May 14 quotes: Scuderi, Brown, Doughty

Rob Scuderi, on aspects of the San Jose Sharks that impress him:
“I think the pace that they play at. They really try to drive the pace. They keep the puck moving. They get the puck out of their zone really quick, and once you get the puck into some of their forwards’ hands – they have a deep group – they can be pretty dangerous.”

Scuderi, on similarities between St. Louis and San Jose
“There’s a lot of similarities, I think to the pace of the game that St. Louis tried to play, that they’ll try to do. It may not be maybe as physical, but it’s still the playoffs, and physicality is still a big part of trying to establish your game and trying to wear the other team down a little over the course of a seven-game series.”

Dustin Brown, on what makes Antti Niemi effective:
“At this time of year you’re not going to beat goalies – very seldom are you going to beat them with a first shot. It’s making hard, just like any other goalie. I think all goalies are the same. If you get traffic and make it hard, that’s where you’re going to score your goals, especially this time of the year, and I think Niemi is no different.”

Brown, on whether the team’s home success carries over from the regular season:
“I think it carries over somewhat. I mean, you look at the teams this year that played well at home, they did well in the playoffs at home, too. It’s just being homers, I guess, is all you can really call it. You feed off the energy of the crowd, and the crowd here has always been awesome. It’s a matter of getting that energy and using it in the right way and not getting too excited.”

Brown, on battling with Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, and other San Jose veterans:
“They’ve been one of the top teams in the league ever since I came in in ’03. They’ve made the playoffs every year since then, so they always have their best players performing really well. I think with everything we’ve done here, it’s more of a rivalry now than it was earlier in my career. They smoked us early on, and they beat us in six games – on our home ice three times, I think – two years ago in the playoffs. So I think we’re a different team. I think they’re a different team, as well.”

Brown, on whether San Jose’s top line is well-built to handle a physical game:
“I mean, with Thornton, he’s one of the bigger, more skilled guys in the league, and he’s not soft by any means. He plays really hard. All those guys have been through the battles of the playoffs. They know what it’s about, so I don’t think we’re going to surprise them with our physical play. I mean, that’s what this type of hockey is this time of year. I’m sure they’re preparing for it, just as we are.

Drew Doughty, on whether the team changes its approach with home ice advantage:
“No, I don’t think it changes our approach. I think we’ve still got to look at it the same way. We’ve got to get that first win. That’s what every team says before the series starts. The first win is so important, and having it at home is just a bonus. We get to use the energy of the crowd and get used to playing here at Staples. So it’s to our advantage, and we’ve got to use it.”

Doughty, on whether the quality of the boards and ice changes with fewer events:
“No, I don’t really notice the difference. It seems pretty much the same.”

Doughty, on San Jose’s power play:
“Their power play is probably the best part about their team. When they get their opportunities, they’re either scoring goals or getting a lot of momentum for their team because they’re getting chances. They have that top unit, who plays most of the minutes on the power play, and they do a really good job at it. Definitely one of our main focuses is staying out of the box, first off, and when they do get opportunities, kill them off.”

Doughty, on home ice advantage:
“We’re very happy we can have it. It’s a huge advantage to be able to play in front of our home fans, home rink, and use that energy to play our best. Last series against St. Louis, they played unbelievable at home the first two games and a lot of that had to do with the energy they had, and I think we’ve got to do the same thing here.”

Doughty, on any similarities between San Jose and St. Louis:
“I think these two teams are a little different. I think we’re definitely way more similar to St. Louis than this team. At the same time, they play physical. They go to the net hard. I think that one of their best attributes is every single guy on that team bulldozers their way to the net, and it’s tough to defend. Yeah, they’re big. They can use their body down low on the cycle, so we’ve got to make sure we’re taking away those plays and diminishing the cycle.”

Doughty, on whether last night’s Boston-Toronto conclusion reaffirmed that a team is never out of a game or a series until the final horn sounds:
“Yeah, for sure. I think everyone in here, we assumed that the game was over, 4-1, but with Toronto being kind of an inexperienced team and Boston having that experience, they just kept going. It was a great comeback. The game’s never over – just like us last series. We were down two-nothing. I think everyone counted us out. All of us in here, we still believed in every single one of us, so we’re determined to come back, and we did just that.”