This is the lowest it's got to be. The last two weeks have been really tough on us. We've dug ourselves a big hole as far as the playoff race is concerned and we've got to rebound. . . . There is no more room for error here.

I'll talk to them after the series. Before that there are no friends anywhere.

We need to be physical with them early and set ourselves up for later in the series. Every time you get out of position to make a hit, they have the skill to make you pay. You have to wait for them, but in a seven-game series they'll come eventually.

Now, because of the new rules, you can't hold on as much and pin a guy against the wall. Guys are facing the glass a lot more. They position their body between you and the puck and try to play keep-away.

It's a mind-set of going out and getting the job done.

It's a place I've always wanted to go to, ever since my draft day. That's my style. They've always used big, physical defensemen. So I was excited to have a chance.