January 3 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter

On the response the team expects from San Jose:
It’s a good division game. This is our fourth game against each other, so we’re pretty familiar with each other.

On whether Saturday’s win gave the group confidence:
We’re an experienced enough team. If we’d have lost by one the other night, I don’t think it’s going to affect us one way or the other very much. Both teams are pretty much the same in terms of experience, and our team has enough of veteran guys who are used to winning.

On how the team decides on when to use Matt Greene:
I think Greene would give you the same. … I’ve said it before – I’m not grading off that course. Both guys play the right side, and Kevin, we’ve put him over there now, but he’s played lots there. In fact, him and Derek were partners always in the American League, so you know what? As long as we’re able to carry eight, then six of the eight will play. It’s not based on Greener or Gibby. I want to get McNabb up and running and hopefully sharpen up a little bit and go from there. It’s a luxury to have Marty and Kevin, who can play left and right, because if they’re playing well, then obviously it’s a tough decision somewhere else.

On how Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s absence affects game-planning for San Jose:
We’ve played all year. I know he’s a great player, but we also have great players not playing, so I don’t feel sorry for you. … Condolences to you.

On Peter Budaj’s season, and how he “keeps fighting”:
I think he’s gotten better. I think the mindset coming in, obviously he didn’t make our team in training camp. So obviously with Jonathan’s injury, then coming back up, it’s been a competition to see who can play more games, when you look at it. Jeff and Peter are both back-up goalies, so they come in and have done a pretty good job. I think Jeff struggled right away when that knowledge of ‘I’ve got to play a bigger role’ [arose], and he was coming off a Stanley Cup, so I don’t think he had a great summer in terms of getting ready for the next season, so I think he struggled early and Peter took advantage of it. Peter, quite honest, he’s been a better goalie at home than he has been on the road. If you look at the trip we just came off of, Budaj got a lot of attention, but the two biggest games on that trip were Jeff Zatkoff in Detroit and Jeff Zatkoff in Dallas. [Reporter: They’re pushing each other then, then?] It’s healthy, and if the competition is healthy, as we know, and if they’re both healthy, then we expect them to max it out, and I think he’s for the most part played as well as he can. That’s all we expect. It would be the very same as if Dell had to take over for Jones here. It’s the very same, when you look at it. It’s the very same mindset. Guys have to be able to win more than they lose, and if you’re a .500 goalie, you’re a back-up goalie. The guys that are clear-cut number ones that play minutes are six-to-seven-hundred winning percentage.