Slava Voynov, on Rob Scuderi:
I’d really like to see Scuds after the game and talk to him a little bit. We played a year together. Nice guy.
Voynov, whether he has spoken with Scuderi since he joined the Penguins:
Not yet, because I was in Russia all summer. I read the news he signed with Pittsburgh.
Voynov, on returning to Staples Center:
Yeah, I really like playing home stands all the time. It helps us – it’s like a sixth player on the ice. We need to win games.
Anze Kopitar, on whether there is a way to limit Sidney Crosby:
Yeah, of course there is. It usually takes five guys on the ice, obviously, to prevent that. You know what? We’ve got to come out and compete, and we make sure we do all the things that make our team successful. I’m sure if we accomplish that, it’s going to be a good game, and we’re going to give ourselves a good chance.
Kopitar, on the match-ups of elite centers tonight:
Yeah, it’ll be a good challenge. You look at the board before the game, and you try to line up or match up against whoever you’re matching up against. You’ve got to win the battle. It’s not just against this particular team. Before every game you look at the board and you want to win your match-up, obviously.
Kopitar, on returning to Staples Center:
Yeah, it’s going to be nice to be back. I mean, we haven’t been there in a while, so I feel the crowd’s going to be fired up.
Jarret Stoll, on winning the battle amongst elite centers:
It starts with the faceoffs, obviously. Winning that battle and having puck possession and keeping it away from them as much as possible starts with that. Obviously, not giving them too much time and space with the puck, being hard on them, being in their face whenever they do have the puck, maybe when they don’t have the puck, too. Just make it hard on ‘em. They’re probably going to get their chances here or there and make some good plays here or there. They’re one of the best, if not the best two centers in the league. We’re going to have to just limit their chances, limit their opportunities and be hard on them, be physical.
Stoll, on whether it’ll be good to see Scuderi:
Yeah, it’ll be good to see him. A lot of good memories with him and a great teammate, great guy. It happens. It’s a sport. Everyone moves on, everyone plays on different teams. It’s no different with Scuds. He made his decision, his family decision, and I know he’s happy there and comfortable there, too. So I wish him all the best.
Stoll, on the most difficult team to match up against:
No. Everyone’s a challenge. Everyone’s got good players. Everyone’s got skill. This league now, there’s a lot of skill out there. The young guys coming up, they’ve all got skill, they’ve all got speed. It’s a faster game. No different. [Reporter: Which is the most difficult team for you, if it’s not the Penguins?] There is no difference. You don’t really look at teams like that. You’ve just got to play your game and do what you do while you’re here. Play your role, all those things. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Pittsburgh or San Jose or Edmonton. There are skilled guys that hurt you if you make a mistake, and if you don’t make a mistake and do the right thing and play well, then they probably won’t.
Stoll, on playing against elite centers:
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