Fuel Insider - Week 7

After dropping back-to-back games against Central Division opponents, the Indy Fuel turn their sights to the East Coast where they will play three games in four days against North Division opponents. Indy will meet three teams that they've never met in their five years as a franchise, beginning with the Adirondack Thunder on Wednesday night and closing out the weekend with matchups against the Maine Mariners and Worcester Railers.

In this week's Fuel Insider, Head Coach and General Manager Doug Christiansen spoke with IndyFuelHockey.com about this past week and what he expects from this week's road trip.

The team has had a difficult time closing out one-goal games this season. With three games against teams from a different division, how important will it be to close out those games

DC: Many of the players on this trip know this division well and had success here. I expect them to step up this week and help us have success. Just like every team, we need to play a full 60 minutes. We have had lapses that have cost us but we are continuing to grow and develop as a team.

The Fuel have a 4-2-0-0 record at home but seem to struggle on the road with a 2-8-0-0 record. What is the biggest challenge of playing on the road?

DC: Every team has to play the same number of road games. We happen to have a lot of road games early with tough travel. In two weeks we will have skated in Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, New York, Massachusetts and Maine. We need to find a way to fight through adversity on this trip and have a great week.

Dmitry Osipov and Craig Wyszomirski both came back this week. What does having those two, physical, defensive-defenseman in the lineup do for the rest of the team?

DC: It fundamentally changes our team. One of our biggest weaknesses has been our ability to box out at the net front. It is one of their strengths. Having them helps us a ton.

You guys are the least penalized team in the league but when you are penalized, have one of the best penalty kills in the league as well. Having top-10 power plays and penalty kills, how can the team use that to their advantage in these tight games?

DC: I am very happy with our special teams. We know that we can rely on our special teams to give us an edge. We need to continue to improve.

This weekend you guys are taking on teams that you faced many times last season in Manchester. As a coach, how do you use that to your advantage in putting together game plans for each team?

DC: It helps us but we have a lot of new faces who have never played in ADK, Maine or Worcester. It does help me plan for our opponents knowing their tendencies but every team has changed a lot over the course of the last year.