April 20 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

On the importance of giving San Jose fewer power plays:
I think our series has been one of the lowest penalized series there’s been, quite honest. Teams are probably pretty evenly matched for the most part, so if you can have the same amount of guys on the ice, you’re probably better off. As I said, most of the offense has been not on five-on-five in the series. Four-on-five … five-on-four, five-on-three, not five-on-five.

On whether Jamie McBain needs to “step up a little bit more” to reduce reliance on Drew Doughty:
I don’t think you’ll go very long in a series, whether it’s whoever you’re talking about, with guys that are only playing five-to-10 minutes. You might be able to stretch a series out, but you won’t win it.

On whether there was more of a focus to block Brent Burns shots in Game 3:
I think that would go back to the power play. He’s a big shooter on their power play, and he’s a primary focus on the power play, so if you can get in front of it, it’s obviously better for you. I think that would be where most of that came from.

On why the Kings have been successful in faceoffs against a strong faceoff team:
I think we were better last game than we were prior. I think you can break that down, again break it down, into five-on-fives and special teams, and you’ll see a difference when you break it down in the neutral zone, in the O-zone, D-zone. You’ll see a difference in numbers dramatically, actually.

On whether there’s anything “new to say” in meetings against such a familiar opponent:
Well, ‘you guys’ is too broad, right? It’s not ‘you guys.’ That’s like saying you’ve been around a long time. You’ve played those guys a long time. Well, teams change dramatically. I have enough trouble memorizing numbers, who their numbers are and who our numbers are, so it’s not ‘we’ve played each other.’ There’s a big difference. Who starts at home, who doesn’t, who’s got guys banged up, who’s got new guys brought in, who’s got leaders brought in – all that’s changed dramatically, if you look at it. If it was just based on that in the last six years, from the first time they’d played each other, I’ll bet there’s only what, four or five guys, I’d say. I’d say there’s a big, big difference. I don’t think it has any bearing on one year to the next, quite honest. If it did, then whoever won last year would win again and whoever lost last would be more motivated. That’s not the way it works. [Reporter: With all those changes, is it funny that the games still are so close between the two sides?] I think what’s not funny is that everybody should understand how good our conference is and that there are four really good teams that are going to not go past this first round that could’ve won the Stanley Cup. It’s the way it is. I mean, if you look at this series, just on its own merit, and look at what the three scores were, 4-3, 2-1, 2-1, that’s what you expect, and obviously at the end somebody’s going to win and somebody’s going to lose, but you’re both going to say that they did best, for sure.

On the strength of the Western Conference:
I’ve said that lots – once they changed divisions and put the wild cards in and salary cap where it is, it’s what the reason was. That’s what it was for. Just make it even.

On the importance of the fourth line’s Stanley Cup experience:
I know we’ve made adjustments or changes in the lineup a little bit based on experience. I think with our inexperience on the back end, I think that that’s effective in who we played up front, and I think playoff experience of it all is critical, just because there might be one second or one shift where that might come into play where you might have the composure, you might be able to draw something that that held to. And, also to answer that … ‘fourth line,’ is that what you said? [Reporter: I mean, through your whole lineup, you have 27.] I just think that for the most part, too, you’re trying to put lineups together that not only offset who you’re playing against, but you’re trying to put lineups together where you’re giving guys opportunities, whether they’re young guys that haven’t played much or somebody that’s a veteran that’s played well. I’m not as soon putting a guy in that’s an older guy that maybe because he won a Stanley Cup that’s not playing very well over a young guy that goes in that hasn’t shown he can play. I’ll give him a second chance because you’re not into that. You’re into trying to win now and get the most out of everybody.

On whether Alec Martinez is at home rehabilitating:
Yeah, he’s home. Well, I’ve been informed several times about ‘how come you don’t have a locker for him?’ It’s only because there’s space for 22. I mean, now we’re taking pictures of locker rooms, saying who’s names are in.