Jakub Dobes vs. Freddie Andersen | Can a Rookie Steal the Series?

The Hurricanes just did something that almost never happens: two straight playoff sweeps, then a long pause to breathe while the bracket catches up. That rest has everyone asking the same question, is it a gift or a trap? We dig into Carolina’s winning formula and what actually shows up on the ice, starting with Freddie Andersen’s outrageous form. When your goalie is calm, aggressive in his crease, and stopping the few chances that leak through a smothering team defense, it changes how hard a team can press. We also talk about the small but fascinating detail around his gear and why confidence and comfort matter this time of year.

Then we get into the engines of Carolina’s depth: the “Junkyard Dawgs” line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, and Jackson Blake. We break down why their chemistry travels, how their roles can swap on the fly, and why their process holds up even when the puck is not going in. From there, the episode turns to special teams, where Carolina’s penalty kill has been elite, and Montreal’s power play is red hot behind Lane Hutson’s puck movement and the finishing touch of Cole Caufield. That clash, plus discipline, could swing games fast.

We also lay out the concerns: the need for a five on five breakout from Sebastian Aho’s line, faceoff struggles, and the power play execution that has to look sharper. Finally, we scout the Canadiens, including rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, Montreal’s youth and resilience, and why Carolina’s relentless style and depth might turn fatigue into the storyline. Subscribe, share this with a fellow hockey fan, and leave a review with your series pick and the one player you think decides it.

Highlights:

• Freddie Andersen’s calm dominance and why the rest matters
• The “Junkyard Dawgs” line and how Hall, Stankoven, and Blake tilt the ice
• Playoff penalty kill details and the players doing the heavy lifting
• why we need more five on five offense from Sebastian Aho’s line
• what looks off on the power play and why Gostisbehere is the linchpin
• Face-off struggles and how Carolina wins anyway with pressure and support
• Mark Jankowski’s extension, Charlie Cerrato’s deal, and the center market
• Scouting Montreal’s lineup, Jakub Dobes, and the matchup issues
• Canadiens power play versus Hurricanes penalty kill and the discipline key
• Resilience versus relentlessness and how fatigue could decide the series
• Quick hit Western Conference Final thoughts on Colorado and Vegas

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

Transcript

Playoff Setup & Big Questions

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Well, Carolina Hurricanes fans are a buzz after the Kanes knocked out the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games, the only team in this year's playoffs to win both of their first round series in four straight. After dealing with the Sens and the Flyers in short order, the Canes have been resting, waiting to see who their opponent in the Eastern Conference Final would be. What contributed to the Canes' winning formula in their sweep with the Flyers? What areas of improvement can make a difference versus the Canadians? How does Montreal disrupt the Canes' winning formula and make it a series? And what might we expect in the Western Conference Final? Joining me as always to discuss this and more, Storm Tracker Hockey Savants, Aaron and Katie. Ladies, lots to talk about.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

Yep. Fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Okay, so uh we wanted to kick it off and talk a little bit uh about the winning formula for the canes. You know, winning two series and four straight is incredible. Uh but there is a big story that has been talked about an awful lot with the media, and that's Freddie Anderson. Katie, thoughts on Fred.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Well, Freddie has just been absolutely spectacular. The Canes have provided their normal smothering system of defense, but we all know that

Freddie Andersen Sets The Tone

SPEAKER_00 1:34

chances do get through occasionally, and Freddie has been up to the task for sure. He has lived up to his nickname of the Great Dane. His numbers are absolutely sterling. It's what is it, around a 950 save percentage, a 1.20 or something like that. Very close. Yeah. I mean, it's been fantastic. I don't think we've ever seen Freddy's level of play this high, which is to say something, because he's had some good runs in the playoffs before, but nothing like this. And the great thing is because the Canes have provided him with enough run support, they haven't needed to go deep in any of their series, and he has gotten plenty of rest to stay fresh and be able to stay locked in. And so he has just been great. It's ice in the veins. That's what he is, is he's just calm, cool, collected back there in the net. Nothing seems to phase him. When there's a lot of chances going on around him, he is just that steady presence there, with not phased, not bothered at all by what's going on around him. Even to the point where he's felt confident enough to go out and challenge some of the other players that are that are encroaching in his space and and be very assertive in taking control of his crease. So it has been great to see how well he has backstop the canes because if the team has confidence in their goaltender, they are going to play even stronger, even more uh uh hard-nosed and aggressive hockey because they know that he has their back.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Well, for sure. And and you know, he he he's played just eight games in his last 39 days. So do we think Freddy's rested? You know, we think about some of the you know the past years with the Canes where he was he carried a huge load. And for sure, uh as the series went deep, it was uh it was a lot for Fred. And I think this year is is quite different in that regard. And there's the other story that I'm finding very intriguing as well, and that's the discussion about him changing his pad size. Now, this is uh this is interesting. He's gone to a smaller pad, and this this is uh a lot of folks believe that he's much more nimble, he's uh much quicker moving side to side, and uh, and his you know, the trip tracy likes to call him the flipper pads, and he'll kick out those flippers. Well, he's he's definitely doing that. I think I think the other the other point, and I heard uh I heard Freddie on an interview with the NHL Network talking about he's he just feels really comfortable and confident right now. He's feeling great, and he feels it's kind of uh echoed in the team as well. So um, you know, he's a guy that uh, as we know, doesn't say a lot, but his actions are definitely uh speaking loudly these days. So great stuff for uh for Mr. Anderson. So another one of the winning formula areas, of course, and you can't miss this one, is the junkyard dogs, as they're so called now. Kind of fun stuff, I guess, uh uh with some uh some interesting folks uh getting on board with that. Obviously, that's um Taylor Hall, uh Logan Stankhoven, and uh of course Jackson Blake, that great unit. And uh Aaron, why don't you talk about the dogs?

SPEAKER_02 5:03

Well, they've just been impressive every night. Um they, you know,

The "Junkyard Dawgs" Line Breakdown

SPEAKER_02 5:07

um uh Logan Stankhoven leads the Canes in goals, I believe, was seven, and he had um three of them in this uh series against the Flyers. So um cooled off just slightly, maybe, but no, not enough to make a difference. Um he's uh the the three of them have contributed both at 515 and on the power play, which I know we're gonna get to that eventually, but that's been important for the Kanes as they get through this. Um Taylor Hall has been turning heads with his resurgence as a player. You know, he has not uh looked this good in many years, and he's been not been clearly as happy and having as much fun in his presence on that line as the veteran, and also the only one who can reach things from the top shelf. I'm kidding, but has been fantastic. Listen, I'm five foot two, I'm allowed to make those jokes. But no, he's he's been fantastic as a as a solid presence beside um the two young kids because both uh Stankoven and Blake are very young. So um kind of keeping them even keel and and not letting them get too frustrated in those moments when you know they need a goal and they can't quite get one, you know. So that's been helpful too. And then Jackson Blake has been, I think, kind of the unsung hero on that line. He hasn't had as many of those big flashy moments, perhaps, um, in in terms of the goal scoring, um, uh, you know, but he has put up a lot of points in these eight games, and he's been uh, you know, a really big contributor to the way they create the offense because he is a threat that other teams have to watch out for too, and that draws defenders away from uh Logan Stankoven. So altogether they're just they've they've put together a magic formula that seems to be working as well, you know, through two series as it did in the very first uh game. So it's you know, the regular season chemistry they built up has carried over and they haven't had any, you know, lapses in place. So that's gonna be a big key to how well they do against uh the HABs in this upcoming series. We're gonna be watching that closely.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Katie, any thoughts uh on the dogs?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

