Did we expect him to be on our No. 1 power-play unit at this stage of the season? Maybe, but only as an interim thing or if we needed a spark or whatever. Certainly he's secured himself as an offensive player on our team.

When you have a five-minute power play and you don't get a shot on goal, that deflates you.

I know he had 11 goals [as a freshman], but 10 of them were on the power play. For the shooters on the power play, some years those shots get through and some years they don't. He doesn't have to be a power-play quarterback to make our team.

If we're going to win this series anyway, with or without Jagr, we have to have all hands on deck. If we give ourselves a chance 5-on-5, we'll get exactly what we're looking for. If we don't, it's short.

I learned a highly valuable lesson in Vancouver about European players. You have to give your stars . . . the latitude to do extraordinary things.

This team has got itself on the brink. We've got to lock in or we're out of here. We don't want anyone to look at our regular season as a complete illusion.