Scuderi on Game 82 focus with division up for grabs

Rob Scuderi, on approaching the final game of the season with a divisional title on the line:
It’s kind of tough not knowing, but at the same time, at this point, you want to just control the things that you can control, so I think for us, it’s just playing a good hockey game. We’ve wanted to build the last three games, we struggled pretty good coming down the stretch, and we had already clinched a playoff spot, but you can’t just flip the switch right away in the playoffs, you want to be playing good hockey. Even if the wins and losses aren’t looking the best, you want to be playing good hockey, and I thought the last game was one of our better since I’ve been here, and I’ve been here 6-7 weeks, but I thought it was a real complete game top to bottom, and we just want to build off that.

Scuderi, on how much it helps to still have something to play for:
I think it’s nice to clinch because you know you’re going to be in, you’re going to punch your ticket to have a chance at the Cup, but at the same time, you want to do something when you get there, you just hit cruise control and expect to turn it on once Game 1 of the playoffs comes around. Like I said, it’s nice to clinch, you know you’re going to get in, but you want to do something when you get there, and if you want to do something when you get there, it’s best to prepare like you’re going to play tomorrow.

Scuderi, on when the team knows the results of other games:
Maybe not at the same time, but it’s going to be kind of hard to not be paying attention to the verdict of [Anaheim-Colorado], I mean you’re going to show up to the rink, and it’s going to be known, it’s just impossible to avoid it at this point. Maybe 20 years ago, with the way it was, maybe you could possibly keep it off your mind, but now it’s almost impossible, it’s going to be flashed on the scoreboard before we drop the puck for the game tonight. Whether Anaheim wins or loses, we just want to have a good game, just keep it rolling forward, keep doing things good so that we have good habits when Game 1 of the playoff comes around, we’re in a good frame of mind.

Scuderi, on whether he saw things coming together before the team’s performance against Anaheim:
I thought there were things that we did well, but we weren’t doing them all together, so maybe one game we’d have a really good power play and the penalty kill would be bad, and then the next day maybe the penalty kill did really good and the power play was bad, and our even-strength was even a little lack-luster, I just thought we weren’t putting them all together at one time, and I thought we did that in a game that we needed.

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