Lessons Learned On Long Trip

GLENDALE -We've been back in Arizona for a few days now and we're all glad that six-game road trip is out of the way.

It was a tough trip. We played a lot of good teams and we lost some games, but at the same time we learned a lot about our team. I think we can take those lessons with us moving forward and turn them into something good. That's what we've been trying to do and I feel we've been playing pretty good in most of the games. We just have to keep pushing each other and keep getting better as a group. Everybody in our room has some better hockey to play.
• On Tuesday we played well and beat San Jose 3-2. That was a really big win for us because they're a really good team. They're heavy, they're skilled and they're fast. Being able to keep up with them and beat them was huge for us. A win like that makes it easier to focus on the task at hand as we move on.

• I've been paired with Alex Goligoski the past two games. He's a good player and good veteran leader, and he's been making it really easy for me. He talks a lot on the ice and he's been trying to give me the puck. It's a little bit different because he's a lefty on the right side, but other than that I really like playing with him and I think we've played well together for two games.
• I got the chance to see my good friend Mikkel Boedker this week when he was in town with the Sharks. We had dinner the night before the game. It was good to hang out with him and to talk about how he likes living in San Jose. He seems happy and that's all that I care about. We built a strong friendship over the five years that we played together. It was good to see him, but he scored on us late in the game so I'm not too happy about that!
• We have a bunch of home games this month and that's in our favor. If you want to compete for a playoff spot you have to win most of your games at your home arena and you have to be good on the road. We know that it's going to be tough for us to win on the road, but we just have to find ways to do it by playing a little smarter. I think if we can realize that we'll be fine.
• I'm sorry to see that the World Series is coming to an end. I've been watching the games and it's been fun. I've been leaning towards Chicago because one of our old trainers - John Fierro - used to work for them and he got me into the Cubs. They've had a good season.
Thanks for reading. I'll write another blog soon!
-- OEL