Four Games Left | Can the Canes Solve Rod's Playoff Puzzle?

Four games left, playoffs clinched, Metro locked up, and the Carolina Hurricanes somehow still feel like a puzzle worth arguing about. We’re riding a stretch where the Canes look fast, confident, and dangerous, and some nights they look like the best team in the East. The question is what matters most when the Stanley Cup playoffs start: the numbers, the matchups, or the moments where one save changes a series. Hurricanes' TV Analyst, Shane Willis, joins us to break it all down.

We dig into the goaltending debate with real context around modern NHL save percentage, Carolina’s shot suppression, and why “fewer shots” can actually make life harder when the only looks that get through are Grade "A" chances. We talk Brandon Bussi’s season, what Frederik Andersen brings if things swing, and why the “blame the goalie” narrative usually skips the turnover, the missed assignment, or the bad penalty that came first.

From there, we break down the defense corps and what Rod Brind’Amour can and cannot change this late, including Jacob Slavin’s health, Alex Nikishin’s development, and why K'Andre Miller feels like a true swing factor. Then we get to the fun part: depth scoring. Carolina’s forward group is producing at a level we haven’t seen in a while, the Stankoven line is driving play, Taylor Hall looks revived, and Nikolaj Ehlers is making the lineup and the power play more dynamic. We also hit special teams, the power play surge since January, the penalty kill’s entry-denial identity, and how much seeding should matter versus simply arriving healthy and sharp.

If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe to Storm Tracker, share the show with a Canes fan, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s your biggest concern heading into Round 1?

Highlights:

• Goaltending context beyond save percentage, high-danger looks and rhythm concerns
• Brandon Bussi versus Frederik Andersen for Game 1, plus the Pyotr wildcard
• defensive pair stability, late-season blending, and why KeAndre Miller feels pivotal
• Alex Nikishin’s growth, system comfort, and Jacob Slavin’s injury-related variance
• Forward depth scoring as the core playoff advantage, matchup options for Rod Brind’Amour
• The Stankoven line’s impact, Taylor Hall’s resurgence, and Jackson Blake’s scoring jump
• Nikolaj Ehlers on the Staal line, balanced offense without defensive trade-offs
• Special teams surge, the “100 rule,” power play face-offs and net-front roles
• Penalty kill structure, zone-entry denial, and why the goalie is still the best PKer
• Final four games strategy, home-ice advantage versus rest and health

#canes #hockey #erictulsky #raiseup #stormtracker23 #rodbrindamour #lockedonhurricanes #Canescast #thestormsurge #AlexanderNikishin #carolinahurricanes #JaccobSlavin #causechaos #sebastianaho #andreisvechnikov #nikolajehlers

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Well, the Carolina Hurricanes have just four games left in the 25-26 regular season, and the Canes have been playing well, winning four of their last five games and outscoring the opposition 23-17. They've clinched the playoffs for an eighth straight year. And some people think this is the best version of the Carolina hurricanes we've seen in all of those years. As the playoffs draw closer, what other hurricane strengths across the board? What areas, if any, should the Kings be concerned about heading into the playoffs? And is there anything important left to battle for in these last four games? Joining me as always to discuss this and more, our hockey divine, Aaron and Katie, and I'm delighted to welcome back in our special guest, Keynes TV analyst, Shame Walk.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Folks, it's great to be with you. Ladies, great to be back with you talking a little bit of Keynes hockey and playoff hockey.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

You know, it's been a good run for the Canes. They're sitting very nicely in first in the East, four points ahead of Tampa, Buffalo, and Montreal. They, of course, uh took the Metro and uh claimed that last night. And uh they're sitting second overall in the National Hockey League, just two points behind Dallas. So they've quietly been on a run. Shane, what do you see?

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Well, it's never quiet when you know I'm in the booth watching. I always do it for the Mike and Hannah, but I think this team has had a couple bumps in the road, obviously, as you go down the stretch, once you've clinched the playoff position, mentally being sharp every single game. It was tough back-to-back as you went from home to Ottawa just for one game. But if not last night, being in the Bruins kind of solidified your position atop the Metro Division, which I think everyone knew they were going to with the record they've had in the Metro this season. Um I don't I wouldn't call it up and down. I would call it just a little bit of the regular bumps and bruises you see during a season, as long and grueling of a season as this has been for every player with the condensed schedule. Um and I think as fans, and Mike and I talk about this all the time on our podcast, that we love it. Everyone's energized, everyone is you know enthralled with the hurricanes and the wave of emotions we have. But the one thing with the season being so long, we try and stay even feel because when I take a step back and you look around the league, every team goes through the bumps and bruises of a season. You know, even the Colorado Avalanche have lost a few lately. No one's reaching for the panic button there yet. And I think now that the Hurricanes have solidified number one in the metro, I think that allows people to kind of exhale with four games to go and really prepare yourself. And as we're going to talk about, to look at the strength of this team, look at areas maybe of concern, and then what will they need to do to make that long run to the Stanley Cup Championship?

Goaltending Pressure & The Real Stats

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Yeah, for sure. And and you know, like you said, I think this is right, Shane. You know, we focus so much on the Kings, and the same things are happening with the other teams, of course, and you're just not paying attention, so you're not feeling the same. Well, Katie does sometimes with the Avs, and of course, uh Aaron does with uh the Canadians, but I don't have to worry too much about that because I can't worry about the rookie. But anyway, yeah, that's that's excellent. And you know, I thought we would take a look at the different positions, as you mentioned, and and take a look at what's been working well, and if we have any concerns, I thought we'd kick it off with goaltending. And you know, this is an area that we've talked a lot about on Storm Tracker. We've uh you know, we've been keeping a close eye on it throughout the year. Brandon Bussey's story has been amazing, of course. Um, you know, 30 wins now, and it's it's just incredible what he's done. But I think, you know, some questions. Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Well, um, you know, I think that the there's this sense among Kane's fans, and it's I don't think it's necessarily 100% accurate, but there's been a sense that there have been at least a couple of times when they were right there, in you know, in the playoffs, you know, heading towards maybe getting through that Eastern Conference final for the first time in quite a while. And that goaltending is what has come up short. Um, and I saw on Twitter this morning that Adam Gold's pushing back against that idea. He's saying, no, they've never lost a series entirely because of goaltending. Goaltending has not cost them a series. And when you look at what's happened in the series, I mean, obviously, one area can't be the only reason that a team doesn't manage to get things done. So um I think that that's a fair point to make. So when you look at uh Bussey and Anderson, you have to say, okay, right now they're going through what a lot of other goaltenders in the league are going through. Um the way that they've started been tracking the statistics has changed. The fact that the Keynes system doesn't allow a lot of shots to get through to the goaltenders so that they're seeing all the high danger shots and not as many of the medium and low danger shots. They don't get into that rhythm. Given what they're what they're dealing with, though, they have been a factor in, you know, the canes having 50 wins on the season. You can't completely put that aside and say that they're just, you know, not capable of doing it. Would we like to see the additional save here and there from both guys? Yeah. And I think that the biggest thing for me is I would like to see Busy kind of get back into that confidence that he had prior to the Olympic break. I think that he's been, if anything, it's been it seems like more of a mental struggle just a little bit to get back into that rhythm. But, you know, I've I I don't think that either one of them is the is the sole reason that the Keynes have lost any of the recent games that they've lost. And like, you know, we've said that you know those are bumps and bruises everybody's having. That's not they haven't lost an unusual number of games down the stretch or anything like that. They're doing very well.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

So well, it's interesting when you talk about the you know, the statistical view of goaltending now changing a little bit. Um, the NHL save percentage, average save percentage by team this year is is under 900. It's 896. So this is kind of interesting. Um, the only three teams above 900 are the Sabres, Wilde, and the Avalanche. Um, and that's you know, you look at that in the past, there have been lots of goaltenders and teams over 900. So it's changed a lot. The canes sitting at 876. Shane, thoughts?