I just love how they seem to be able to switch out with each other depending on the role needed. They can you I I would say that Logan Stankhoven is the net driver. He's the one that goes to the center of the ice and takes the play to the net. But if he's in the quarter battling for a puck, then Blake or Hall is willing to take over that role in order to create the time and space needed for that trio with their defensive support to create um opportunities and looks and to go hunt pucks and and regain it. There they are they all can shoot, they all have shown that because of the goals they've scored, they all can distribute. And so while we would perhaps uh assign them a particular role that they are most comfortable with or they most commonly fill, all of them can take on any of that role and and support. And it's really been key the adaptability of that line in order to maintain their their success and their um their level of play. Even when they don't score, they tend to hem the other team in to their own end and create lots of looks, opportunities, get the goalie to freeze the puck in order to give the next line an opportunity to continue that pressure and get up uh chances on net. So they've it it hasn't just been the goals, and I think that's what's encouraging and uh going forward as far as uh continuing their success is that it's not just about results, it's about their process and the way that they go about playing. And so it it the one thing I will be interested to see is how does Montreal try to match up against that line? Because the first two series, the matchup was more focused, I think, on Aho's line and limiting Aho's line. But with the the success of the Steinhoven line, is perhaps does perhaps the focus then shift to perhap to neutralizing them and daring Aho's line to uh to take advantage of that to produce where they have not yet produced. So I will be very interested to see how that goes moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Yeah, for sure. And you know, you look at uh I mean Taylor Hull, he's got 12 points, he's 10th in the NHL in scoring, which is great. And that's just in eight games. So, you know. Um, of course, Logan's got seven goals in eight games, and Jackson Blake, he's only got eleven points in eight games. So, I mean, you know, interesting thing about Blake, he was a fourth rounder. There's no way that you could have four you know suggested that he'd be doing this at this stage of his career, and he's just uh he's just lighting it up something incredible. And the interesting thing was that when I watched him when he was at North Dakota and he was playing in you know, like the frozen four pre-stuff and so on, um I I gotta tell you, he was doing the same thing. He just controlled the puck on the ice, he was incredible, and he was he was dominant. So he's he's carried that over, and you know, he's he's getting in the dirty areas just like uh like Logan. And the other thing I like about the guys is that all three of them are playing heavy. Like they're all getting in and pushing and shoving and hitting, and you know, like and and Eric Tulski was talking about this. Somebody said, you know, these guys are smaller, and how's that working? And he said, You can see it. They're out there making it happen. And uh, and I think that's a key part of, of course, Taylor Hall uh does a lot of that good work. So great line. They've been uh red hot for weeks, so I see no reason for them to uh cool off too much at this stage. So even if to your point, Katie, Montreal starts to put certain people against them, I think they're still gonna have pretty good success. So that's great. Um okay, another part of the uh you know, the uh winning formula for the canes was the penalty kill. And what a story that's been. That's just been incredible. And you look at, you know, where they sit right now, and they have uh 95% success rate. Aaron, what can you tell us about the PK?

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Well, that's a pretty absurd success rate to have, you know. Um I think they've uh that they've only allowed two power play goals in the entire playoffs

A Playoff Level Penalty Kill

SPEAKER_02 11:21

so far. And then you have to subtract one kind of in a way because they had a short-handed goal against Philadelphia as well. So, you know, that that ends up being a net zero, you know, for the other team in terms of how that works. Um, we know what that's like. I think um the the Canes unfortunately have been on the other side of that before in the playoffs. So um the the the fact that they are you know able to succeed at that level against um the Ottawa Senators power play and then the Philadelphia Flyers power play. I mean, these are not power plays that that are maybe you know the best in the league, but they certainly have some incredible shooters and some incredible scorers. And they, you know, there was no way going in to expect that they would be this limited because the Keynes uh PK was not that good in the regular season. Um a lot of that, of course, because of the long absence of Jacob Slavin. He's just one of the best penalty killers in the league. Um but another one, um, and he I right now I think he um he's like the to the time on ice leader. Jordan Stahl um has been incredible on the penalty kill as well, just like he always has been in his career. Um and uh um I I I know that uh uh Keandre Miller has been filling, you know, some of that role as well. So so all of those guys are doing an incredible job, um, just just unreal, um, shutting down the other team's power plays. They're gonna have a different challenge, I think, with the Montreal power play, because just as Montreal, you know, and I know we're gonna get to talking about this a little more, but they don't they they do things a little differently um on their power play. And I think that the canes will certainly adjust because their PK is just so good, but um, it may take a little bit of of figuring out right off the bat to see what the HABs are doing on their on their uh power play. So but I you know with 95% success rate, you can't help but think that they're gonna get that taken care of.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Well, and and within that number, of course, were several five-on-threes. I mean, they had they had a number of five-on-threes, and and you know, again, uh the big three in my view, the heavy-duty guys doing it are Jordan Stahl, Jacob Slavin, Kay Andre Miller doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Now, Jalen Chaffield did a wonderful job as well, and of course, Sean Walker. So those guys did the heavy lifting for the most part uh on the blue and up front. You know, you've got the usual suspects, of course. Uh Aho's been in there with uh with Seth Jervis and Martin with uh Jordan Stahl leading the way and and others filling in as well. So that's a great story. And yeah, we'll talk a little bit about uh some strengths and concerns that we might have with uh with Montreal coming on board as to how they might disrupt the Keynes and perhaps PowerPlay will be one of them. But a great story for the Canes on the PK. Um, you know, they've historically been near the top, right? So it's not this is not a new thing. The number's kind of crazy, but for that to be for them to be near the top is is certainly what we would expect. And Tim Gleason does a marvelous job uh with the PK team. So it's great stuff. Okay. What about some areas that may help a little bit as they go forward into this series? What could we see maybe an improvement in that uh that could make a difference? Um, Katie, you want to kick it off?

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Well, I alluded to it earlier, but I think that we need to see more from the Aho line. What they did defensively five on five was great. They really neutralized Ottawa and Philadelphia's top lines. And so the net result for that group is positive.

Aho Line Needs Five-On-Five Success

SPEAKER_00 14:59

But we're not in the first two rounds anymore. And your top line needs to be your top line, and they need to start contributing in other ways. Hopefully their defense remains strong. Hopefully they can keep up that particular level. But we need to see more production from them five on five. We need to see them creating more looks, creating more chances, spending more time in the ozone. And they have a lot of their underlying numbers suggest they are poised for a breakout, that they have had their looks, they have had their chances, and they just haven't gone. Kind of like how we talked about the Stenkoven line during the regular season was seeing a lot of good downhill type play, and they just weren't getting their um, weren't getting rewarded for it. Similar type underlying numbers are there for Aho, Jarvis, and Svechnikov. So they just I think they just need that one five-on-five goal together as a unit to feel good about themselves, to get into the groove, to get those vibes rolling, and then it can start going again, especially because I think there will be more counter punch opportunities against the Canadians than perhaps they saw against um teams like the Senators or the Flyers. So that that's really what I would like to see them improve on is get it going from the top, get it rolling from the top with Aho's line.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Okay, that's interesting. You mentioned counterpunch. What uh what are you thinking?

