On what has caused the recent turnaround:
“I don’t think there’s been any sort of a ‘turnaround’. I think we’ve played – I’ve said it numerous times – other than two games, we’ve played really well this year.”
On Carter’s recent scoring touch:
“He’s money. Give him the puck. He doesn’t need much time.”
On why, “all of a sudden”, is Carter scoring:
“It’s not really ‘all of a sudden’. He’s got 15 goals this year. It’s not ‘all of a sudden.’ He led the playoffs in goal scoring last year, I believe, with two other players in this room. He’s averaged 30-something goals a year. It’s not ‘all of a sudden.’ That’s Jeff Carter. He’s a goal scorer.
On what allowed the team to come back on Tuesday:
“We gave up some easy goals. It wasn’t a 4-1 game going into the third period. It wasn’t. They had like four goals on what, five or six shots. They had a pleasant time with it. Until then, we hadn’t been able to generate anything. If you look at shots and opportunities as the game goes along, that wasn’t the right score.”
On his recent comment that he likes his teams to play like they’re a goal down:
“I’m not a coach that coaches to sit on leads or sit on being down two or up two or any of that stuff. I believe you’re supposed to play the game the way your gameplan started the game, and it’s not by the score. So, if you do that consistently, it builds trust and it builds belief, and eventually you win more than you lose. It’s got nothing to do with the outcome of the game, ever. You’re going to win, you’re going to lose. I don’t know anybody… – other than Chicago – that goes 48-0. It’s not really anything other than that. If you believe you have a good team, then you have a chance to win every night if you play the same way. You’re not always going to win, but you’ll have a good chance.”
On some coaches leaning towards a defensive style when their teams are ahead:
“Some guys don’t last very long, either.”
On where this particular coaching philosophy comes from:
“I don’t really know, but probably from watching guys like Scotty Bowman and great coaches [where] you learn what they’re trying to do, and with the understanding that the coach is usually the one that instills the confidence or the trust in a group. That’s the way the game is now, and that’s one thing that probably will never change. You have to be able to instill that.”
On whether he reinforces this mantra between periods:
“Every shift, every time out, every whistle, every time a young player comes to the bench. It’s pretty much got nothing to do with ‘between periods’. Game day is game day and I believe it starts this morning and when the game is over tonight, it’ll stop. It’s not reinforcing a thing.”
On what he likes about Jeff Carter’s shot:
“It’s not so much the shot. You have to have the ability as an off winger – a good offensive player – to get open or to find where you are open, and then get it away. You look at [the] last two or three goals that he’s scored, first off, him, Brown and Williams lead our team in shots. So there’s a good chance if you do that…you get more chances to score. Right now, he is and Brownie and Willie have to continue to get shots. Jeff Carter…there’s not one thing that’s greater in his game than anything else. It’s not his shot or his size or his speed or anything like that. They’re all good. So when you have all those combined, you have a good hockey sense, and if you’re playing with good players, then you have a chance to score.”
“That’s Jeff Carter. He’s a goal scorer.” I can’t say it enough how glad I am to have a sniper on our team again!
[Reply]
jgomez Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
@pautna, Was Ziggy our last true sniper?
[Reply]
pautna Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
@jgomez, Funny, after I posted I was trying to figure that out!
[Reply]
LETSDOTHIS!! Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
@pautna, Cammalleri?
jgomez Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
@LETSDOTHIS!!, I thought about Cammi but I didn’t think he reached his true potential in LA. I’m not going by just goals cause even Brownie has got some seasons where he scored a lot. Cammi’s one timer was always great to see though
[Reply]
All I gots to say is GMFKings!!! Who else besides me hates the Stars?
[Reply]
Lake Forest Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
@SpencerMaze, I hated Ribeiro and ott the most! Glad they are both gone.
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 5:58 pm
@Lake Forest,
Ribeiro is a punk. I will always hate him, no matter where he goes. Ott always plays on the edge of recklessness. His only redeeming quality, if you want to call it that, was a willingness to face the music when he went over that edge (unlike Ribeiro, who’s a punk).
Last thing – Ribeiro is a punk.
[Reply]
BrokeKingsFan Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
On some coaches leaning towards a defensive style when their teams are ahead:
“Some guys don’t last very long, either.”
All I could think about when I read this was TM…all we did when he was coach is drop back into a defensive shell to not “lose” the game. Im over the moon that we play to “win” and keep taking it to our opponents till the final buzzer sounds.
