Anze Kopitar’s postgame thoughts…
(on the Kings’ start to the game…)
KOPITAR: “It was huge. Every time you come out of the gates strong and you score your first goal, it seems like the game gets a little bit easier. I thought the first period was pretty good. We were putting everything on net. It was part of the game plan.’’
(on the play of his line…)
KOPITAR: “Well, I mean you’ve got to be in a good position, all over the ice, to get the puck back. Then once we get it, obviously first we want to make sure we keep it and make possession plays. Sometimes you’ve got to chip it. Sometimes you can get in with clear possession. After we get it, it’s just a matter of guys making plays.’’
(on the importance of his line setting a tone early…)
KOPITAR: “It’s always important. Tonight, I think all four lines did a really good job. It was a great team effort. We can enjoy this one tonight and get back at it tomorrow.’’
(on the team’s attitude after Morris’ red-line goal…)
KOPITAR: “I think we just felt we had to get a couple for Quickie. He has bailed us out all season, and a few times in the playoffs too. I don’t think anybody was concerned or worried about it. We just looked at each other and said, `Maybe we should win this one for him.’’’
(on whether Dustin Brown is playing his best hockey of the year…)
KOPITAR: “I think he’s playing the best hockey since I’ve been here, six years. I think he realizes that we need him to play like that in order to be successful. Right now, he’s clicking on the ice and he’s making plays. He’s getting the bounces, but he’s scoring the big goals obviously. That’s what good captains and good leaders do.’’
Way to raise you’re game..
Becoming elite in front of our eyes..
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MM Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 10:12 pm
@SLIM, That backhand goal was pretty elite to me.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 6:37 am
@SLIM, Both he and Brown has seriously elevated their games. Phoenix had just no answer whatsoever for those two.
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MM Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 9:03 am
@mrbrett7, Agreed. Add in JW and that 1st line’s puck possession and retrieval was outstanding.
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Awesome Game!!!!
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Michael J. Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 8:06 am
@Spokane Kings Fan,
Is this Alex???
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Holy crap…I love this team!
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Bobbi Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
@Joey No-No, Agree with you 100% – Isn’t this amazing?
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Kopitar is the best. Excellent on both sides, classy, respectful of leadership on the team, of which he is a part. I love the kid.
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SLIM Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:47 pm
@lowegirl,
And he speaks 6 languages…
A virtual Renaissance Man…
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Stuart Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 9:22 am
@SLIM, but does he speak Jive?
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Blade17 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 10:02 am
@Stuart, I speak Jive, stewardess
jess Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@lowegirl,
Well said.
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kings of SB Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
@jess, Nothing but smiles here in SB. Wow what a team effort.
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Nobody has had any answer for Kopitar-Brown-Williams. Great win boys and keep it up.
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Kopi was a beast. Yotes had no answer for his line.
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KingsOfLA Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
@vplaza, No other team has the depth the Kings have. If we can play our game and Quick plays his, we’re gonna be very tough to beat. GKG!!!
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vplaza Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 10:33 pm
@KingsOfLA,
It seemed that Kopi, Brown, and Williams were at the right spot all the right time to block a puck, either with their sticks or skates. Constantly putting pressure on the Yotes.
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CB14 Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
@vplaza, Neither did Vancouver or St. Louis. Come to think of it, no team has had an answer for that line since the Brown trade rumors. The Captain and his assistant have been leading the way.
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vplaza Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
@CB14,
Maybe they start trying to goon things up, like Vancouver and.St. Louis.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 6:39 am
@CB14, Interesting…I say next season Lombardi floats rumors that everyone is going to get traded. Might break some of Wayne’s records!
I remember thinking at the time there is no way he trades Brown, but I do think Lombardi was trying to light a fire under his butt. I think it worked.
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I like that Kopitar ended the answer with “obviously” when talking about Dustin Brown scoring the big goals. As a long time reader of this board, that cracks me up.
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John Wilmers Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@KingMe20, It’s all the more amazing when Kopi speaks five languages. Smart cat. GKG!
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jp Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
@KingMe20, It is what it is.
