Doughty, Brown preview tonight’s game, talk “next goal”

Drew Doughty, on whether experience in tough games could help them tonight:
Yeah, we’re definitely prepared for this situation. We’ve played many big games like this and we have to treat them kind of the same way. This is our Game 7, I guess you could say. If we don’t win, we’re going home. If we win, we still have a chance to make the playoffs. We’re going to treat it as a Game 7, a must-win, and everyone needs to bring their best.

Doughty, on whether it’s frustrating to be in this situation in the regular season:
I guess it’s a little bit frustrating, but what can you do about it now? The past is gone. All we can think about now is the present, and that’s the game tonight against Calgary. That’s a must-win for us. Yeah, it’s not a comfortable position, but we have to make the best of it.

Doughty, on what has allowed Calgary to have success against them this season:
I think we’ve had a couple games they’ve won there. I don’t really think that they should’ve won. I think that we definitely should’ve closed them out and not allowed them back in the game. We haven’t been giving up too many shots against them, which is a good thing, but we definitely need to be building on our leads . Two-nothing against this team isn’t a comfortable lead. You need to increase that lead because they’re a good offensive team and they can come back down two or three goals, no problem. We need to get a big stretch of a lead.

Doughty, on how their experience in big games helps them for tonight’s game:
It’s just being there before helps. We have a lot of guys in this room who, when those type of games come up, they rise to the occasion and they play their best hockey. I know that those guys in this room tonight are going to do those things and they’re going to play their best hockey and when we have our type guys playing their best, everyone else just follows. That’s when we’re our best team.

Dustin Brown, on whether the team is approaching “zombie mode”:
I think it’s probably person-to-person. For me, I feel pretty good, personally. The ‘zombie mode’ reference is probably more to the playoffs where you’re literally going to the hotel every night, you’re doing the same thing every day. There’s not two or three days in between like there is in the regular season. You get into a rhythm with the games and your routine. That doesn’t apply to the regular season just because you have different schedules.

Brown, on the “feel” he gets from Calgary:
They’re a very opportunistic team is probably the best way to put it. They have some good young forwards and some good puckmoving defensemen. I think the key for us is when we’re controlling the game and controlling O-zone time, it’s about finding that next goal. If you look at our last couple games, that’s been our issue, is finding that next goal. So tomorrow night, against a team as opportunistic as they are, it’s important if we get one to get the next one.