On Martin Jones’ 19-save shutout:
He didn’t have a lot of work, so it was good that we helped him out there in the tail end. We kept getting pucks deep, and the shots he did face, he didn’t look like he had to work all that hard, which is nice. He certainly pulled us out of the fire more times than not. I thought our guys played a pretty thorough game in our D-zone for him.
On whether the weekend reinforced the way he wants the team to play:
I think so. We’re getting better at our coverages, and I think that that turns into offense, which plays into our strong suit. We’ve got some guys that are pretty creative, and when we decide to defend well, it accentuates what we are really all about, and that’s speed and scoring. Tonight was one of those nights were the puck was going our way. We could’ve used one of those last night.
On Andy Andreoff being a versatile, coachable player:
Yeah, he’s a no-nonsense play. Whether he’s playing first line or fourth line, he always gives you an honest effort, and he’s really a coachable guy, so it’s nice to have somebody that can do that. You can have him kill penalties, you can have him in front of the power play or on the half-wall, and there’s no hesitation to put him out against a good player or to put him with other good players.
On whether the team’s game plan changes when the opponent loses a defenseman:
Honestly, I didn’t even notice. I just know they’re big. I told our guys we were playing a bunch of sequoias tonight. When you look at their lineup, man, they’ve got a lot of reach, and we needed to use our speed, and with five guys, that wore on them.
On the positive of rebounding with a decisive win after a loss:
Well, it is, and especially heading into a break, because the last thought in your head is the last game you played. It’s nice to have that going through your head as you’re having your down time, and then you’ve got a good feeling when you step back on the ice. I think the absence away from the rink is going to be a good thing for us. At this stage of the season, guys are dinged up pretty good. Who knows what’s going to happen from this point forward, but we did ourselves proud tonight, I thought.
On whether it was easier to sustain energy after taking an early lead:
It sure was. The longer those games string out, the more confidence they gain, and you like to take advantage of home ice, and I thought we did that. The early goals mean so much. The starts to your periods are key, so you build the mental parts of your game when you score early, and that confidence carries through for the rest of the game most times.
On limiting Albany’s shots on goal:
Like I said, I thought we did a good job in the D-zone. They only had a few shifts where they cycled real well, and once we endured their big push, I thought that we were able to control most of the game.
On whether this was his first win on the pink ice:
It could be. I’m not sure. It was a little sticky. It was sticky yesterday, too. I don’t know why that is. And the fact that you can see the snow on the pink ice makes it look slow. I prefer white ice.
Rules for Blog Commenting
Repeated violations of the blog rules will result in site bans, commensurate with the nature and number of offenses.
Please flag any comments that violate the site rules for moderation. For immediate problems regarding problematic posts, please email zdooley@lakings.com.