SPEAKER_00 16:32

I just think, I mean, if you watched the Montreal and Buffalo series, it was a very up and down the ice kind of uh play style. It just seemed like Buffalo would get a chance at one end and then Montreal would go back in the other end, and then Buffalo. Now, I don't think the Canes want to get into that kind of foot race. I think if that happened, they're letting the Canadians dictate the pace. But because the Canadians like to do that quick counter strike, if the Canes can shut it down and regain possession of the puck, and they have players that are really good at delivering those passes out of the zone, whether it's ghost or Miller or whomever, to break up the ice, you get it to Aho's group, they have the speed, they have the strength, they have the vision, they have the skill to on the rush create those looks, create those opportunities, and hopefully answer with a with a goal for the canes. So um that's that's what I would like to see is a lot of uh a lot of those chances created, and then if if they don't manage to bury it on the rush, they're good at recovering, cycling it around, getting that look, going for the next opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Well, I mean, uh Aho's sort currently 95th uh in scoring, so is Jarvis. They're tied with four points. Sessna cost 115. Um, and he's got uh three points. So yeah, it it can only get better. But something I was thinking about um, Aaron, your thoughts on this one. Uh Aho and Jarvis played in the Olympics, Jarvis has been nursing an injury. Do we think that uh the extra time off is gonna benefit these guys?

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Well, I think it can only help. I mean, um, I know that we've talked about Jarvis's situation before. It's that you know, shoulder injury that's been going on. He may end up being headed for an eventual decision about whether to have a surgery or not. So the the rest in that is more just to keep it from being re-aggravated and and you know, and not uh it's not necessarily gonna provide healing. But as far as everything else, I mean, they have to be, you know, they they played a lot of hockey this year already. So having 11 days off in between the uh second round and the and the Eastern Conference final, that's gotta be helpful. And I'm sure it's helpful for Sebastian Aho as well, because um, while he certainly it doesn't have any kind of injury situation that we know of going on, and there hasn't appeared to be anything like that, he has had to focus very much on the heavy defensive side of things. It's just been his role in these playoffs, you know. Um, and they um I think that that is uh a little bit of a new thing in the sense that um we're used to seeing Jordan Stahl take all the heavy matchups, you know, especially when the Canes are on home ice. And I think that um the decision to put uh Nikolai Ehlers with the Stahl and Martin Nook line has led to them wanting to balance that time a little bit so that both lines will get their chances. And uh so that's you know, so um I feel like Aho has been taking more of those heavy defensive matchups than he probably has in the playoffs in the past. And that is, I'm sure that is the plan for him to continue to do that. So um that the extra time off, you know, just a good chance chance to get your mind reset and to remember that you know there is another side of the game, and that if you you know can get the offensive side going too, then that's only gonna help the canes as you know, because they're gonna get through this series if they, you know, as we assume that they will get through this series with a win, then they have another big test waiting for them at the end of it. So they're gonna have to score. And I think that we're gonna have to see some of that from this line.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

Okay, so that group, a big part of the power play, and their struggles, you know, in play on five-on-five is carried over to the power play as well. Um, Katie, what are your thoughts about the power play?

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Well, definitely have noticed the struggles that the Aho line has had on the power play, but I think that the actual issues stem less from them and more from Ghost. He has um not been as effective on the power play

Fixing The Power Play Decisions

SPEAKER_00 20:39

as he was during the regular season. I don't know if it's just lingering effects from any injury issues he's had, or if he's in a funk, or what the issue is, but he he doesn't seem quite as crisp and decisive with his passing as he has been, or when it comes to when to shoot versus when to pass. But he he's just not the threat out there that he was in the regular season, and the canes really need him to be that because it creates more opportunities, more open looks for the forwards than to create and be dangerous on the power play. So uh yeah, I don't I don't think it's as much Aho's group. They've they've been working on it, but uh Ghost Ghost is I think the key. He's the linchpin with keeping the keeping the puck in the zone and quarterbacking that particular unit to to be as dangerous as possible.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Well, I mean, we've seen some success with the Stankoven line uh on the second unit, which is great. Uh but you know, we look back to the season from December 5th to the end of the year, the Canes were number one in the league at 30.3% success. I mean, that's incredible for that period of time. And they ended the season fourth overall at 24.5. So, you know, when they get that power play going, and we saw it, many. Many, many times, when they you know when they're rolling, they are deadly. And yeah, you're right. Uh Shane Gosta, he's the guy that makes it all happen back there. He's he's the the orchestrator of all that good stuff. There's no question. And he's just got to find his game again. But it actually takes me to another point. And I wanted to see what you might say on this, Aaron. The pair of Nikitian and Gostas Bear, I mean, they have a chance to be real difference makers. Uh they were okay in the in the last two series, but we saw them at different points during the season. Really, really impactful. What are we thinking about with those two guys?

SPEAKER_02 22:41

Well, I think you have to bear in mind that you know both of them have had some injury situations. Um, Ghost came back in, you know, um to begin the playoffs, we have having returned from some injury stuff. And then Nikishan had suffered a concussion against the Ottawa Senators. The time off in between the Senators series and the Flyer series certainly helped him with the recovery. But as anyone who has ever dealt with sports injuries, especially concussions, knows that just because you're able to come back and play does not mean you're 100% in terms of your speed, your quickness, your decision making. And, you know, there can be some lingering effects that wouldn't be enough for a concussion spotter to say you can't play, but can certainly impact your ability to be functioning at 100% on the ice. And we've known players that have gone through these uh repeatedly and have had uh you know serious situations where they've had to sit out for a good chunk of time. I think of uh Philip Heedle in in uh Vancouver. So yeah, so so you don't want that, and you definitely don't want um, you know, to put too much pressure on that pairing to do things that they're maybe weren't ready to do. But with 11 days off again now between round two and round three, I see no reason why Alex Nikisha won't be back to more than 100%, 110%. And so the same thing for Shane Gossespare. He's he's gonna be raring to go. Um, one thing that you noted, you know, you were talking about the power play and uh and you know, as far as uh Svetja Aho and Jarvis and their you know their lack of ability to get things going on the power play. Um they had the Canes had two power play goals in the series against Philadelphia, both of them came from Logan Stankhoven.

SPEAKER_03 24:16

Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

And Shane Gostasfair had two power play assists.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:20

So, you know, he has been assisting on the power play, um, maybe during those line changes when he's still out there, or you know, perhaps in the first series, one of one of those might have come in the first series, but it's just not coming at the rate that we expect from him. He should be impacting that a lot more often. But you also have to note that the best penalty killer on every team is the goaltender, and the first goaltender they faced was Linus Olmark, and the second goaltender they faced was Dan Vladar. Those are both goaltenders who are extremely good on the penalty kill. So you're not necessarily gonna see a 25-30% rate against goaltenders like that.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

No, I think those are good points. I mean, for sure, we're not expecting uh necessarily, and and most teams are facing this, by the way. They're you know, they're struggling with the power play, they're not scoring the number of goals they normally do. That's just playoff hockey, of course. But it's also the way that they're going about it, I think, has been the bigger concern. It just hasn't been smooth, that you know, they've been kind of disjointed and not getting good uh entries into the zone, whatever the case may be. And I think this this time off also gives them some practice time. And we didn't talk about that, but practice time is something that is highly revered at this time of the year because they haven't had really any for months. So they can kind of work on some of those areas and tweak them a little bit, and I think it's gonna help. But the other area that I wanted to kind of maybe bring up as a an area that might help improve the situation for them in this next series, and that's uh face-off success. They they've really been struggling in the in the face-off dot. Um Katie, any thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00 25:58

