On the team’s Corsi rating suffering in the 1-0 shootout win:
I don’t use a Corsi rating.
On how he assessed the win:
I think hard fought. We were a tired team – I think four in six days – and they were a team that hadn’t played in a few days, and anybody who’s played a contact sport knows that one team’s going to have more energy than the other one.
On Jonathan Quick’s performance:
I think he was really strong, and I think along with our penalty killers, they were first and second stars.
On adjusting the team’s lines:
Just trying to get some energy or something a little bit different. I think that a lot of our guys struggled with the energy level so we were just trying to find some.
On Jonathan Quick tying Rogie Vachon’s shutout record:
Well, he’s going to get a lot more.
On whether St. Louis is a better team with Paul Stastny:
I think they’ve added quite a bit to their team, not just Stastny. I think that gives them a lot of strength down the middle, but also really they have four guys that are basically new to their team even though a couple of ‘em played a little bit last year if you go Schwartz, Tarasenko, the Swede and the Finn. That’s a big difference to their team. [Reporter: Faster?] Just deeper, better.
On whether Toffoli’s absence was due to a coaching decision or an equipment issue:
You’re allowed to not play all the time, aren’t you? [Reporter: Well, you’re allowed to, yeah, but was there a reason? Was that your decision?] Oh, I’m sure he was getting his skates done or whatever. I’m sure you saw it better than I did.
On Jeff Carter’s shootout game-winner:
We talked before the game about that somebody’s going to have to score a big goal. Jeff Carter scored a big goal.
On how he decides who he’ll use in the shootout:
I just have balls that have numbers on ‘em. The first one that comes out. 77. I got lucky tonight.
On whether the shootout changes without having to name the first three shooters:
No. The only thing that’s different is that’s a public acknowledgement. They know on the bench what order they’re shooting, and who’s shooting.
On whether he feels like the Kings “stole” two points:
It’s 82 games. You know what? We’re going to play really well and lose, too, so I’m not going to feel any different. [Reporter: You’ll take it, right? Any time.] We want to be a playoff team. Hey, they got one, we got two.
On how he handles emotion in a physical game without going “overboard”:
We’ve got a day off tomorrow, so we get to recharge a little bit.
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