February 27 postgame quotes: Drew Doughty

On the evolution of the game:
“We had some good shots. They just weren’t getting through. The first period was bad. The second period we were better. And then the third period we got even better again. So that’s one thing we’ve been struggling with – our starts. So we’ve got to make sure we’re well-prepared before the games.”

On the urgency of a compacted season:
“Yeah, I think we’ve sensed that urgency since the first couple games. Darryl keeps telling us we’re finally in a playoff spot tonight. We weren’t for so long, but then the next day the other teams play and they jump ahead of us. We’re in a playoff spot right now, but we’re not finished with that. We want to get all the way up there. We want to be at the top of our division, top of the conference, and we’re definitely going to have to play with that urgency in order to do that.”

On whether the experience from winning a Cup helps in tense third period situations:
“Yeah, I think so. We learned a lot from that Cup run. We experienced some things that you don’t experience throughout the regular season, and I think we can definitely use that to our advantage. We were in those tough spots when we needed goals late, or wherever it may be, and I think going on in the season, it’s going to kind of be more playoff style hockey, and that’s what I think all of us in here really relish.”

On the team’s different energy in the third period:
“Yeah, we wanted that win. We didn’t score on that five-on-three in the second, and everyone was pretty disappointed about that. That’s part of it. At the same time, we really didn’t get any momentum going for ourselves, so when we finally got that second one in the third period, we made sure we were going to score on that, and I thought from there out we played a lot better. We were more…in their end than they were in ours.”

On Kopitar’s highlight reel goal:
“It was a nice move. I don’t know what else to say. The goalie followed him on his forehand, and that was his only option. To be able to do that in that tight of a space, that’s why he’s Kopi.”

On any concern of averaging over 26 and a half minutes of ice time in a compacted season:
“No, I enjoy it. Definitely, you’re more tired after games and in-between games, but I’d way rather play every other day than have three or four days of practice. Not that practice sucks or anything like that, but it’s just way more fun being out there in front of fans and playing in a realistic game. I love those minutes, like I said, and I hope I can continue to perform at my best at them.”