Sutter, the day after Game 5

Since the Kings had no activity at the rink today, Darryl Sutter held a conference call with media members, in which he talked about making the Stanley Cup Finals, the Kings’ development under his tenure and the fact that the Kings are getting some assistance from their former coach right now…

Question: You talked last night about sticking with Dustin Penner when things weren’t going well for him early in the game. What went into that?

SUTTER: “I don’t think I was referring specifically to him. We had a lot of guys that had a tough start last night. When we talk about trust, between us and the players, I stuck with guys early in the game that were struggling a little bit, and he was one of them.’’

Question: Is it just knowing that guys will pull out of it later?

SUTTER: “It’s not pull out of it. It’s got nothing to do with `try,’ or anything like that. They came at us hard early in the game. We were on our heels a little bit. As a coach, you stick with the guys. That’s how we got here. We’re not in October mode. Dustin is a veteran guy, an experienced guy. He’s been on a championship team.’’

Question: Can you just talk about what this means for the franchise?

SUTTER: “I think any time you make the playoffs, it’s something for the franchise. I think any time you win a round, it’s important to the franchise. Any time you get to play for a conference championship, it’s important for the franchise. It’s for everybody that’s a part of it. It’s awesome. It’s a great experience. I keep saying, `Experience the experience.’’’

Question: You’ve been here before. Is there anything that you will keep an eye on, in the next few days, both mentally and physically, to make sure the guys are staying on track?

SUTTER: “It’s the third time in six weeks that we will have the exact same routine. That’s one advantage of winning four before you lose three. We’ll just go from there.’’

Question: And the fact that you’re starting on the road again, you’re in the exact same routine, pretty much…

SUTTER: “The difference is, we know the schedule now. The last few, we didn’t know. So, the difference is, we’re traveling to the Eastern time zone, which is going to affect some of our preparation. The farther you go alone, the players also need more time in terms of recovery, because there are more bumps and bruises as you go along. They can use the time, for those reasons.’’

Question: Looking back, since the time you took over, do you recall any turning points, moments when you could see things clicking?

SUTTER: “I don’t think there’s a specific point for me at all. It was about changing the style a little bit, and when you do that, you don’t see the team, you see it as individuals. Some guys grasp it right away and really want it. Then others guys, it’s a tougher adjustment. I’ve never really looked at it from a team standpoint. I looked at it from an individual standpoint, because everybody has a different skill set. So I don’t think there was a specific time. I think there were a lot of different times, where you see real progress or they need help, or they take a step back or whatever it is. So, I don’t think there’s a specific timetable.’’

Question: So, were there some who took longer than others to grasp it?

SUTTER: “I think, probably, for sure. When there’s a coaching change or player changes, there’s role changes. You have to get everybody to accept roles. They accept roles privately. They’re used to having the roles from prior…so they have to be able to adjust or maybe pull back, make the buy-in to whatever it is. It’s ongoing, all the time.’’

Question: How will you plan things now, with the East Coast travel?

SUTTER: “Same as we did in the past, with St. Louis. We’re scheduled for Wednesday. … Probably the best situation for the players is, it would be better to travel on Monday.’’

Question: Will you watch that Devils-Rangers series a little bit closer now?

SUTTER: “Well, we break the games down as we go. Obviously, we have live scouting at all the games, once you’re going from 30 to 16 to eight to four to two. You’re doing a lot of live watching, as well as videoing everything. … The big difference now is, we know that we’re moving on and we know that it’s the Rangers or the Devils.’’

Question: Is Terry Murray doing some of that scouting for you?

SUTTER: “Yep. He’s in the East. He’s in the series now.’’

Question: What was your reaction to the handshake line, and some of the comments from Shane Doan?

SUTTER: “It’s an emotional time for everybody. A lot of times, there’s handshakes done behind closed doors. I know the traditional handshake is wonderful, but lots of things happen behind closed doors that are very private. You leave it at that. Shane Doan is an awesome player and an awesome captain, and I wish he was still playing, but just not at our expense.’’