SPEAKER_01 7:08

I think as you go towards the playoffs, I always look at one thing. I'm not diving into the numbers and only focus on say percentage because you have to look at how much the hurricane's depressed in shots, which is very difficult for a goaltender to get those numbers high if he gives up two or three goals.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

And I completely agree with Aaron in the fact that when you lose a game, and I see this from coaching youth all the way in the professional levels, it's pretty easy to turn to your right and point at the guy and say, Why didn't you say that? Well, let's take two steps earlier. Why did you turn that puck over in the slot? Why did you, you know, take that bad penalty to give the other team a power play? It's the easiest out in the game to say, Well, it's the goalies' fault. Um, but I think the hurricanes have shown that they've given their goalies more run support this year. Their goalies have made the key saves at key moments. But to be on the honest factor of things, as we get to the playoffs, that is probably my one question mark for the team going in. Is the goaltending situation when the pressure even gets higher? Are the key saves gonna be their key moments? So this team we know is gonna suppress, you're gonna get less than 20 shots a game. You're gonna need your goaltender to make those saves the key moments. I still believe either one of the goaltenders has that ability, and it's just a matter of one getting on one of those top confidence roles that carries you through a round, and then you're reassessing once again as you get there. But there's still other many other things compacted into scoring goals. You know, I saw people turn and look at me last night when the Bruins scored a couple of them like it was the first shot of the game. He should have saved that one. The next one was point blank one timer right in front. I'm like, what is he supposed to do? Like the great A's that we gave up last night were not usual for the Carolina Hurricanes, and that's how the Bruins scored their goals. And it was too easy just to point fingers at the goaltender saying, Well, what is he doing? Sure, there were times when he didn't look as confident as you want him to, but there's still any other factors that I look at when goals are scored, besides of how do we let that in.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Well, and I think that's that's a discussion that is another major point with the Kanes is the number of grade A's that they do give up. Uh and you know, it's difficult for these goalies, they don't get any shots, so they're not, you know, they're not worn, they're not in the game, and all of a sudden, like the other night against the Islanders, what was it, six or seven shots after two periods, and it's ridiculous numbers or whatever. I mean, how can a goalie be sure? They're not even touching the puck, and then all of a sudden somebody comes in with a great A. So, you know, again, I think save percentage sure. And, you know, Trip Tracy has mentioned repeatedly that, you know, he thinks 900 save percentage is what's needed in the playoffs. I don't know how they're gonna get there, um, given the style of play the Keynes do. Katie, what are you thinking about who starts for the Keynes in the playoffs?

SPEAKER_04 10:03

Um at this point it really could be a coin flip, but I am edging towards Busy. I think he's got the bigger volume of work that he uh he has been successful with this year, that he has a higher ceiling that he can get to. And I think you feel more comfortable having Anderson as a backup that if something does go sideways, you bring in that steady presence, that ice water in the veins type attitude that Anderson can bring rather than someone who's a little bit more of a question mark because we don't know what Busy looks like in the playoffs. And if he were to come off cold off of the bench, you might be putting him at an even bigger disadvantage. So I think with his body of work, Busy has earned the uh ability to start game one, provided that things go smoothly these next four games, and that the Canes will feel confident knowing that they have Busy there to uh uh hopefully continue his wonderful season he's had so far. And then if needed, Freddie is there to pinch hit with all of the experience and leadership that he provides as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

If 52 is ready, then what do you do?

SPEAKER_02 11:12

That was coming up next for you.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Only time will tell, right? Um, how close he gets to does he get in a game next week before the season's over? Can he start a playoff round without playing in a game? You know, those are all things you have to factor in.

Defensive Pairings & Key Wild Cards

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Yeah, and he could he could play in Chicago for the Wolves as well. Um, you know, he could do a conditioning stint before the playoffs or whatever. Uh we talked a lot about Pyotr in recent weeks with the with the hope that he might come back because you know it's kind of strange because neither one of the goalies is taking claim right now. I mean, Brandon did Brandon was doing that earlier in the year, but he's not doing it right now. But you know, the interesting thing about Brandon Bussey, his goals against average is only 2.5, like 2.52. So I mean, these are pretty good numbers. His say percentage, sure, it's under 900. But but you know, I think the bigger concern is is you know, the last short time, he hasn't been since the since the Olympic break. He wasn't quite as sharp as as uh before then. But yeah, if Piotr comes back, that'll be fun. We'll have three guys we can uh we can draw and so we'll see how that plays out. That's kind of cool. Um, you know, when we talk about the challenges the goaltenders have had, I think that takes us right to the D Corps. Um and and some of the things that have been happening with the defensive corps. Um last night was interesting. We kind of chuckled before you came on, Shane, and said, Hey, we never thought that Rod Brindamore would start doing the Blendamore stuff on the defensive core because he's left him together all year. And last night we see that he's uh he's gonna do that. What were you thinking when you saw that?

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Well, out of the Ottawa game, I wondered if he would do anything, right? Because the Ottawa game was so bad, everyone was kind of disengaged. You saw some mistakes as D-pairs were on the ice, so I think he mixed things up and then quickly realized, well, we can't do this because these guys have played together for so long, it's a tough spot to make the switch in this late in the season. He quickly switched back in the second period and you kind of saw everybody fall back into place and do things the right way. Sure, there were still mistakes made. But from a decor, you know, I love Chatfield and Slavon, especially at home because you're gonna get the matchups you want against top lines. I think Sean Walker's played excellent with DeAndre Miller, and then I think Jane Gosterfair has the right demeanor and skill level to play with McKeishon, uh, a young player, and kind of is able to rebound if there is mistakes being made. I really like those combinations all year long. I think that's what we'll see for the rest of the way out. But there's just a little bit of an up and down. I think you have consistency in your top air. I saw Jalen Shatfield walk out ring today. He seemed to be fine. I don't know if he sits out tomorrow in Chicago as he left the game late last night, but he looked like he was okay. Um, as I mentioned, I've loved Walker's games throughout the year. Nikeson has had his bumps and bruises. Fionne Miller, I was texting with somebody or night to me is your wild card on the fence. Because when Fiona Miller is on his game, on his game, right? Elite level. When he's off his game, he's off his game like we all have at certain times. I'm trying to always look for the middle ground, right? I want a little bit of the as Trip would call it and Rod called it on some of the shows, the B game. There doesn't seem to be a B game, it's either elite game or off game. I gotta find a little middle game sometime. So you know, it was evident in Ottawa, you know, unfortunately, some of the things stand out. Mistake last night, um, you know, on one of the goals against the Bruins. But to me, when I look at the decor, everyone's gonna be like, well, what's Alex Nikishan do? My wild card is KeAndre Miller because if he's elite, this team's gonna be really hard to beat.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Well, you know what you mentioned uh Alex Nikish. Okay, now I followed Alex closely last year with Dick Bass when he was in Russia, and and uh so I've been all over Alex for months. And uh, you know, he started the season, you know, he had what you might expect as a rookie in the National Hockey League. He had, you know, some challenges and he got to play a lot of ice early on in the season, you know, due to the injuries and so on, which is great. Katie, what are you seeing with Alex Nikesian?

SPEAKER_04 15:42

I'm seeing a lot more confidence. Every single game that he gets under his belt, he seems to just intuitively know where he's supposed to be, what he's supposed to do. Um, I particularly like him on the pairing with Ghost. When I've been looking at stats recently, I've been taking the sample size since the Olympic break. What are the trends? How are they playing? And that is the D-pair that is on the right side of the goals for goals against at five-on-five. They're taking their matchups well. They're not obviously getting the heavy matchups that Slavin and Chatfield are getting, but when they get their opportunities, they are taking advantage of them in order to drive play forward, to get the puck out of the zone, to move it through the neutral zone, and then to support their forwards in the offensive zone. And like you said, they there's something about Nikitian and Ghost that just makes sense. Um the mentor versus the rookie side, as well as their skill sets complementing each other. So I hope to see more of them moving forward, even though Nikitian and Walker looked very strong in last night's game as well. They I think they were the bestie pair possession-wise in last night's game.