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Awesome backhand by Kopi on the first goal. Like everyone on the team, he has raised his game to a new level in the playoffs. What a difference a year makes, huh?
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Steven H Brown Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 1:18 am
@Jeff, …and a surgically repaired ankle! Kopi didn’t play against the sharklettes in the playoff series last year. if he had been healthy into the playoffs last year, we might have finished stronger and made a playoff run last year, which might have meant no richards trade, no Carter trade and potentially no coaching change. I’m not saying that would have been good, i am just saying, that the core of this team, has had the potential, for a run like this for a while, and things might have worked out for them sooner, if they had had some twists of fate, go their way, rather than against. That said, I love this team, and I can’t imagine, them being on a roll like this, without all the things that have happened in the last 14 months!
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Stuart Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 9:27 am
@Steven H Brown, as much as I appreciate what TM did for this organIzation, I can’t believe that he would’ve out-coached any of the coaches we would’ve seen after round 1 lat season. But you are right in thinking that a secound round series would’ve changed the landscape of this team as we see it today… maybe Schenn is playing with us, maybe not. Maybe we miss the playoffs altogether with the likes of Mareau and Hunter playing 75-80 games? too many maybes to consider.
I, like you, am just enjoying this unprobable run! Next year, we won’t be taking anybody by surprise with our home ice advantage!
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hard work makes the bounces go your way a bit more, eh? keep it up boys, just like tonight, but with more screens in front of Smith please
GKG!!!
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what a craptacular goalie interference call against you!
Glad everyone pitched in.
Didn’t think anyone had a bad game.
One of quick’s worst post season game, but all in all not a bad game!
GKG! Exciting times my brothers & sisters!
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Jeff Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
@Lake Forest, I’d say the most exciting in Kings history! This team is stronger than the one in 1993. Barring some kind of injury to a key player, I don’t see how any team can stop the Kings.
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jess Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@Jeff,
Agreed..
–@ Lake –good to see you here as always bro
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Lake Forest Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
@jess, You too Jess. Good time to be here!!!!!
mrbrett7 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 6:40 am
@Lake Forest, I was so angry with that call. How is that called, and Korpikoski bowling over Quick not (just a few minutes before)?
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anyone watch the postgame comments from the coaches? Sutter had his usual Sutterisms and Tippitt looked like he was gonna pull a Torts and leave after one question
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Thanks guys for a great mother’s day gift. Drove up at 1:30 from so cal and saw the Firestone goal.
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jess Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
@Marilyn,
Happy Mother’s Day
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KOPI is a beast,and so strong. he is so strong when protectecting the puck with one hand on the stick. impressive
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sure miss Bob and Jim…
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lottley Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:09 pm
@EB, here, here!
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After a week off, they still brought the effort, pressure, and concentration. Nice work DS for having them so ready. Nice work Kompon having the PP ready (NOTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!).
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By the Way, I think the Secret Stars of this game were Kinger & Voynov.
Mitchell must be over the moon seeing his Padewan make that pass to Brown.
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jess Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
@IceGuy,
SIK depth bro!
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The long layoff clearly affected Quick. He was nowhere near as sharp as he was in the first two rounds…but that is imminently fixable (and he will come out in game #2 determined to make amends).
Aside from that, however, this was a great team effort…again. Sutter obviously has them locked in, they have the perfect game plan to deal with Smith, and they established the requisite physicality for the series right off the bat.
But maybe the best thing I heard was the postgame interview with Tippett. He was blatantly devastated by his team’s lack of effort, and I think he understands all too well that the luck on which the Coyotes have relied up to this point is not going to be enough to get the job done against the Kings. All the more reason to pour it on in game #2–if the Kings can sweep the first two in Phoenix, the Coyotes’ will is going to be shattered.
Oh, and memo to Bettman and the NHL refs: can we please do a little better job with the faceoffs?
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jess Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
@AJ,
Those goals on JQ were just smelling salts. After that he was on fire. We are witnessing the colusion of a whole hockey killer machine manifest itself before our eyes.
This is history in the making.
Don’t blink.
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Kman Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
@jess,
I totally echoe your thoughts. Not worried about Quicker at all.
