Gerard Gallant met with the media following the win over Arizona and said (NYR):
- What happened in the game, “interesting (laughs).”
- Was the slow start because you got in late from Carolina, “I hope it did, but I don’t know. It was tough to watch the first period for sure.”
- Did the shorthanded goal change the momentum, “that was the biggest thing, definitely, the shorthanded goal was huge for us and Kreids got that, it was a big, big goal and got us back to 3-2 and it was definitely the momentum changer for sure.”
- On Kakko’s injury, “it’s been going on for a little while, upper body, day to day.”
- It was a last-minute thing, “yep.”
- Is there an update on Chytil, “day to day, lower body.”
- On moving Panarin with Kreider and Zibanejad, “sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and you just want to change things up. We lost Fil after the first period, it gave me a chance to go with three lines for most of the game and rotated the third and fourth line with Rooney going back and forth with both of them. It jump-started them and got them going and it was good.”
- On scoring in bunches, “we got a talented team and when the big guys come, like the second and third period, they put a lot of pressure on them and had great scoring opportunities. We got a couple of breaks, too, but like I said, when you work hard and compete hard and have the skill that we got and the PP strikes like the way it can, a lot of things went right in the second and third period.”
- Did you think Kreider would challenge for the league lead in goals, “probably don’t, but like I said, I like the player and he’s just playing with a lot of confidence. Him and his linemates are playing real well together and the PP has been really good this year and clicking and he knows where to score goals, he’s around the net and shoots the puck real well and skates well and he keeps his game simple.”
- On Kreider’s overall impact on the game, “He’s scoring most games for us, but he’s definitely a guy, with his speed and talent and skill, and when Mika is playing the way Mika is playing they create a lot and made some great plays tonight. Kreids is a complte player, he’s doing a great job killing penalties for us this year and he’s playing the game the right way.”
- On Trouba’s game, “Outstanding, real good, shooting the puck, real heavy shots and the way he defends, and all-around game.”
- Was Trouba someone who brought the energy, “definitely, he played really strong and hard and that is what he does and why he is a leader and character of our group and he shows it.”
- Do you see Trouba as a tone setter, “I’ve seen it a lot, earlier in the season he had the big hits and he sets the tone and wakes us up sometimes, he’s a big part of the group, he’s been around here a while and guys really respect him.”