SPEAKER_02 16:53

Yeah, and it gave Alex a chance to get back to the left side. Although he has been rock solid on the right. Uh, like I've been so impressed with his ability to keep Pucks in at the offensive zone. And, you know, his work in his own zone. I mean, he's he his gaps are better, all you know, all the things we talk about. And Tripp has mentioned numerous times that uh he's much quicker uh going to the puck. And I think you know, you have to think it's because he's learned the system a lot better now. Uh he's not thinking everything like, where do I go? What do I do? You know, how do I play this? And uh so I think, you know, interestingly enough, I mean, he's second on the Keynes in plus minus at plus 13. That's not bad. And uh he's second in rookie defenseman scoring. I mean, he's behind Matthew Schaefer, so okay. Um so he's having just a tremendous season. But, you know, when I look at at the blue, though, the question I've been asking has been around Jacob Slavin. Uh you know, sometimes I think he's the Jacob we know and love, and other times I see him do things which kind of surprise me. Aaron, what are you seeing with uh with Jacob Slavin right now?

SPEAKER_00 18:01

I just think that it's been a tough year from the injury perspective. And, you know, I I don't think any of us uh failed to cheer very loudly for that overtime game winner because that was fantastic to see him get his first goal of the season in such a critical, critical moment of the game. You know, that was fantastic to see. Um I'm sure I you just tell, you could tell how happy all the guys are for him with that. You know, that was that was a great thing. Um I think that it's just hard when you come back from missing a lot of games due to injury, you know. He's I think speed-wise, people have looked at the edge stats, he's not a hundred percent up to his normal speed, and that's gonna impact because of how Slavin defends the, you know, he's not he's not the the big physical defenseman, you know, bodying people off the puck in the corner. He's, you know, a guy who uses his his skating and his speed and his edgework and his stick positioning and all the rest of it to have the impact that he does. So you take one of those elements in the speed and you reduce it just a little bit. It doesn't even have to be a major reduction because he's coming back from an injury that impacted his ability to get there. And I think you're gonna see what we've been seeing. There's some games where he looks exactly like you said, he's this is the Jacob Slavin who was at the Olympics, this is the Jacob Slavin who was in Four Nations last year. You know, that was such a slaven play. You know, we we always say it, you know, we hear Trip talk about it, you know. Um, but then there are those times, there have been those times in games when he's just not able to, you know, to get there and to to stop something from happening that normally we would say, well, Slavin's got this, you know, and then he doesn't. So I I don't think that that has anything to do with anything other than, I mean, I you you I heard somebody try to bring up the age, you know, related regression stuff, and I'm like, no, he's way too young for that. Don't even start that that. There's no way that that his age is impacting his game. He's just not a hundred percent from. I mean, I think they said last night was his what, 38th game of the season. So that's not yeah, that that's not you're you're not even he hasn't even played half a season. So I think that that's what you're seeing when somebody's coming back from a significant injury that unfortunately impacted him a lot more than than I think they were were thinking it was going to at the beginning of the year. So I I think that that we will see that turn back on in the playoffs, especially the longer they go and the deeper they go, because he's but he's looked better to me as time has gone on. He's not um it's not the same thing all the time. So I'm I'm hopeful that he's pretty close to being 100%.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

Well, he's gonna be key. Shane, what are your thoughts on uh on Jacob Slaven and Alex McKeish?

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Well, I think for Slavon, I agree. I mean, only playing 38 games, and when you look at the schedule that he's been thrown into, with it being condensed, coming back from injury, you want to you actually want to practice more um than the guys who are playing all the time. And I can tell you being around the team, they don't practice very often. I mean, they may morning skate to get the legs going, but practice has been out the window with playing every other day with the Olympic break, all that stuff has been just for a guy coming out of an injury like Jacob Slavin had, he just hasn't had the rest, if you will. So I'm kind of encouraged as we get to the playoffs because you have a four-game stretch here to finish the season, then the hurricane is about four days, maybe five days before they even start on the weekend with the luxury to get some practice time in with the rest. So obviously Jacob Slavin is who he is. I mean, he's gonna be elite level no matter what. I'm not worried if he's scoring goals left and right. Um and I think the injury and time off has had a huge effect on where he is today, but I'm not not worried in the least a little bit for Alex McKeson. I love the progress the young man has made. And I think I didn't like the hype coming in. I think just for a any young player, I'm like, this guy's I mean, we're putting him in a spot just to fail, right? To say he's gonna do this, this, and this offensively. He was set up for failure from the start when people are like, oh, well, what's wrong? And then they're like, Oh, they're not playing enough. I'm like, let's let's let the kid develop, you know. The biggest word to me with any young player is develop. And he's having to develop at the highest rate of speed because he's not even going to Chicago. Um and now from game one to now, he's a much better NHL player. Hands down, he has made the progression steps you want to. Now, at the same time, I don't think we're at his ceiling yet. Because I think he has more to give when it comes to the physicality area, the goal scoring, all of those things. But I think what he's developed over from game one to now is understanding the system and reading the game and being able to keep with the tempo of the game because early in the season when it was going around her own zone, you could see him chasing a little bit. And his head was turning left and right saying, where do I go next? And now he knows where he's going and he gets there before he needs to be there. So that's what you want to see from young players over a season is how they continue to thrive and become better players in the National Hockey League. And Alex McKeaston is doing that right now.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

The other thing too, I mean we've talked about this too. I mean he's he he's learning the language now he can communicate a lot better. He's feeling much more comfortable in his environment. I guess he knows where the Harris Teeter is and so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

So I think I think uh I think for Alex it's a lot better situation and uh well and I was just going to say from I didn't understand the comfort level piece for Europeans coming over until I went to Europe and played over there and was one of three Americans on the team and you're trying to adjust and get your family settled into a culture and an environment where you can't talk to anybody where I underrated that factor of guys coming to America and I agree if you that now that he's been here long enough he's now settled in to a place you know he's one of the guys he can speak to people he can get around the city by himself and that is a huge factor into where a guy plays well and you know as we're going to get in the forwards I'm sure we're going to talk about this guy too but Taylor Hall has talked about that over the past couple weeks how comfortable he feels here in a Hurricanes jersey and that leads to playing really good hockey.

Depth Scoring Changes Everything

SPEAKER_02 24:00

Yeah. Yeah I mean they go out and all they want to do is uh is just um you know make it happen get out there and play and and that's a good segue I think Shane to talk about the forward crew and and boy if there's one area that you really have to be excited with this Hurricanes team is the forward the forward group they have done something I don't remember when since I've been watching the Keynes is they've moved up to actually second in the NHL in goal scoring. I mean this is insane. I don't remember them being that high um and I might have have a short memory but boy that's impressive.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

And they've got 281 goals there's only one team and that's your team Katie they've got 290 not surprising um so they're they're scoring goals like crazy and you know we look at at some of these victories and they're you know they're scoring five six goals whatever it takes to to get the win and that's impressive and there's the interesting thing I found is of course it's balanced right across the team you've got you've got uh five 20 plus goal scorers you've got eight players with over 17 goals that's impressive it's exactly where you want to be we talk about depth all the time you have to have more than one line the Hurricanes have three and sometimes four lines that can put the buck in the back of the net and when I look over the past couple years whenever we do a roundup when the season's over and we've already talked about the goalies right everyone wants to say well we didn't get the goalie champion this year I'm like you scored one goal yeah you're not gonna win right you scored one goal in two of the games against the Florida Panthers you're not gonna win so now that you have that scoring you can argue the fact if you lose 6-5 now we can talk about the goal but if you're still losing three to one we can't blame the goalie if we're only scoring once and so now you have the depth the Aho line with Spetch and Jarvis the Stankoven line is red hot stall Martinok and where Ehlers has found a home with the two veterans and then the Jankowski line that skips in every now and then but is playing such a physical game and creating those chances you have the balance and absolute depth that you need to really scare teams. Whether you're at home and getting every matchup you want or even on the road the other coach is still looking he's like well who do I want to match up against because they have four lines they could probably put in the back of my neck. And I think that's something that a lot of coaches do not have the luxury that Rob Brindamore has to send four different groups over the boards that can score. Some teams are just buying time. Yeah create some pressure create some chances perfect example in my opinion because everyone was worried when the Canes left Montreal they're like oh Montreal looks so well Montreal is one dimension one and the second dimension with their goalies really go. But they have one line there is no chance the Montreal Canadians beats the Hurricanes in a seven game series you just can't sustain that with one line with what the Hurricanes have in my opinion. And the numbers would go to show that and you know we can't gamble here but you guys might be able to I would go against Montreal all day of the week with one line.

