Greene on the defense

----------

Question: How do you move forward as a defense now, without Jack Johnson?

GREENE: ``I think it's a big loss for us. He was a guy who was logging a ton of minutes for us, all the way through preseason and the first game there. He led our team in ice time and he's a big part of our power play, penalty killing and even strength. So it's going to hurt us a lot in that aspect, but injuries happen. It's the same thing in all sports. We're not the only team that's going to get hit with them this year, and we've got to rebound. It's going to hurt us, but (Peter Harrold) is here for a reason. He's going to step in and help us out with the offense and the even-strength time. We've just got to move on and try to fill the gap that Jack left.''

Question: Did you see an improvement from game one to game two, as far as blocking shots and being more competitive?

GREENE: ``Yeah, I think so. I think it's just getting used to the system too. I think in the second game against San Jose, we stuck to our system a lot more than we did in the first game. That's understandable with a young team. When you have a young team and things don't start going our way, there's going to be a little sense of panic, a little sense of, all right, this worked before so let's try this again. If you're in the NHL with a new team, and you're playing one of the premier teams in the league, you have to stick to your system and you have to make sure everybody is on the same page. I think we did a way better job of doing that on Sunday night.''

Question: You mentioned the young team and maybe being a little fragile. How important is it to get that first win?

GREENE: ``YOu know, I think the win is going to get there. That will be great, it will be really significant, but as far as a fragile psyche, I don't think that's the truth. I think the kids we do have on this team, these young kids, they have a ton of talent and a lot of confidence. They know they can play here, and the coaching staff and the GM know they can play here. So I don't think there's any fragile psyche on this team. I think it's just the fact that we have to go through our lumps. We're going to win some games, but I think they're going to be tough. They're going to be one-goal games early on, games that we have to figure out how to win. That's the main thing right now, just that learning curve, but I don't think you're going to see this room down or this room cracked. I think that's going to be the strength of our team, and that's part of what the older guys and the leaders have to do on this team.''

Question: Is that part of your role, to make sure this team doesn't get down?

GREENE: ``I think that's everybody's role, from Doughty as an 18-year-old to (Sean O'Donnell) at 37. I think that's everybody's goal on this team, to make sure that we're upbeat and positive and stay together as a group. In the end, that is how you're going to win games. We just have to make sure that everybody sees the goal, and that's to come together as a group and develop our talent, and then the wins are going to come. So I think it's not my goal; it's a team goal for everybody.''