Disappointing. It's not easy to turn it off and on in this sport. So we want to play as well as we can down the stretch. At the same time, we want to make sure we're working on the things we need to work on and we're conditioned right to hit the playoffs as hard as we can. When the playoffs start, you've got to throw another gear in. |
He has been feeling better and really dedicated himself to work hard since he got back [last week]. It'll be good for him to get some games. It might take him awhile, but hopefully he can get going quickly. |
He was a little on and off in the backup role. But now that (Montoya) went down, he has really stepped up his game. |
It certainly was a big difference the last 48 hours. We were a little worried that with our schedule the boys would be a little empty in the gas tank, but they found some saved-up energy. But that's why we believe we're one of the best-conditioned teams. I think it pays off in games like tonight. |
It was a tough night for Al, but it's hard for a goalie if he makes a mistake, compared to a defenseman or forward. His play hasn't been up to the level before his injuries [in a 5-4 loss to Portland Jan. 14], but he has strong character, so he'll shake it off. |
Knowing Dubinsky had a great year offensively [21 goals, 46 assists in 51 games], we were trying to spread out the offense a little. We tried to get two, possibly three lines going and have one real solid checking line. |
Sometimes, you can work so hard and not get a point out of it, but things are going our way right now. We had a few games we put 50 shots up, and we didn't get one point. |
They had a lot of good plays, first and second efforts and puck control. They did a lot of good things you expect from a top checking line. |
We did turn it on in the third period. But he's a very good goalie. That's why it's important not to come out the way we did today, a little lax and not come out right when the puck was dropped. |
We had a meeting [Friday] morning and went over some tactical things and asked them for their best effort, and they responded. It was very intense, with a lot of good battle and effort on both sides. We lost some coverage late in the third period, but Monty gave them nothing to shoot out. He has been a little up and down with some injuries, so it was good to see him do so well. |
We had some gutsy performances from our penalty killers, and usually when you kill, the goalie is your best killer. He was certainly outstanding, first to get us a point and then to get us the extra one. |
We looked a little rusty [after four days off], but obviously we woke up and showed much better effort. Sometimes you look for things to inspire the team, and Shooter's goal did it. ... When Dale scored and Dewey got the hat trick, you could really feel the chemistry. They're a tight-knit group right now. |
Wow, what a start. We sort of knew what we were getting, but we didn't know we were getting this much so soon. But every time we've played him, he has looked extremely hungry around the net, and he was very focused tonight. |