On whether Kings’ opponents had too much zone time on the road trip:
“I don’t know ‘zone time’. It’s basically how much time you have the puck. We can be a little bit quicker moving pucks, and that’s a part of what we talked about. Getting a guy like Matt back in the lineup is trying to get him up to speed moving pucks and when you don’t move pucks quicker, the forwards aren’t working back to position quicker. We like our centermen being in certain positions on the ice, and then you spend time in your zone because you don’t have the puck. Neither team does.”
On whether a team like San Jose poses a particular challenge with an effective forecheck:
“They’re like us. Pretty much the same. You look at their team, their centers are dominant possession guys. So are ours. So both teams want to play that.”
On whether Keaton Ellerby will play against San Jose:
“Yeah. Keaton’s playing tonight. It’s good.”
On Ellerby having a good attitude:
“He’s played good for us. You know what? Quite honest, he’s come over and we had him play both sides. It’s rare. It’s hard to get guys to do that, or guys that are capable of doing that. We need those same teen-minutes, and we just need him to play at a pace that we want him to.”
On whether Matt Greene’s injury is long-term:
“No. No, he’s not. That’s exactly what I said yesterday. I’m not going to say [anything], or I’m going to tell you the truth. So that’s what I do. [Reporter: You did not say upper-body or lower body. Is that deliberate?] Yeah, I just don’t like talking about that. [Reporter: Vigenault in Vancouver the other day said somebody had a “body” injury.] Or, when you’re suspended, they call it ‘undisclosed’. So it’s undisclosed…For example, Dustin Brown is ‘undisclosed’.”
On the difference between Joe Thornton’s and Patrick Marleau’s lines in San Jose:
“It’s the Thornton and Couture line. It’s not Marleau. It’s two dominant centermen. That’s why Patty’s playing left wing, is because Couture’s the centerman. So they’re both dominant in their own ways. Joe’s a possession, make-the-play guy, and Couture’s more of a pressure, scoring guy. That’s the difference in the two lines. It’s probably real similar, when you look at where Kopi’s the playmaking guy, and Richie’s more of a forceful guy with our team, when you think about it.”
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