SPEAKER_02 27:07

Yeah and that's and that's the challenge that teams like the Oilers and other teams have had you know in in recent years where you've got you know a group of players that are outstanding but it's your depth beyond that and you know we remember back to you know Tampa with uh John Cooper's teams with uh four lines he could roll and uh and that's those lines made the difference and quite often it's those third and fourth ranges we know that you know we talk about uh Jordan Martinouke he's on the second line I guess but you know guys like Jordan Martinuk coming up big in the playoffs and that's what we expect to see again.

SPEAKER_04 27:38

Katie what are you seeing with uh the Aho line I'm seeing a line that Brenda Moore has a great luxury with this year because first of all they know each other. This is not the first time they have been together. They had great success last playoffs when the the three of them worked together and uh Svetch had his postseason coming out maybe not coming out but resurgence let's say um from before and so he's obviously got a lot of great uh offensive weapons on that line the playmaking the finishing the the size and physicality from Svetch the elusiveness from the others it's just a trio that meld and play off of each other well and bring out the best in each other which is also very important but beyond just those offensive skills and abilities this line is really good defensively and so we have seen more and more even at home Brenda Moore has chosen to match the AHO line against the other team's top line rather than the stall line. And that has created some matchup advantages for him down the lineup when he's able to trust that line not only to go out and score but also to shut down or frustrate or interfere with the other team's top line ability to score. And that's where what Shane said came in is over a seven game series if the A line is matched up against Caulfield and company you know do you trust that you know that line will still produce maybe not as high as if they had another matchup but because of the other side of the coin where they would get into a rhythm and hopefully prevent that Caulfield line from scoring as much let's not kid ourselves that line will still score but not score as much not do as much damage then it is a bigger net positive for the Kanes overall. So that's that's the trend that I'm particularly excited about to see is in the 200 foot game and uh and chess chess matchup uh that Brenda Moore can play with that line.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

Yeah and and you know you talk about Svetnikov um you know he's had a great offensive season I mean he's tied a season high of 69 points he's got the same 30 and uh 30 goals 39 assists and he's been on a tear. But you know what he's been doing some great defensive work. I mean how many times have we seen seen him come back and make outstanding defensive plays and you're going wow this is this is really incredible because you're used to you know uh Seth Jarvis and and Sebastiana doing that kind of work but now he's uh he's drinking the Kool-Aid defensively as well. Logan Stanhovan's line has been a thrill Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 30:29

It has been they've been so hot down the stretch it's been just incredible you you're counting on them for a goal every night it's one way or another either on the power play or you know at five on five and I know five on five has been a little bit lower but it's starting to kept creep back up again too um and I I mean we've we've talked a lot um I know we've all talked a lot about Taylor Hall his his role on that line how important he is as the mentor to that line we've talked about Stancoven having a great first season as the two C in that line um or whatever number we want to call it. I know we don't number the lines here yet um but the the the player I really want to focus on is Jackson Blake because I honestly thought that this might be a tougher year for Jackson Blake given that you know the sophomore slump can be a very real thing. He was up and down in the lineup in his first year. You just didn't I didn't know 100% and then his playoffs were a bit tough on him too. So I wasn't sure how how quickly he would settle in and how well he would produce and he has exceeded my wildest expectations as a scorer on that line you know and and just you see him continuing to do things out there that you know you don't see um typically on the hurricanes you know when when he uh makes some of those moves and gets in close to the net and everything else and you know that that needs to keep happening I think that he's been a bigger factor um on that line than a lot of people even realize because so much of the attention has been on on Hall and Stancoven but uh without Blake that line isn't working either. So it's it's been fun to watch them and you know they're young they have all that energy and enthusiasm too. So um and then you know Taylor Hall I think all three of them are really necessary to that line because I don't think it's the same line without Hall either. They need that bigger physical presence and then that the the mental the maturity and the stability to to keep them grounded. And I think that we saw a little bit of that last night. It seemed like in the first period there was a little bit of hesitancy on that line as they were you know coming out against the Bruins to begin with but you know not too many shifts with with the Hall kind of calming things down and they were they were right back to business.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

So um they've been so fun to watch well Shane Logan Stancoven I mean we've debated this all year we were trying at the trade deadline to find another sentiment we had all kinds that we're on the list of course and uh we kept thinking oh boy we we can't go into the playoffs with Logan he he has been a just an incredible story um what are you seeing with Logan Stancoven um I was probably the one person that was on team Rod when everyone said oh go find and I always just went back to the everybody who asked the question I'm like well who's your guy who you're gonna go get that is that many steps ahead of Logan Stancoven if you're gonna be like oh and to me there's never really an answer in a trade deadline move anyways that you don't have to spend the farm on to get a guy back in would I have loved to have Vincent Trochik back here sure but for the price they were asking no thanks um because you're gonna buckle yourself for years to come. Every team and I talk with Mike about this day today which team that made a move is blowing people out of the water right was a great ad to Avalanche but he hasn't been helping them blow people out of the water right lost to St. Louis two nights ago they beat him last night three ones Buffalo's been stronger I think defensively with the pieces they've added but other than that any of the moves I'm not blown away saying well wish we would have done that this team just continues to kind of chug along and I think familiarity with each other I think the chemistry between Blake and Stankhoven and kind of the tight knit friendship that they have has helped them. But Logan Stankhoven is an absolute student of the game and when you watch this guy in practice how hard he works how much he's in Rod Brindamore's ear after working on face offs constantly and he knows what's being said about him. I mean as a player you're reading the media right you can see everything he's he's on a mission to prove people wrong and for a long time prove people wrong that he's the number two guy that he can be you know very similar to what Rod Brindamore did the way he plays defensive hockey the way he creates goals and I've been saying on the last few games everyone's like wow you know his size might be a problem every one of his goals have been a dead center in the middle of the net where he's getting pushed around and he's finding a rebalance to score goal. So to me the game has changed and the size thing isn't going to be an issue because of how well these two guys skate and I speak of Blake and Stenkoven Taylor Hall skates well too and the way they pursue pucks in the offensive zone to create turnovers I mean if I was a defending player they're almost like Nat and they never leave you alone just buzzing nonstop lifting your stick poking pucks away and they never go away. Like Zodorov last night looked so annoyed because these guys are just buzzing around he can't keep up to them they keep stripping pucks off them and they're almost too quick to catch. And then we talk about size and I love it that it got to this point and I just stuck in people's face because two games ago at home when the Hurricanes are playing uh now for playing uh oh the islanders oh the islanders yeah the islanders yeah sorry Logan Stankoven's going to the corner with oh Scott Mayfield who's 6'5 right yeah 222 engages early pushes him off the pot takes it past his good buddy and send the back to the net so please tell me what the problem is with his stuff we'll see you have one so you know I love it that Logan Stankhoven is you know showing people that I'm your guy and I think our fans are in love with this guy and are you always looking to add him pieces? Sure. But I go back to the trade deadline you cannot give up pieces in your roster and become better. If you give up two pieces in your roster and you get one guy back you have not gotten any better and the Hurricanes stuck with their plan they looked at things and they just you know didn't make those moves and still they still continue to show people we're the best team in the East. We're a top we didn't need a piece and so time will tell because the playoffs are always a new schedule right a new everything's at zeros and everyone's got the same thing going for them. So it's a matter of who survives um round one and round two who remains healthy who gets a hot goalie and then what I love about the playoffs in any given league there's always a story that no one expects there's always a guy who jumps out of the fog and is like who is this guy who scored two overtime winners they won a series and that's your story for the round so I'm excited for the playoffs I'm excited where this team sits and the Stan Coven line with Hall and Blake are an elite level second line right now for Rob Burnable.

