February 7 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter

On what he attributes the drop-off in faceoff success to:
“Well, when they score goals on you, then you dwell on it. Tonight [had] two faceoff goals. Kopi’s usually so good on his backhand there, and the first goal they score, he loses a draw, and Robby and Drew both don’t have coverage. It’s an easy play to cover. And then the biggest part of killing penalties – I’ve always said that – is goalie and faceoff, and Jaret loses it clean. What’s it attributed to? You’ve got to ask the guys. You don’t coach faceoffs. Those guys are veteran guys who know who they’re playing against…Every time we play Nashville, it’s a huge stat, always. I mean, they’ve got three guys that are veteran guys, and they’re big guys and they’re strong guys, and…obviously they do a better job at it when we play them than we do [against them].”

On Nashville’s style of play:
“You’ve got to work to the inside against them to get anything offensively…They’re strong guys, and they’re really good defenders. Shea plays so much that at home he’s getting at home against Kopitar every time, and that’s what they did tonight. And then they put Blum and Ellis back in, and it gives them mobility. When you just do it on a straight matchup thing, they’re clearly better as a…seven man [defensive] unit. They were clearly better [with] seven than we were [with] six.”

On whether Drew Doughty is “pressing”:
“No, I just don’t think he’s good enough early in games. That’s not pressing. We expect a lot out of him. He and his partner are on the ice for too many goals against.”

On whether Friday’s recovery day comes at the right time:
“I don’t think so. It’s good to give ‘em a break. It’s what every team wants. Get a day off, it helps some guys that are banged up a little bit.”

On what makes Nashville difficult to score against:
“Well, their last four games – shootout win, shootout win, 6-1 win, 3-0 win. You know what? [If] you don’t give up much, and you’ve got great goaltending, it gives [you] a chance to win.”