SAY WHAT: 'YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GOAL'

Darryl Sutter spoke to the media this morning ahead of tonight's clash with the Kings. Here's what the head coach had to say on a number of topics:

On facing so-called 'young' Kings team:

"They're really not, quite honestly, that young of a team. They are a very veteran team if you look at the four guys that have won two Stanley Cups and they are still really good players and ... , as I said yesterday, bring in Edler and Danault and ... Arvidsson. So right there, itself, is four really proven guys and then three really proven new guys coming in. So their young players, for example, Iafallo and Kempe, are really good players. So they are in that age group of like Mangiapane and our defencemen. That's the test - that is, like I said, the challenge for your team when you play division games - how do you matchup as an individual against certain players."

On biggest growth in Flames:

"I think probably just the overall understanding of how they can play for the guys that returned from last year - how they can play and be successful and you're seeing that. Look at how far Johnny and Matthew and Lindy and Noah and Ras - those guys have come a long way in their games and feeling good about their games so - and good for them, cause then it shows up in their individiual stats, too, which results in - just as long as that W is just as important as a goal - then they've made strides."

On team evolving:

"I think it's everybody involved - it's not one person or one player - it's a staff thing, it's got to be an organization thing. It's an attitude change - very simple."

Thoughts on team's hot start:

"The thing is you have to have a goal, and whether you accomplish it or not at least you have a goal because you're not always going to hit it. You're going to have stretches of game where you're not going to get it. But there's things that break down in those stretches that you know if you have that foundation there you can get back to it. So, to me, it's not about a surprise or well, how didn't I see that, that's not even part of the equation. It's just, ok, what's realistic and what can we accomplish and how do we have to go about it. And don't let anybody from the outside deter that or get involved in that and just stick with the program, the process part of it. As long as you do that, you give yourself not a chance … but it's realistic then. It's like, look, it's that little light. How am I getting there and if you can do that and stay with that, then it's an opportunity to be a playoff team."