Litter Box Cats, a Florida Panthers community

Let's be straight here. I'll take a 3-0 lead any day. I don't care how many we blow. You want to give me three goals, I'll take them. Got to give Florida credit for coming back, just like we did the other night even though we didn't get all the way (back). I think the team that can fix those issues the quickest is probably going to win this series.

We’re not going to be that fortunate again. We have to match whatever [Florida] will raise as far as intensity levels go. No one wants to be in an 0-2 hole and heading on the road for two games.

I think it’s going to be a heck of a series. You look at [Florida] and they have undervalued depth. You look at their fourth line and they’ve got veteran Stanley Cup winners throughout their lineup. They’ve gotten great goaltending from both guys all year. It’s going to be a real tough test for us.

We did video the other day and out of 12 forwards we anticipate will be playing in the first game, I knew two of them who I coached last year, Stephen Weiss and Shawn Matthias. It's a totally different team. There was a little emotion involved the first time I went back, but we're way beyond that though.

The weather is the biggest factor. You get up every morning and the sun is shining. There’s something to be said about that. The weather plays a good role. On the flip side, it also plays a role in that your players, when they leave the rink, a lot of times aren’t heading home to sit on the couch and relax. They’re doing outdoor activities. That’s something you have to deal with. Overall, it wasn’t an issue.