David Quinn met with the media following practice on Monday and said (NYR):

• On Chytil, “Fil is battling the flu.”
• How are you feeling, “I’m tired, thanks for asking. (Smile)”
• What do you want to see against Detroit, “A lot more purpose defensively, we’ve really slipped defensively. That is a little bothersome, structurally we haven’t been as sound as we were, there is a lot of running around in our end and we have to clean that up. I get the feeling we are trying to do too much, we had a video session where we addressed some of those things, did a little d-zone today. When guys are pressing and going through the stretch we have been going through guys want to do more and sometimes less is more and we are finding that out.”

• On Neal Pionk, “Neal played and awful lot of hockey in key situations and still does, for a rookie to be thrown into the fire like he was that is a lot to ask and he answered the bell. Not unlike most guys in the league you are going to have peaks and valleys and he has had some moments that haven’t been great but he is fighting through it. He gives his all shift in and out, compete isn’t an issue and I think he falls into the category of someone trying to do too much. If we can get him back to not trying to do too much and playing his game, he is an effective and real good player for us.”
• Do you think you have enough players with a shooting mentality, “no. We need to shoot more and have that mentality. Before a puck gets to us have that thought process of getting rid of it, they need to sense opportunities to get pucks to the net not just on the rush but in the offensive zone and it’s something we need to keep harping on and working on. As a player you make that decision because if that is the player you are going to be, a lot comes from that. I can’t tell you how many times I watch a game and we have 17-18 scoring chances yet there are 5-6 chances that should be Grade A chances where we don’t shoot a puck. So instead of finishing with 25 scoring chances we have 17 or 18 and off of those chances, if you shoot it, could come 2 or 3 more.”
• On Kreider’s game, “he battled through an injury for sure, so for him he is doing everything he can and I give him a lot of credit for fighting through his injury and he is starting to feel better and I think you will see a better result from that. His play has been much more noticeable, more involved and for someone who depends on his legs so much, when he had a lower body injury he was dealing with he did a real good job fighting though it and happy with the direction he is going for sure.”
• On Brendan Lemieux’s progress, “when you come from where he came from and not playing a lot and you get all of those minutes and you see some progression and then the natural regression to not only the minutes but conditioning – gets a little tired. That trip is demanding for anybody, if you are playing 20 minutes a night all-year that is going to be a tough trip, let alone someone who hasn’t played a lot of minutes. There is a lot to like there in him as a player and I’m certainly glad we got him.”
• On the final 10 games for development, “when you are a pro you get evaluated every day. You watch and evaluate, that is part of the process, I don’t say to myself that the last 10 games we were in a tough position. No, that is not how it works. I’m watching and paying attention as is Jeff and Chris and Lindy, Brownie and Ollie and everyone in the organization. You can help yourself or hurt yourself over these last 10 games, it’s your choice.”
• Do you think Chytil is out tomorrow, “yea, probably.”
• On analytics impacting the evaluation process, “somewhat, I think they can get skewed or misleading but you do pay attention to it. Sometimes it raises an eyebrow and you alter your decision and sometimes you look at it and have an explanation for it. I think it’s more circumstantial.”
• What do you want to see from Boo, “with his size and speed, I think his presence and willingness to be combative around the puck will dictate his success or not. That is something we have talked with him about and we know he wants to do it, I think just understanding what he needs to do to be an every game player in this league.”
• On Strome skating on the wing in practice, “filling in and probably try him over there.”
• Goalie tomorrow, “Hank.”