'I'm a positive guy' | Calgary Flames

“It was a short but great speech,” Backlund laughed. “Wise words – and the kids loved it.”

Indeed, the atmosphere around the team is as good as it has been this year.

They smile and laugh and enjoy each other's company.

Most importantly, they rally around each other and play the best hockey possible, thanks to a good culture.

“It can be tough at times during the season,” head coach Ryan Huska said. “There are a lot of ups and downs. When you have a chance to step away, refresh and refocus, these guys come back energized. When new people enter your dressing room, there is a renewed energy around you. We have seen it. We had five rookies in our lineup last night and we saw him hit. So, the challenge now is to continue that momentum and move it forward in the right direction.”

Kuzmenko agrees.

As exciting as the last two games have been with his new family, the former 39-goal scorer left the rink both times with a critical eye on his performance.

Like most such shots – this a gift – it's wired in a certain way.

And he hates to waste a good opportunity.

“They weren't great games,” he said, calling his two goals just a “good” start offensively. “I have good chances but not many points. I have to play better in the offensive zone because Hubi and Shara are giving me a chance.

“It's a big change from Vancouver. Various (system). Hard work every day, hard work and hopefully in a few games I can get back to my form. It's a very exciting process to play in a new team and I think I'm getting better every day.”

It's really nice to clean both your pits and identify areas for improvement right away.

Last night's playoff coverage resonated so well.

Kuzmenko isn't here to just add a pair and languish aimlessly in the NHL's leather middle. He said it himself: He's never played in the Stanley Cup playoffs before and now wants to make his long-awaited debut.

He said what he said from the heart.

For a player who never has a bad day, he obviously wears that part on his sleeve.

“The new additions are goofy guys and they're fun to be around, and sometimes at this time of the year you need a spark,” said Blake Coleman, who likened the playoffs to “a rallying cry” after Thursday's win in Jersey. “And these guys brought it.

“(Kuzmenko) has exceeded expectations because of how hard he works, he competes and wants to win and obviously has a great skill set to go with it. He's been a really great addition to our team and just another piece that was missing to get us over the edge here.

“If he keeps playing the way he is right now, he's going to help us win a lot of games.”