SPEAKER_02 37:23

Well they are and I mean Stan Coven has uh five goals and assists in his last five games I mean he's he's just been on a tear and you're right he scores his goals in the tough areas he he loves to go in there he loves to be around the net and the other thing I've seen with Logan is I mean obviously teams are trying to crush him they're all going after him uh and he just bounces off and goes again and even gets knocked down and and away he goes um so he's a guy that uh he's got great skill we knew he could score I mean when he came to the Keynes I mean his history has been as a as a top scorer everywhere he's been so you know we knew that and he's got a fantastic attitude so you know when you think about that move with uh ranting and going to uh to Dallas and and us getting Stankoben I just feel like the person Stankoben is really is is the whole story here. He's just such a great guy and you see it in his demeanor and you see it in his plays. So it's great to see and Taylor Hall is a bit of a you know he's been he's getting a resurgence this year. You know he had a number of tough seasons as we recall injuries really kind of shackled him he played with the Hawks for a year I don't think he was too keen he comes over here he's got a new least on life and he's playing great hockey there's no question he makes a lot of plays that remind me of the days when he was doing that with the Devils and and even the Oilers. So that's exciting.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

Katie, what about Nikolai Ehlers on the stall line isn't that a story it's been a fantastic story and I think if you had told most fans at the beginning of the season that this was the line he was going to end up on there would have been an outcry of horror because what we we brought him in he's supposed to play with Awesome he's supposed to create all this offense supposed to get him away from the Winnebeg Jets uh system that he was uh dissatisfied with but it has been a perfect fit um apparently even Paul Stasney saw that and you know my former ad who also played with the hurricanes he should have those those great insights on this sort of thing and it has been good to see how well Ealers has provided that particular offensive uh edge to that line because the Jordans create so much more space in which he can operate and he has done a fantastic job in balancing out using his pass and his shot on that line because if he gets too pass happy then teams can cheat on him. If he gets too shot happy same thing. But he's really balanced it out well and found that extra level when it comes to working with that particular duo. In fact I would say he's had more success working with that duo than Jarvis or Svetch when Brindamore has chosen to to try and get the same kind of results with them on that line. And it's it's great to have that as well and Ehlers hasn't given up at much on the defensive end either. It doesn't feel like Stahl and Martin Durker having to cover for him back in the defensive zone or make up for having him on that line. He is carrying his weight there as well which like I mentioned with Aho's line is a less tangible contribution that he is making but important and valuable nonetheless. In fact if you look at his going back to the offensive zone if you look at his hockey viz chart part of what makes him so effective is that his shots on goal are coming from everywhere in the zone.

SPEAKER_02 40:59

He is not just concentrated on one area of the ice he is a threat everywhere from goal line to blue line from left to right center perimeter it doesn't matter Ehlers is providing a scoring threat for the canes when he is on the ice yeah and the thing about Nikolai Ehlers that I see is he can create something out of nothing like he's a guy that can take the puck from his own zone he can get into the O zone and he doesn't give the the puck away easily he's not a guy that rushes in and quickly passes it away he's he's uh he's surveying the ice he's he sees the ice very very well and we've seen him score some of those goals where he kind of circles around and ends up with the blue line next thing you know it's in the net so he's a guy that uh can can really drive offense and and he has helped uh one of his winemates have a pretty darn good season Aaron Jordan Stahl with 19 goals.

SPEAKER_00 41:53

Yeah we're waiting for Stahl goal number 20 I've got four games left to do it. I mean wouldn't that be a great way to end the season on a high note with the with Stahl becoming a scorer and uh you know I I think that that um you know we'll probably touch on that coming up but but uh he's he's had the the offensive touch and and having Ehlers on that line is is gonna give those opportunities because there's a lot of you know when you have somebody like that who can like Katie said shoot from anywhere and score from anywhere you also have a guy who's going to be creating some some nice little net front rebounds and and uh when when stalls out there providing that net front you know there's gonna be some goals going in you know wherever they may end up bouncing in off of so um that's a that's been a fun thing to see too so yeah it would be incredible if he has 20 goals wait how many you were it's several years it's like I don't know eight years or whatever number of years since he had 20 goals whatever it is um I wanted to bring up the fourth line because you mentioned this Shane and and I'm not quite on the same page as you I've got concerns for the fourth line um I know their you know their their job is to be a heavy line for sure.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

I was kind of excited when uh uh Nicholas Delorier was in uh called the Bash brothers him and uh Carrier shaking things up in the ozone i i haven't been as excited with Eric Robinson lately since uh he came back from injury I think he's still struggling a bit with that that line has really dried up offensively and historically in the playoffs yeah the fourth line has to be a heavy line for you but they do have to deliver some offense what are you thinking with this fourth line are they going to be able to get it done I do think they're gonna be able to get it done and I think I agree with you there Robinson still dealing uh with some nagging issues that hopefully these next few days you know allows him to rest and prepare. I think his speed in the playoffs is going to be very much needed. I also think you know the toughness of McLeurin Carey running around and having a presence is going to be a huge factor when you get enough scoring from your top lines. I don't think I'm not concerned enough to say oh the amount of scoring they were going to do is dried up where it's going to have an effect on this team. I think their physicality Jankelski being able to kill penalties um obviously Robinson when he's in a lineup to go on penalties is a big deal. Moving forward obviously you got to look for Jankowski to be winning faceoffs inside the faceoff circle is going to be another huge factor for me. But I just love the way William Curry is playing out is probably the best I've seen him play since being a Carolina Hurricane. Right. The physical presence he's had the creating chances he scores a big goal last night when he's on the ice with Stall Martin of it's moving in the right direction. I don't have a concern with where they are. I think that's the type of game you need in the playoffs just from a clear momentum shift sometimes. And I think all those players kind of fit the bill perfectly. And there's always secret weapons if you need to add something on a fourth line, like a Bradley and a Doe, you just need some goals around. I mean, there's assets that if things are dried up and you think you need more goals that line, you have ways to utilize maybe some useful talent in a situation where they see no pressure, they see no press, and they just jump into a lineup and kind of get things flowing in the right direction.

Power Play Explosion & Why It Works

SPEAKER_02 45:10

Well, I certainly was drinking the Kool-Aid of Nicholas Delorie after the Islander game. He had nine hits. And I don't remember a cane having nine. It's actually uh the top this year is uh is uh is Alonson with uh with the um uh Seattle Kraken who had 12. So if the other lines are scoring the way they have up until now, all these guys have to do is be a heavy force. I wanted to spend a minute on special teams. I think this is a story that uh is worth certainly spending time on. You know, they they have this 100 rule, uh, which is the combination of your penalty kill numbers along with your power play numbers. Uh the canes are combined 104.8%. And and you know, I trick I know Trip talks about this a lot and says anything over 100% is is outstanding. Um the power play has been ridiculous. I mean it's been insane. Did you see this coming, Shay?

