I don't know if we're a Stanley Cup contender right now but I think we can continue to surprise a lot of people by what we do these next 20 games and the playoffs. |
I don't see us pressing, I don't see us having psychological baggage in our room. We have to work our way back in this series almost a shift at a time. |
I don't think I have to say much [to the team], to be honest. These guys are pretty good at that. They realize the magnitude of most games. Occasionally they need some help, but they'll be prepared to go. It's going to have to be an A-plus game for us to beat them. |
I don't think so. I've asked myself the same question. We've really been careful in how we schedule our days off. Many of those are kind of spontaneous decisions to cut out a practice here or a morning skate. I think we've done the right things. I think one of the reasons we've been relatively injury-free is because of our general team fitness. |
I don't think so. Not if they're reading Sports Illustrated. |
I don't think that we pressured well in our own end. I thought we made poor decisions on our penalty kill as to when to jump and when not to jump in and pressure the puck carrier. |
I don't think you ever hang that responsibility on a rookie. He's one of the ways by which we can get ourselves going. |
I don't want to call it nervous, maybe a little apprehensive. They just feel this huge obligation to be something real special this year when the fact of the matter is the only thing that's made us special is just hard, honest work. |
I felt we had a reasonable chance of making the playoffs. Earlier in the year when this (success) was happening to us, it was pretty neat. We have an expectation now. |
I guess [the Senators] made it very clear that we're a team that needs to work on being playoff-ready. And if we can do that through practices, quite frankly, that's all we have left. |
I guess they all do at this stage of their career, those that sort of have been able to illuminate themselves for a great rookie season. But we're talking about an icon in the game at that position. Let's just watch his career unfold and see where it takes him. |
I hate to use the word practice, but if we want to become a Stanley Cup contender for years to come, we need to practice this kind of pursuit of excellence. Winning division titles, winning conferences, winning Stanley Cups. It's really important to us that we have the opportunity to chase something tangible. |
I hope we're developing a reputation as a team that's tough to beat, whether at home or on the road. I hope that we're being identified as a team that plays a responsible game without the puck, that we are solid from the goaltender out. |
I hope what we're dong here is providing a template for what this team will look like in the future. |
I just like his good, honest work habits. And he's a caring player and a good teammate. And when you reward people like that with good ice time and opportunity, more often than not they'll deliver to your expectations - as long as they're realistic. |