Daniel Alfredsson Team Quotations

Our special teams tonight were the difference. Five-on-five, I think we were the better team. It's a tough loss.

Right now, I think we're playing a team that's struggling and lacking confidence big time, and missing some guys. With the start we got it kind of made them feel like it was going to be a long night and we made sure we didn't let up on anything. We did a great job all night.

I told myself not to try to think about it too much. I felt not bad actually, not super but pretty good overall. It was a good win especially because we wanted to get off to a good start and this is a team we should beat.

You've got to be ready to play any team in this league, and we wanted to be ready tonight and I think we were in the first period. I think that's the biggest thing for us. If we go out there and give it a great effort, we're a tough team to beat. We've got a great chance of winning every game now, and that should be our mind-set.

I think it's just a coincidence that the North American teams are out. Most of us here have been playing in North America for a long time. Our knowledge of the big ice has been world championships here and there, same for the Canadians and the Americans. I don't see it as an advantage.

They are a young team that works really hard and tries to be a spoiler. We played well and had our chances and the first goal was going to be big obviously and it didn't go our way.

We definitely will miss him, no question, but some things are more important than hockey. He's going through some tough times with his family. We'll just have to pull together as a team and play well without him.

We're a very skilled team. When we move the puck the way we're capable, we're a tough team to play.

Sometimes offense is the best defense. Like I said, I think we're playing with the puck a lot more, and I think because we're scoring so many goals, I think teams are respecting us and they don't dare to go on the offense as much as maybe they did before because they know we are going to make them pay if they make a mistake.

We believe we have a good chance this year, and we're going to make the most of it. It's real exciting to be able to be part of the playoffs again, knowing that we're one of the teams that has a chance to go all the way.

We've had some injuries, we went into a slump and we've played some teams that are more desperate than us in some cases.

I think under Jacques, we were very much a team that played extremely well defensively,

We have been a good road team all year. We've been very consistent, but I think we're even better at home. I think we are going to show that Saturday. We have to if we want to win.

We know that we have been playing well since the break and Buffalo has probably been the best team we have played in a while. We know that it was a big test for us and we came out on top. It is going to build our confidence even more.

That's our goal, no question. We prepare every season like that. We know it's going to be hard. There's a lot of good teams out there, but our goal has been, from the beginning, to be there challenging for the Stanley Cup.

We wanted to get off to a good start and this is a team we should beat.

He's going to play a big part on this team this year. I don't think it's fair to put too much pressure on him but we're looking for him to probably be a No. 1 centre and I think he has what it takes to do it and he certainly has the desire so it's going to be fun to watch him this year.

We're definitely going to miss him. There's no question. But there's some things that are more important than hockey. He's going through some tough times and our thoughts are with him and his family, obviously. We'll just have to come through this as a team and work that much harder.

When the team plays well, good things happen for the individuals as well. I got some good breaks tonight and was able to put them away.

I think we're ready to play them when the puck drops, and we're expecting a battle for 60 minutes. When we do play 60 minutes, we're a tough team to beat.

We were just solid as a team and you could see that they didn't have much. They looked like a tired team that wanted to get home. I don't think (Huet) saw either of those shots. That's a good win for us. Now, we have to keep it going.

I think it should be a pretty exciting series. There's no question, I think both teams have a lot of offense and I think the team that plays the best defense is probably going to win, but I think there should be some fast-paced hockey.

I said even before this tournament that I thought seven teams could win this and I really believed that.