SPEAKER_01 46:08

Well, I don't know if I saw it coming, I was hopeful. I thought they would I thought they definitely had had the talent to get where it needed to be. You know, the start of the year it wasn't there. And you guys were talking about Nikolai Ehlers a few moments ago, and he to me is a straw that stirs the drain, right? I think having him to the flank, you have ghosts at the top. You obviously had time without ghosts, Nick utilizes the base spot, which gives you different looks. But to me, Nikolai Ehlers has been the guy to really ignite the power play. Because I think a lot of people overlook the fact that he plays on both.

unknown 46:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:43

If Jordan Stall immediately loses a faceoff and comes off, healers comes on, and he never comes off the ice again with the second unit coming over the board. He is the guy moving pucks around, he changes the different looks, he loves getting in motion all over the offensive zone, and he's a big reason in my mind that the power plays clip in where it is. Now, I also agree with Rod when he talks about he's like, we were getting chances, this wasn't going in. And now there is a caveat to the puck is going in there. It's just the way it goes in sport, and you can't really explain it. You can have point-blank range, and you know, you're getting robbed night after night, and all of a sudden everything starts going in. And that's kind of where it is now. I mean, Andre Spenskov scores scores on a ricochet off of foot last night. You have to get bounces, the puck has to find the back of the net. But the power play was never a doubt. The talent was there, it's just a matter of when it starts to clip in the right direction. And the good news for Rod Brinnamore, it's red hot right now as you get closer to the playoffs, and it's something you're gonna need because defense in the playoffs is what wins championships. So five on five, things are tight as a drum. Your power play has to be effective and it has to get you a goal on a nightly basis to help you win games in the playoffs.

SPEAKER_02 47:53

You know, and that's been a challenge for the Kanes in recent years. Um the power play has dried up. Uh teams have been able to focus in on the top lines and shut them down. And and as you say, it's really tough defensive uh struggles. And and getting special teams, I think that's and Rod's talked about this a lot. Special teams are really the difference. You've got to kill those penalties, and then you've got to score in your power plays. But you know, their numbers are are gaudy. I mean, they're ridiculous. Uh since January 1st, 31.6 percent, obviously number one. I mean, it's insane numbers. Uh we were, Shane, the three of us were pulling our hair out in November and December. I mean, literally. I mean, they were sending a 30th, 13.7 percent on December 5th. And we did a podcast around that time, and we were just going nuts. What are we gonna do? This is insane.

SPEAKER_01 48:44

And the funny thing is, you know, Rod, nothing's really changed besides he puts Jordan Stahl in the ice to win face-offs, which was a big factor. They were losing a ton of face-offs early in the season. So now you have puck possession. You know, stall in front of the net, I think, is a huge part as well, besides Ehlers. I think just having that body around the front of the net because before it was stall, it was Svetch. And I'm like, well, I don't want Svetch there. He's my shooter. But so Svetch fears off to the side. Now you're just in a U shape, just shooting pucks at a goalie who sees everything. So putting Jordan Stahl there is a big help. The puck movement has gotten much better. I always used to say this at the start of the year when it wasn't going well, like you have to fire a pass through the scene. I said, even if it's not to a shot, a pass somewhere has to break down the box and goes through the scene to force these guys to start chasing. Then you have them on the run and you can capitalize. Um, I think they're more dynamic now with the number of different looks they have. And you can see, no different than whether it's any sport or really any job, when someone is on their game, everything looks easier. And they're a step ahead. They move it around the top as quickly. If they got a shot, they're taking it. But if it's not there, they already know we have the downplay coming next where we can get it down low and roll off the goal line. So they're just a step ahead right now. And when you're feeling that kind of mojo, 31%, you're rolling in the right direction. And every time you see the rest arm go up, those guys just, you know, kind of start salivating on the bench saying, here we go again, let's get another one in the back of the net. So you want to keep this rhythm going. You won't you don't want to have any bumps in the road these last four games. If there's one area, right, you're taking guys into a lineup, whether they're resting or they need if they're injured, the power play is something you want to keep hammering for four games. You want to keep driving nails into the, you know, and then making sure that is where you want it to be when the playoffs begin.

Penalty Kill Identity & Goalie Factor

SPEAKER_02 50:37

Yeah, and one of the things we talked about was this whole question of uh, you know, zone entry. Uh for a long time, of course, Marty Natchez was uh the magic man. He'd uh he'd carry the puck up, get it in the zone, and you've got him, of course, your spammy case, because he does it with uh with the avalanche. But he was outstanding. And he and when he left, I mean that was a big hole. All of a sudden you've got two guys that can do it. And Nikolai Eaglers and Logan Stanhoven is they're both outstanding at getting that puck into the offensive zone and setting up. And I think that's a huge difference because even if they're, you know, they lose the face-off, the draw, and it goes back in their own zone, they're coming up and they're getting into the zone and getting set up. And this was an area I think they had a lot of trouble with early in the season. So that's uh that's fantastic. And boy oh boy, every time they get out on the on the power play, we're just wondering are they gonna plot another one? It's insane. Now, the penalty kill has not been quite the same, and we talked earlier about the fact that, of course, you know, early parts of the season without Jacob Slavin, who has been the you know incredible defensive guy on the on the PK, missing him was huge. Katie, what are you seeing with the PK right now?

SPEAKER_04 51:50

I think the PK is doing fine. I wouldn't go much above or beyond or below that. Um they are doing what they do best as far as denying zone entries and not allowing other teams to get set up where they get themselves in trouble are those few times where they try to clear the zone, the other team gets control, and before they can get back into their into their structure, into their system, the the other team manages to get one behind Freddie or Bussy. Yeah. But I think it's encouraging that they are having that kind of success when they're denying the zone entries because that's going to be key come playoff time. And because they are such a threat going the other way, they have scored so many short-handed goals, especially of late. And it's come from a lot of it's come from Aho and Jarvis, but not just Aho and Jarvis. It's been coming from other sources as well. And so that has to be in the back of the minds of the opposing power play because they know they have to be perfect with the puck because if they make one bobble or one other miscue, then it is going to be rammed down their throat in the other direction with a high likelihood of going in the back of their own net. And so I think those two particular qualities of the PK are what have me most encouraged moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 53:11

Aaron, what do you think they have to do to get back to the level of PK that we have for so many seasons?

SPEAKER_00 53:20

Well, I think that you have to look at um, you know, and I hear I'm gonna throw some flowers at a player that I wasn't all that kind to when he was here, but you know, I know Katie's uh got Brett Burns on their team now, and Burns was really good on the on the penalty kill. That is something that he's adapted to in his game as he's gotten to be an older player. I don't know if he's still on the penalty kill in Colorado right now. Katie, I haven't been watching, but but he has been good. So sometimes when you lose someone like that, then and you you know you restructure the units and you have different people playing in some of those roles, you know, it just takes a little time to figure that all out and find it. And I would say back at the early part of the season, when that should have been happening, it wasn't happening because the defensive core was so injured. So you were putting different defensemen on the PK all of the time. And so that makes it very hard when you finally do establish these are my you know units and these are the this is the extra group that can come in when one of these guys is in the box. I mean, I don't think the Keynes even got to that point until probably shortly before the Olympic break when Jacob Slavin started playing games again, you know. So, I mean, what you can't really expect a penalty kill to be humming along at perfect level when you don't even have the same defensive uh uh groups out there all the time. You know, the the you're gonna have your defensemen with your forwards on the PK and you didn't have the same ones, they weren't building chemistry, they weren't getting that communication strategy down, you know, until relatively late in the season. So I don't know down the, you know, how the numbers look just since a certain point. I haven't really looked at that. I know they did go through a little bit of a dip there, you know, when they were really struggling. But um, but I I think a lot of it was just getting to where, okay, these are RPK guys, and you know, and and we're gonna use them pretty much exclusively unless you know one of them's in the box. They normally that would be the first month of the season, it would all be figured out, you know, but with so many injuries on the blue line, you didn't have the luxury of building those pairs early on.

