opportunity”
Kings Forward Anze Kopitar on if he talked to Willie Mitchel:
“It was just briefly on the face off. It seemed like he was holding it back a little bit when they announced it but it was good to see him for sure.”
Kopitar on Matt Greene and Robyn Regher scoring:
“At first I didn’t even know it was Greeny [Matt Greene] because I didn’t know he had that in his repertoire. But it was a great play. Great play from Brayden [McNabb] to see him [Matt Greene] and obviously a great tip to get us on the board. And then Reg [Robyn Regher] just following up the play and being on the spot.”
Kings Defenseman Robyn Regher on Brayden Mcnabb:
“I think he is feeling a little bit more in his place, a little bit more settled. With that I think he’s getting some confidence because he’s playing regularly now and you end up getting in a groove and in a rhythm and he’s done that. His game is a simple game. He’s back to moving pucks up and being physical. Tonight he did a good job on the offensive side chipping in with a couple points. He made a really nice play to Matt Greene on the shot-pass.”
Regehr on his goal:
“It was really just Jeff Carter using his speed to create a turnover in chasing down their defenseman and then him throwing the puck out in the mid-to-high slot where their forwards couldn’t get it. I knew there wasn’t a whole lot of time left in the period so I just decided to shoot it.”
Regehr on how he feels physically:
“I feel okay. I have to work hard every day, off days, things like that in order to maintain things but that’s just part of the gig. You have to be disciplined in doing that and staying on top of things. We’ve got a pretty good staff to work with. It’s only 20 games in so it’s really important to stay on top of things, especially physically because if you don’t, they end up really nagging you throughout a long season.”
Panthers coach Gerard Gallant on the overall game:
“We really played well in the first period and obviously the second period was the difference in this hockey game. We came out, we were flat and they were really coming at us. We just didn’t respond until we got upset in the third period and we started to play a better game.”
Gallant on penalties:
“A couple of high-sticking penalties, it’s part of the game, it happens. We’ve done a really good job lately, but tonight it obviously came back to haunt us. They got three power play goals and that makes it tough. They’re a good team, we played 40 minutes as good as you can play against them, but in that second period we got totally dominated.”
Panthers Defenseman Willie Mitchell on the overall game:
“That’s a good hockey team over there. We’re a young team learning to do things the right way like that hockey club. We played very, very well in the first and then played well in the third again. It’s always easier in the third when the other team is up. The second period we didn’t manage the puck well. To beat good teams, great teams and championship teams you have to play 60 minutes.”
Mitchell on dealing with emotions:
“I think I was okay with it. I just tried to play a simple game and not do anything outside my element. My job is always the same. Try to slow down top players on the other team and for the most part did okay.”
NOTE: We posted some Word Association with Mitchell yesterday here – where he talked about his former Kings teammates.
Panthers Forward Rocco Grimaldi on the overall game:
“I thought in the first we matched them shift-for-shift and did really good things. We were playing strong defensively. Obviously they got a good power play over there. They got a few on us tonight and that put the dagger in us. If we play like we did in the first and the third I think we can beat some pretty good teams, we just have to play for a full 60.”
Grimaldi, who is from Orange County, on coming back to California tonight:
“It’s special obviously. This is one of the ones in the calendar that I really wanted to play and I obviously didn’t expect it coming into this morning. I was just getting ready for OKC and then I get pulled off after the second period and told I was coming home. So I’m excited and glad to see family and friends coming out.”
EXTRA:
At the morning skate, Panthers assistant coach had this to say to MayorsManor about Willie Mitchell, a player he also coached back in college:
“It’s kind of strange. We followed each other around a little bit, through college, with the Kings and now Florida. We chuckle about it. Honestly we weren’t that close [back then], but I think there was a mutual respect for each other. When I was contacting him [over the summer], one of the first things that came out of him was we need to demand that these guys make the playoffs. I said, ‘That’s a great attitude,’ because your veteran players really do need to lead the way with goals and attitudes and he had it right from the start. He looked at this as a great opportunity for him with a new organization to help these guys learn how to win. We’re seeing some results, it’s maybe not with the regularity that we want, but that’s a step in the right direction.”
Also, kudos to our guest, George Richards, who was fairly close on several of his pre-game predictions.
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
