"We need these points and that's no secret," Leafs forward Matt Stajan said Monday. "We know we have to do whatever we can to win both these games and if we do, we'll be right back in a pretty good spot."

"I don't think we like to look too far ahead," Leafs winger Jason Blake said. "Right now, it starts tomorrow night."

"What we want to do is keep climbing up the standings," said [Daniel Briere]. "We're still holding onto eighth place, but we're still not in a comfort zone, so it's very important that we keep playing the same way we have been lately -- no matter who the opponent is."