We're trying to play our style of game. We just go out every night and try to work as hard as we can and do our thing.

Ryan and I worked as hard as we could every day. All we wanted to do was to show that we belonged up here, that we wanted to stay up here and that we never have to play another game down there.

It was a first-place hockey game, that's for sure.

Things like that happen in the game. There was a battle in the corner and it escalated. You've got to do what you've got to do.

I wasn't happy. But in the end, I think it might have been a good thing. I did play a ton of minutes down there, and that brought up my confidence.

You have to win 16 games, which is four rounds, then you have to play another tournament with the best of the west against the best of the east. They say it's one of the hardest trophies to win. You have to play the best teams at the end of the year, and everyone is tired and worn down.