Quotes from Sharks locker room after 2-0 loss to LA

Late last night we heard from the Kings and Sharks' head coaches (linked here), as well as comments from LA's locker room (link).

Now, we go across the aisle to see what some of the Sharks players were saying after their 2-0 loss to the Kings.

Sharks captain Joe Thornton on the overall game - "Good third period, bad first two. We just have got to somehow score to make it a game and we didn’t…You knew they were going to play well at home here. I’m disappointed at the way we came out, but I’m sure we’ll get a couple good days of practice and get back at it on Thursday."

Thornton on Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick - "He played good. He’s a good goaltender, he’s a league goaltender. We had our chance but we just didn’t finish. He played well."

Sharks' defenseman Dan Boyle on the overall game - "The first two periods there was not a lot of emotion. We didn’t really work to get our chances. Five-on-five we had nothing for the first two periods. Not working hard enough to win the game. There are 82 games. You have got to find a way to get up for every game. Some nights are tougher than others, but at the end of the day you have to find a way. As a team you have got to get up for it. There’s no reason why. These guys are in our division."

More Kings vs Sharks related articles can be found below.

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Kings def Sharks 2-0 - comments from the coaches

The Kings and Sharks are now tied in their six-game season series. San Jose picked up game one on home ice 4-2, just a few weeks ago. Tonight, LA won 2-0 at Staples Center.

When things were all done and the final buzzer had sounded, each coach held a post game presser...

Terry Murray on the overall game - "We had a good feel here tonight, there was good energy and emotion in the game and it got exciting at the end…there was a real good response to the game from Chicago the other night, we needed to come out fast, we needed to come out with energy and set the tone, and I thought we did. There was a good carryover into the second period. I thought Quick did a tremendous job…that should have been a nice extra boost of energy to start the third period."

Murray on the two late second period penalty kills - "That was a critical moment there for sure, that’s the part of the game they wait on is the power play, they’re very good at it, they’ve got a group of guys that’s been together for 10 years and they know how to move the puck around, we have to be good in those situations, you kill the penalties the best you can with your forwards, when it comes down to it your goaltender has to be good against the power play, and he was."

Kings win 2-0 - post game quotes from LA locker room

We can delve into the specific numbers tomorrow - but it sure seems like when the Kings take more than 30 shots on goal, the win.  Tonight they put 33 shots on Sharks' goalie Antti Niemi and skated off the ice at Staples Center with a 2-0 win.

After the game, Jonathan Quick and Ethan Moreau shared a few thoughts...

Quick on his 200th game in the NHL - "I didn’t even know it was my 200th game until Greenie [Matt Greene] let me know about five minutes before the game started. They go quickly and tonight was a big win. Everybody battled hard; it was a hard-fought game. They battled to on their side and this is a huge two points."

Quick on LA's penalty kill - "We had a little bit of a stretch there were we weren’t happy with the PK. We had a string of five or six games where we let up a goal in each. It’s something that we’ve been great at the past couple of years and it’s something that we’ve really been putting a big focus on in these past few games because of that little stretch we went through. I feel like everybody’s mentality that they are going into the PK with is great."

And Now You're Caught Up - the 11/28/2011 edition

We know you've been busy the last few days - with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Super Saturday, Slow Down Sunday and then Cyber Monday today.

It's a lot for anyone. Don't worry though, we've got you covered.

Knowing that you'll want to catch up on all the key news, notes and quotes surrounding the LA Kings before they return to action tonight, we've put together a little cheat sheet for you.

Here are the 10 things you'll want to plug into before the puck drops at 7:30...

- Evaluating coach Terry Murray's new line combinations, the top three lines will have a new look vs. San Jose (link), plus Willie Mitchell talks about Jack Johnson, Slava Voynov, Drew Doughty and the Kings' new defensive pairings (link).

- Is Dustin Penner planning a heel turn? (link)

- NHRA's 7x top fuel champion Tony Schumacher drops by to talk hockey (link).

