We need him. This time of year, it's more about playing than practicing.

It's pretty tough to come back with jet lag. To protect all of us, especially the goaltender, my inclination is to have Kevin ready.

We were sloppy, but we didn't give up. I'm proud of that.

It's got to stay separate, I don't think we should jump the gun on this one either. We want people to play when they're ready and able to play. And able doesn't necessarily mean 100%.

We have to keep looking at players over and over again because you can't hang someone out to dry if they're called for a penalty, with so many new rules to learn. One thing we are really looking for is players who can move the puck out of the zone quickly. Someone who keeps his feet moving and won't get called for any lazy penalties.

We have to play fundamental, sound hockey, with him in or out of the lineup, quite frankly. And if we give ourselves a chance with whomever wears the colors to play five-on-five or better, we have a decent chance to win the game. Basically, we beat ourselves (in Game 1).

It's kind of lingering. We keep calling it day-to-day but it hasn't been.

It may affect our transition game. He's got really good poise with the puck, he's got good deception where he can look people off and then make the appropriate little outlet pass. Those are real critical to our transition game and how much time we spend in our own end.

We wanted to make sure we could at least show New .Jersey that we had some depth on our PK. You roll the dice in those kinds of situations. He went beyond what I expected, but it shows he's a competitive person. I have no regrets on it. It's a decision I'll live with, though.

It's terrific, it's great for this group of players and for the organization that rolled the dice with this philosophy. There's a sense of accomplishment that we've secured a spot.