February 3 postgame quotes: Mike Stothers

On the loss:
We gave away a win. I don’t care if we had a four-day break or not, we gave away a win. They score [late] to tie it up and then we get a power play at the end of regulation, power play into overtime, they get a breakaway and they score. So, I guess, a lot of times I look at it as we got a point and that’s good. Tonight we gave two points to San Diego. Doesn’t sit well. [Reporter: You’ve talked before about a 60-minute effort. How’d you feel you guys did on the 60-minute effort tonight?] Well we didn’t do very well. We had a lead going into the third, we lost the game in overtime. I don’t care, you can it was a four-day break or whatever. Both teams had a four-day break. I’m not even sure we generated anything in the third period. So, that in itself is, either you’re sitting on it and protecting a lead or we ran out of gas. And maybe we did. We lost Biss first shift in the first period and then we loss Lintuniemi in the third, early, so your bench was extremely short after the layoff. But still, I don’t care. We had a lead.

On Bissonnette looking like he got his foot jammed into the boards and if this injury is new:
Nope. It’s the same tweaking of the same injury. I’m not sure to the extent. I’m not sure we’re back to square one and have to start all over again. But that was unfortunate. He’s worked real hard to get back in and was really looking forward to rejoining his teammates. He only made it through a shift. First shift, so, that’s a tough one.

On his first impressions of Tom Gilbert:
Well, it’s not really my first impression because I got to see him all through training camp and whatnot. I have watched his career. I am envious of his career. He’s a good hockey player. I thought he did well. Again, it’s all about attitude and handling a little bit of adversity and I think the fact that he got waived through the league and sent down to us, I’m sure there’s a little bit of an adjustment period for that but he’s had a smile on his face the whole time he’s been here and he’s fit in well with the guys. It’s a tribute to him and it goes to the fact that everybody knows everybody through the organization now because we’re so close, the proximity and the fact that we go through training camps together, exhibitions. It’s not a total culture shock to him.

On Teddy Purcell being hurt in practice and whether he thinks it’s serious or minor:
Anytime you lose a guy like Teddy it’s serious. Maybe he’s the difference in a one-goal game tonight. Maybe he’s the difference on the power play when you get it in the last minute or so of regulation and into overtime. Look what he’s done for us since he’s been here, so that’s a tough one. It was a harmless and innocent looking play in practice. So, you never know right? It’s just one of those things. [Reporter: Do you expect him to be able to play tomorrow?] I would say without much hesitation there’s zero possibility that Teddy’s gonna play tomorrow.

On getting points from younger players like Kempe, Brodzinski and Amadio:
It’s nice to see the young guys getting some points. We waited a long time for Kempe and he’s now producing the way we were anticipating and I’m sure the way he was expecting to. Brodz, a little bit of a slow start but he’s been red hot. Amadio, you know what, he’s made some great strides. But I still see from Mads sometimes I see the boy evolving into a man and the sometimes I see a boy playing against men. That’s what’s going to happen with a young guy like him. Life in the American Hockey League. He’s going to have some ups and downs but overall they’ve been good. We need everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran, young guy, forward or defenseman. We need everybody to contribute.

On the stop of play in the third period where it appeared the officials were looking at Enroth’s pads:
I asked them to look at the flaps that he had on either side of the outside of his knees. They stick straight out. [Reporter: What was the response from the officials?] They didn’t do anything about it. You’re supposed to have your equipment a certain way and I was kind of hoping we were going on a power play that they’d have to maybe take Enroth out, put the other guy in or have to fix the equipment. There’s flaps that are sticking straight out but I was told because it was flexible that it was allowed to stay. So, if tomorrow you see Soupy in net and he has an extra piece on the end of his blocker, as long as it’s flexible I guess he can keep it on there. Flexible. That’s the key word. I looked up flexible in the rule book, I couldn’t find it. Speaking of that rule book, that is a nightmare to try to find any rules.