Matt Smaby Quotations

It's tough to lose a guy like (Stafford). We rely on him to put the puck in the net and get points. But we've had injuries this year before, and we're going to find a way to get through it. Someone else is going to have to step up and put some pucks in for him.

We're lucky it's a three-game series. We didn't come out and play our game. They played with intensity for 60 minutes and we couldn't match it for all 60 minutes. We played 30 good ones and 30 poor ones.

It's something I always dreamed of doing, and I think it became more and more realistic recently. This year I elevated my game, my level of play. I think I have a game that suits the next level.

It was a poor effort. We have some players who have to learn to show up and play. Twenty-two players tonight didn't show up the first two periods, and that hurt us.

My thoughts have been focused on other things.

It's hard to adjust to this level. First and foremost, you have to be reliable defensively before you work on scoring. If you're a liability on the ice, you're not going to get out there. I think that's where the focus starts with the younger guys.

I think there's going to be a couple of other guys who are going to have the opportunity to move on if they want to.

More than anything, we're going to focus on this year. Last year's team was completely different. We played a different style of game.

It's always easier to play with a two goal leader. That was especially true tonight because right before we scored, we were fighting the puck. The goal gave us more confidence and relaxed us.