I mean, other than they've got to dig in, they gotta do better. But I I will give this to the Keynes, though. It feels like situationally they did better on the face-off dot than perhaps the raw numbers would indicate that when it came

Faceoffs & Winning Without Them

SPEAKER_00 26:13

to an important defensive zone draw or an opportunity in the O zone to gain possession and and create pressure, that they were better there at getting um the face-off wins than the you know, the draws that would happen in the neutral zone, that sort of thing. Plus, I think I would hazard a guess that perhaps, and I know this is gonna go s sound strange in a Rod Brindamore run crew, I wonder if they've de-emphasize that a little bit because their attitude is we're so good that even if you win the draw, we're just gonna go take the puck back away from you. We're just gonna hound you into the corners, we're going to make the if if you do win the face-off draw, we're gonna make sure it's messy and not clean so that we can pounce, we can outwork you, and it'll be just like we had won the draw to begin with, because we'll come out of the scrum with the puck. There have been a lot of cases where the canes have done that, whether it's Stahl losing a messy face-off and Martinook jumping in and grabbing the loose puck that's being batted around. Or the fourth line has been doing that a lot. Jankowski is not the best face-off guy, but even when he loses it, you have guys like Carrier and Robinson that are ready to go to battle to pick up the puck. So I'm not particularly concerned about it. I think that the Canes have a plan A to win the face-off, and if plan A doesn't work out, they have plans B, C, and D to get to work and neutralize whatever that one face-off advantage might have given their opponents.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Well, the numbers are tough. Uh they're sitting at 46.6 percent, which is 14th right now. This is lower than they normally are. So for sure, they're they're not on their game. And Sebastian Ajo is the worst of them. He's sitting at 44.5%, and that that's not good. Okay, and that's kind of this whole thing with that top line, right? If they if they can win some face-offs and get control of the puck, it might help. But uh, he's had trouble. In fact, uh, you know, talking about uh the gentleman you just mentioned who was getting help from his wingers, uh Carrier and Robinson, uh, I wanted to segue to talk about Mark Jankosky for a minute. Jankowski actually leads the group uh in the face-off dot the in the uh playoffs at 50%. So it's not a huge number, but it's better than everybody else. So he is number one. But uh I wanted to say this about uh Mark, and of course, uh we heard some news uh while

Jankowski Extension & Cerrato Deal

SPEAKER_01 28:54

the Keynes were kind of uh chilling, and that was that Mark Jankowski had been signed to a two-year extension, and they also had signed Charlie Serato to a three-year deal, which has started now, so he's got two more years after this year on the deal. What do we think about that, Aaron? What do you think about them signing Jankowski and uh and locking up Charlie Serratto?

SPEAKER_02 29:16

I think Serato's gonna be a fun guy to watch with the Chicago Wolves. I think it's gonna be neat to see where he pans out. I think, you know, um I don't know if his ceiling is third line center, or more realistically, if it would be fourth line center, depending on as far as the NHL ceiling. But I do think he has NHL potential. I think they saw that in him, and that was why they decided to draft an overager because usually you don't do that in the second round. So um, you know, that's something that they they they saw something that they liked well enough to want to make this player, excuse me, um a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, and that's a really good thing for him. So it's gonna be interesting to see how he does. And I fully expect that he'll spend all of next year in Chicago and and we'll see what happens with that. But um and as far as Jankowski goes, I mean, I was telling you this. I mean, honestly, my honest opinion of Mark Jankowski is that he's a fine fourth line center, but he's a bit vanilla compared to some of the four C's in the league who are, you know, I mean, Katie, you guys have one and that we used to have. And um, and you know, uh, there's guys like uh Luce Tereinen in Florida, and there's you know, some other guys whose names really come up and and you you see what they bring and how how um how much of an impact they have on the ice, you know, in in all situations and so on. Um Jankowski's, you know, he's decent at face-offs, but he's not a face-off rock star. He's decent at on the penalty kill, but he's not gonna be on your first penalty kill unit most of the time. Um, you know, and and that's you know, that that's good enough. It's good enough. And to sign him at a fairly reasonable contract rate so that if they decide that Serato's ready earlier than we think, you know, it's not gonna be a big deal to move Mark off of the team or whatever they need to do. Um but you know, for the group, the group certainly likes him, and I I don't see that there's any reason why they wouldn't sign him. You know, the the the the reality for many teams this summer is that a lot of teams need centers, including bottom six centers. They need third line centers and fourth line centers, and there simply aren't any available. The UFA market is very, very thin. And even among teams that it's not like teams have a stockpile of extra centers they're looking to trade. So that's something where getting Mark Jankowski locked up now makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Yeah, and and they did this last year, as you recall, with uh Taylor Hall. Um so Eric, you know, he he makes a decision, and that's that, and uh gets it done. And really, the only players left uh that are not under contract will be Alex Nikishan, and we'll I'm sure have some conversations about what should happen with Alex uh in the summer. And of course, uh the question about uh Freddie Anderson. Uh he's definitely playing himself into another contract with the Kanes as it's going right now. And if this continues, you can you can count on it that he's gonna be re-upped and brought back. Um the Canes are in an enviable position. Their other two goalies are on very team-friendly deals, which means that even if they pay Freddie a little bit, they're still gonna be cheaper than the number one goalie on virtually every team. So uh it's quite a story when you when you look at it uh from the financial side for sure. But yeah, uh Jankowski, I like him. He's a good guy. He's he's uh very well spoken. We've heard a lot from him lately since he signed his contract, which is great. Uh he's a team guy, he'll go and do anything for you. Um and yeah, he's not gonna necessarily excel at anything, but he's gonna be just fine. And he seems to have something going on that fourth line. So it's good stuff. Um Charlie Serrado been following him closely from uh his work at Penn State, of course, and uh and really interested in what he's gonna do. And I think he's he's a guy that's gonna play with the canes at some point. So yeah, good stuff. Okay, so time to talk about this uh third round matchup. And I know, Aaron, you're gonna be smiling for your teams that you uh are so enamored with are both playing against each other. You know, when we take a look at the lineups, uh we know the canes are loaded. Uh they've got their big line, we've got the stall line, we've got Stankhoven line, so three very strong lines for the Hurricanes. Any of them can deliver offense. Uh with the blue line, you've got the shutdown pair with Slavin and Chatfield. You've got Candry, Miller, and