I really am shocked at how the boys and their coach are ALL business. We’ve just never seen this before. Just don’t want to look ahead, but 9-1, seriously. The Kings are absolutely dominating in other buildings.
We win against a [supposedly] better team. Other team starts needing adjustments. Kings don’t need adjustments. Kings win again. After so long waiting on the train, it feels unbelivably good to hear her horn out around the bend.
This very well could be history.
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Great game Kopi they really rallied together to win it for quick. Hopefully they keep it up only 3 more wins
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CB14 Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
@rtana, 7 more wins.
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I am pumped. Three to go for this series. Does anyone know if another team has ever won 9 out of their first 10 playoff games!? Or 6 straight on the road? Far from over but their focus seems rock solid.
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Steve W Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
@Doc Allen, Kings are the fifth team in playoff history to win six straight on the road
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VenturedAway Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
7 iun a row ties the record (i believe), 8 sets it.
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Steven H Brown Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 1:26 am
@VenturedAway, Hawks won 7 in a row in 2010, but i would be interested and I guess is should look up the Elias Sports Bureau, page, as they probably have the note, if anyone else has won the 1st 6 on the road. Of course until 1968, the playoffs were only 2 rounds, so once you got to 8 wins, the playoffs were over, hence all the octopi, in Detroit, where they still haven’t accepted, that the league has more than 6 teams, and that Gordie Howe, retired again 3 decades ago.
I am Sooo very ecstatic over this win by OUR TEAM ! But, this is also the way that I expected the Coyotes to play us also. A bounce here or there against us and this game would have had a different outcome. I just pray that Tuesday’s game has the same outcome as today’s and when our boys come home that they keep it up. Great job by Kinger an the whole team ! Quicker, THEY HAVE YOUR BACK DUDE ! !
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This feeling is just way too surreal. I don’t know how to describe it. In all the time I have lived, we have never gotten this far and I have never had the experience of the Kings going this far. In my mind, it always seemed impossible for us to win the cup and now we are within the closest reach of getting the cup in a looong time. In a way I still have that feeling that it is impossible for us to win. Thankfully, night after night, these boys are proving me wrong. I hope they can prove me wrong and continue on get 7 more wins. LA deserves a cup! GKG!
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dodgervern Reply:
May 13th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
@Kingsation8,
I have this image,vision if you will of Jarrett Stoll skating around Staples with The Cup over his head.He hands it off to Penner and then lewis.The place is “going off”GO KINGS,GO!!!
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This game is evidence that every player doesn’t have to play their best to get a win. Quicker was a tad rusty and Carter is still looking for consistency but it didn’t matter. The boys took it to them dogs from the start and did not falter…WOW is the only word that keeps coming to mind. GKG
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What’s the record for a Stanley Cup Playoffs, anyone know? Should I call it……16-1?
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Where is Kopi’s brother? If he is half as good as Kopi he would be an asset to the team. great win. 3 more would be perfect
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LF13 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 12:30 am
@Optomistic, I believe he is in the Swedish 2nd league, but he is nowhere near Anze.
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Kingstane9 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 10:29 am
@LF13, getting closer I’d say..he was the best goalscorer in a Captain role for Des Moines Buccaneersin USHL, I believe…Signed for Mora in Swedish second league month ago or so, introduced as a new young star. I’d say he has a future in NHL for sure, we’ll have to wait for another year or two maybe three.
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Kingstane9 Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 10:30 am
@Kingstane9, Buccaneersin, LOL, it’s Buccaneers of course
Quick had a couple of gaffs, but let’s not forget that he had a couple epic saves as well, as opposed to losing his cool which could have easily happened. That enabled the team to keep its momentum. Having watched nearly every Kings game for 20 years, there has never been a group playing such a stifling brand of defense, using voracious fore and back checking. Couple that with incredibly well-timed, morale-killing goals, and we could indeed be seeing history in the making!
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Thanks boys and men for a great mothers
day gift the best you played your head and hearts out
Only thing to say is Thanks!
Go Kings Go!
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DLR “Somebody Get Me a Doctor!!”
Because Kopitar is getting even more SICK!!
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