We know what's at stake and what we have in front of us. Good teams know in the beginning of the year what kind of destiny they can bring to themselves. I think we recognize that. My class and (the senior) class, we've been here quite a long time and we're at that point where this is our year and we'll try to make the most of it.

At the beginning of the year, I think we hit our stride pretty well. But getting down the stretch, teams are keying on certain players and that's something you need to adjust to. I think we struggled with that of late, but there's definitely another level we want to get to and I think we're capable of. That's going to have a big impact on how far we go, and we realize that.

He's been a big part of this team, just like all of us. With a big injury like that, it does hurt the morale.

It's kind of a double-edged sword. In a way I didn't care, but it kind of hurts knowing the (numbers) you put up and not be respected that way.

This is a different part of the season - different mind-set, different everything. You're not worried about your points anymore. You're not worried about individual achievements. It's more of a team part of the season.

Each stick out of the box isn't always the same and you've got to make adjustments. I enjoy that. That's a part of hockey that I like. You take care of your sticks, they'll take care of you. That's the policy that I go by.