May 28 postgame quotes: San Jose

Todd McLellan, on the Game 7 loss:
“We couldn’t get one extra past Quick, that’s probably what it was. When I look at the game tonight, they got a power-play goal that we didn’t get, and we didn’t give them much time on it. And it was a lucky one, when you break the stick, the timing of that shot fools everybody including the goaltender. That was a tough one, and then the second one they got was we had overextended a shift and they took advantage of it. So in the end we probably made one more mistake than they did and we couldn’t find a way to get another puck by Quick. We’d love to go back and play Game 2 over again, the last four or five minutes. That’s probably one that we needed and didn’t get.”

McLellan, on not being able to “bear down” and capitalizing on chances:
“We had very good looks. And trust me it wasn’t that they weren’t trying to bear down, it just didn’t go. We picked the wrong spot or we didn’t shoot quick enough, maybe we held on too long, but the competitiveness and effort of our team and organization down the stretch is something I’m very proud of, and we should be proud.”

McLellan, on not being able to stem the Kings’ momentum in the second period:
“I don’t think it ‘fell apart’. I thought they got some energy off their power play goal, and that’s going to happen. That happens in our building when we score first. They got a little bit of energy. We had a turnover. I think Scottie Hannan had a turnover that created a scoring chance – more energy. They get the second goal, and then we settled down. So a three or four minutes span that didn’t go our way, but you have to build that into a game. That’s going to happen. The poise factor was very high in recovering from that, I believe.”

McLellan, on whether home ice advantage is an indication of how important the regular season is:
“That’s a great question, because I think we played a best-of-eight series. The last game of the regular season was a three-two loss here where we could’ve earned home ice. Who knows. We would’ve had a different opponent in the playoffs. I don’t know if we would’ve ever met. But in hindsight now, looking back, we couldn’t win here in five games straight, so home ice was factor, as was it in our building.”

McLellan, on how hurt Logan Couture was:
“He was sore. There were some questions about his productivity after the injury. He played sore. A lot of our guys did, but a lot of theirs did as well.”

McLellan, on Antti Niemi’s play in Game 7 and throughout the series:
“Well, we’re not playing tonight if Nemo doesn’t play the way he did down the stretch. In fact, I don’t even think we’d get to play against Vancouver if Nemo doesn’t play the way he did down the stretch. He’s up for the Vezina. He’s our Team MVP for a reason. Just like some of the shooters, some of the defensemen, coaching decisions – sometimes you’d like to have one back, but I thought Nemo played an outstanding series, outstanding game. I don’t know if you’ll see that type of goaltending in another series. Maybe you will, but it was a pretty special series for goaltending.”

McLellan, on whether the team’s camaraderie makes the loss more difficult:
“Well, it stings. The group that we ended up with after the trade deadline could’ve went one way or the other. We’re in transition a little bit as an organization, obviously with some of the moves we’ve made. But I thought the way they banded together and the way they played for each other and with each other was exceptional. It was a really positive sign for our organization, not only in the playoffs but moving forward. It’s not about one or two guys. It’s about the group as a whole. They accepted that, and I think we have something to build on moving forward.”

Joe Thornton, on the Game 7 loss:
“It’s tough. They are a real good team. We thought we could come in here and steal a game. We played our hearts out and that’s all you can ask of each other. We had to lay it on the line in the third and I thought we did. Jonathan Quick is just a fantastic goalie. It’s disappointing right now. We were just having so much fun. It’s disappointing that it has to end because we were really enjoying this. It’s a tough way to finish.”

Thornton, on the emotional letdown after the Kings’ first goal:
“It was a tough bounce. It just happens. The next couple of shifts are very important. They threw that second one in. But we responded well. We fought our hearts out and that’s all you can ask of each other.”

Logan Couture, on the Game 7 loss:
“We had some chances. I think I tipped one and it almost went in and they go back down and score. We had a bunch of chances in the third. That’s what teams do when they move on, they score on those chances they get. They did it and we didn’t. That’s why they are moving on.”

Couture, on Jonathan Quick’s save on his second period backhand:
“I have to score there. I’m counted on to score goals. If I get a chance like that I have to score.”

Couture, on the level of disappointment:
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s tough. It’s been a long year. We battled hard to get where we were. We made some changes and played a good first round then forced, I think the best team in the league, to seven games and almost beat them in their building. It’s tough to take.”

Couture, on the biggest difference in the series:
“So close. Both teams played good hockey. Every game was so tight. We just didn’t score on our chances. That’s what it came down to tonight. We could have had three, but Quick made saves and we didn’t score. That’s the difference.”