On the difference in the team’s post-Olympic play:
I don’t know if there’s been a big difference. We had broken the season down into two seasons, meaning pre-Olympic and post-Olympics. We wanted to be in a playoff spot going into the Olympics, and we were, and we came out and we wanted to try and secure a spot as soon as we could. With the way the league is set up now, in terms of who makes the playoffs and the division formats and the wildcards, I think the sooner you can get your spot, the better you are, whereas you’re not always going down into 79, 80, 81, 82 of those games to make it. You’re way better off the way it is now because you can get locked into a spot, and that’s what happened this year. So hopefully we can use that a little bit to our advantage. We’ve been able to – pretty much the same as San Jose – we’ve been able to use guys a little differently the last two weeks, and let guys who are banged up not play, and make sure they’re ready, and use guys minutes different, so I would say that would be the biggest difference in the last little bit of our schedule.
On any added focus during the first postseason practice:
They play all year for it. When you’re a team that’s done well in the playoffs – your nucleus has done well – then they take charge in that, and that’s a big part of their responsibility, to take charge of that. We’re not winning a game today, that’s for sure. But you can start thinking about it.
On what video can teach the players, given that they’ve played San Jose so often:
Well, we’re not playing them any more than anyone else. It’s a division now. It’s a seven-team division, and we played ‘em five times this year. There’s one team that has an advantage because of the three-and-two at home. So there’s no deep dark secrets. I mean, it’s not like they’re reinventing the wheel in the last three days, and neither are we. Both teams are very good hockey clubs for a good reason. [Reporter: I know, and with no deep dark secrets in mind, what so you reinforce in the video if you know so much about them, or are you looking more at yourself?] You learn it three different ways. You do. You learn by seeing it, doing it, or hearing it. So sometimes it’s good to reinforce to see it. [Reporter: Yeah, because different players really learn different ways.] We all do.
On the “little things” that can help the Kings win a playoff series:
Probably not turning pucks over, not getting caught chasing play. There are a lots of little things that go on during the game. The contact part of it, where at playoff time there’s a lot more contact being made, and that’s why some players are better at this time. There are just little things in the team’s system. Maybe a foot here, a foot there, knowing who you’re on the ice against. Just little things like that.
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