He's had a nice (hitting) streak. Has he been hotter? Yes,

It was nice to keep the hitting streak alive. But I would have been happy going 0-for-3 and getting a 4-1 win.

One thing about a hitting streak is the stamina.

It's just one of those things that happen in hockey. But we have a nice streak going against them, and I don't know why. You don't try to explain things like this.

That kind of stuff, the notoriety, the pomp and circumstance, I think he's aware of it, but he doesn't get taken aback by it, nor does he get a big head over it. He's a very even-tempered kid. I just think he probably expects more of himself than [the fans and media] ever will.

We stuck him in there when we ran out of other options last year. He settled into that role real well. He's not just a guy hitting behind (Todd) Helton anymore. He's a legitimate fourth-place hitter.