We have been awful vocal against the referees this year and that might be coming back to bite us. I think we just have to shut our mouths and go out and play.

They'll provide leadership, and you already have a solid young core of up-and-coming players. And when you have a world-class goaltender like Roberto, it makes for a good mix.

[Chris Gratton, a key player on the Panthers' power kill earlier in the year, returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games after injuring himself Oct. 13 against the Bruins.] I kind of strained a groin muscle, groin hamstring, ... The only thing you can do for those is just rest them.

This is the time of the year when the dolphin bite is hot, so we'll just pray for good weather. We're not even thinking about rough conditions.

With the referees coming into the room before the game and explaining the rules,

It all depends on how the referees call it. We've been through that before. All the players are told to support it and not be negative in the beginning, so I guess we'll just go with that.