Mike Babcock addressed the media after his team’s 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.
On the team’s performance:
We were no good. They were better than us from start to finish; won more battles, more races, and just had more jump. We looked like a lethargic group right from the get go. We didn’t have any energy right through our whole group. Didn’t skate well. Didn’t execute well. Weren’t good.
On whether it’s concerning or understandable given the circumstances (first game back after a long road trip):
You come every day and you do everything you can to prepare to be as good as you can be. Tonight, we weren’t good enough. We are going to take an off day tomorrow and get our energy level up. We were going to take an off day Thursday; we just changed that and we’ll take the off day tomorrow to get ourselves regrouped and back on track.
On the decision to pull Frederik Andersen out of the game:
It was 4-0 and I think three had gone in off them. I didn’t think we gave him any opportunity. I haven’t looked at each goal; I know the first two did and I think the third or fourth one — one of them did. To me, I didn’t think it did him any good to be in there. It didn’t hurt Sparky to get in there and play. It didn’t look like we had the kind of energy or zip to turn things in the other direction.
On whether Kasperi Kapanen missing the game due to illness threw the lineup for a loop:
It was just easy. Willy played with Matty in the past. We are looking for Willy to find himself. There was an opportunity there for him. We just put Brownie back where he has been a bunch of times.
I thought Mooresy played real well. We didn’t have a lot of good players tonight. I thought Mooresy was one of them.
On what happened on the back-breaking shorthanded 3-on-1 goal:
The guys had been on the ice too long and they left Mo out by himself and changed.