- On Thanksgiving, several LA Kings players shared which teammate they're most thankful for this year - includes Drew Doughty, Jarret Stoll and others (link), plus a guest author rated the top referees  currently in the NHL and explained why you should care who they are (link).

- Jack Johnson explains his hit on Mike Ribeiro (link) and coach Terry Murray weighs in on the situation too, saying there's a time and a place for those sort of things (link).

LA Kings Kevin Westgarth recalls many of his key firsts

Chalk one up for the good guys.

With just over five minutes gone by in the second period of last Wednesday's game vs. Dallas, Kevin Westgarth picked up his first National Hockey League goal. And as the saying goes, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Sadly, the Kings ended up losing the game - in what Westgarth called 'a pretty unfortunate, crappy ending' - which dampened the evening. Even though that took some of the buzz out of the milestone and his teammates weren't necessarily in the mood to celebrate afterwards, it's a moment that wasn't lost on the big, tough forward.

"That one will be going back home," said Westgarth when asked where the puck is. "I'll probably give it to my parents. They seem to take care of that stuff pretty well. They have a few jerseys and it will be another puck to add to the collection. Each level you move up and you keep that puck. So, it's a nice one."

It took 73 games to get that first one in the NHL.  What about those other firsts though? Westgarth recalled how a few of them went down...

His first ever goal - "I was five years old. It was in the championship game of our house league. It was the only goal I scored all year. So, like Gretzky, I had one goal my first year in hockey. In my mind, it was a swooping down the wing, dipsy-doodle and around two guys. I don't think it was quite that pretty in real life. My parents tell me it wasn't, so that just ruined my dream."

Trevor Lewis on being on the outside looking in for LA

Trevor Lewis, LA Kings (photo: D. Sheehan)

Top-six players dominate the headlines most days and yesterday was no exception. When Kings coach Terry Murray scrambled the forwards at practice, much of the early attention was placed on the big names - Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll, Andrei Loktionov, etc. - that were on the move.

Yet, what about some of the other guys? Even with four completely re-built lines, center Trevor Lewis still found himself on the outside looking in.  He and Brad Richardson will remain the two 'extra' forwards for now.

"No one likes sitting out," said Lewis. "But, I don't think I've been playing as best as I can. I have to take this time while I'm out right now, just refocus and get myself back to where I know I can play and where I know I can help the team out."

Lewis, who hasn't dressed for the Kings' last three games, also isn't quite sure what's missing - other than he's not in that same groove he was in the second half of last season.

"That's what I need to get back to," he surmised. "I think I need to just quit thinking about maybe scoring goals or whatever and just get back to the game that got me here. That's getting on the forechecks, getting pucks stopped, creating havoc on their 'D' and just being harder on the puck all over the place."

Like most players in a slump, he's sought advice from a few of his peers, namely Brown (who sits next to him in the dressing room) and his roommate on the road, Mike Richards.

Evaluating coach Terry Murray's new line combinations

All the talk about coach Terry Murray's re-shuffling of the lines today reminded me of a conversation I had with Andrei Loktionov last Monday.

It was the team's first practice since their loss to Detroit two days prior and I had asked him about being moved back to center during the third period of that game...

"I feel more comfortable there," he immediately said. "When I played center, I took more shots. I think I had three shots. So, it's a little bit more comfortable for me."

He also shared a few thoughts on playing with Mike Richards - "It's good. He's a good player. When he has the puck he gives it to you, then he moves around. I love playing with him."

Well, he can 'love' it all he wants. But, the fact remains Loktionov's numbers haven't been what the Kings are looking for (just two assists in six games since his recall). Hence the changes today.

Which then reminded me of something else Loktionov had told me after he showed up in town a few weeks ago. Back in Manchester, he had been playing with Brandon Kozun and Jordan Nolan.

So, now, let's revisit the line combinations suggested here on MayorsManor recently and compare then to what Murray did earlier today.

