Quote Roundup: Pens-Isles
ON HORNQVIST'S STATUS
Sullivan: "He looks pretty good so far. Barring any setbacks he'll be in the lineup tonight."
Hornqvist on his status: "We will see if coach puts me in or not. I feel good. It's nice to be back on the ice with the guys and have some energy around them. I feel ready to go."
Hornqvist on hesitation: "If I have any hesitation out there I would not play the game I want to play. I have to get back to normal, don't think too much, create those scrums in front of the net and get hit, or give a hit, get into the game right away."
ON THE ISLANDERS
Sullivan: "They're a good team. Records aren't always indicative of how good teams are, especially early in a season. I think the Islanders are a very talented group led by Tavares, who, in my opinion, is one of the world-class players in the league. It's another big test for us."
Daley: "We have to find ways to get pucks deep, use our speed, use what we do best against them and we'll be fine."
Rust: "For us, it's just focusing on playing a full 60 minutes the way we want to play despite whoever our opponent might be."
ON THE ISLES POWER PLAY
Sullivan: "Any time you have a player like Tavares on a power play, it's dangerous. He's a good playmaker. He's a good goal scorer. He's the key player on that group. They have shooters up top with Leddy. They have net-front guys like Andrew Ladd. They have weapons in all facets of their game."
Rust: "We have to take as few penalties as possible. We have to keep working together and trust in each other. If we do the right things we'll get penalties killed and we're going to improve."
ON DUMOULIN'S RETURN
Sullivan: "We hope he plays well tonight. As we've said to him all along, we believe in him. He's a good player. We know he's a good player. We're trying to help him get there. He's played quality minutes for us. He's gone through a bit of a struggle as of late. We rely on him in a lot of situations for us to win games. He knows he's a good player."
Sullivan on Dumoulin's strengths: "Using his mobility both with the puck and without the puck. When Brian's at his best he's getting back to pucks quickly and using his mobility to create separation from the forecheck. He's a good first-pass guy, helping us get out of our end zone. Sometimes he can skate it out because his mobility is as good as it is."
Dumoulin: "(Sullivan) is an honest guy. He's going to tell you how it is, but he's fair. I think my recent game needs to be more consistent. The expectations are high, especially the year that we just had. He knows the type of player that I am and that I can bring it more on a consistent basis. That's something I have to do going forward."
ODDS AND ENDS
Rust on his added responsibilities: "It's nice to see that they have confidence in me to put me in those situations. I have to keep earning that trust and earning that responsibility to play in those situations."
Sullivan on Fleury: "I don't think his record, the way it is, it all falls on his shoulders. It's a collective effort on both sides, both when we win and when we lose. Marc has fallen victim of some tough bounces. He's just got to continue to work through it and keep working on his game."
