Here’s what Patrick O’Sullivan had to say today about his return to the lineup, which, barring a last-minute change of mind, will take place in Sunday night’s home opener against San Jose…

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Question: How does it feel out there?

O’SULLIVAN: “I feel good. The last three days, I’ve felt better every day. I’m a little bit sore, but other than that I feel pretty good.”

Question: It occured to me that maybe being in Denver and skating there in the high altitude maybe helped you?

O’SULLIVAN: “Yeah, I don’t know. I thought about that, and at the end of the day I don’t think it hurt me. It probably helped a little bit somewhere along the line, as far as the conditioning I was doing. I talked to Terry on the ice after practice and we both decided to not play tomorrow and maybe watch the game from up top and get a better look at how the team plays. I’ve been watching video at home and stuff and I have a pretty good idea. But to see it live and see it up top. It will be good for me. I’ll have a day tomorrow to prepare for the next day. So I’ll play Sunday. I just think back-to-back games, right off the bat, would be hard on my body. I’m sure I could do it, but at the end of the day, I think what we decided is the best thing for me.”

Question: I’m curious, since you’re seeing things for the first time, how different do things look under Terry?

O’SULLIVAN: “It’s a lot different. I think if you ask anyone that, it’s a different atmosphere and it just seems like there’s a different feeling around the dressing room. Just coming to the rink every day…I’ve only been here three days but everyone has been saying the same thing. As far as the way we’re playing, it’s definitely different. I think we’re going to be a lot better defensively this year, better structure. Keep in mind I’ve only been here three days, so I don’t have a lot of experience with Terry at all, but from what I’ve seen it’s going to be a real positive thing for a team that’s in our situation. I think that’s really important. Obviously with young guys, mistakes are going to be made, and they need to be corrected. Every player has a different personality and kind of needs to be handled differently. I think he’s going to be great for that. All the guys have said he’s great on the bench during games, so it’s good. I’m real happy with what I’ve seen. It’s fun. Everyone has a positive attitude and it’s exciting.”