Coaching in the playoffs is all about motivation -- you're not going to pull any tricks out of your bag -- every team you are playing has already seen you for an 82-game season. No coach is going to suddenly change his system or the way he strategizes each game. Every coach in the playoffs has to concentrate on motivating his team to play the hardest every night. That is what coaching in the playoffs is all about -- making your team believe they can win even if they don't think they can. It's much more mental than it is physical.

Vancouver and Montreal are great examples of where motivation will be absolutely essential. No one is giving the Canucks nor the Habs much of a chance against Detroit and Boston, respectively. But Vancouver coach Marc Crawford had his team believing Wednesday night in their overtime victory, and Michel Therrien will have to do the same when they open their series Thursday night in Boston.

There is a fine line between maintaining intensity and exhausting your team. Sometimes the best thing to do is to only work on one area -- the power play, for example -- for most of the practices during the playoffs. It is wise to use film as a more extensive tool -- it can be educational and motivational come playoff time.

Coaches must possess a keen awareness of their players at this time of year. They have to know who needs the rest, who they can wear down, and whose butt needs some kicking. They have to be careful in practice -- completely and utterly micro-managing every minute of the team's time to produce the most efficient practices and travel schedules -- again, it's a mental endeavor, not a physical one.

Barry Melrose, a former NHL defenseman and coach, is a hockey analyst for ESPN.