March 24 postgame quotes: Gaborik, Kopitar, Greene

Marian Gaborik, on Anze Kopitar’s performance:
He’s a dominant player out there. His position game is great and he’s making plays. He’s good in all three zones. He had a couple points tonight – a great pass to me there and a great pass to Muzz. Yeah, he’s playing very well.

Gaborik, on earning wins in both games of a back-to-back:
To start off this road trip with four points is huge for us. We just have to take it from here to Long Island.

Gaborik, on whether the team has greater confidence in important games:
I think there is a lot of experience in this room here. We’ve been in this situation before and we know what’s at stake. We’re playing good as a team and every individual is playing their game. We did that again tonight.

Gaborik, on whether they controlled the pace of the game after the first five minutes:
Yeah we did. They had a good start, they scored that first goal. We just started forechecking more and playing in their zone and that was the key.

Gaborik, on whether there is extra meaning in a win against the Rangers:
Yeah, I mean they’re leading the league in points and to play in this building is very special. I was fortunate to play here [for] almost four years. It’s fun to beat them, that’s for sure.

Gaborik, on what they did to take away the Rangers speed:
Just attacking their D. Forechecking with two wingers there and just put pressure on them and we really had the good third guy coming back over the top to get those pucks in the middle. We’re creating a lot of turnovers in their zone, which was a key, and we sustained pressure. Just putting pucks on net and driving to the net and that’s how we score goals.

Anze Kopitar, on whether they controlled the pace of the game after the first five minutes:
Yeah, obviously didn’t want the start that we got with giving up a goal in the first minute, but we came back strong. Dictated the pace right after that, it was definitely a huge team effort.

Kopitar, on whether this was a prototypical game for them:
Yeah, I think so. I think last night in the first period and the third period was a good indication of that. I think tonight we played pretty strong until maybe the last few minutes when they really started taking some chances and got that goal late. But I think that’s how we have to play in order to win games.

Kopitar, on what the team needs to do to make the playoffs:
Get as many wins as we can. It’s going to be tight, everything is pointing towards that. We just have to worry about what we can control, whether it’s playing good or like this on a nightly basis and trying to get the two points.

Kopitar, on whether a desperate mindset is contributing to their style of play:
I think I’ve said it plenty of times, we definitely don’t want to be in this kind of position. But it does seem like we play good hockey when our backs are against the wall. Again, didn’t want to be in the position we’re in, but we dug ourselves a hole so we’ve got to climb out of it.

Kopitar, on whether the success he had in the game started in last night’s game:
I think so. I think we finished strong in the third last night and just carried it over. Again, the start, the first minute, definitely not what we wanted but I think after that it was definitely a good effort.

Matt Greene, on whether the team executed how they wanted to on the back-to-back:
Well yeah, we needed wins. So we played two games, we got two wins right now. But we’ve got to keep climbing. We’re still chasing a playoff spot here and we’ve got to win as many games as we can.

Greene, on whether the team can draw on past experiences in big games:
We’ve got a real similar group to what we’ve had the last few years, so we’ve just got to base it on that. You’re back’s up against the wall, you’ve got to get some points.

Greene, on whether it was a prototypical game for them:
I thought our forwards did a good job of cycling down low and getting a possession game. That’s our game. That’s what we’ve got to do to be successful and the forwards did a great job of doing that tonight. You can’t get deterred. You know that there are going to be games where you’re going to trail and you’re going to have to come from behind and that was a good job tonight out of those guys.

Greene, on how close the game was to their peak performance:
I don’t know what the peak performance is in here. You’re just trying to get wins anyway you can right now. That’s it. I thought tonight was a good night. A good response back after a back-to-back.

Greene, on whether he was happy with the team’s performance:
It was good. We scored some goals, we had some good cycling, we got some good O-zone time. That was good game.

Greene, on whether the team was trying to replicate their effort from the first period:
Yeah, you always want to get chances. That’s what we’re trying to do right now, we’re trying to pick up our goal scoring, get those opportunities and put them in the net. The guys did a good job of burying tonight.

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