Elkins on the board

Corey Elkins took some good-natured ribbing from teammates after last night’s game, when he faced the media just two games into his NHL career. Of course, Elkins had just scored his first NHL goal, when he made the wise decision to go to the front of the net — that should make Terry Murray happy — and took a nice centering pass from Oscar Moller.

Here’s what Elkins said about the goal…

ELKINS: “As soon as we got it back down low, we had two guys down there so I knew I just had to get to the net, and Oscar made a great pass.”

Listed at 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, Elkins knows his role is not that of a sniper but as a player who can use his relatively big body around the net…

ELKINS: “It’s the one thing on your mind, is to create some energy and, if you can, be the first guy in on the forecheck. For me, it’s important that I use my body and try to get some hits in there and provide some energy for the team.”

And finally, Elkins’ thoughts about the game against Calgary. The Kings were already putting a lot of pressure on the Flames in the third period, before Elkins scored, but his goal nearly allowed them to come back and tie the game.

ELKINS: “I think we played well for three periods, actually. It was maybe just a lack of focus for a split second, and they popped a couple goals in. Overall, and especially in the third, we were really coming hard.”