Say What - 'There's Nothing To Save It For'

Blake Coleman on facing his former team tonight:

“They've got a lot of high-end skill. Their powerplay has always been one of the best in the league. You've got to be disciplined against a group like this and you've just got to know who's on the ice. You've got to know when their big guys are out there and manage the game a little bit better, make sure your turnovers are in check. But it's a group we feel like we can go step-for-step with. We need two big points here.”

On the first game after a road trip:

“We've got to have a good response here, obviously. Only getting (one) point on the road trip is a bit of a sour taste, especially with the way we lost those games - we felt like we should've come home with more points. Now, we've just got to handle business at home here. There's no time to have any sort of letdown. We've got to start crawling back quickly. We've got four games here before the break, so there's nothing to save it for.”

On the effort over the past few games:

“The effort's been good. I don't think anybody's disappointed in the effort. ... We felt like we gave away those games. It was our mistakes that ended up costing us. We've got to find ways to eliminate those and keep that same effort and that same compete, and we'll be in a good spot.”

MacKenzie Weegar on what needs to be better tonight:

“That road trip was obviously disappointing that we didn't get a lot more points. You know, I thought in the games we played, we played the right way. Obviously, there were some lapses there that (resulted) in some tough goals, but we've just got to continue to keep building our game and continue to play like we have. The effort and the compete is there. Sometimes, I think that maybe some talent and skill can take over at times, but the compete and the effort is always there.”

On the key to playing with leads:

“Stay focused. You've got to stay focused in this league for 60 minutes - especially against good teams like we've been playing. If you take a shift off or a couple of shifts off, the momentum can go their way and ultimately they can score some big goals. But we've got to stay focused for a full 60, especially tonight.”

Coach Ryan Huska on the focus for tonight:

“I think on that road trip there was a lot of good things that were done. The things that we got ourselves into trouble with, some of that was self-inflicted. Eliminating that from our game will help us in regards to starting games, finishing games, playing in the middle of games, making sure we're able to keep momentum at different times. That's a big thing for us, for sure.”

On the status of Jacob Markstrom:

“Very close. Won't be in the mix today, but he's very close.”

Could he be an option for Monday’s game?

“Could be. We'll see how things go.”

What about Chris Tanev?

“Same. He won't be in today but we'll see how things go.”

On keeping spirits up during an 0-2-2 stretch:

“They know they're playing well. It's the self-inflicted things that we have to get rid of in our game. There's a difference when they can honestly look in the mirror afterwards and say, 'You know what? We had a good game tonight. If we can get rid of this stuff, we're going to be in good shape.' Compared to the nights when you're like, 'Hoo boy, that wasn't even close.' There's a difference. So, when you feel like you're doing things the right way, the mood's still high. They feel like they're right there. This is a great test for us tonight. This team, at the end of their road trip, is a very good hockey team - and they're going to want to go home with a win, just like we're going to want to come back with the same result.”