Kings not at all surprised by this series
Veterans had warned younger players it would be this way and now it’s 2-2
Arash Markazi ESPN Los Angeles April 22, 2010
“This is was what I hoped for,” Samuelsson said. “This is what I wanted. I wanted to play a bigger role. I really liked it in Detroit, but I got stuck a little bit there and I thought I could do bigger things and I still think that.”
He has proven his worth so far, on and off the ice for a Vancouver team, which may have more playoff experience on the roster than the Kings but only has one player in Samuelsson who knows what it feels like to hold the Stanley Cup.
“He’s been unbelievable for us and that’s what we need,” Henrik said about Samuelsson. “He’s been there every game for us. It’s been fun to play with him. He’s really calm out there. He makes the plays that we need and he’s really patient and if things don’t go right he stays with it and that’s what we need.”
While the stat sheet will show Samuelson’s impact on the ice, his ability to relax the Sedins and his teammates may be just as important. This is a team that would have almost certainly fallen behind 3-1 in a similar situation last year but stuck with its game plan and battled back to get the win this year.
“You have to approach it as a game,” Samuelsson said. “If you want to get deep it’s like if you’re watching a movie. Last night I was watching a war movie. I can get into it, but you have to understand it’s only a movie and this is only a game. It means a lot obviously, but you have to take it for what it is and separate yourself from it. I’m pretty easy going like that. I just try to stay calm.”
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