“A lot of it is going to become automatic,’’ said Julien. “When you’re down to the last 35, 30 games, it picks up for everybody in the league and the intensity really goes up another notch. You’ve got teams that are fighting for positions in the playoffs, you’ve got teams that are fighting for a playoff spot, and the teams that are basically out, that don’t have a big chance, their players are either fighting for a job or a new contract.
“Everybody for some reason has a reason to want to finish strong. It makes for really interesting hockey from here on in and sets the stage for a great playoffs.’’
From a health and rest perspective, Julien said he is hoping the grind of last season’s Stanley Cup run and brief offseason won’t become a fatigue factor as winter transitions into spring.
“Our schedule right now is going to get really heavy,’’ said Julien. “[In] March, almost every team gets a heavy schedule. We have 17 games. In February, we have an 11-day road trip [and six games]. We’re going to have to continue to try to manage that as best we can. We know these next few weeks before that road trip are going to be key as far as quality practices are concerned because this is probably going to the be the last time we have some quality time to work on aspects of our game. Then, it’s going to be about playing and getting some rest and just tweaking so that’s something we’ve already looked at.’’
Horton still out
As expected, right wing Nathan Horton will not be play tonight. Horton suffered a concussion Jan. 22 at Philadelphia.
“He is getting better,’’ said Julien. “He’s still at the point where he hasn’t ridden the bike yet but he is getting better, believe it or not. When you have a concussion, it’s about headaches and everything else and everything is kind of going in the right direction right now. Until he is symptom-free, he can’t do anything. It will probably be at least two days and possibly three before he starts being symptom-free. We just kind of keep our fingers crossed and hope that he gets better quickly but it’s something that not even our medical staff can predict.’’
Rest and relaxation