SPEAKER_02 55:18

Yeah, and we talked about, I mean, last year's decor was a heavy decor uh in the in their zone. I mean, you had Slaven and you had Burns, and then you had Orlov and you had Chatfield. And these guys uh they really looked after, you know, keeping people pushed out of the way and and uh clearing the you know the in front of the net and so on. And I think that's been a bit of a challenge because a bit of a different decor now. Um, you know, particularly when you've got Walker and and uh K Andre Miller. Uh Miller, he's a he's a master with his deck. He's not a guy that generally does a lot of heavy lifting. And I think the same with uh, I mean, Walker, he hits anything, but you know, he's he can be pushed around too. So they're a little bit different, and you know, I think that's affected, certainly affected the PK as the season has gone on. But I think you're right too, Aaron. It's it's just getting everybody in, getting them seated, uh, giving them a chance to kind of feel comfortable with each other uh in the uh in the PK situation. I I don't know. How do you feel about it, Shane? What are your thoughts on the PK?

SPEAKER_01 56:19

Well, I agree early on in the season you're missing Jacob Slavon, which is a massive hole. Um, I also think you talk about Keandre Miller and Alex McKeeshim. This penalty kill system is extremely difficult when you have two new guys that are just thrown into the mix because Shane Gosser doesn't kill a lot of penalties. So now you have two new guys out there, and if it's off, if you're a step off, it looks like it did at the start of the season. But when it's on, it's one of the most effective. I think they do such a good job of not allowing entries, something you talked about where the power play was so good, Tom. Denying entries is uh, you know, penalty kill does a tremendous job, but in zone, creating the pressure, creating turnovers, and getting it down the ice. I also think the big reason a lot of people talked about Kokadiami, oh, he should play here, he should play here. But a big reason why I'm on the side of Rod and when he leaves Jankowski in is because he kills penalties, and I think it's so much more effective when you can have three sets of forwards coming over the boards. Early in the season, it was only four guys, and I think that took a lot of juice out of the guys' power play five on five when they're coming out of it. When you're only rolling four guys nonstop and you're in penalty trouble, it is extremely taxing. So just adding Jankowski and Robinson to the mix alleviates that type of pressure, allows your lines to come back five on five intact and breath. And I think it's been a huge asset. Obviously, getting Jacob Slayton back is you know a wish of any team uh when you come into the second half of the season, go into the playoffs, and the penalty kill continues to clip along. But you know, the one area too. If you ask any coach, who's gonna be your best penalty killer? And it's the goalie.

SPEAKER_02 57:59

It's a goalie.

SPEAKER_01 58:00

And I think that's you know, where people are gonna talk about it, ah, could have used a stave right there, right? And that's not every night, it's not pointing fingers at the goalies. When you don't have an extra guy and there is that breakdown or they make a great play, that's when you need that save. And we've had it, and we haven't had it. And I think that's affected the percentage sometimes on the penalty kill as well.

Rest Versus Seeding In Final Games

SPEAKER_02 58:21

Yeah, that makes sense. And I mean, early in the season, Brandon Bussey was making those saves, and and you know, you just sit there and go, you've got to be kidding, those are incredible saves. And now we're seeing some of those go in. And, you know, that's back to you know, we talked about Freddie Anderson in the playoffs, and and you know, he played very, very well, but then he let one in, a soft one. You know, he should have had that, whatever the case may be, and all of a sudden the games are in trouble. So that's uh that's something we're gonna be hoping that uh doesn't rear its ugly head as we get into the playoffs for sure. You know, as we look ahead, um big question. They got four games now, they're on the road. What do they do? Do they go for the highest possible position? Like, do they try to end up just behind Colorado and and uh have whole nice advantage for virtually everybody but Colorado if they get there? Uh or do they rest players? Do they call some folks up in Chicago? Do they just decide, hey, we'll put in some of the guys that have been sitting out? What are we thinking about this? Why don't you kick it off, Shane?

SPEAKER_01 59:25

Well, I'm not in these conversations in locker room number one, but my first conversation with Rod Brindamore, if I was him, would be with the trainers. And say, what are guys where are guys at? What do they need to be? Because I want 100% 10 days from now. And that's how I'm making my decision. I think even if you're you're not pulling out six guys, that's not happening. So if you need to take a couple guys out here and there, you still have the full ability to beat the Chicago Blackhawks without a doubt. Then you're gonna face three teams that are scratching and climb. So can you get a position where you scratch a couple points out to where Buffalo and Tampa can't catch? So you just solidify it. But my in my opinion, my 100% thing is health over first place in the East. Because first place only in the East only matters if all the top teams win. Yes, right? If you're not gonna catch Colorado, well, what if they lose? Then you're sitting in a good place anyway. Health to me is the most important thing. I'm not playing the guy in a back-to-back in Philadelphia and the Islanders if he's dealing with something that I need him five days from now. You're really having those conversations with your trainers to make sure your team is ready to go when the playoffs starts. I can also tell you, these guys are going out to win every game. They're not stepping into Chicago being like, oh, you know, let's just get through this 60 and go fly to Utah. They're professionals. They're gonna go all out to win each and every game, uh, to make sure they're doing it right, because that's the other piece. You don't want to take two weeks off of your game and think you can get up to speed when the playoffs start. These guys need to be going. I would love to see the full lineup against the Islanders and utilize these first three if you need to pull guys in and out just so your team is ready when the playoffs begin.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:09

Yeah. Well, Katie, when you look at the four row games, what do you feel the Keynes are gonna need to do to end up in first place with these?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:20

Well, like Chen said, I definitely think taking that first one in Chicago is a must. There's no reason, even if they do sub a couple of guys, and that they shouldn't be able to win that if they are playing at least their B game. Um and Utah is pretty much locked into their spot. They're not going anywhere, they're far away from Minnesota. They can't catch Minnesota for third in the central, and nobody's catching them for the first wild card. So you know, they they that should be a very winnable game as well. And then you just have to see what Tampa and Buffalo have done and go from there. I think there's a good chance that they could get first in the East, but if they don't, it's like Shane mentioned, it's not that big a deal until you get to the Eastern Conference final. And as we saw, um correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the the Canes had home ice advantage against the Panthers last year in the Eastern Conference Final. And they but they didn't have Chatfield and Walker. So there's a lot of debate. Would that series have turned out differently if they had been healthy? I think we all definitely think it would have been a much more competitive series if they had had Chatfield and Walker instead of Morrow and Nikitian in that position. So I'm definitely uh it'd be great to have first in the east, but more important to go in with a full healthy lineup because you never know what's going to happen after that. And the healthier they can be, the more likely that they'll go deep this season.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:50

Aaron, what do you think about the importance of Home Ice Advantage?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:55

