HEAD COACH MIKE BABCOCK
On winning an 11-round shootout:
We started asking the guys who are in there doing YouTube review to see who actually scored a goal in the minors. We’ve got a pretty good list and then as time went on, you’re starting to wonder where you’re going, for sure. Obviously, some guys do a lot of real good things and in shootouts weren’t as good. Other guys came through for us. It was good for [Johnsson] and good for our team. I thought a real big goal by Mitch [Marner] obviously to get us back in the game.
On his level of concern in the number of penalties taken:
We’ve talked about this, right? So, if I talk to you about it, you can bet we’ve talked about it and we’ll continue to talk about it. I thought we started really good, I thought when we took the three penalties in a row we got off-kilter and got on our heels. I didn’t think we really, to be honest with you, got our game back. To me, you’ve got to play longer and harder than the other team and we were unable to do that. We get ourselves a win so we feel good about the win. We’re set up with a good week here this week. We’ve got to take some steps. The guys know that, I know that and we’ve got to do a better job.
On Kapanen’s performance tonight:
He was our best player, right? He was flying, obviously has some history here, wanted to make an impression, was good. We had him on multiple lines. I thought he played well.
On Spezza working to help the team:
Obviously, with [Tavares] out it’s a different scenario. Spezz is trying to do what he can to help out any way he can.
On what Spezza has meant to the team:
The thing I think he brings the most is he loves hockey. What’s he doing at the rink? Sometimes he’s a fourth line guy, sometimes he’s scratched. Why the heck would he come to the rink? He loves hockey, wants to be around the guys. He loves it. What you do is you show the people how much you love hockey and your passion for the game and I think that’s great.
On Frederik Andersen’s performance:
Yeah, he would have liked to have their power play goal back but after that he was outstanding. They didn’t have much early and one of the first shots ends up bouncing off [Rielly] and going in, and then you get the other one that goes in and then he just said, ‘enough is enough,’ and especially in the shootout, obviously.
KASPERI KAPANEN (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On his line’s goal in the second period:
I think we just had a good shift. That period wasn’t that great for us. Obviously, taking two penalties and spending a lot of time in our zone. I think it’s a big goal for [Spezza] too. He’s had so many chances and hockey is cruel that way, sometimes they just don’t go in. I’m happy it went his way.
On taking a penalty in overtime:
It’s not a fun feeling, for sure. Our team has been taking a lot of penalties and we’ve been talking about it. Obviously, my penalty wasn’t great either. It’s something we’ve got to be better at.
MITCH MARNER (1 GOAL)
On Frederik Andersen’s performance:
We talk every day about how he keeps our team grounded. He keeps us in games a lot of times. It’s a hell of a shootout performance by him. That win happens because of his saves.
On what he was thinking as the shootout progressed:
Just keep thinking who they’re putting out and who we’re putting out. Trying to guess where people are going to go. Hope Fred saves ours and hope we score on our chances.
On the quality of the ice during the shootout:
I think that’s one of the challenges in these shootouts. It’s not great ice so you’ve got to decide if you want to try and stickhandle with it or not. That’s a hell of a move by [Spezza] to put that on the net. That’s a good goal for us.
JASON SPEZZA (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On if he has a tactical approach in the shootout:
No, I just kind of read it off the goalie’s flow. He had made some good saves so you just kind of go with what you think.
On what he saw on his goal in the second period:
Just whacked it in the net. Happy to see it cross the line. Nothing pretty about it but we had a couple of shots on net there, I had a few chances earlier in the game and it’s nice to see one drop for me.
On what it means to score his first goal as a Maple Leaf:
It’s great. It was a big goal. I had been in the penalty box for a couple there and they scored so it was nice to get it back to tie the game up. You don’t like seeing goals going in when you’re in the box. It’s a bad feeling so it was good to get it. I thought we had a great first, didn’t have a good second, probably because of the penalties and just got on our heels a little bit. Pretty competitive third and great kills in overtime. To win the shootout was huge for us. We needed it tonight.
The view from left field 