Scouting The Canes Habs Match-up

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Walker, and of course, you've got, as we talked about, Costa Spare and McTunchin. So a very loaded uh group for the Canes. When we take a look at Montreal, you've got the big line. And boy boy, they were deadly this year. I mean, Suzuki had over 100 points. Uh Caulfield had 51 goals, so look out. You've got Goski as well. So that's a heck of a line, and they are deadly and particularly deadly on the on the power play. This second line has been the story of the playoffs, I think, with uh Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, and of course uh Ivan Demidoff. Uh Newhook, he uh he just scores big goals for goodness' sake, right? Uh and then you've got the the Dano line, Phil Dano brought in because he's a you know savvy veteran and he's not gonna hurt you defensively, uh, with Josh Anderson, who's been playing great, and Texier, and then you've got a line that's been kind of interesting too through some parts of the playoffs, and that's the Bullduck uh Valeno and Doc line. Um and Bullduck scored a game last night. So he's a guy that uh is paying dividends for these guys. The defense, not quite as deep as the Kanes. Um Matheson with Carrier, uh Hudson with Dobson, and I know you'll talk about these guys as well, uh, Aaron, and uh, of course, Jack Eye and uh Caden Gooley. So they've very good team, uh loaded, and the goalies, you've got Dobish and you've got Freddie Anderson. So those are the lineups. I thought it'd be good just to set the tone on that regard. So let's start talking about what this Montreal team needs to do uh to disrupt the Keynes and make it a series. And of course, uh an area that you can always talk about is goaltending. Aaron, kick it off.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

All right. Um, well, uh Jakob Dobisch has been a huge story in these playoffs for the young Habs team. Um he is a rookie, he's 24 years old. Um, you know, he has a uh fun personality, he's a lot of fun to listen to in interviews. Um he's just you know, he's a charming kid. Um, but he's also just been very solid, very outstanding in these playoffs. Um he's got a 9-10 save percentage, which is not comparative Freddie's

How Dobes Changes The Series

SPEAKER_02 35:47

numbers. But I think you also have to look at the fact that this is not, like you say, the team defense is not the same as the Kanes. And they did have the Tampa Bay Lightning as their first opponent. So um, you know, and and then they followed by the uh very offensive-minded Buffalo Sabres. So, you know, that there's not gonna be um as much of that shut down. The goaltender is just becoming the wall and doesn't allow anything, but he does have a certain amount of will and determination in these, you know, close game scenarios and game-changing scenarios where he does kind of seem to resemble that wall that you want. Um, you know, uh I think that for you know what the canes do, they're gonna have to make sure um that they get in on Dovish. They you know, perimeter shots aren't gonna go. Um very rarely is he out of position on something like that, you know. Um shots from the slot have a chance if you're screening him. If you're not screening him, again, he's gonna see it, he's gonna stop it. Um so and and you know, so so that's something that I know that we've talked about with the canes in the past. You know, sometimes they seem to sit back a little bit and start shooting more from distance and just trying to get the puck through. And and that doesn't seem to work as well with a goaltender like Dobish, you know, so they're gonna have to kind of get in his kitchen. Now, one thing that Katie pointed out with Freddie is Freddie was getting kind of aggressive about um, you know, getting people in his crease and getting them out. Uh Dobish has been right there with that. So, you know, if there's any after the whistle stuff, he's right there giving it back. He's been penalized probably more than any gold sender in these playoffs because you know, if he gets slashed, he'll just slash the uh person that did it back. And and um as much as that's fun, we don't really want him to keep taking penalties on the HAB side of things. So um the Canes will have to um be aware. But there again, I don't think the Canes are the kind to deliberately run goalies. They they don't they don't play that game. They don't, you know, there there might, you know, you you might occasionally have a player that just loses his footing or something, but they're not gonna try to get in there and and do anything injurious. So he's gonna be a fun goalie to watch in this series. I think he's going to be, you know, watching Freddy down at the other end and you know, learning as much as he can because again, he's a kid and he's gonna want to learn from somebody who's doing it really, really well. So um, but uh but for the canes, yeah, that the key is gonna be this is not a goaltender you're gonna surprise with a a shot. He's you're gonna have to work to get these goals.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

So well, we recall the story of uh Cam Ward. Okay, so similar situation with the Kanes when they won the cup in 2006. So I mean it it's it's again, goaltenders can change all the rules in the playoffs, and of course, uh Dobish has been outstanding. You know, a lot of folks don't know much about Jakob Dobish. Where is he from? They know he's a Czech, but it's interesting because he's been in North America uh North America for a lengthy period. He actually played in the United States Hockey League, the USHL, with Omaha a couple of years down there. Uh then he went to Ohio State and he played university hockey for a couple of years. So, you know, he was kind of obviously he was uh figuring out uh North America and getting his English in place and obviously growing his game. And then the last couple of years, he's kind of gone between Laval and, of course, uh the Canadians. He's been outstanding. And you're right, Aaron. Everything we're watching, I mean, this guy is so confident in that. He's a big presence, he's 6'4, he's a big guy, he plays big. Um the Keynes will have to work hard with uh with uh Dobish and Nett. Now, having said that, uh, as we discussed earlier, I mean, Linus Ulmark and of course uh you know the Philadelphia guy as well, um, were outstanding. Both of those guys were tremendous in their series, right? So Vladar was just again rock solid. So the Canes figured out how to solve both of those guys, and you have to figure they're gonna come up with some ways to solve Dobish as well. So great stuff. For sure he can be a difference maker, and uh, we're gonna have to watch and see how that all plays out. So another area that uh the Habs have uh created some havoc and had some success with the power play. Katie, what are you thinking about with this Habs power play?

SPEAKER_00 40:13

Well, they are definitely a group that will move the puck with pace, with speed. They'll play from below the goal line or from up top. And of course, Lane Hudson is one of the best power play QBs out there right now in the league. He is just losing confidence

Habs Power Play Versus Canes PK

SPEAKER_00 40:31

on the man advantage. Um but this is this is going to be where we I I think it's going to be one of the keys to the series is uh the Montreal power play is red hot and firing um on all cylinders, finding lots of success. And the canes PK, as we talked about earlier, has just been absolutely elite and dominant. So which one is going to win the day? And I think that the last thing the Keynes want to do is to sit back and give this power play any time or space to work in because they can create more and be more dangerous the more opportunities you give them. So the canes need to double down on their don't entry pressure, on giving the Habs, especially Hudson, any time to be thinking while they have the puck and just make them act on instinct. I don't think that's a foolproof plan by any stretch of the imagination. The power play goal that they had last night in game seven was just pure beauty and instinct from Suzuki with that little backhand pass, finding the open guy. But so sometimes there's a good chance they can beat you, but the idea is to minimize the opportunities that the Canadians have to beat them. And I think that's just playing to their identity, playing to their to their strengths as a PK unit. And I think that they will uh neutralize for the most part that particular threat from the Canadians, but man, that power play from them is so good. And that that has been honestly, that has been where Caulfield and company have been getting their points. They haven't been particularly strong at 5v5, but you put them on the power play and they come alive and they are sharks in the water for sure.

SPEAKER_02 42:24

You know, another thing to notice is that you know, they they have in 14 games, they have 13 power play goals. They are where the canes are currently at 13%, 13.5% on the power play in the playoffs, um, the Habs are at 25%. So the the other key, and this has to be something that they have to have talked about, is the canes need to stay disciplined and not take a lot of penalties because, like Katie said, the more opportunities you give the Habs on the power play, the more likely it is that they're gonna make you pay for that. So not that I don't think that the Canes PK could stand up and and do a lot of damage to their, you know, power play unit, but I do think that, you know, if the canes are making repeated trips to the box for stupid stuff, you know. And I mean, it's the playoffs. The the refereeing has been what it always is. We never know, you know, that sometimes a a hook will be called where the couple of guys are battling in the corner and nobody really hooked anybody. And then other times they'll let something like a punch to the face go. And you know, so we don't really know what the standards of refereeing will be from game to game. We don't know how that's gonna be in the series. But to the extent that they can minimize the amount of time they spend in the box, it's gonna be imperative for them to do that because yeah, this power play is not something you want to see on the ice a whole lot if you're a Keynes fan.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

So no, for sure. And uh, you know, I think the one thing to keep in mind with the numbers, uh Buffalo is not the best peak day team. So I think there's no right. There's definitely there's definitely a difference there. No, it it's gonna be an interesting. Interesting one. You know, that that grade A power play of the Canadians up against, of course, uh this unbelievable PK of the hurricane. So that's gonna be fun to watch.

