February 14 postgame quotes: Washington

Alex Ovechkin, on what changed from the last time they played Los Angeles:
If we make a good forecheck, we get our chances, we get our opportunities out there. We didn’t in the first period and that was the game.

Matt Niskanen, on whether Los Angeles seemed like a different team:
They played like the game really, really meant something. They were very hard on the puck. They finished a lot of checks. They played like the game really, really meant something to them and we weren’t at their level and that accounts for, for sure, the first half of the game. Just the difference in shots and puck possession and all those things, they wanted it way more than we did tonight.

Niskanen, on whether Trevor Lewis’ goal took the momentum away from them:
It could’ve been a lot worse, but then we played a little bit better. In the third period, actually, we played with a little more urgency. We had a four-on-four goal. We were trailing in the third and we needed that kind of push and desperation. They had it and we didn’t, a big reason why we lost.

Braden Holtby, on the loss:
It wasn’t a very good effort on our part obviously, the first two periods especially. The third, I think they went into a bit of a defensive shell and it may have seemed like we were competitive. We can’t play that way obviously, myself too. It’s one of those games. We have an opportunity tomorrow night to win a hockey game and have a successful trip. We have to have to put it behind us right away.

Holtby, on whether Los Angeles played a desperate game:
Yeah, that has nothing to do with us. It doesn’t matter how good the other team plays, we have to play better. We have to be prepared to play better and we didn’t. Like I said, you live and you learn. We know we got beat by our own mistakes tonight. They played well, but the goals, we caused them whether it was me or our team. So you look at it that way, there is room for improvement to get a win.

Nicklas Backstrom, on what prevented them from establishing a consistent forecheck:
I think, first of all, they were harder. They found the net. They were a little hungrier from the start. I think we didn’t get our forecheck going very well and they moved the puck pretty well. At the end of the day, we’re still in it. Then we let that second goal in the third period, that was a tough one. At the same time, we came back and hit a post and almost tied it up there. Overall, I think they were hungrier than us.

Barry Trotz, on how Los Angeles defended against their forecheck:
They did a good job, a lot of credit going to them. They came in, put pucks deep, hung onto them, really ground you down a little bit. I thought we didn’t have enough urgency in our game. They had a little more urgency through the game. I felt I had too many people who weren’t as urgent as they were. At the end of the day, you’re not going to beat those guys. They know how to win and they have some timely saves ahead of our push there where we scored and hit the post right away. But we didn’t have enough guys going on their A-games, that’s for sure.