October 8 postgame quotes: Los Angeles

Dustin Brown, on whether the ceremony provided a distraction, or whether that’s an excuse:
It’s just an excuse, really. We’ve been through that before.

Brown, on the 4-0 loss:
We just didn’t play well. We weren’t very sharp moving the puck coming in and out of our zone. We struggled moving it one, quickly, and two, tape-to-tape, and as a result it makes it really hard to get up the ice. Just got stuck playing more D-zone than offensive zone.

Brown, on any disappointment that the ceremony could have distracted the team:
I think we’re just disappointed in the two points that we lost. That’s ultimately what it comes down to now. It’s just two points we lost. We’ve got to refocus.

Brown, on an assertion that the team was “tired” of the ceremony:
Well, there are worse problems to have. It’s one of those things that kind of goes with the territory. Like I said, I don’t think that’s why we were sloppy. I mean, we were sloppy because we didn’t prepare properly.

Brown, on watching the banner rise:
I mean, I think it’s one of those things that you’ve kind of earned the right to enjoy. Seeing a banner go to the rafters, as players you want to enjoy it, but it’s also a thing that happened last year, and as players you’re looking forward to this season and refocusing.

Brown, on the team’s expectations:
I think it’s just our expectations for ourselves are what they were after we won last time, and that’s first of all to make the playoffs, and that’s a day-to-day, game-to-game focus. You can’t look too far ahead, and that’s a first goal. Make the playoffs and go from there.

Brown, on San Jose’s two quick goals in the second period:
I mean, any time you score back-to-back goals that quickly the momentum swings, but it’s also a four-nothing game at that point. We have to clean up our game. They were good tonight and we weren’t. Like I said, if we clean up our puck movement and how quickly we can move the puck, it becomes a lot cleaner, easier game for us

Kyle Clifford, on playing after the Stanley Cup ceremony:
We just didn’t play our game tonight. We just have to go back, get better prepared, and get ready to go.

Clifford, on whether any issues from the final preseason game were raised in the loss:
We’re professionals, we have to be ready, be better prepared, and get ready for Arizona here.

Clifford, on his fight with Mike Brown:
You know, we both have our roles, and it’s my job to step up when the time is needed.

Clifford, on watching the banner rise to the rafters:
It was definitely special. We did a lot of celebrating last season, and I think it’s just time to get ready for this season.

Clifford, on taking the ice against San Jose:
Yeah definitely, there’s a rivalry there, they got the better of us tonight, and we’ve got to do a better job.

Clifford, on whether the ceremony was a distraction:
We just have to come out better. We can’t use that as an excuse, we’re professional players, we just have to be ready when the puck drops.

Clifford, on improvements that need to be made:
I think we need a little more structure, a little better mindset, and a little more bite to our game.

Jonathan Quick, on the loss:
It wasn’t good enough, they were better than we were. They got the win. I don’t think it had anything to do with all that stuff we had to do before, they were the better team.

Quick, on the pre-game ceremony:
You’re just kind of tired of it. You just want to play hockey.

Alec Martinez, on the loss:
We just didn’t come prepared to play. We didn’t come out the way we needed to. I thought the mood in the room was good it just didn’t translate once the game started.