November 30 postgame quotes: Kopitar, Gaborik

Anze Kopitar, on what was different in this game compared to their last:
The first period, I didn’t think it was nearly intense as it needed to be. They scored two 2-on-1 goals which, giving odd-man rushes against a team like that it’s certainly not the way to win.

Kopitar, on whether he noticed if the crowd was in to the game:
Yeah, I mean, we really didn’t give them a reason to be really in to it. At the start they were in to it but it’s kind of hard to be upbeat when you’re down 3-0 for them. I’d say we didn’t give them a reason.

Kopitar, on whether the team just “didn’t play well enough to win”:
Yeah we didn’t play good enough.

Kopitar, on the momentum shifting after the second period:
There’s always momentum within the game. Obviously you try to keep it on your side as much as you can. I thought the powerplay was good tonight. We were moving the puck in the first, even though we didn’t score, but Brownie gets us on the board in the second on the powerplay so that was obviously good. But we just couldn’t really find that second one. I thought we had some chances around their net we just didn’t score and at the end of the day that cost us.

Kopitar, on what makes Martin Jones a tough goalie:
He’s big and he’s pretty calm in net. It seems like when he’s on his game he’s covering the net pretty well and when he’s on his angles pretty good. But probably didn’t do enough of a job to get in front of him, to get in his eyes, to try and make it a little bit hard on him.

Kopitar, on the physical style of game when the Kings and Sharks meet:
I don’t think it’s, maybe a few hits more here and there, definitely wasn’t crazy out there.

Kopitar, on whether the Sharks surprised the Kings at all:
No. We know what they’re all about. We prepared pretty good but I think tonight was more about us and what we didn’t do and need to do.

Kopitar, on what the Kings need to improve on for the next game:
Well I mean just play a full 60 minutes I think. The first period tonight was not good and obviously cash in on the chances when they’re there.

Marian Gaborik, on whether he feels like he’s getting back to 100%:
Yeah I think so, I felt pretty good out there.

Gaborik, on matching up against the Sharks:

These are divisional games so you have to get points in these games and especially at home. They’re a strong team, they’re coming out from a back-to-back, and they’re up 3-0 in the first period or whenever it was. We can’t let that happen. We had some chances but obviously it wasn’t enough. I think we gave up a lot of odd-man rushes and just have to clean it out from our game and just start in Phoenix as a new team pretty much.

Gaborik, on whether he thinks the Kings are as good a team as the Sharks:
Well I mean, we know that they’re a good team. I think it was a tight game out there at times but like I said they had quite a few odd-man rushes which we usually don’t give out. Just have to clean it up and ready to win tomorrow.

Gaborik, on the difference between the first and second game back:
Well I think just coming out and focus on moving my legs and just kind of feed off of that. I think I was doing that tonight and just hopefully I just get better and better and keep elevating.

Gaborik, on anything that happened to the Kings when the Sharks scored late in the 1st:
That third goal was an odd-man rush, the first goal was an odd-man rush so like I said we just can’t let those things happen. Just have to clean it out from our game and just be focused and not make those mistakes.