December 1 practice quotes: Justin Williams

On what the team is focusing on to improve the power play output:
I think if you don’t have a good power play to start, then I found last night we kind of got away from our breakout, from our setup, just coming up the ice together. I thought we got away from that quickly, and when things look bad, we need to simplify. But power play is for scoring goals and gaining momentum, and we lost both last night.

On whether the power play is “simply an X’s and O’s thing”:
Well, the power play has a lot of facets to it. It’s not just one thing. You need to do everything right to get in. You need to stick with it. You can’t go off page. [Reporter: It’s not a matter of just moving the puck around either, is it? Bodies have to move a little bit, too, to get those little odd-man advantages, especially down low, and especially since goalies are so tough at just stopping a puck they can see, right?] I don’t think we’ve had enough down-low on our power play, in all honesty. I think we’ve had too much up-top. A lot of one-timers that have not hit the net and have not given us separate opportunities. I think with the unit that I was playing with, we needed to get more dirty.

On Darryl Sutter’s reference that the team might have been battling physical and mental fatigue:
Nah. I mean, he sees us play more than anyone. He’s sitting back watching. He feels the game out very well, and he knows what the players are feeling, and if that’s what he felt, that’s fine. But we’re never going to use that, as hockey players, as an excuse.

On how to make emotion “tangible”:
Being emotionally invested in a game isn’t just going out and hitting someone or getting a good shot on net. It’s wanting the puck at all times. It’s talking to your teammates, whether it be on the ice, or on the bench. Just getting yourself into a game, not just playing a game.

On who kept the ceremonial puck last night: