Rookie game postgame reaction

There was no shortage of action in El Segundo tonight, as the Phoenix Coyotes rookies beat the Kings 8-7 at Toyota Sports Center. The Kings took a 6-3 lead into the third period but allowed five consecutive goals.

Among the standouts were Brandon Kozun and Andy Andreoff, who each had two goals. Kozus also had an assist and Andreoff got in a fight. The Kings also got goals from Jordan Weal, Robert Czarnik and Ray Kaunisto. Jake Muzzin and Michael Schumacher each had two assists. Martin Jones played the first two periods in goal and stopped 28 of 31 shots. Chris Gibson played the third period and stopped 8 of 13. Nicolas Deslauriers also drew strong reviews for his game. Muzzin was the team captain for the game, with Kozun and Jordan Nolan as alternate captains. Here are some postgame quotes from Kozun and Muzzin, followed by a boxscore from the game.

BRANDON KOZUN
(on the third-period collapse…)
KOZUN: “I don’t think it was fatigue. I think it was just a lapse of focus. That can never happen. Honestly, there were a lot of nervous guys in that dressing room, and maybe that had a little to do with it as well, but it’s unacceptable. They don’t accept that, as the L.A. Kings, and we’re going to try to erase that and make sure it never happens again.”

(on him feeling more comfortable, heading into his third training camp…)
KOZUN: “Being a guy who has been here a couple times, and knows what it’s like, you try to help the younger guys out, the guys who have only been here once or never. You try to tell them what it’s going to be like, but at the end of the day it’s a whole different ballgame, especially on the ice.”

(on playing a game in the Kings’ uniform…)
KOZUN: “It’s an honor to put that uniform on, because this organization is so prestigious. It definitely is an honor, especially being from California as well.”

—–

JAKE MUZZIN
(on the game…)
MUZZIN: “We did a lot of good things in that game. When they scored, we bounced back and capitalized, but we’ve just got to stay with it for the full 60 minutes. Forty minutes doesn’t count, and it showed in the third period there. We also got into some penalty trouble and they capitalized on the power play. There were just small mental errors that we’ve got to take out of our game, and I think that game will be ours.”

(on whether he knew in advance that he had been named captain…)
MUZZIN: “No one told me about it. It was a last-minute decision, I think, before the game.”

(on what being team captain means to him…)
MUZZIN: “It’s an honor. When you’re named the captain of a team, it’s always an honor to lead. I just wish I could have led a little better and we could have won that game.”

(on being more comfortable in this camp, based on past experience…)
MUZZIN: “Being comfortable, and maybe not as nervous as some guys coming in, new faces coming in. Maybe they’re a little nervous about what’s going to happen. So just being a little more comfortable out there, and seeing some familiar faces around me, with Mark (Morris) and Pelly [Scott Pellerin] behind the bench, I played for them last year so I kind of know what they’re looking for.”

—–

COYOTES 8, KINGS 7
COYOTES 2-1-5–8
KINGS 3-3-1–7

FIRST PERIOD
SCORING
PHX: Bloodoff (Long), 1:11; LA: Kozun (Vey, Muzzin), 8:51 (PP); LA: Andreoff (Muzzin 2, Schumacher), 11:04; PHX: Lessio (Summers), 17:20 (PP): LA: Weal (Kaunisto, Toffoli), 17:37.
PENALTIES
LA: Carnevale (slashing), 3:17; LA: bench (too many men), 6:12; PHX: Kessy (tripping), 8:23; LA: Andreoff (fighting), 11:09; PHX: Ruopp (fighting), 11:09; LA: Deslauriers (fighting), 13:21; PHX: Dziurzynski (fighting), 13:21; LA: Zahn (interference), 15:36; LA: Kantor (holding), 19:45.

SECOND PERIOD
SCORING
LA: Czarnik (unassisted), 1:03 (SH); LA: Andreoff 2 (Schumacher 2, Mignardi), 7:17; PHX: Bloodoff 2 (Long 2), 10:10 (SH); LA: Kozun 2 (Deslauriers), 11:36 (PP).
PENALTIES
LA: Muzzin (fighting), 3:41; LA: Muzzin (boarding), 3:41; PHX: Kessy (fighting), 3:41; PHX: Kessy (instigator), 3:41; PHX: Kessy (10-minute misconduct), 3:41; PHX: Brodeur (tripping), 9:40; LA: Kaunisto (roughing), 10:28; PHX: Goncharov (cross-checking), 10:28; LA: Andreoff (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:45; PHX: Hextall (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:45); PHX: Visentin (tripping), 11:28; LA: Mignardi (high-sticking), 13:56; PHX: Bloodoff (holding), 14:16; LA: Kaunisto (high-sticking), 15:34.

THIRD PERIOD
SCORING
PHX: Dziurzynski (Stone), 0:18; PHX: Miele (Summers 2), 6:41 (PP); PHX: Shinnimin (Long 3, Cheverie), 7:20 (PP); PHX: Hextall (Dziurzynski), 10:07; PHX: Hextall 2 (Miele), 13:59 (PP): LA: Kaunisto (Kozun), 19:57.
PENALTIES
LA: Deslauriers (tripping), 5:12; LA: Andreoff (tripping), 6:41; LA: Kantor (boarding), 12:45; LA: Toffoli (holding the stick), 15:14; PHX: Brodeur (interference), 17:39.

GOALIES
LA: Jones (28-31); Gibson (8-13); PHX: Visentin (29-35); Cheverie (9-10).