Well, I had an interesting little comment. Um I asked this question out on uh Twitter yesterday, and I got a comment this morning from Todd Gibson of WCAN, and he said he'd talk to Rod and he'd asked him pretty much that question. And uh Rod said his preference would be to have fewer practices, shorter practices, an optional like what he did today, and you know, keep things pretty much rolling. That doesn't mean he won't rest a couple guys, according to what Todd repeated. He said, you know, that he's certainly opening to do open to doing that. But that's not um that's not how he's seeing this as a priority, like you know, to go in and ice and a wolves roster, you know, against uh Chicago. I mean, I think I honestly think that, and I'm biased, but I think the Chicago Wolves could give the Chicago Blackhawks a pretty good run for their money right now. But but that's just you know being a little bit of a homer there. Um but yeah, as as far as you're not gonna you're not gonna start doing that using all your emergency call-ups and everything, because they're battling for the playoffs too. So you're, you know, that's not that's not uh something you want to do. Um but um but yeah, it does make sense for them to rest some guys along the stretch. And the the two that I most hope will get maybe a consideration as far as forwards um defense, it may be down to whether, for instance, if Chatfield could really use a game or two off if they you know, even if he's not, you know, super injured and and all that. But you know, you don't want to aggravate something if there's something that happens. So, you know, give him give him the extra time when that you have the ability to do that. You've got Mike Riley. So but um if you have uh any forwards at all, I would I would like to see the possibility, depending on how things go and where they are, of of uh Sebastian Onahome and Seth Jarvis. And it's just because of the sheer number of games those two have played, the sheer amount of hockey that they have played this year with the all the extra games in the Olympics. And I think that getting them a couple of extra games, especially Jarvis after that hit he took from Zadorov last night, and I know he was fine, but that's not a fun thing to be, you know, taking right there. So, you know, let them maybe get a little bit of time to rest those bumps and bruises, you know. I think that we'll see them. I mean, they've already um been playing really well, but I think we'll see them hit another level if they get a little bit of rest. So as it progresses, maybe in the game against Chicago, or maybe by the time they get to the Flyers game, if they're already, if they've already got home ice advantage, if they've already managed between a combination of their wins and everybody else's losses. And one thing I keep reminding people is that um Buffalo, Tampa, and Montreal being the three teams that are at 102, um, Tampa and Montreal play each other Thursday. So they can't both come out of that game with the full number of points. Um, one of them may uh may come out of that game exactly with uh where they are at 102, you know. Um the worst case scenario for the Keynes would be for them to take that game to overtime because then everybody gets at least something. Exactly. But but if they if somebody wins that game in regulation, then you've got one team that's that's that much further below where the Keynes will be. So I think that as all that transpires and as all that unfolds, they're gonna make these decisions on the fly. And I agree with you, Shane. Rest is important.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:06

Well, interesting. Montreal also goes to New York to play the Islanders, a desperate Islanders team that needs to win out.

Final Thoughts: Playoff Outlook & Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 1:06:13

Yep. Yeah. Exactly. Well, interesting. You mentioned uh you mentioned the Chicago Blackhawks being uh a possible opportunity for the Chicago Wolves. Well, interestingly enough, of course, the Blackhawks have several players that they brought up through the season from Rockford, and uh Chicago's done very well against the Rock. So, yeah, that's a good story. Okay, so closing thoughts, uh, just a few thoughts as we uh look ahead to finishing the season and uh getting prepared for the playoffs. Shane, why don't you kick it off?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:45

Uh, just excitement. I think this team has been so impressive all season long in the way they play. And when this team is on and you go to the Islanders game, you give up two shots in the first period, four shots in the second period, six shots total going to a third period. It really blows my mind how much they suppress teams with creating opportunities in the offensive zone. And I'm excited for the playoffs to get here. I want to see an exciting last four games, obviously. Putting atop the east would be a great feat, but as we hear from the players in the locker room all the time, that hasn't been our goal all season long. And everyone knows what their goal is. And I think this team is primed and will be extremely healthy when we get to the playoffs and ready to kind of take off, if you will, you know, the kryptonite of the Florida Panthers over the past couple years. And I think the East is going to be exciting, but I think it's gonna be wide open. Everyone's got zeros on the board when it starts, and the East is gonna be wide open with some great teams and some great hockey. It's the best time of year. Um, even with the pollen we breathe in every single day in North Carolina, it's the best time of year, and the playoffs are around the corner, and we couldn't be more excited.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:57

Well, that's a that's a great story, and the pollen for sure has uh got us all kind of uh sneezing and doing different things. You mentioned uh kryptonite. I've been watching uh with my wife, we've been watching the Smallville series from some years ago, and there's a lot of fun beginning the kryptonite. So I thought that was kind of cute. Um Aaron?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:16

Well, I think I've got two observations. The first one is I feel like that there has never been a time um that I can remember watching the Carolina Hurricanes when it felt like those last 10, eight, four games just went so slowly. I mean, it feels like we've been waiting to get to the playoffs for the last month. And, you know, I think that that's kind of a measure of where they are right now, that none of these games really feel like they mean anything. We knew they were gonna clinch, we knew they were gonna clinch the metro, the East is still up for grabs, we'll see what happens there. But but it's it nobody's excited about that right now. It was more like, well, that's that's a foregone conclusion that they're gonna do that. So let's get on to the real meaningful stuff. The other thing is that, you know, when we talk about the Keynes style of play and how things have changed a little this year with the higher goal scoring, maybe a little bit more adventuresome uh issues, both positive and negative defensively, and and uh and all of the goaltending and everything else. It's been a long time since I've heard a national broadcast commentator say that the Carolina Hurricanes are boring. They're not a boring team this year. I feel like that is going into this this week's playoffs. We're not gonna hear that they're boring because there's they're not playing the same way that they have in the past. And they're, you know, they're getting a lot more offense out of this this lineup. So you can't, you know, you last night's game was certainly not boring. And uh maybe we should have been a little more boring. I think Rod would have preferred that, but um we're we're not we're not seeing that. We're not seeing that particular label being thrown against the Carolina Hurricanes this year. And I think that that's gonna be something to watch for as the playoffs begin and those broadcasts kind of start to go national, and and we see how how the canes are are looked at. Because in the few national broadcasts that I have watched this year, I've not heard the word boring once.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:05

That's uh that's quite a good observation because, of course, we have heard in previous years, and uh they will not say that this year, I'm sure. Katie, wrapping up.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:15

I think the thing that gives me the most encouragement, besides all of the stats and trends that we've already hit on and talked about, is just the fact that this year's canes are very adaptable. In the past, uh the canes had the reputation of dumping chase, throw pucks on net, hope you get lucky. And they have been so much more than that. Um one of my favorite guests that are on the broadcast recently have been has been Mike Kelly, who's done a lot of the stats and stuff, and he's really touched on the rush chances that have been created um by the canes and how successful they have been with that. And so I think that the canes can play their style, but if another team changes it up or frustrates it a little bit, they are going to be adaptable. They'll be able to switch back to that dump and chase mode if that's what they need to do in order to get um pucks deep into the offensive zone, or they can tighten it up in the neutral zone, they can lock it down wherever they need to lock it down, or they can open it up where it needs to be opened up. And because there are so many different types of teams in the East that they are potentially gonna have to go through, I think that's gonna give them a big advantage moving forward because I truly believe they can play with anybody, but I don't think that most teams can play with them, at least not for a seven-game series.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:34

Yeah, I totally agree. Um they're a different team this year, and and I think that's where we kicked all of this off saying, you know, is this is this the season where you know it all comes together? And and you know the other thing I want to mention just as wrapping up is the work that Eric Tulski and his team did. You know, putting this team together and going back to a couple of years ago where we had the you know that very difficult uh cap situation. We had players leaving, players we loved, in fact, heading out. And he went and found a bunch of players. You know, he gets Walker, he gets Gostasbury, you know, he gets uh Robinson, he gets others. And those folks have all been significant contributors. So I think there's a a lot of different stories here. Gosh, we could talk about Tom Dundan and what he's done to support all of this. Um, so it's a great story, and and hopefully this is the year the Kings the Kinks go indeed. Shane, as always, it's just a pleasure to have you on. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:35

Well, it's it was great to see y'all again, enjoyed the time, and uh we're a week away, so we got to get our rest and get ready to uh enjoy the playoffs, what we hope will be a very long playoff run into June.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:49

Well, yeah, we certainly feel that, and and hopefully we can have you come back at some point if it is a long run and uh and join us as we continue to follow very closely uh what happens with the Canes uh as they round out the season and head into the playoffs. For those of you who've been watching or listening, of course, we're delighted you spent time with us today. If you like the episode, please press the like button. If you have comments or questions to anyone on the group, uh please put those in the comment section. Of course, if you want to be alerted of future episodes of Storm Tracker, please press the subscribe and the bell button, and you'll be made aware just as soon as they're available. As always, we thank you so much for spending time with us and look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on StormTracker.