SPEAKER_02 44:11

Immovable force and uh yep, yep.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

But but no question. You've got a trigger man like uh Cole Caulfield and you've got a setup guy like uh Ryan Suzuki or uh Nick Suzuki, I love Ryan because I think it's wolf tonight they're playing. I can say that. Yes, of course, Nick. Uh and um and for sure it's it's uh it's a good group. So this will be fun to watch. And and again, that that could be critical because as Katie was saying, uh, you know, the top line has really not done as well five on five, similar to the canes top line. Um and so if the canes can shut them down on the with the PK and so on, uh that's gonna really minimize what uh Montreal is gonna be able to do from their big gunners. So uh that puts a lot more pressure on Alex Newhook to keep scoring those big goals. Anyway, um okay, one other area that uh I think we can maybe take a look at uh at this stage to to kind of contemplate uh how Montreal uh might disrupt the hurricanes. Um and it it's an area that I think is is something we've talked a lot about with the Canadians, youth and speed. And Aaron, why don't you kick that one off?

SPEAKER_02 45:31

Well, you know, um it is a very young team. They're the youngest team in the playoffs, the second youngest, I believe, in the league. Um so for them to even be in the Eastern Conference Final right now, they are overperforming expectations all over the place. I mean, last year they were a wild card team, and that was a surprise because we didn't expect that those of us that have been watching and paying attention, I mean, I I thought

Montreal Youth Speed & Momentum

SPEAKER_02 45:52

this would be the first year that they would make it into the playoffs, and they made it last year. And then this year I thought, you know, it'd be really nice if they could beat Tampa Bay. I wasn't 100% sure they could do it. But now they're looking at facing the Keynes in the Eastern Conference Finals. So they're they're running on something that goes beyond their skills and their stats and so on. You know, there's a there's a certain amount of momentum that these uh teams from Montreal seem to get every, you know, um someone put it out there that, you know, you can Carolina wins in every again every metric, but you have to look at the fact that it seems like once every five years Montreal just goes on a crazy run. And it it's it's true. It really is. It's like you don't understand where it's coming from, and you're just kind of there for the ride and you're enjoying it as long as it'll go. But as far as um, you know, with these uh these young players and and some of the ones you want to keep an eye on, obviously we've touched on the top lines, Slavkowski, Suzuki, and Caulfield. Um Caulfield, I Caulfield's impact at this in this playoff so far has been mostly on the power play, like you've said. He did have that, he did break through on the five-on-five goal not that long ago. And um, there's evidence to me that he is probably starting to heat up. Um, even though he did not record a goal last night, he had five shots on goal. Um, that's more like his normal pace. You know, he's not somebody who sits back and takes one or two shots on goal. So the fact that they were um up to that point limiting um that line's ability to get shots on goal was just an example of exactly what we're seeing with the Aho line, the two top lines canceling each other out, neither one getting the opportunities that they were getting. And uh really you have to credit Lindy Ruff a little bit for the success that the Sabres had in game six because it was tweaking those those top lines and moving some of those players around that made opened up the prospect of them scoring. And that is something I will say right now, we're looking at these lines. We have them, you know, you have your chart from Puckpedia, but the lines have been fairly fluid. And um, you know, uh Martin Saint-Louis is not at all afraid to move pieces around. So um they kind of have to at this stage, you know, in their development. So um, but yeah, that second line of New Hooks, Ev Evans, and Demodov is kind of similar in a lot of ways to the impact of the Hall, Stenkoven, and Blake line. Um, because uh Alex Newhook is actually tied with Logan Stenkoven and goals. He's another one of those who has seven goals. One of the interesting things about that, though, and this is something that you know when you talk about momentum and players, you know, get going forward, uh Newhook only had one goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in that series. And we know what goal that was. It was the game's seven overtime winner. Since then, he's produced six more. So he's also a player who seems to be heating up at this time in the playoffs. So um, and then and alongside um uh Ivan Demidov, who Demedov, sorry, he he has Demedov has been an impactful player throughout the first two rounds in terms of his defensive impact. And I mean, he and for him, he's not a most the most defensive guy, but he's been doing what he needs to do, following the system and doing, you know, trying to limit the other side. But these last, I would say the last three games, I have been sitting up and taking notice because he's gotten a lot more chances, he's gotten a lot more involved, and he's starting to score goals. So if he's heating up, that's another player that they're gonna have to watch out for, you know. Um, and then you've already talked about um Hudson and uh, you know, what he's been able to do. It's just been a phenomenal story for the for the Habs to pick a defenseman at 62nd overall and get this kind of play two years into his career, you know. It's unreal.

SPEAKER_01 49:29

One of the things that we did see with the Canadians, and we've seen it repeatedly, is maybe another area that we need to contemplate when we talk about disruptive possibilities for Montreal, and that's resilience. I mean, these guys don't ever seem to give up. I mean, you know, Tampa, incredibly tough series, and they hung in there and won that in the opposing team's barn. They did the same thing with Buffalo. Katie, any thoughts on the resilience side with Montreal?

Resilience Meets Depth & Fatigue

SPEAKER_00 50:01

They certainly have been resilient and they've waited to get their chances, but it also that puts a lot of wear and tear on a team and on players and stuff, and especially because as much talent as Montreal has, they do not have the depth that the Canes do. And I really expect the Canes to come out and just lean heavily on the Canadians and just wear them down and wear them out and skate them around and around and around until they just don't have any more juice left in the tank. They that game seven the other night against Buffalo, Jack Eye only played a minute and 52 seconds. They were playing with five defensemen for the entire game. That is going to cost them eventually. Their fourth line played less than 10 minutes in that game, and it had overtime. That is going to cost them eventually. So, yes, give them all the props, all the flowers for their resilience and getting to this place and where they're at. But it is going to take some kind of special magic for them to be able to outlast the canes. Not only because the canes are rested, but because the canes play a kind of style that is costly to work against when it comes to energy, when it comes to effort, when it comes to mental fortitude. I just think that the Canes have the Canadians in a good place to try and break them early. I think game one is just going to be so key in not giving the Canadians a chance to catch their breath after their two seven game series, that they need to lean on them heavily right out of the gate and just make life miserable on them. Because if they can get in their heads and they can not give them a chance to punch back, the Canes will put themselves in a really positive position to take this series.

