On the team’s play:
It’s not really that hard to figure out. If you want to be a playoff team, you have to play playoff hockey. Done that since break, and last night was sort of a microcosm of it because we made two really soft plays in our zone that cost us two goals against. If you want to be a playoff team, win in the playoffs, you don’t do that. Very simple. We had lots of opportunities to score and just didn’t quite get it done, so that’s the way it works.
On balance and contributions throughout the lineup:
Well, you can’t win with one line or one or two guys. You can’t win consistently. You can steal it or surprise it. Just look at last night – we played really well against the Getzlaf line and did a good job in special teams, which is just about what you do in playoff time. You match up. But lesser guys scored goals for them. Lesser lines or lesser guys that don’t get as many minutes, and that’s what we need. The other day, the big thing around here was because one player only played 10 minutes, well, that’s a lot of times what that type of player plays. It’s not that big a deal.
On Marian Gaborik:
I think he’s played really well. I haven’t had any issue with it at all. He’s a veteran, he’s used to it, he’s had a lot of success individually, and quite honest, he’s had some really good playoff runs when you look at it…He only missed a little bit of hockey last year. He’s a durable guy. I haven’t had any problems with him. [Reporter: Does he give you a chance to put up Brown in a different role?] I think it puts all those guys right now in slots. In today’s game, the teams are too balanced. So if you bunch everybody into that area and you don’t have the personnel to do it, you’re not going far. It looks good tonight, it’s not going to look good tomorrow night. But if you’re healthy and you can do it, then you do it. If we’ve learned anything here from our last two playoffs…If you look at the year we won it, Jarret Stoll’s line scored the game-winner against Vancouver. Dustin Penner on Richards’ line scored the game winner [against Phoenix]. Kopitar scores the…game winner against Jersey…So, anyways, it tells you about balance. If Gabby can play with Kopi, that’s good. That means Willie’s got to step up and play with those guys, because if we put Jeff there, you’re overloading it. Jeff and Mike are familiar with each other. That means Mike’s got to step up and play a stronger brand of hockey for us, clearly, for Jeff to be there. And that puts Brownie where he should be. It puts him in that third line role with guys who go up and down and check and play hard and chip in your 15-to-20. It all shakes out perfectly, and minutes have nothing to do with it, because special teams – hey, if you’re overloaded on penalty killing or power play, one team’s going home in a hurry. [Reporter: What is Brown like as a guy? Like sometimes if a guy is playing up there with Kopitar for a long time, and to not play there, he’s got to accept that role. He can’t be a divisive guy in the dressing room. He strikes me as a guy that wants to win, right? He just wants to win?] It’s not a problem. Put it this way – who in this room is just playing for themselves?
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