Q&A with Lazar
With 10 games left, what needs to be done?
We addressed that today, going over the calendar for the rest of the year. Ten (games) left, a big four (games) in six (days) coming up. Then the schedule gets a little bit lighter come April. But we want to be feeling good about our game. Putting together a solid 60 minutes. We know it’s going to start with a big one tomorrow in Chicago. Kind of set the tone, continue to build and feel good about ourselves. We’ve been in almost every single game. There areas to improve, areas to learn, areas to grow and areas to embrace. We’ve done a lot of good things over the past few months. We need to put our best foot forward and push on.
What are the good things this team has done lately?
You can tell we’re more competitive. We’re playing with a purpose. It’s simple hockey. Pucks in behind them. All the cliches we talk about but it’s true. You can see when we’re on the same page, our pace, the way the puck moves, the simplicity. This time of year that’s why it’s so much. Teams are fighting for stuff. The games mean so much. Ultimately it comes down to who wants it more.
How big is this road trip for the team?
It’s huge. You can look at it as a measuring stick game. As a team you want to go against the best. You look at that Winnipeg game. It’s hard to do because we have Chicago (first). You want to right the ship. Every time you step on the ice, in the NHL anyone can beat anyone. You can’t look too far ahead and can’t look too far behind as well. You have to live in that moment and come ready to play every day. We’ll focus on Chicago then Winnipeg and Minnesota. It’s a day-at-a-time approach. But again, you have to embrace the opportunity going against anyone in this league.
