Right now we're focusing on getting better each and every game. |
Right now, ours add up to three, and we take a lot of pride in that. |
Some teams think that's a roll. |
Sometimes the better teams, because they help you prepare yourselves, they're easier for you, if that makes any sense. |
Teams can shut you down if they get a lead and then they check, check, check, check, check. Well if we come out and get going, they've got to open it up to try to score. So that's a real focus for us - we have to start good. |
That's good enough for me. If he feels good, he's going to keep getting better. |
That's nice, ... but you know, (general manager) Ken Holland told me he's not worried about the start, he's worried about the finish, so that was cleared right up for me. |
That's quite a statement. I just think when you make general statements when you don't know, you're probably not doing yourself any favors. |
That's what I want to have here, and the players are no different. They want the same thing -- to win. |
That's what the new (salary-cap) system is all about, isn't it? It makes everyone the same. The teams that play the best will win. The bottom line is how do you handle it, and compete, and how do you allow your game to come out. That's the challenge for everyone. |
That's why we wanted him back. He showed why a lot of people think he's one of the top young players in the NHL. |
The biggest difference to me was we're a little deeper. We think we have a real intelligent team that knows how to play without the puck. We really believe that the better we play without the puck, the quicker we are on offense. |
The bottom line is, we didn't play Steve much the first few games he played. Tonight he played, and he was important. He played important. He's ready to go and help our hockey team. |
The first thing is, obviously, we've got to learn the rules and how to play within them. Because it's hard to get any kind of momentum or any feel when you're on the power play all the time or on the penalty kill. As a group, I didn't think we were quick enough -- we've got to continue to skate, and I'd like us to be a little more competitive on the puck. |
The guys played hard tonight. We had a real opportunity to win this game. We played better and managed the puck. We had good pace. |