With six games under their belts before making an appearance at the Bradley Center, Admirals head coach Lane Lambert has had plenty of time to get a handle on his team.

This much he knows: he's got experience in his own zone and between the pipes. After that, well... it's anybody's guess. And for Lambert, in his fourth year on the Admirals' bench and third as head coach, it's the unknown x-factor that will determine whether or not his team wins a second consecutive West Division championship.

The Admirals finished last season tied for the best record in the Western Conference. But after sweeping Rockford in the first round, Milwaukee fell to Houston in Game 7 of the Division finals to end its bid for a third Calder Cup in six seasons.

Lambert began the season with 15 players returning from that squad.

"We accomplished a lot over the course of the season and we lost Game 7," Lambert says. "(Game 7) was a game that was disappointing to lose but I thought, if we step back and look, we had a good year. Obviously there are lessons to be learned.

"We've got some new faces here and a number of returning players. It should serve us well. Our focus now is to make the playoffs."

To get back to the postseason, Milwaukee will need to rely heavily on its defensive unit. Five of the Admirals' six defensemen played in Milwaukee last season and Nolan Yonkman is in his fourth season here.

It's somewhat unusual for a player to spend four minor league seasons in the same organization, but Yonkman - who entertained offers from other NHL franchises during the offseason - considers Milwaukee home.

He also likes what the Admirals have going for them and thinks that the defense could be a special unit.

"We have a strong defense in place," Yonkman says. "A lot of faces from last year are here. We're a hard-working team. We take pride in the details of a game. We don't cheat, we don't cut corners. We do things right and I think that'll help us as a team."

Yonkman will serve as captain for the second straight year. He served as an assistant captain two years ago and says that the ability to be a leader for a young team was another perk to returning.

"The other deals weren't sweet enough for me to leave Milwaukee and leave Nashville," he says. "It's nice to be a captain. It's definitely one of the perks of staying here. I like the city. After four years it becomes home. It's comfortable but you still have to push yourself."

For Lambert, having a reliable defense on a team still looking for an identity provides something of a sense of relief. While he doesn't consider himself a defensive-minded coach, he does subscribe to the age-old theory that defense wins championships.

"We want to be solid in our own zone," Lambert says. "We've kept our shots and chances down pretty good ... I believe that's where it all starts."

That corps of defenders will make life easier for goaltender Mark Dekanich, who moves into the starting role after a productive season behind last year's No. 1 net minder, Drew MacIntyre.

With MacIntyre now 85 miles down I-94 stopping shots for the rival Chicago Wolves, Dekanich gets the nod.

In 30 games last season, Dekanich set team records for rookies with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. Entering play Friday night at Rockford, Dekanich was 2-2-1 with a 2.96 GAA and .885 save percentage.

"The team is growing," Dekanich says. "It's a little different from last year. Having those guys (on defense) back helps a great deal. I know how they play and they know how I play. It's a great advantage."

Dekanich's understudy adds another line of defense. Chet Pickard was Nashville's first-round draft choice last season and was named Goaltender of the Year with the WHL's Tri-City Americans.

But even with one of the top defenses in the league and a pair of up-and-coming goalies, Lambert has yet to identify his go-to scorer for the season.

Last year's leading scorer, Mike Santorelli is back this season. He finished with 70 points and led the team with 27 goals. Santorelli opened the season with the Predators, going without a point in five games before being returned to Milwaukee.

Another of the Admirals' more experienced players replaced him in Nashville. Cal O'Reilly was leading the team with seven points, all on assists, before he was summoned to the NHL.

There are minutes and opportunities to be had. Lambert says its up to the players to determine who gets them.

"It's still sorting itself out. It's going to have to come from a collection of people. We don't have a number of guys that are going to score 30 goals. We have to make sure we get a couple of guys that can score 12-15. To do that, we have to play the game a certain way and I don't think we're quite there yet."

Making things more difficult is the revolving door between Milwaukee and Nashville. Losing any firepower, especially this early in the season, makes getting an offensive rhythm even more difficult.

At 2-3-0-1 (five points), the Admirals haven't made a lot of noise in the division. Still, they've been good enough - at least, individually - to have eight players summoned to parent-club Nashville already this season.

Of those players, defenseman Alexander Sulzer had six points in five games (one goal, five assists), fifth-best among AHL defensemen. Also called up was forward Dave Satchard, who was leading the team with three goals and 17 penalty minutes.

Milwaukee, after being beat, 6-1, Friday night in Rockford brings a three-game losing streak into the game tonight against Rockford.

"We're not there yet," Lambert says. "We're not playing the game right now the way we need to play in order to have success. It's going to be a challenge with this group.

"We need to understand that, sooner or later, we need to get pucks on net. We need to get greasy goals in order to have some success."