Olive: Is it strange to go home now and grow your family a little bit?
Luostarinen: (smile). Yes, I make a little sense. It takes time to get used to it. But like I said, it was good for now, so I’m excited to be with our small family every day.
Olive: Have your teammates met a baby yet?
Luostarinen: Not yet. We first try to get some sleep and calm ourselves down (smiles). After that we certainly invite some.
Olive: You always see the baby in the Stanley Cup. After your first victory last year, having a baby drives you want to win you again and do it?
Luostarinen: Yes, definitely. I actually put my brother’s child in a cup this summer. Maybe this summer will be my daughter.
Olive: The Panthers have a lot of young dads. How about joining that club?
Luostarinen: You’ll be busy in the corners while you’re warming up (smiles). Yes, it’s great to have that support. Everyone is going through the same thing so you can always talk to them for help. It definitely makes things easier.
Olive: Returning to the ice, there are over 20 games left until the playoffs. How excited are you about this final push to the playoffs?
Luostarinen: It’s good to be home now. It feels like we’ve been on a bit of a path there. These are huge games that appear and require all the points you can get. You need to be the best team that can bolster your game and go towards the playoffs.
Olive: How different are your playoff preparations after winning the Cup last season?
Luostarinen: Yeah, I think we as a whole group, the whole team is more confident. Many have experienced it for the past two years. We are more confident. You know what you have to do and what you need to win.
Olive: Your line with Anton Randell and Jesper Bokvist is especially effective after coming back from Faceoff in the 4 Nations. What do you like about your trio?
Luostarinen: It’s a good combination. There’s a bit of speed, skill, everything. We try to get closer to each other, make them easy, short regional paths easy, and support each other. It’s been working recently. I’m trying to repeat all the games.
Olive: During the regular season and the playoffs, do you think Sofia will be in a Panthers game this season?
Luostarinen: Definitely. We definitely want to take her. I’ll see what the schedule looks like, but definitely.
