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PREGAME: Head Coach Lane Lambert speaks with Everett Fitzhugh before the Kraken & Penguins face off (1/19) · Seattle Kraken Audio Network

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Thanks, Mike. Laying back home after a five game road trip,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: just take us through your thoughts on those last five games.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Obviously not the results that you wanted. Where did you
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: feel the team could have made the most improvement coming
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: into this home stand?
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, obviously a one three and one record,
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: we had an opportunity to go at least three and
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: two and even four and one. But you know, that's
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: wishful thinking, that's not reality. Right now. I think we
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: were in every game, you know, and the Utah game,
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: the score wasn't really indicative of the game itself being tied,
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: you know, with under ten minutes left. But you know,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: I think it's for me, it's sustaining a sixty minute
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: effort and we need better starts.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: How do you get those better starts? Do you feel
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: that there's maybe more of an advantage here at home
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: these next six games.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: I don't know if it is or not. You know,
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: the players, whatever they're doing, they got to do something different,
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: and all the all the information is there, Everything they
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: need to be ready to start is there. That's you know,
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: that's a let's get our leaders to start leading the
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: way on our starts.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Before the Utah game. You told me that this is
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: kind of almost like an extended training camp, but the
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: first time having all these guys healthy and you're trying
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: to get chemistry building again. How did you like your
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: lines from that Utah game and did you see any
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: of that chemistry starting to form in these last couple
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: of games with the full compliment?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Well, I switched. I switched the lines around after first period. So,
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: you know, I just think that we're having trouble right
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: now finding the exact identity to a certain degree, which
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: isn't a good thing. It doesn't make me very happy.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: We've got to, you know, find a way to figure
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: that out, you know, and put people in the right places.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: So we've juggled lines around a little bit again today
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: and we'll see what happens.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: In times like these. Who are you leading on? Is
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: it really those leaders, the captains, the assistant captains in
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: that room, or are you looking at other guys who
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: maybe don't have letters but have been playing well or
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: have been finding their stride to pick up their game.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: Well, you don't have to wear a letter to be
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: a leader, that's the first thing. And so you know,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: everybody leads in their own way. I don't want anybody
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: to come out of character or do anything that isn't
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: natural to them, Otherwise it becomes very very obvious. But
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: you know, we we're going through I don't know, I
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: mean going through. We played well enough to win. You know,
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: we're going through a little bit of a patch here.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: We need to get back on track here. You certainly
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: do count on your veterans in these situations.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: What are the Pittsburgh Penguins bring to this game here
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: tonight that you're gonna have to overcome.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Well, their special teams are top five in the league.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: Both of them are powerplay second. They've got I mean,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: they got some outstanding players, melcol Crosby, good hockey team.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: They've done a nice job of creating some Massias as
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: well with Maantha Brazzol these guys. A Chari is a
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: good solid fourth line guy. So they've got a nice
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: mix and a nice identity going there with their hockey team.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: You know, obviously they made a trade for Skinner, so
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: you know they're they're a team that can can hurt
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: you offensively. They just have all that talent and their
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: special teams penalty kills fifth as well. So their special
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: teams have been outstanding for them.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: You've coached against Sidney Crosby for a long time, you've seen,
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: we've all seen what he can do. And for folks
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: in Seattle who's still maybe learning this game of hockey,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: just how special is Sidney Crosby. From someone who has
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: coached so many games against him up close and personal.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: I marvel when I coach against him. I don't love
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: it because it's not you know, it's not fun to
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: see him when he has the puck, his ability, his vision,
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: his puck protection, the wide base of his skating which
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: makes him very hard to handle. He can turn on
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: a dime. And you know, the one thing is, if
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: you're watching him today, you're in for a treat. Hopefully
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: not too much of a treat, but you are in
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: for a treat. His backhand and his ability to pass
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: and do things on his backhand is next level. So
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: this guy is, he's he's an amazing hockey player and
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: from all accounts, I don't know him personally, he's an
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: amazing human being.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: How do you stop him? Can you stop him? Can
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: you only hope to contain him and slow him down?
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Well, it's no different than any other guy like you're
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: Mick David's or whatever. You know, you have to you know,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: you have to make sure that you stay close to him.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: Don't give him a lot of time in space, because
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: if you do, they don't need much time in space.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: These guys to make place, and we just have to
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: make sure that we're on top of him as best
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: we possibly can.