Gerard Gallant met with the media following practice today and said (NYR):

• On Ryan Reaves returning with Minnesota tomorrow, “just hope he doesn’t play well against us, that is all (laugh). Reavo had been with me a long time in Vegas and here and he’s a guy that I respect and like a lot and he was a big part of our group. Hopefully he plays well and we win by a goal or two.”

• What kind of impact did Reaves have on the team, “it’s what Reavo does, when he goes to teams, and I’ve been on two of them with him, he’s a big part of your group, a big physical force and he makes people feel comfortable around him. What I like about him is that he comes to work everyday and has fun with the group and Reavo is 35/36 now and he’s hoping for 2-3 more years, play as long as he can and stay in shape. He just comes in and makes you feel good about yourself and he’s a good teammate.”
• What is the biggest takeaway from the first half of the season, “It wasn’t easy the first part, we battled and played some good hockey games and I guess, when you look at the big picture, it was far from perfect, but at the end of the day, after 41 games, I’ll take where we are at right now. I think we pissed away 2-3 games that we should have won and in saying that I thought we’ve played really well lately and trending the right way and that is what I like about our group. We could have been in a worse position than we are and we battled hard and the last, what is it, 15 games? I think we’ve got a pretty good record and we’re finding ourselves, winning some big games on the road, gotta get a better home record, but I think we’ve played outstanding hockey on the road for the most part and it’s tough, you look at our division everyday and there are good teams there, a lot of talented teams.”
• What has driven the increase in 5-on-5 scoring the last 15 games, “just the overall game. I’ve said it a few times, the overall game is better. Not every game is the same, there are different type of games, some games we’ve played bad and won games because of goaltending, some games we played really well and we are getting some puck luck we didn’t get the first half of the season, first 25 games of the season and pucks are going in. I think the guys feel pretty good about our team and when you get on a little roll like this you feel good about yourself and I think the guys are coming to the rink feeling good about themselves.”
• Has Adam Fox been at the top of the list of most consistent players, “No doubt. Mika, Adam Fox, the goaltending obviously, just to name a few guys, but they’ve been pretty consistent with their performance all year long.”
• On Trocheck’s game and Panarin lately, “They are getting used to each other. I like when they create scoring chances and they are playing their game and playing fast and Kravy has been with them the last 7-8 games I think, somewhere in that area, and they are playing well, but the you can’t give up too much either and some nights they are giving up too many Grade A chances against and just make sure that we are creating those, but you gotta make sure we are playing good defense, too, and that is what it’s all about. If you are going to get five chances, you can’t give up six. You gotta find that out a little bit and work a little harder defensively, but I like the makeup of the line right now, they are doing okay.”
• Do you have to accept some level of chances against because of how Panarin plays, “Yep…that happens with every line, I just don’t want to see it consistently. You could work real hard coming…not every player is going to be a great defensive player, not everybody is going to be Mika. We’d like that, but not everybody is going to be like Mika. As long as there is an effort coming back and working hard, if you make those mistakes make sure we are coming back to cover up for your teammates mistakes. That is the big thing with me, everybody is going to make mistakes and that is part of the game, but make sure we’re not three guys below the goal line and giving them 3-on-2s and giving up odd-man rushes all the time. It happens in a game, but you gotta cut down on those a little bit.”
• On Kravtsov’s game lately, “He’s playing with more confidence, playing well, making some plays. Just continue to move forward. He’s getting the opportunity.”
• Does Kravtsov need to improve defensively to get your trust late in games, “It’s not about him, it’s about Barclay Goodrow being a hell of a player. Kravy…like I said, I like the player, young player, but I know I got a real good player down there that is playing his role and playing some fourth line minutes for us right now and he’s been one of my best players all year. I’m gonna move him up all the time, whether it’s Kravy or somebody else.”
• So you are always looking for a place to move Goodrow up, “somewhere, yea, definitely. If he’s not in my top-six forwards when we’re winning by one goal then we got a hell of a team…he made a mistake the other night, big deal. People make mistakes.”