February 18 postgame quotes: Florida

Tom Rowe, on shutting down the Kings after regaining the lead in the third period:
Yeah, and the guys did a good job tonight. We said after the second period, if we told them coming in to LA that you’d have a chance to win the game in the third period 2-2, we would’ve taken it any day of the week so that definitely had some motivation. The playoff race in the East is so darn close there’s a lot to play for but what we’re really happy about is how we were able to get the goal obviously in the first shift and then we played real solid defense the rest of the way.

Rowe, on keeping the Kings off the scoresheet on the power play:
Yeah the penalty killing’s been unbelievable all year. The guys who are out there killing it deserve a ton of credit. Scotty Allen has done a great job getting roots in place and a real solid foundation but at the end of the day, between Louie and Reimer and the guys who go over the boards to get it done, it’s all up to them and they’re doing a phenomenal job.

Rowe, on Jaromir Jagr:
Yeah well, the 45-year-old hockey player’s pretty good and he’s taught all of us an awful lot about this game. He’s a great game to be around, he’s a real pro and he doesn’t panic and that’s what’s been great having him on our team. All the young guys are learning how to play in pressure situations with a lot of poise and I don’t think there’s anybody better than him that does that.

Rowe, on other keys to the win:
I just think the guys are committed to coming back on defense with all five guys and the D are doing a real nice job of getting tight gaps. That’s been the difference the last couple of games. Our gaps are really tight, our forwards are coming back with a purpose and they know what assignment is theirs to shut the play down.

Rowe, on the Kings tying the game up in the second period:
Yeah I love the way they responded. They always respond, it’s a real good group that way. Like I said, they never panic. We’ve got a real good group of veterans who lead the way for us and we’ve got a lot of offense. We know we’re always going to get chances and we’ve just got to capitalize on them. The big thing is now we’re starting to learn how to shut teams down and close teams out. I’d have to say that’s the biggest improvement the last couple of weeks.

Jussi Jokinen, on shutting down the Kings after regaining the lead in the third period:
Yeah it’s been really big road trip for us so far. Obviously we have all the players back now, we’re a healthy team so we’re playing with lots of confidence and we’ve gone in to some tough rinks and we’ve found a way to get some wins and bottom line is, I think we’re still out of the playoff picture so every game is so important but obviously we’re playing with lots of confidence right now so next game in St. Louis try to get two points there. It’s so tight right now.

Jokinen, on keeping the Kings off the scoresheet on the power play:
Yeah for sure. We had some really big kills there early on and I think we’re just really structured. I think, obviously you need your goalies to be your best penalty killers so both Louie and Reims have been playing really well on the PK and I think it’s just being able to pressure a lot and reading each other and getting some big blocks and that’s been key.

Jokinen, on whether adjusting to a shutdown style of play has been key to their four-game winning streak:
Yeah I think so. I think early in the year we were struggling to hold on to leads and the last couple of weeks we’ve been playing with lots of confidence and we’ve been able to get some O-zone time. We’re slowing teams down in their end so yeah, playing with lots of confidence right now.

Roberto Luongo, on momentum shifting throughout the game:
Yeah I thought once we took the 2-0 lead they put some pressure in the second period there. They were able to tie it up but we had a really strong third period, got a big goal early and then we just kept putting pressure on them. We spent a lot of time in their zone so we were able to kill a lot of the clock and I thought we did a really good job.

Luongo, on whether the Panthers’ confidence is at an all-time high:
Yeah I think so. I mean, everybody’s healthy so I think it’s a big boost for our club just as far as knowing everybody’s in the lineup and we’re getting results so obviously we see that we’re a pretty good team when we’re playing and we just want to keep it going right now. We have a lot of work to do to get back in it and we’re getting closer but obviously quite a ways to go.

Luongo, on the Panthers getting in to a playoff spot with the win vs LA:
I mean, obviously we know we’re in a battle so every night’s going to be key down the road. It’s gonna be, I feel like a do-or-die game for our club so it’s going to be a fun last couple months here but we’ve got to enjoy the ride here and take it one day at a time.

Jonathan Huberdeau, on the Panthers scoring early in the second and third period:
Yeah I mean I think it was important to get the next goal in the third period and just started, keeping it simple and it was a really nice goal by Barkov so it’s a big win. I think we’re playing well right now and it’s a good road trip for us.

Huberdeau, on the importance of regaining the lead and closing the game out:
Yeah that was important. It’s a tough building to play in and we know they came out really hard and I think we just stuck to our game plan and I think that worked. I mean, they came back but we stuck to it and then third period we showed what kind of team we are.

Huberdeau, on whether one of the keys was matching LA’s physical style of play:
Yeah I mean, we know they’re a really physical team. I think we have a really good structure but I think we can play physical as well. I mean, we’re not the biggest guys but I think we have some grit and we showed that in this game and it’s really huge win for us.

Huberdeau, on Luongo’s performance:
We know he’s going to come out every game and I think tonight was just outstanding. I think he made some really huge saves in the third and I think throughout the whole game and we owe the game to him.