Quotes

By Matthew Kredell on October 16, 2007 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

From first star of the game, Anze Kopitar ...

``It feels really good to come into the locker room with the win. We played like a really desperate team on the ice.’’

Kopi said he actually planned his move in the shootout, when the left-hander went to his left and got Backstrom diving to the ice before reaching out and gently pushing the puck in with his off hand.

``I knew I had to score and I felt comfortable with that move. I actually tried it in the morning skate and it worked, so I was confident it was going in.''

On beating the previously 5-0 Wild: ``We said they had to lose a game at some point, and why not to us? We didn't back off for a second.''

On Aubin: ``He came out really strong. I think we helped him a lot better too. We didn't give up a lot of chances. We kind of shut down their first line.''

J.P. Hoornstra writes about NHL and IHL hockey for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. He welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey. E-mail J.P. at jp.hoornstra
@inlandnewspapers.com.

Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews
.com.