Notes: Coreau gets start at site of one of his best games

LOS ANGELES -- When the Detroit Red Wings took the ice at Staples Center for Thursday morning's optional skate, there was only one player missing.
That was starting goaltender Jared Coreau.

"I spoke with my trainer, we discussed morning skates and how I think that you can use a lot of energy in morning skates," Coreau said. "It's something down in the American League that I started probably mid-December, I stopped doing morning skates. I just feel more fresh going into the start of games and mentally it's a lot better because goalies have a lot of gear to put on. It's nice to only put it on once a day."
Just because Coreau wasn't on the ice doesn't mean he was lounging in the dressing room and eating breakfast.
"I think the little workout I do instead of the morning skate, I feel warm and loose and it kind of carries me through the day and even after my nap I feel like I can just jump right into the game," Coreau said. "It's about being fresh and ready and excited to put to the gear on once instead of twice."
With the Wings playing back-to-back in Los Angeles tonight and Anaheim Friday, it made sense to have Coreau and Jimmy Howard each play one game.
Last season, Coreau had one of the best games of his fledgling NHL career, shutting out the Kings, 4-0.
"I think it just goes hand in hand with being comfortable, playing here before, but they're a good team again this year, so it'll be interesting to see how the game goes," Coreau said. "May have to weather a storm on the road."
Against a big, physical team like the Kings, it can't hurt to have a big goaltender.
"I just think when Jared plays his best hockey he's big, he uses his size effectively, doesn't over-move," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I think he's looked good. I thought he looked good his last outing. He's just gotta keep building off of it."
Six days ago, Coreau played in Columbus, making 33 saves in the 3-2 loss.
"I felt pretty good," Coreau said. "We can look at some of the goals and maybe on one of them do something different to make one of those saves and then we can tie the game instead still being down by one and we score that second one. You can split atoms all day, but at the end of the day it's just good, quality starts, giving the team a chance to win. I believe I did that the last game.
"That's just the goal every night, give the team a chance to win. Sometimes it's going to come down to the dying seconds, sometimes it's just going to be preserving a two- or three-goal lead. It's just making the big save when you need to make a big save."
One thing that has distinguished the Kings this season is their third-period dominance.
They have outscored opponents 87-53 in the final frame.
"I guess teams have their periods. They're a third-period team," Coreau said. "They know when the game's on the line. If we're up by a goal or down by a goal, there's going to be a storm to weather at the start of the third for sure. It's something Todd Nelson talks about down in Grand Rapids is the first five minutes of every period is so important. The start of the game, they're coming out flying. Start of the season as well, but especially the third.
"It's the last period to make a push, if you're down by one or up by one, you want to do what you can to get the win."
KOPITAR'S SPECIAL SEASON: Since entering the league in the 2006-07 season, Kings captain Anze Kopitar has been one of the most consistent forwards in the league.
Kopitar, 30, has generally averaged just under a point per game in every season but last season.
"I think one thing that gets missed in the game today - everybody wants to talk about speed - well, size matters," Blashill said. "When you're big and strong on your edges, or just strong on your edges, period, you're not afraid to get knocked off the puck. And when you're not afraid to get knocked off the puck, you have way more poise and way more time to do things with the puck. That's why (Henrik) Zetterberg is so successful. That's why Anze Kopitar's so successful.
"He's a good, fluid skater. He's a good skater, I'm not saying that, but he's not a big-time burner. What he is, he's so strong on the puck he just has more time with it. He's real smart. He's a great two-way player. He's an excellent pick for them. Obviously, they've won lots of games. I say it all the time - you win games with great two-way players and he's one of the better ones in the league."
Last year, Kopitar had just 12 goals, 40 assists and was minus-10 in 76 games, a significant drop-off from the 2015-16 season in which he had 25 goals, 49 assists and was plus-34 in 81 games.
But Kopitar has bounced back nicely this season, with 28 goals, 48 assists and is plus-14 in 70 games, better than a point per game pace.
At 6-foot-3, 224 pounds, Kopitar is difficult for players to defend.
One who has done so for many years is Wings defenseman Trevor Daley.
"He's been so good for so long," Daley said. "He's a smart player who's been around for a while. You want to try to take as much time and space away as you're going to get. When he does get a chance, hopefully the goalie stops it."
Kopitar had two goals and an assist in the Kings' 4-1 victory in Detroit Nov. 28. In 34 career games against the Wings, Kopitar has 12 goals and 21 assists.
After missing 55 games, Jeff Carter has returned to the Kings' lineup and has six goals and two assists in nine games, including two goals in his last game against Arizona.
"He gives them a great 1-2 punch," Blashill said. "Again, (what) most of the best teams in the league have is that 1-2 punch up the middle. He gives them a great 1-2 punch with him and Kopitar. He's got great speed, great skill, real, real talent. Certainly they're a lot better team when he's in the lineup."
Carter, 33, is 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, another big man that is difficult to defend.
"Huge. I've known Jeff for a long time," Daley said. "He's a goal-scorer, he can shoot the puck from almost anywhere on the ice, one of the few guys in the league that can shoot the puck from anywhere and score. Anytime that guy steps over the blue line, he's a threat to score. Having a guy like that in your lineup is a huge lift."
WHAT IS GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE: When the NHL general managers meet next week in Boca Raton, Fla., no doubt what constitutes goaltender interference will be among the topics discussed.
Blashill said he has talked about it with Wings general manager Ken Holland.
"I think it's a hard, hard rule because of the fact that it's hard to have black and white," Blashill said. "If you do have black and white, meaning if they're in the crease and they bump the goalie, and it's not a goal, you're going to have less goals. So you've kind of got to make a decision - do you want to make it black and white, or do you want more goals. Then it becomes difficult.
"I think that's why these type of replay rules are real tough, to be honest with you. I think there's different options. You could back to kind of the idea that the crease is the crease and if you make contact and it's in the blue, it's gonna be no goal. I think you could attach a two-minute penalty to a challenge so that would certainly diminish the challenges and as such you'd probably only get the real ones that the coaches feel are quote unquote egregious. You could also probably do away with the replay."
The way things have changed since the All-Star break has made it a challenge determining how to coach players.
"Our thing is to get to the net and make sure we've got great net presence and compete like crazy once that puck's in the blue," Blashill said. "That to me appears to be a little bit of a difference is once is in the blue, you get more goals. You compete like crazy and go from there. We've also said you've got to be cautious of the blue. If you get in the blue, there's a chance it's getting called off. If you get in the blue, there's a chance there's a whistle, so you gotta be cautious."