On Drew Doughty’s minutes and if Sutter wants them to come down:
He likes playing those minutes. [Reporter: Is there a concern if he keeps it up it might hurt him in the long run?] Trying to make the playoffs. … After tonight it’s 22 games so if he has to play 30 minutes the next 20 games, then that’s what it is to make the playoffs.
On players taking on the scoring burden left by Marian Gaborik:
It’s by committee. I think if you knew that you had, Gabby’s a winger, if you knew you had six wingers that were 20-goal scorers you’d go, ‘yeah, no problem.’ But we don’t. … It’s even more pressure on some guys. Guys have slipped a little bit that are 20-goal scorers, get their foot back on the pedal. Guys that are in those low numbers are going to have to produce for us. Clearly, for us to get where we want to be we need a little bit more production and not where you’re giving up any more.
On adjusting after a long road trip:
I think the recovery party in terms of just the way the games are packed in and the travel’s packed in, guys are human. I’ve said it lots, they’re not machines and there is a recovery time. I think it’s easier for the young guys as long as they have the maturity in their game preparation. The older guys, it’s harder on their bodies. I think the other night if you looked at our game and you look at a guy like Vinny, who, because he’s really professional, has tremendous preparation, that’s why he’s a Hall of Fame guy. He was really good last game and that means he’s really had to push himself. You have to have the discipline to push yourself when you’re playing back-to-backs or coming home from long trips. A lot of time change, elevation change, so much involved in it. A lot of guys when you’re gone for long trips you don’t get the, because you’re in hotels, you don’t have the access to your rehab and your therapy that you would when you’re at home. There’s always guys that have a lot more little injuries and they need 2-3 days, quite honest, of treatment. You don’t get that on trips. That’s why you always want two days between and we don’t always get it, which makes it difficult. [Reporter: Seems like the Western teams don’t get that.] Just the way the schedules are, I learned that in San Jose because you had to adjust coming west, a West Coast team you have to be able to adjust. One thing that’s really played into all that is when they declared 23-man rosters and including salary cap, used to be you could use, you had lots of guys you could use three fresh guys. Now you can’t. In fact, some times you’re the other way. You’re playing guys who are banged up that you think shouldn’t be playing, just because you have to.
On Jordan Nolan (undisclosed) missing morning skate:
Therapy day or treatment day, whatever you want to call it.
On why Saturday’s game vs. Buffalo is a rare 8 p.m. start:
Looking at it it’s just a normal start time. There’s no other network, it’s just straight 8 o’clock. … There is no reason for it.
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