The first game as the new interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings (24-22-14) saw DJ Smith and staff compete on the scoreboard and on the ice for most of the game in the middle frame in the second period and the final frame on home ice at Crypto Arena on Monday night (March 2) vs. the Colorado Avalanche (40-10-9) in the West.
DJ Smith and the Los Angeles Kings knocked off by Colorado in his first game as the interim head coach early this week on Monday
The Kings and Smith fell behind on the scoreboard early in the game in the opening frame in the first period. But the Kings battled back on the ice and on the scoreboard in the middle frame in the second period and in the final frame to tie things up at a score of 2-2 vs. Colorado on home ice.
Colorado took over because of puck possession and pressure and chances in the offensive zone against Anton Forsberg and the Kings on Monday night, winning on the scoreboard by a tally of 4-2 a couple of days ago.
Smith gave his immediate reactions to the media on Tuesday night after the Kings' hard-fought 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on home ice, despite fighting back on the ice and on the scoreboard in the middle frame in the second period.
Here's a look at everything Smith said to the media postgame following the Kings' 4-2 loss in his first game as the new interim head coach for LA vs. Colorado on March 2 at Crypto.com Arena.
DJ Smith
On if the Kings need to be picking up points in the standings in the West this late this regular season for the team
"At the end of the day, the team that left against Calgary, with Q and Mooresie and those guys, we had, we thought, a little bit more scoring maybe, and then we find out some guys are out at the last minute, and these guys come in. What we wanted to establish is a sense of work ethic, a sense of physicality, a sense of we’re not going to sit back, we’re going to come get you. I think we did all those things tonight. So, you need the points for sure, but at this point, you can’t fault the effort, and we’re going to need that every game."
On his takeaways from the loss to Colorado on home ice
"The goal is obviously to win. I mean, that’s the best team in the league, and they’re 100 percent healthy, and they’re coming in here, playing as good as they’ve played all year. Our job was, we weren’t going to just sit back and let them take it to us. Now, it didn’t look good early. We made some mistakes, we gave up too many odd man rushes, but what you saw from that group is a real effort to forecheck, a real effort to get pucks back, to hunt, to hit people, and you’re going to see that the rest of the way."
On the adjustments he made vs. Colorado in the active roster lineup with younger players in the mix
"We have one chance, with where we are at in this season right now and it’s for our team to get in the playoffs as a team. If we want to play at the pace that I expect them to play at, to forecheck and to hit, everyone’s going to have to take a little bit shorter shifts, everyone’s going to have to play harder while they’re on the ice. We’re going to need all four lines. One night, one guy might be in one night, one guy might be out, but I wouldn’t count us out."
On Anton Forsberg's performance vs. Colorado for the Kings
"Forsy was outstanding and that’s what you need. At the end of the day, people that don’t watch this game tonight don’t know who was in the lineup, who wasn’t in the lineup, they just look at the score. If we would have found a way to win that game, people wouldn’t have known how good Forsy was. Those are some of the league’s best scorers and he stood right in there. He’s been really good for us."
On the goal Angus Booth scored vs. Colorado
"Especially when you don’t think you’re going to play and it just kind of comes out of nowhere. For those three kids to come in and play their first NHL game, you never know how you’re going to play or what have you.
Then, to score, I said to him you have to shoot more pucks, he almost looked shocked that he was in alone there in the first period, and it was like he stopped in time and said to himself, oh my god, I’m in the slot in the NHL and that’s just part of it, of cutting your teeth in this league. But, you know what? Obviously, the guys down in Ontario have done a good job. These three guys come up, and they look like NHL players."