Call for urgency, “making it happen” sounded by Doughty

On the mood of the team:
We’re obviously not the happiest group right now. We’re not playing well. We’re not winning games when we need to and need to start winning games quick. Now the mood has kind of turned into a little more urgent, a little more determined team and we’ve got a lot to play for every single game.

On whether it helps having the experience of making a playoff push:
Yeah, it helps but sometimes maybe we’re relying on that. We just think it’s going to happen rather than going out there and making it happen. I know the guys are really determined to win this game tonight. Every single guy just needs to have their best game. If every single guy on our team plays well, we’re a good team together and we know that it. It just comes down to individually being prepared to play, yourself.

On his experience with Aaron Ekblad previous to the All-Star Game:
I just met him once before the All-Star Game. Then at the All-Star Game, he wasn’t on my team so I didn’t really get to talk to him too much. So I don’t really know him too well.

On the challenges he faced as a teenage rookie:
First year in the league, it’s pretty tough. You come from junior, playing against guys your own age, and then you’re all of a sudden playing guys 10 years older than you and are way stronger. They’re way faster and you can’t underestimate any single guy on the ice because they’re all NHL players, they all have a lot of talent. It’s obviously a tough adjustment, but from what I hear, he’s been doing really well with it. He’s supposed to be a really good young player.

On whether there are positive signs from the team:
Well, I think our game against Chicago is easy to look back on and take a lot of good things from that game. They’re one of the best teams in the league. I still think, personally, they’re the best team in the league. We played a very good game against them. We were down pretty much the whole game and came back in the third period. That just shows our courage and determination to win. We’re never going to give up, but we need to bring that to every single game not just big matchups like that.

On what he expects from Florida:
They’re going to have their A-game too. Every team is just playing to make the playoffs. If you’re not in the playoffs you’re going to play determined, you’re going to play anxious, you’re going to play as hard as you possibly can to get back in that playoff picture. I think it’s going to be a very good game tonight. I think both teams are going to fight very hard and both teams expect to win.

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