Greene, on Martinez: “He’s been a great player for us”

Injuries have necessitated adjustments on the Kings’ back end, and while the team’s depth is being tested, the recent realignment has reprised a defensive pairing that has been used intermittently in the two years since Alec Martinez and Matt Greene skated every game together en route to a 16-4 postseason record and the Stanley Cup.

When Willie Mitchell suffered an injury late in the San Jose series, Greene immediately stepped in. He’s a plus-two since his reinsertion into the lineup, having logged ice times of 12:43, 20:41 (in an overtime game in which the Kings shifted to five defensemen), and 13:44. Though his first postseason outing resulted in a minus-four effort over 13:23 versus San Jose in Game 2, he has had a firmer footing in his three outings since.

Martinez, meanwhile, has goals in back-to-back games, and his five points (2-3=5) in nine games continue his scoring pace that spiked in the second half. In 22 post-Olympic regular season games, he scored seven goals as part of a 15-point, plus-nine effort.

In addition to the scoring, puck advancement and possession ability Martinez has shown, Martinez also contributed a game-saving block of an overtime Corey Perry shot in Game 1 in which the former Hart Trophy winner had ample net to work with.

“He’s been a great player for us for the last two years,” Greene said. “I think it’s just a fact of just finding your rhythm and getting a chance to show what he can do. That’s what he’s been doing. He got a chance this year and he really took advantage of it. He got hot and you have to run with the hot hand. He’s been awesome for us. It’s great to see him. It’s a lot of hard work that paid off for him and I know everyone is really happy for him right now. It’s good to see him get rewarded because there was a lot of hard work that went into that.”

Martinez, a left-shooter, logged most of his production playing on his off-side while paired with Mitchell. With Greene, a right-shooter, back in the lineup, it will be interesting to see if the chemistry built up in 2012 – when Greene posted six points (2-4=6), and Martinez scored a Game 3 Stanley Cup Final goal on Marty Brodeur as part of a three-point postseason effort – will return, even if the duo has been used off and on over the two seasons since.

Despite the injuries, the team’s defensive wherewithal remains intact.

“I think a lot of it stems from Quickie,” Greene said. “We’re getting real solid goaltending right now and we’re trying to limit their chances. But we have to play better than we have the last couple of games. They’ve really been getting a lot of what they want in the offensive zone. We have to try to limit their chances and not rely solely on Quickie.”

Matt Greene, on not taking a 2-0 series lead for granted:
Yeah, and you want to get better every game. You want to improve every game and you have to make sure you’re doing the right things to try to stop them or slow them down a little bit. They’re a high powered offensive team and we have to pay more attention to all four of their lines. Try to play a better team game and spend less time in the defensive zone.

Greene, on having two days off before Game 3:
I think it’s just you have to be ready every game. It doesn’t matter how much time you have off in between. You just have to be ready to take it one game at a time. I know it’s cliché, but it’s true. When you can get the rest, you take it.

Greene, on the focus heading back to Staples Center:
You want to win every game, that’s it. You want to take every chance you can. Every time you suit up, you get a chance to get a win and you want to take it. That’s up to the guys in the room to make sure there are no let downs in themselves. I think the coaches do a good job of getting on us and making sure we’re ready to go. Now it’s up to the individuals themselves to make sure they’re ready.

Greene, on the Anze Kopitar-Ryan Getzlaf matchup:
Kopi has been great for us all year. That’s it. I think it’s premier centermen going at it. I don’t think you’re ever really going to slow down Getzlaf too much. They got a lot of chances last night. They had a lot of chances in Game 1. We definitely have to do a better job against those guys or else they’re going to hurt you. Those are two high powered centermen. That line of Getzlaf, Perry and Beleskey, they’re hot right now. We have to do what we can to slow them down.