On how many Game 7s he has played in:
“NHL? I don’t think I’ve been in any. But I’ve been in a couple in junior. They’re fun. It comes down to one final game. Two pretty evenly-matched teams, obviously, I think all season long. We’re excited, though. It’s good to have it on home ice, for sure. We’ve just got to use it to our advantage.”
On whether there’s any anxiety or “butterflies,” even if preparation doesn’t change:
“I mean, for me, no. I don’t think there should be. I think you’ve got to approach it like any other game. Obviously it’s a big game, but it’s no different than any other game. Be loose. If you’re too nervous, too uptight, that’s kind of when you get yourself into trouble and maybe come out a little bit flat. You want to be loose, and you’ve got to bring your best game, because you know they’re going to bring their best game. So we’ve just got to be prepared to do that.”
On if there’s any concern that the Kings don’t have much Game 7 experience:
“No, I don’t think it matters. I think it’s more playoff experience versus Game 7 experience. I think, like I just said, you don’t change the way you play, you don’t change the way you think, you don’t change your systems or anything like that. You approach it the same way you always have approached it from Game 1 right through Game 7. You’ve just to do it right, you’ve got to play well in that Game 7. It’s starting, getting out on the right start and being ready to go right off the hop.
On staying out of the penalty box:
“Stay out of the penalty box. I mean, we found out what happened in Game 6, what happens. I don’t know what the stats are, but the three games in their building, all by one goal, all scored [with] power play goals. [Reporter: All two-one.] All two-one, with at least one power play goal. [Reporter: Every loss you’ve had in the playoffs this spring is two-one.] Yeah, there you go. [Reporter: It’s a two-one league.] In the playoffs. Their power play, right? That’s their bread and butter. They’ve got some pretty good players that thrive on the power play, so definitely got to stay out of the box.”
On where last season’s championship comes in handy when taking part in a Game 7:
“I mean, I think bringing our best game here, Game 7. Everybody’s played in big games on this team. We played in the Stanley Cup Finals – even though it wasn’t Game 7, but it was the finals. It was big, big games, and we’ve just got to bring it for Game 7.”
On the last playoff series he was on the losing side of:
“It was Game 6 my first year in Chicago. We lost Game 6 of the conference finals to Detroit in overtime. [Reporter: What did that feel like?] It didn’t feel good. Especially being in the conference finals, we were kind of within a whisker of getting to the finals. I didn’t play every game that series, but I did play that particular game. It was a tight game. I don’t remember the score. It was in overtime, though. Same thing – playoffs, there’s not a lot of room out there. You can flip a coin sometimes, as to who’s going to win. It’s a fine line, and we’ve got to find a way to get on the good side of that line.”
On the “gutting” feeling going through a handshake line after a series loss:
“They’re going to do the same thing. They’re going to bring their best game. We’ve got 40 guys, I guess, fighting for the same spot and the same thing, and I guess it comes down to the old cliché
Who wants it more.’ Hopefully we want it more.”
On the team’s feeling heading back on the plane after Game 6:
“I mean, obviously we wanted to win. We didn’t want to come back here for Game 7. That’s obvious. It was what it was. We couldn’t change the fact that we lost the game. What we can change is the way we play our next game. I think we moved forward pretty quickly, especially today doing some video and whatnot. Iron out the wrinkles and be ready for tomorrow.”
On whether having won a championship makes rebounding from Game 6 easier:
“I mean, maybe. I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know. I don’t know the answer. At the end of the day we lost the game. We weren’t ready to start the game. We lost in their building again. The good thing is we’re coming back home for Game 7, which is huge. That’s what we have to take advantage of.”
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