[Reply]
BrokeKingsFan Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
this should have been an independant post… my bad
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 5:59 pm
@BrokeKingsFan,
I’m right there with you, brother.
[Reply]
mask0425x Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 3:38 pm
@SpencerMaze,
On a related note, who hates the Yotes? Tonight, I hope, the answer will be St. Louis Blues whom I fully expect to take it all out on the Smith-Doan posse.
[Reply]
Question to DS….What do you think about the LAKINGSINSIDER “NIGHT BLOG” edition….Dr. Phil comments…Duncanz comments….Dr. Phil comments…Its a blog for comments….needs to stay with the comments all the time…comment before the game and stay with it……would love to see Russ join the late edition….
[Reply]
What does DS mean by off-winger? Carter is right hand shot RW on his line … or maybe he means playing not center?
[Reply]
jet Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 4:22 pm
@goldielocks, a number of his important goals have come from the left side. One of the big differences between good and great players is the ability to score from any spot between the blue line and goal line.
[Reply]
On some coaches leaning towards a defensive style when their teams are ahead:
“Some guys don’t last very long, either.”
All I could think about when I read this was TM…all we did when he was coach is drop back into a defensive shell to not “lose” the game. Im over the moon that we play to “win” and keep taking it to our opponents till the final buzzer sounds.
[Reply]
puck73 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
@BrokeKingsFan, Anyone who takes a shot at TM is a friend indeed!
[Reply]
jet Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 4:23 pm
@puck73, If our young players did not have the defensive base they have we would have never come close to winning the cup.
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:07 pm
@jet,
That’s a common theory, but I’m not totally convinced. The only element that I see that is consistent between the two coaches is the emphasis on owning the front of the net in both zones. Everything else is very different under DS. Go look back at the player comments about how much more effort was required in Sutter’s 200 ft game. It’s a huge difference.
KC23 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 4:12 pm
@BrokeKingsFan, No way DS would take a shot at TM. Ever. DS isn’t like that.
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:01 pm
@KC23,
Yeah, TM doesn’t play for him.
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
@BrokeKingsFan,
I feel the same.
[Reply]
Nykingfan Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:48 pm
@BrokeKingsFan,
That’s total horsesh** and you guys know it.
We all have short memories and forget the days when we couldn’t keep the friggin puck out of our own goal.
TM comes in and installs a defensive oriented system and the young guys take to it. Next thing you know we’re competing every night and lo and behold we’re a playoff team.
I will never take anything away from DS but we don’t win the cup without the defensive mindset that TM instilled in the conscience of the organization. It’s been the difference between competing for the #1 pick in the draft and raising lord Stanley’s cup.
[Reply]
That losing streak last year was the best thing that happened to the Kings. Coach Sutter is the biggest reason they won the Cup and getting JC for JJ to allow VV the time to play made all the pieces fit!
[Reply]
Gustavo Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 3:00 pm
@Los Reyes,
For the millionth time….the trade was not JC for JJ.
It JC for JJ + a 1st round pick.
JJ never was, is not now and never will be at par value with JC, no matter what glasses anyone sees them with.
[Reply]
I’m constantly amazed by Sutter. He always has a plan and he doesn’t do anything by the seat of his pants or on accident- like calling players out in the media. This team really seems to trust and respect him, which is how Kings got their first Cup.
[Reply]
GO KINGS GO!!! Quick will shine tonight!
[Reply]
God I love coach Sutter. What a character.
[Reply]
What makes Sutter great he never sees up or down or win or defeat just strategy. PS this will be our 6th point this week.
[Reply]
Kenny44 Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
@Richard,
I’ve noticed this about very successful coaches and teachers – they focus on the process of doing things the right way and trust that results will follow naturally from that process. They don’t focus on results, whether ultimate wins / losses or interim results such as outshooting the other team, etc.
[Reply]
Go Kings Go!
[Reply]
I think he nailed it when he said ‘confidence’. Since Sutter took over, this team plays with confidence. The pre-Sutter Kings never win that game against St Louis because they wouldn’t have believed they could. The best thing about the Cup run (aside from The Cup, of course), was the level of confidence that players started to display. All of a sudden, talented players who had previously underperformed (i.e. Brown) were playing like they couldn’t lose. That’s definitely translated into this season.
It’s really fun to watch a team that expects to play well, expects to dominate play, and expects to win. It’s been a long time since we watched a Kings team like that.
[Reply]
Duncanz Reply:
March 7th, 2013 at 6:26 pm
@dmoney, Very diplomatically put.
[Reply]