October 21 quotes: Lewis, Clifford, Fraser

Trevor Lewis, on any fundamental changes Darryl Sutter implemented on the penalty kill since becoming head coach:
I don’t think ‘fundamental.’ I think him and Johnny do a good job of putting a plan together. We have a lot of guys that can kill, even our top end guys. I think they do a good job of putting a plan together, and we talk about it a lot, and we’ve got a lot of guys that’ll execute it. Keep us fresh out there. If one guy goes to the box, we know there’s another guy that can kill, too.

Lewis, on whether the 14 skaters used on the penalty kill against Dallas is an indication of the defensive commitment throughout the locker room:
Yeah, I think so. I think everyone’s willing to block a shot and pay a price for the win. Like I said, if you have that many guys killing, it keeps a lot of guys fresh and doesn’t take a lot of guys’ minutes. It’s a good thing, and hopefully it can keep going.

Lewis, on the every-other-day playing schedule:
I mean, you’re kind of used to it. Last year we were playing almost every other day, no matter what. You get used to it, and you take the day and prepare for the next game. I think the guys in here are all used to it and ready to go.

Lewis, on the way the team created turnovers in the win over Dallas:
I think just pressure and puck pursuit. Making good reads, whether it’s the D stepping up in the blue line, a forward coming back to get it, or vice-versa. We’ve just got to make sure we keep that pressure up.

Kyle Clifford, on ways to counter a team with mobile defensemen:
We’ve just got to get in on ‘em and finish checks and put pucks in tough areas so they’re not able to make easy outs. I think a big thing is just finishing checks and trying to slow ‘em down.

Clifford, on the diversity of a lineup that utilized 14 skaters on the PK on Saturday:
We’ve got a deep lineup, and everybody can play in all situations here, and for the penalty kill we’ve got a lot of bodies that can kill penalties. It’s always a good thing when you’ve got a lot to choose from.

Clifford, on whether the role on the PK differs from player to player:
No, we’re all on the same page. Whether I’m killing with Fras, or Fras is killing with Kopi, we all know what we’ve got to do out there, and we’ve got to do it together.

Clifford, on the importance of winning at home in the current stretch:
Yeah, especially tonight. Tonight’s a division game, so you want to win those ones, and we want to be a homer team and win at home like we did last year.

Clifford, on Calgary’s toughness and high work ethic:
It’s the National Hockey League. You know there are going to be hard-working guys and guys that can definitely throw ‘em a little bit, so you’ve just got to be prepared every night.

Colin Fraser, on the added emphasis on earning two points against a divisional opponent:
Obviously you come into every game wanting to win every game – which wouldn’t be a reality, really – but divisional games are more important. Four point games, almost. Big swings in the standings, especially when it’s so tight.

Fraser, on what he remembers about the Calgary Flames:
I think they play hard. They’re a hard team. They’re not a run-and-gun-type team. They’re a team that comes hard and plays physical. They’ve got some big bodies over there. They’re a good team. You talk about the league’s so tight, that any team can win on any given night, so you’ve got to be at your best or something’s going to knock you down.

Fraser, on ways to counter teams that are known for having a high work ethic:
I think with our team, our identity is to play fast and physical. It’s no secret, the way we play. It’s been successful for us in the past. It’s when we get away from that that we struggle. The old cliché, ‘Play your game’ is definitely what we need to do. We’ve got to have a good start. We’ve been talking, stressing being more physical than we had been, and I thought we were more so last game. We’ve got to roll that over into this game.

Fraser, on the penalty kill’s success:
Johnny – he does a great job. He’s a smart coach. We’ve got the same core guys, really that have killed for three or four seasons. Nothing changes drastically on it, really. It’s just a matter of trying to outwork their power play. We’ve all been here so long that whoever goes out there kind of knows what to do. It’s always been a strong point of our team the last three seasons I’ve been here, anyway. Special teams are huge as far as winning or losing games. It was huge for us last game. If they score on the power play, it could be a different game.