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So what about playing the Oilers this late in the season?

“If one team wins tonight, won’t make any difference in the playoffs,” he said.

What if one team wins here and in San Jose next week?

“Don’t matter. It’s better to win, but you’ll have time to prepare later,” he said.

He did get serious talking about his old Sharks coach, Todd McLellan, who had him on the wing and on defence.

“Great coach. He was very approachable, that’s pretty important,” said Burns. “He’s very detail oriented. You have lots of preparation, he teaches you about off-ice stuff.”

Then, in mid-sentence, Burns stopped as another media guy’s cell-phone rang.

“Hey, you better take that. Could be important,” he said, before being asked at what point he wanted to be a defenceman and not a winger.

“I like both but I’m where I should be, I think,” said Burns, who came into Thursday’s game with 298 shots, the most in the league and three more than Alex Ovechkin.

By now, teams should know he’s going to unload four or five a night that either find the goalie or go into the net, and that doesn’t include the others that get blocked or go wide.

Teams are in his face more on the power play because he’s the triggerman, but he gets his shots through better than any other NHL defenceman, thanks to his ability to move around. Whereas someone like Ovechkin likes to camp out at the side of the net for a one-timer.

“I saw him get three goals from that spot the other night (against Minnesota), so he’s doing alright,” laughed Burns. “Everybody’s different. There’s lots of stuff going on, people are moving around, bounces here are there. Good shots don’t go, bad ones do. That’s hockey. Great game, that’s why we love it.

“You have to ride the wave. Teams go through ins and outs, players go through ins and outs. It’s not like other sports, like you know the (NFL’s New England) Patriots are going to win against so and so and you can pretty much bet a lot of money on it. Hockey’s different. That’s why it’s the best.

“OK, boys.”

And with that: Media scrum over.