February 28 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter

On how Andrej Sekera adapted, given there was “a lot to throw at him”:
It’s a big adjustment coming into this conference. A player who’s never played in this conference, it’s not just step in and ‘away you go,’ and it doesn’t matter what position you are. It’s not easy. It’s a big difference obviously in not knowing personnel if you’re the player, and probably the style of play, and also for him would be the importance of games. [Reporter: Because he played in eight playoff games quite a few years ago with Buffalo.] He’s played zero meaningful games in the last how many years? [Reporter: Four or five.] Quite a few. Probably the more meaningful games would be international. It’s a big adjustment. How’d he play? It’s like you asked after the game. I mean, you want me to break it down? He was OK. [Reporter: At least when Reg came over from Buffalo, he had been in this conference for so many years with Calgary and had all that background.] Reg knew how to play. He knows how to play.

On Brayden McNabb’s first goal as a King:
Yeah, it was good to see. It was funny – it’s a play that we talk a lot about against Anaheim where there’s pretty much a layer of players in different colored jerseys, and you’ve got to get it through, If you don’t – he had another opportunity in the third period to do that and didn’t. Our defense did not do a very good job of that last night.

On whether McNabb’s 18 points are important:
Well, we’ve played him on the second power play unit…so you’d think he would get a goal once in a while. It’s hard to put guys on the power play who have zero goals. So he gets to go on in a while, you should produce. You should be getting two or three shots in a game. Our defense overall – I know we talk a lot of that with Voynov, and even though Drew’s goals are down, we’ve been a top-10 to top-12 goals-from-our-defense team for a team that’s not looked at as a high scoring team. So we need more of that. He’s got one goal. I’m not going to kick my heels over that one.