On establishing strong starts and building momentum

If you’re trying to find the last goal the Kings scored in the first period, today is a good time to look. It occurred 30 miles southeast of here, and with the freeways wide open over the holiday weekend, you can probably arrive there in half an hour.

Because Los Angeles was outscored 2-0 during the first periods of the two road games that opened the series, that Mike Richards goal 15:12 into Game 7 at the Honda Center represents the last first period goal scored by the Kings.

Through 16 playoff games the Kings have scored 14 first period goals, 15 second period goals, 22 third period goals and one overtime goal.

“I think it’s just a matter of focusing, having a sense of urgency, and having a good start,” Anze Kopitar said when asked about the team’s home ice play. “It’s not going to be any different really. I’m sure the building is going to be pretty loud, just like it always is. We just have to make sure we have a good start and build on that.”

Obviously the quality of a team’s play can be determined by offensive zone time, puck possession and the frequency of high quality scoring chances, but how are those sustained early in a game? What can a player do in the morning skate, or in warm-ups, that help them feel confident heading into their first shift?

“Everyone has their own little thing that they do,” Willie Mitchell explained. “We like to have a hard warm-up, not everyone does. You’re feeling good it’s like a horse in the first corner, you sometimes have to pull the reins back a little bit and not leave it all out there in warm-ups. Save it for the game. I think guys always talk about morning skates. In morning skates there is no rhyme or reason because sometimes you can feel great in a morning skate and you don’t have your legs at night. And then vice versa, you can feel terrible in a morning skate and go out and feel like you can skate for a week. I think those things happen and they always happen and it’s just part of being an NHL player. There are games when you feel it and games when you don’t. The better players find a way to manage the ones when you don’t.”

Willie Mitchell, on how to get off to a good start in a game:
I think teams know. You just know. You get a sense before the game, before warm-ups. You can kind of feel the energy in the room. Then when you get out there, you can see the pace and the execution of the game you’re playing. If you look at Game 1 of the series, you saw most of that from us. Then in Game 2 of the series, you saw most of that from Chicago. But the game has a funny way of working out sometimes. The game you should you win, you think, you lose. And then the game you shouldn’t have, you found a way to win. I’m sure they look at it the same way. I think as a group, everyone is excited to be at home so we’ll use that and have a good start.

Mitchell, on whether he’ll take the morning skate if it’s optional:
I always, for the most part, take them. If I’m not, it’s because I’m bumped up. I just like it. I like feeling the ice sheet I’m going to be skating on later at night.

Tyler Toffoli, on what Los Angeles wants to establish early in the game:
Get some shots, finish your checks and just get right into the game. Don’t wait for them to do something. You have to be out there every shift in the first period and just bring what you have to bring.

Toffoli, on playing against Andrew Shaw:
He brings a lot of energy. He finishes his checks and he plays hard. He plays a 200 foot game. He’s a good player. With him coming back, I don’t think we have to change much. We just have to play our game and worry about ourselves.

Toffoli, on whether the level of animosity compares to the San Jose series:
I think the way Chicago plays is a lot different than San Jose. It’s playoff hockey and you have to be finishing your checks and playing hard and playing a full 60 minutes. We’re going to be looking for a good game tonight, and we have to come out with a good start.

Anze Kopitar, on whether the Kings’ 3-3 home record is accurate:
I think it’s pretty accurate. Obviously we want to be better at home and it’s probably a good time to improve that record.

Kopitar, on whether the animosity between the teams is escalating:
I think both teams have played with a lot of emotion. There were some big hits and me hitting Brownie last game too was… [Reporter: Did you get credit for a hit on that?] I don’t know, I didn’t check. There are hits. There is a time and place for that. I don’t think the nastiness is going to come just running around and playing loose. You still want to play within the structure. If the hit is there, obviously, you take it. I try to make it hard on those guys.

Kopitar, on whether they are aware of Chicago’s 2-4 road playoff record:
No, we’re not going to look at that. We know they’re a good team and we know we’re going to have to play better than we did in Chicago to get a couple wins here. We’re just focusing on our game and our starts and how we’re going to play.