Mike Babcock addressed the media after his team’s 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, dropping the team to 8-5-0 on the season and 3-5-0 on home ice.
On falling short despite a good performance:
I thought it was a pretty good hockey game. I thought our team was engaged. I thought we worked hard. I thought we started good. In the end, you’ve got to score.
I thought we had good tips and opportunities on our power play early. They got a tip and they scored.
I thought we had a real good push in the third, and what I liked about us is we didn’t lose our focus. We didn’t start running around the rink. We kind of stayed with it.
I don’t think they gave up very much until the end, and I don’t think we gave up very much. In the end, you’ve got to find a way to win the game.
On the team going five straight home games without a goal in the first 40 minutes:
I heard that. You just told me that. In saying that, I think we played Pittsburgh in one of those games and I thought it was a heck of a game. We had tons of chances and didn’t score. We played Winnipeg in one of those games and I thought it was a heck of a game. We started good in the first. I can’t count back all the games in my head. I know versus Calgary we didn’t deserve to score.
But it is what it is. A little adversity for our group. Dig in. That’s it. You go through it at times every year. Just dig in and find a way to win games. That’s it.
On the new power play units’ inability to break through:
I thought our power play was dangerous. I thought we had a lot of looks, but we didn’t shoot it in the empty net. When you think about it, we had it on Mitchy’s stick and we had it on John Tavares’ stick a number of times with real good looks and it didn’t go in the net.
Now, I don’t know… if I’m picking the guys, that’s who I want on. We had those guys on a 2-on-1 and they lost the puck. I’ll take those guys all day long in those situations. Over a period of time, it’ll go in.
On Travis Dermott’s return to the lineup and the season debut of Justin Holl:
I thought Dermy had a good game. He looked kind of like he was back to last year. I thought Holl started good. He had the one tough shift there and the goal against, but good for him. He got in to play.
