Joe really loosened us up. We were a bit tight. Joe has been carrying us on his back for the last two or three months. He's been phenomenal. We needed a goal, he went down and did what he always does and popped it in for us.

I think Tony's a great tool for Joel because he's already been with the team. He knows a lot of the players and what we're capable of. I think it's a big advantage.

I think maybe there's more bad blood now between us and Vancouver than with Detroit. I think now with us and Detroit, it's just a rivalry between two good teams. Most of that bad blood was a long time ago. We didn't have anybody out there tonight who was a part of it in '96.

As a forward now, you have to start thinking. As a defenseman, you turn your brain off for 60 minutes and play the game. But now that he has to play a smart position, he's done a pretty good job with the transition.

Coming into the final 23 games, we set ourselves up to where our destiny's in our hands. If we win the games we need to win, we'll put ourselves in good position.

When he gets the puck in those areas, he usually scores.