Having to play this first one away from home shouldn't really concern us. We're used to playing solid, 60-minute hockey on the road.

The season series (between us) was really tight. We don't expect anything different for the playoffs.

I knew they'd come hard because they are playing us Friday. You'll see a different game (tonight).

too much down time makes us miss home.

We finally got the gang back together. It was important for us to play together for a little bit leading into the regular season. We were practicing all week together as a unit, and I think that was good for us. We're looking to raise it up another level heading into next week.

The thought of John O'Brien back to play is a good thing for us. It's a long time coming for us.