March 3 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

On whether the earlier Montreal game represented L.A.’s best net-crashing efforts:
I don’t know. I just know we had to kill some big penalties in the first period. Our goaltender was outstanding that game.

On using size against Montreal, one of the league’s smaller teams:
It’s actually – if you look at it tonight, they put in Murray, Tinordi, Parros, Moen, Bourque, Weise. If you’re only looking at the size of the last time we played them, it’s significantly different.

On whether he’s happy with the team’s post-Olympic break performance:
Yeah, we use everybody, and it’s been a tough schedule. So tonight finishes four-in-six. Tough part of it.

On what he has liked from Tanner Pearson and Linden Vey:
They have to play better than they’re playing. We’ve got six young guys. I’m not playing them all. Cliffy, Noley, Lindy, Tyler, Tanner. They’re not all playing. What I like? I like if they’re in the lineup and they’re great competitors. Fratts. Six of ‘em. It’s tough. Can’t play ‘em all. Can’t make playoffs.

On how the trading deadline affects his duties:
The trade deadline’s irrelevant to our hockey club. I don’t know what changes. You guys have covered this team since – I don’t know, when did we start training camp? [Reporter: September.] So it’s fairly evident that there is a salary cap with this team that affected us in training camp, and we said that we were going to play young guys…and that’s what we’ll continue to do. [Reporter: Nothing changes.] Quite honest, for me, I’m not even thinking about it. I’m thinking about who we can play tonight to beat Montreal, and who we’re going to put in the lineup when we go to Winnipeg. It’s got no bearing on anything that we do. All that stuff, it’s not hard to figure out. Just do math. And I don’t think our young players are in a position where they’re going to hurt us. They’re in a position where they can only get better and help us. So I’d rather play them, for sure.