SPEAKER_02 52:04

Just one thing, um, Katie, on the on the that what you noted with the fourth line and and the uh third pairing, um uh Arbor Jackey um is primarily you know the defenseman equivalent of someone like uh you know Delorier, and I don't mean that as an insult at all. I just mean that, you know, because he has played a lot in the regular season, and he does play a lot in the regular season, but in the playoffs, the the frustrating part for Martin Saint-Louis is that if somebody's gonna take a penalty, especially if it's gonna be one of those reputation penalties where maybe maybe nothing even happened, but we're gonna call him for roughing, you know. Um he's that guy. He is that guy. There's a a debate going on among Habs fans right now about the other options that uh uh Martin Saint-Louis has for that uh third pair. He has Jaden Struble who has played very well. He's he also has uh Adam Engstrom who has had some interesting flashes, although he's quite young and hasn't done a lot yet, so I wouldn't expect to see him. No. But um, against the Canes, I wouldn't be surprised to see Struble draw in because again, the Canes are not known as a you know, muck it up after the whistle, you've got to have your enforcer out there. They're not that kind of team. So I wouldn't be surprised if Struble comes in and if the third pair, the third pair plays a relatively normal number of minutes at that point. And the same thing with last night. Um Oliver Kapanen drawing in was a surprise to a lot of us because Kapanen, he, you know, he's a young guy, again, young Finnish player, not used to playing this many games, rookie, you know. Um he his his energy has flagged down the stretch. He he hasn't played a lot, um, you know, in the even in his minutes in the regular season were kind of declining. And then on top of that, after you know, a couple of games against Tampa Bay, it became obvious that he was not up for that task. So he was replaced, you know, and and moved off of the, you know, into the press box for a while. He drew in primarily because Joe Villeno took a punch to the head, an elbow to the head in game six that didn't get called as a penalty, you know, and even though the the Hab said, well, he's fine, he doesn't need to rest, I think they made the decision to sit him out for that game. But Voleno has actually been more of a presence on that line. And actually, and and honestly, Kirby Doc and Veleno have switched as far as which one of them is the center and which one of them is playing wing on that line. You know, so they they go back and forth depending on the game situation. So I don't think you're gonna see your fourth line sitting out like they did against Buffalo. That was kind of a circumstantial thing. As long as Voleno's ready to go, they'll have him back in the lineup. So, and then you know, if if not, I could see they do have a couple of other options that they could bring in. I think they were were putting Kapanen in and then saying, no, this isn't working. So he's really not a fourth line guy. Kapanen isn't, so putting him there didn't really help them. So, but as far as their resilience goes, I mean, they're still here. They're still here, they're in the Eastern Conference final. I do agree with you guys. I think that the Keynes are going to beat them. I just don't think it's gonna be quick. I don't think it's gonna be four games, I don't think it's gonna be five games, you know. I I think it's gonna take more than that. And I think that it's it is this quality they have of being able to bounce back after the strangest things. And um, they have not lost two games in a row in the entire playoffs. They have not lost two games in a row going back into the regular season a little ways. So that's something about this group that you know, if the Kanes want to crush them early, they need to beat them both games at the Lenovo Center, and they need to do it decisively. If they do that, then they flip the script and things are different. But we need them to do that, and and we'll have to see how that goes.

SPEAKER_01 55:42

Well, I was interested with Oliver Kapanenan coming in. He's a 22 goal scorer, so I thought, boy, they're bringing more offense in here, but uh as you say rightfully he did not uh contribute at all. Right. And you know, you look at some of their big dogs, uh they set records for ice time in the last game. Uh that game last night. So, you know, people like Suzuki and Hudson and others played more than they've ever played. So yeah, they were double shifting Suzuki, and and that was a good smart move. So yeah, yeah, but it's gonna take wear and tear, and and we'll see, you know, if if it in fact affects the series as it goes along. You know, these are long seasons, these are hard seasons, and so you know, we're gonna see injuries, we're gonna see players that are gonna be kind of on their game and off their game, and and we'll just see which team has the better situation and how it helps them through this series. Um, I thought we'd take a couple of minutes uh and talk about what's going on out west, and uh, I think that's very appropriate with Katie's interest, of course, in Colorado and what's going on with the Avalanche. And they uh they took care of business and uh here we go. Colorado, of course, is uh the juggernaut. Everybody thinks Colorado will win the cup. Uh they're loaded from front to back. I wanted to talk a little bit about Vegas too, but first, Katie, what are your thoughts from the Colorado side in that series? What do you think? Uh

Western Final Talk Avs Knights

SPEAKER_01 57:06

how's it going to go?

SPEAKER_00 57:08

Colorado definitely seems to be well positioned to take the series. They've got the best, deepest center depth remaining between the four teams. Um, it's hard to argue against that when you start at Nathan McKinnon, go down to Brock Nelson, followed by Nasm Cadry, then bringing up with Jack Drury. And oh yeah, by the way, they also have Nicholas Waugh playing Wing, who's a natural center. So if at any time you need a little extra help, you've got a fifth. So they they are set up great on the forward core. The big matchup, of course, will be what is expected to be McKinnon versus Eichel and how well they are able to deal with each other and um keep the other one off of the score sheet. Whoever wins that battle gives their team a decided advantage in the series. And so that will be very interesting to see how the Aves handle that in a lot of ways. The fact that they had to go against the Kings in the first round gives them um a little bit of preparation for what Vegas is going to bring because Vegas will play a very heavy, heavy game. And I think the Aves, I think the Aves are willing to put up with that. They they're not going to get frustrated if they're not going to be able to play wide open hockey. They'll be able to be patient and bide their time and and wait for their chances. So I'm I'm really excited to see what the Aves are able to do. With the time off, it looks like they're getting a lot of their injured players back. The biggest question with injury has been in their defense with Kale McCarr, um and as well as some others like Sam Malinsky and Josh Manson. And so that's that's where the biggest question mark and the biggest weakness for Colorado comes in is their top six defensemen are excellent. It is a fantastic decor, but as soon as one goes out, the guys that they have filling in for them are suspect at best, and you do start to get other guys double shifted and ice time minimized for the fill-in players because they they just don't have the backups um that are nearly at the level that the apps need them to be to play their system. So that will be that will be key. Um goaltending still looked a little bit shakier against Minnesota, but that's to be expected. Minnesota has more weapons than the Kings do, but hopefully Wedgewood and if needed, Blackwood can bounce back and have a strong series. But I'm fully expecting the apps to take the series, but it is going to be a battle. It is going to be a very heavy series.

SPEAKER_01 59:38

Well, yeah, and Vegas, of course, has been there before. Uh you've got several players who've had you know experience of going deep.

SPEAKER_00 59:46

Um has Colorado. Of course we do.

SPEAKER_01 59:49

I'm not saying we don't, but I'm just saying as opposed to some of the other teams they might have faced, certainly Anaheim and other guys. I mean, it's it's you know, it's pretty straightforward. Um, so I think you look at one thing you did not mention with um with the Vegas Golden Knights has been the play of uh Mitch Marner. So, yes, you've got uh Jack Eichel who will match up against uh uh McKinnon, but Marner has been a difference maker. He's leading the league in scoring, he's been outstanding, and he's actually helped them create a second line that can score as well. So, you know, the Aves are gonna have to be mindful of that. Uh Pavel Dorofiev is deadly on the power play, as you know. He led the league in the goals on the power play this year. So they've got some guys that can hurt you. The other area that I think is worth discussion is goaltending. I think it's been a big shock to a lot of folks just how well Carter Hurt has played. Uh he's looked very, very good. And uh, and that's you know, part of this is John Tortorella. You know, sometimes you get these situations where somebody comes in and changes things a little bit and all of a sudden the team goes for a run. And so I'm with you. I think Colorado's uh gonna prevail, but I think it's gonna be a tough series. I think it's gonna be the toughest one for them so far. Uh and I think, you know, their their situation on defense isn't a lot different than than Vegas. Vegas has a couple of key defenders out as well. McNabb was uh sent out on a suspension, and Ozon was uh was injured as well. So they you know they're in the same situation in some some case. But it's gonna be a fun series. Um we'll be watch watching the Kane guys, uh Marty Natus, and of course Brent Burns and Factory and the rest of the crew. Um and uh and so that'll be great. And you know what? It would be something amazing if uh Colorado faces Carolina in the finals. So we'll have to see. This is gonna be great. So as we talk about uh closing thoughts, um, you know, how do we think the time off is gonna affect the canes? I mean, there's a lot of folks that talk about rest versus rust. You know, what do we think about that? And you know, what are what are our expectations? Um you know, what are we thinking will happen? Aaron, you want to kick it off?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:13