Clifford getting help from Stoll, starting to roll

Kyle Clifford of LA Kings (photo: M. Zampelli)

Hoping his blender worked more like a magic eight-ball, LA Kings coach Terry Murray decided to shake things up at practice today, seeking answers for the team's lack of offense.

With perhaps the most wide-spread line changes he's made over the last few years, Trent Hunter went to the top line, the cord was cut between Dustin Brown and Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll was moved to wing and Andrei Loktionov returned to his natural center position.

Assuming Murray sticks with the changes for tomorrow night's game vs. San Jose, what does all of this mean for Kyle Clifford?  Well, he stayed right where he was, as LA's third line left wing. However, he'll now have Loktionov as his center and Justin Williams on the far side.

It will be interesting to see how Clifford's game responds. While his three points in 23 games doesn't seem to be too far off his pace of 14 points in 76 games a year ago, he hasn't had the same overall impact.

Clifford posted three goals in the final 15 games and added three more goals in six playoff games.

MM: With the many different line combinations and partners for you so far this season, do you feel as comfortable in the line-up as you did last year?

KFC: I think I got off to a slow start. But, I think my game is starting to come around. Playing with Stollie (for the last few weeks), as a veteran guy, he's been taking me under his wing and trying to help me out during the games. I'm comfortable playing with whoever though. From a personal standpoint, yes, it was a slow start to the season and now things are starting to roll again.

MM: What type of advice has Stoll been giving you?

Kings coach Murray looking for some 'greasy, ugly' goals

Goals for a hockey team, like life itself, can have an uncontrollable ebb and flow. For much of the season, the Kings have been looking for the elusive 'secondary scoring' to kick in.

Wednesday night in Dallas, Kevin Westgarth scored his first-ever NHL goal and the Kings lost in overtime. Last night, Jarret Stoll netted just his second goal of the year (first in 18 games too) and the Kings lost 2-1 to the Blackhawks.

As could be expected, goal scoring was a popular topic inside the Kings locker room after the game, as well as at coach Terry Murray's postgame presser...

Murray on the overall game - "Holding them at two goals is good. They are the leading scoring team in the conference. We had lots of good looks here tonight. We ended up tying the game at 1-1. Then they won a faceoff to make it 2-1. After that, we had four or five tremendous looks and we are just having a tough time finding the back of the net right now. There’s not a better look that you could hope for in a couple of those situations, but it’s just not going in."

More from Murray - "Extra passes are not a good thing for us right now. We want to get pucks to the net. We have to score some greasy, ugly goals, as they say, and that might be the crack in the door and we can kick it open and start to feel more comfortable scoring goals."

Anze Kopitar on the overall game - "We had our share of chances but we couldn’t bear down. A couple of times the puck was just laying around there and we couldn’t quite get it in there. It’s tough but we can’t feel sorry for ourselves."

Quotes from Blackhawks locker room after def. Kings 2-1

With Chicago's 2-1 win last night, that pushes their streak to seven straight over Los Angeles and 10-0-1 in the last 11 games vs. the Kings.

Following the game, here's what was being said in the Blackhawks locker room...

Head coach Joel Quenneville on the overall game - "I think that the game that got us back on track was against San Jose, losing 1-0. We talked about being consistent with that kind of an effort and playing that type of style and game and we got rewarded the next two nights. It was a very competitive game tonight. Crawford made some big saves on a few bouncing pucks and we found a way to get through."

Quenneville on scoring - "Scoring first certainly helped. I thought we had a good start to the game and they had some stretches there where they scored and we got a response to it later. I thought we responded to a poor start yesterday and getting the win is important."

Chicago captain Jonathan Toews on the overall game - "It was probably in some ways our best game of the trip. We knew it was going to be a tight one. When you come on the road and you play a team like that, they use the home crowd and play with energy at home. We were smart, we didn’t have many chances against and they had some good penalty kills and chances on the power play. I think all around we played a good game. It’s fun to win those tight ones, especially at the end of this road trip."