'It's a matter of one percent' | Lazar details early days of camp

When the start dates were announced for the upcoming season, I saw what people were saying about the three-day head start for teams that have had extra-long layoffs.
"Those first couple days for teams who didn't make the playoffs last year, big whoop."
I can tell you firsthand that we really benefitted from those days. I feel like we've hit the ground running and we're all looking forward to the week ahead and starting the regular season.

So much is different this year. We get to the arena every day, masks on, and have our temperature checked by a tablet device as soon as we walk in the door. (The technology they have is kind of crazy.) Then we get our daily nasal swab before we can enter the rink.
Once we're in, we can only have so many people in each area. Masks are worn at all times until we step onto the ice. So, the biggest challenge is trying to jell together as a team under these circumstances, when you have all these new faces and you can't sit next to them in the dressing room.
Having been a new guy last year, I can tell you this is an easy team to get along with. I truly think the new guys are enjoying themselves and vice-versa. You bring in an older guy like Eric Staal and his past pedigree, it's just awesome. Taylor Hall is a premier player in this league. Guys like Cody Eakin and Riley Sheahan play a similar style to me, so I'm able to bounce questions of them.
Everyone's clicking and that's what you want to see, especially with this shortened season.

So, having extra time to get to know each other has been one way the head start helped. The other is getting into game shape in such a short period of time, especially with no preseason games.
It's funny, we had such an extended offseason and guys put so much work into their fitness. You come to camp and think you're prepared. Then you practice, and it's a shock to the system. So, you practice a few more days and feel like you're game ready. Then you scrimmage, and it's a shock again.
We have one more scrimmage on Saturday, which will be a good last measuring stick before we open the season against Washington next week. We have staff who measure how our bodies are reacting to these intensive situations and we're already seeing an improvement from the first few days, which is a great sign.
The one constant this year has been Ralph Krueger. He is his own person, always so upbeat and positive. He's the kind of person we need more of during such trying times - coming in with a smile every single day, ready to make the most of the opportunity in front of him. The fact that he's fully onboard with the protocols and prioritizes our safety makes it that much easier to focus on the ice.
There was a point during practice on Thursday when our execution started to slip just a little. Ralph talked to us about the difference in this league - it's a matter of one percent that separates winning from losing. To be a special team, you need to push yourself, and it starts right now.
Ralph's message was, "Don't be content, because there's a lot of work ahead." I think we're ready for it.