They Said It...
Rod Brind'Amour on the low-scoring loss and what he liked from his group despite the result...
"We've got a couple of guys who - we've been saying this for a while - have got to be a little more 'around it.' But I thought the game was, maybe of the last handful of games, one of our better games. No odd-man rushes, it felt good about how we were defending. We created enough chances that had a couple of good looks, but their goalie played really well."
Rod Brind'Amour on the fine margins in the game...
"That's hockey. I think they got the one bounce, and they created it. On the first goal, we had the puck and we didn't get it out, then they put it to the net and find a way in. Then they did a nice job defending and we didn't get odd-man rushes either, so we had to grind to get our opportunities. We had a few went off the (goalie's stick) knob, you know, that's an inch here or there and the game's a little different. But I like the effort, and I like the process, how we went about the game. It felt better, that's for sure."
Sebastian Aho on needing to find ways to win tight games...
"Obviously I've got to be better, no question about it. But at the same time I think we've got to find some chemistry between linemates. Especially on the nights when you're not feeling it, just finding ways to create something and especially not give them anything...It's not always easy, it's not always going your way, but that's the time when you need to grind one out. So I've got to be better, and obviously our line's got to be better."
Jordan Staal on how the team can improve offensively...
"I think we can be a little heavier in the offensive zone. We're a little bit one-and-done, not really getting on our forecheck and just having heavy shift, heavy shift after heavy shift. There's a few sporadic ones here and there. When you start taking over games is when you start putting in three or four, getting calls after and wearing teams down. There's times where you see it, but not consistent at all."
