May 21 quotes: Sutter, Clifford, Penner

Darryl Sutter, on Jonathan Quick absorbing contact:
“I just think that he plays the top of the crease. I’m not whining or bitching or anything. It’s just, he plays at the top of the crease, and the last two series we played against goalies that play more in the blue paint. What is the rule? It’s like watching Chicago and Detroit last night. Do I think it’s a goal, or do they think it’s a goal, or do we think? It’s all perspective of what you personally, but I know the style of our goalie and what he needs to get across, and it’s a little different.”

Sutter, on whether the team takes into account ice conditions at HP Pavilion and Staples Center:
“I think you talk about it on the bench as periods go on. Late in periods, late in games a lot of snow along the boards, things like that. But quite honest, both buildings are very similar. I think their boards get a little bit more straighter out instead of angle. But the ice in both buildings is pretty similar.”

Sutter, on whether the Kings are looking to get more shots on goal:
“Obviously we’d like more, but it’s just a stat that you use, right? It’s not necessarily one we use. As a team, [we] use as individuals. Who is it? Who’s getting more, is it a position, is it from an area, those sorts of things. So that’s how you break it out.”

Sutter, on whether he’s concerned with the team’s emotional level, given Quick’s Game 3 anger:
“No. Quite honestly, I don’t know why that would put us behind or over-the-top at all. It wasn’t even something that you had to address, to be quite honest. The frustration of the goaltender was the same as everybody else, and that’s it. You move on in a hurry. It has no bearing on his performance going forward. For sure it doesn’t have any bearing on ours’, and the emotional level is not an issue.”

Kyle Clifford, on the perspective of watching a game from upstairs:
“It’s always good to get a different perspective from sitting up there and just seeing the way plays turn out and stuff like that. Sometimes you have more time than you actually think. So it’s not a bad learning tool.”

Clifford, on playing San Jose:
“They’re a tough team to play against. They don’t give you a lot of room, so you’ve really got to fight for every inch out there.”

Dustin Penner, on what has kept the team from putting forth a full, 60-minute effort:
“Lately we’ve got to stop taking so many penalties. Our power play has been OK, penalty was good until last game. I think we’re giving the opposition too many turnovers – easy turnovers, they don’t have to work hard enough to get the puck back from us, and we’re not working hard enough to keep it. So it’s just playing in their end more.”

Penner, on only one regulation playoff loss despite the less-than-60-minute efforts:
“You can take a positive from that, but we’re not looking for things we did well in the past. We’re looking for things we need to do well in the future, Going into tonight, there are things that we want to concentrate on to be better at, and we’re not concerned about what we’ve done so far.”

Penner, on the “vibe” he gets from his line without Jarret Stoll, and with Tyler Toffoli:
“Well, there’s a little difference. Obviously we lose a lot of veteran presence and leadership when Stolly’s out. Lewie’s a multi-faceted, kind of utility-type player. Plays PK, PP, center, right, can play left. I’m not sure about his defensive capabilities as far as playing D-man. Toffoli’s made strides since he first got here and since the playoffs first started. He’s got his feet underneath him. Not so much skating, but quick to pucks – as you saw in [his Game 3] goal – making smart plays without the puck, an extra second longer. Hopefully he can continue to grow.”