Sutter: Players `anxious’ to get going

It’s starting to feel more than a little like “Groundhog Day” around El Segundo. Travel can be a grind, but there’s no question that everyone — players, coaches, staff, everyone — will be happy to get on a plane Saturday and start feeling somewhat normal again. The Kings will practice again tomorrow in El Segundo at 10 a.m., then fly to Phoenix on Saturday morning and practice there in the afternoon. Darryl Sutter said, of his players’ mindset, “I think they’re anxious. I think it’s normal. They’re used to playing. They’re used to playing every second or third day. And especially when it becomes bigger, I think they’re anxious.” Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown talked about trying to stay sharp, given the long layoff, in advance of Game 1 on Sunday.

QUICK: “It’s the same thing we’ve been doing all year. Obviously we’re going to have a couple more days of practice than normal. We just go into every practice as though we were playing a game the next day, and prepare as though we were playing a game the next day. I think guys do a good job of challenging each other out there, and that’s going to keep us sharp by doing that.”

BROWN: “It’s just (about) staying in your routine. Every player has different things that they do. We’ve got four or five days of practice, a little extra time. It’s important to stay in the gym and keep your body going. From a mental standpoint, it’s just doing a routine, staying in your routine, because I think most athletes are creatures of habit.”