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NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: KINGS v BLACKHAWKSJune 4, 2013Darryl SutterLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Three THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. What do you get with Tyler and moving Jeff to the middle? COACH SUTTER: Well, we're fortunate Jeff can play center, otherwise we'd be in a real spot. It's being able to have a top guy move from wing to a center position. Q. On Jeff, he came up as a center, but has played mostly wing in the NHL. Why do you prefer him on the wing? COACH SUTTER: Yeah, I just think, quite honest, when Richards and him played together, they're pretty much interchangeable, depending on who you're playing, who is taking faceoffs, how they come back in their own zone. Jeff has no problem with that either. We've done it off and on during the year. When Mike was struggling earlier in the year, we did it against Chicago. I think both games in the regular season, they both played center in there. You know, Jeff Carter is a pretty good player either position. Q. That being said, Jeff was sort of struggling on the faceoff. Before he gets into that position, were you impressed? COACH SUTTER: If you look over the course of the season, over the course of the series, we used him a lot in special team faceoff situations, Mike, because they played together a lot. They sort of control that depending on what side of the ice it's on. Probably when we talked to him before the game quick there, he had to take the faceoffs, we couldn't get another centerman out there, we were limited, he probably dialed in a little bit, too. Q. How would you evaluate Jarret's progress from Game1 to Game2? COACH SUTTER: You know, he's disappointed in himself more than I was in him. So I think you'll see a much better Jarret tonight. It's not easy. He's coming back from a concussion, bottom line. He was pretty much knocked out on his feet. To think you're going to automatically come back in and be 100% confident, I don't think it's that easy. He expects a lot of himself. I think he'll be a lot better tonight. Q. Toffoli, what's allowed him to elevate himself to where he is? COACH SUTTER: I don't think it's elevation. He scored 50‑some goals his last year, 19 goals in juniors, Rookie of the Year in the American League. Played 60‑some games. We brought him up when we had the roster spot to do it, not so much to play him, but because we thought he was close so he could watch and sort of progress is all it is. This is, too. He has the skill set to do it. The next part is the mental skills. Q. Would you of all coaches have a great appreciation of Tyler, knowing you weren't the best skater, but had good hands and were competitive? COACH SUTTER: Yeah, I just think he's a good player. This is not an easy environment to put him in. You wish you could have done it differently. But this will be good in the experience development part of it, and then go into the training camp part of it, then try to make the team part of it again. Q. This is a league‑wide thing. It was practically the reverse last year. Do you have any idea why it's changed, flip‑flopped so much, from away teams winning all the time last year to home teams winning this year? COACH SUTTER: I think a lot of it, you're going to look back at your schedule. It has not been easy to play as many games as you have in a short period of time. Again, we've played the most games in the league. So I think you're going to look at it in terms of‑‑ I know I have some ideas in my mind about what's prevalent this year, which don't apply to playoffs at all. But I think it's better that it's talked about or is clear when we get into the summer part of it. It's not easy playing, very simple. You look at the teams we've played in the playoffs, how good they are at home. You have to remember, you know what it's like, the travel out here, the way the schedule was set up. Q. Mike didn't skate this morning. You're ruling him out? COACH SUTTER: Absolutely. He's done a little bit every day. But it's the same, you know, the progress of it. If it's just about Mike Richards, Mike Richards making the decision, Mike Richards is playing tonight (smiling). You got guys that don't want to play and you got guys that want to play. Mike Richards is a guy that wants to play. Q. What is it about Jonathan Quick's makeup that allows things to roll off him? The game in St.Louis, the overtime goal. COACH SUTTER: You know, there's been enough talk about Jonathan Quick this year. We need a big game out of him. We need great goaltending to beat Chicago. We can't allow four goals and think we're going to beat Chicago. Q. On that note, what is it then that you have to do a little bit better against Corey Crawford? COACH SUTTER: We did a good job last game. It's missed nets, missing great opportunities. They had seven and scored on three. We doubled that and didn't. You know what, they probably have a little higher end in the goal‑scoring part of it in terms of individually. You have to literally limit everything. I'm not worried about Corey Crawford. If we're just only focused on Corey Crawford, then you're not going to get any opportunities. We had several last game that you have to finish on. The nets didn't get smaller in Chicago. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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