Sure. Um I think rest versus rest is one of those conversations you have every time, and you know,

Rest Versus Rust Predictions

SPEAKER_02 1:02:19

it just depends. If a if a team comes out flat after a long break, you say, well, it's too much rest. You know, I don't think it's so much that as it is, you know, um how poised is any team after a long break to take advantage of the fact that they are healthy and well rested as opposed to what kind of momentum the team that's been playing all along brings on the other side. I really think that, you know, we've seen the Canes do both. We've seen them come off of a long break and be, you know, look like they kind of forgot how to hockey. And we've also seen them come after a long break and just be an absolute force and you know, show no mercy. It's the playoffs, it's the Eastern Conference final, you know. Um the the coaching staff has been working hard to keep them in the moment. Um, strength and conditioning, you know, we know what that's like with Billy, you know. So I don't think there's any excuses or any reasons that the Kings shouldn't come out fully prepared to meet whatever onslaught the Habs try to throw at them in the first game. Um, you know, the Habs, of course, on their side, they know how important the first game is. Not necessarily that they have to win it, but that they have to at least have that tone set of we're not just this easy team that you can steamroll over. It should be a great game, the first game. Um and I think it's gonna be it's it's gonna answer that question within the first five minutes. We're not gonna be wondering by the middle of the second period if the canes are are having any signs of rust. You know, we're gonna see it immediately or it isn't there. So I'm thinking that they'll be ready to go. I'm thinking that this long break, you know, that the longer it's gone on, the more anxious they probably are to get back out there. So I don't expect anything like that. And as far as our my expectations, I think I kind of alluded to that. I think the canes will probably win the series, and I think that they will probably win it in six games around that. Um, you don't want to let the Habs take you to seven, I'll tell you. Because that starts getting very dangerous. That's not a strategy you want to repeat. Um, but can they do it sooner than that? That's gonna depend on a lot of things coming together and you know, working their way, and you know, and I mean, sure, could could they get it done? I mean, I don't think anyone expects a third sweep in a row. That would be the most absurd thing to ever happen, and you might as well hand them the cup. Sorry, Katie, if that happens. Because that's I don't think that's ever happened in the modern era that a team has swept, you know, three rounds, and since they've gone to three rounds, they haven't, or four rounds, they haven't done it. So um, but I also think that it's gonna be a fun series. I think it's gonna be hard fun on both sides, I think there's gonna be a lot of great moments to watch for on both sides, and I think it's gonna be entertaining, which is something that you cannot say of every series that was in the second round. There were some series that just weren't very entertaining to watch. This is gonna be fun. I agree, and not just for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:14

No, it should be a great series, Katie. What are you thinking?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:18

Um, I'm much more optimistic. I think that I think the Habs are just gonna be too tired. I really do, despite all the youthfulness, despite all the energy, I think the Canes are just going to wear them down and wear them out and end up taking this series. I I think I'm going to go with Canes in five, although man, I want to predict another sweep. I'm really tempted to predict another sweep because if if the canes can take those first two games, I just think that they can take the wind out of the sails and turn the Canadians a little desperate, and they just don't have the playoff experience to to uh adapt as well. Well as perhaps they would need to in order to deal with the Kane's pressure. But they have been a resilient team. They have had some times where they have taken a big onslaught, like they did in Game 7, where the Sabres turned the tide and they came back and they tied the game and they were beating and beating and beating at the doors of the Canadians. And the Canadians withstood and were able to hang on and get that overtime win. So it is not outside the realm of possibility that the Canadians could find that in a game somewhere. So I will say Keynes and five, although I I really want to say canes in four because I think that Montreal is ready to just I think they're just tired. I think they've been they've been beat on so much between the lightning and the sabres that that the canes will just take it to another level and they'll they'll just get into their heads and they'll their feet will their skates will just be a little bit slower to to be able to try and match what the canes are gonna throw at them. Sorry, Aaron.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:03

That's okay. I mean, I I think that it's it's entirely possible. I wouldn't say that it's likely, but I just think that the way they looked in game seven, and even in game six, game six was strange. That was a game where they just didn't play their their game at all. You know, they just it was like they showed up and decided to take the night off. Um, but game seven, um, I I think that looking tired had a lot to do with, again, like you said, double shifting Suzuki and all of the things that they were doing. And yeah, they're gonna continue to be tired from that. But these guys are, I mean, Suzuki's 26 years old, and he's one of the older players on the team. So I I don't know that you can rule out that burst of adrenaline that comes in when they, you know, hit the ice and realize they're playing in the Eastern Conference final. I don't think that that's gonna be, I don't think they're gonna be quite as easy to knock out as the Flyers were. And you know, the Senators wouldn't have been easy if they had been healthy, I think. So we'll see.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:03

Well, you know, it's interesting. The Canes have played eight games, Montreal's played 14. So if there's any uh if there's any, you know, kind of sense that playing extra games is going to have some impact on whether you can continue to do things at a high level, we'll see. But you know, a lot of the folks, uh pundits right now feel that this is the best team that they've seen under Rod Brindamore's uh guidance. In fact, Eric Tulsky feels that very strongly. And, you know, you look at the team, uh, seven forwards with more than 20 goals. You had 13 players who had over 11 goals. I mean, this is both of those are the top in the NHL. The Canes can really pour it on when they get going. And they've been doing a lot of the heavy lifting on the back of one line so far. So, you know, they've got depth, they're gonna find their way. So it's gonna be interesting to see how Montreal uh handles, you know, this this onslaught from the Canes. And we saw it in both series. We heard the broadcasters saying they just keep coming at you, they just keep they're always it doesn't matter who's on the ice, they're coming at you. That's the way they play, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:10

So this is gonna be a matchup between the the canes adjective, the the word that they use to describe the canes is relentless.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:20

So relentlessness versus resilience, and that's what we're gonna have to see, which one is gonna be the one to prevail. I think that the relentlessness will prevail ultimately, but I don't think it's gonna be easy.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:32

Well, there is one other thing we haven't talked about, and that's the coaches. Okay, so Rod Bringamore is a veteran coach, he's been through it many, many times, and yeah, I think Martin said, Well, he's a great coach, but it's early days for him. So I think there's this will be an interesting matchup as well. Uh I just want to end with this. One player on the canes, who's gonna be the player to watch in this series? Aaron?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:59

In this series, I think the player to watch will be Sebastian Aho

Players To Watch & Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_02 1:10:04

because he has to find his way. A lot of what we're talking about with the Canes, what they can do and how they can do it, depends on that top line finding their game. And that all right line runs through Aho, so he's got to be the one to start it off. If Sebastian Aho starts scoring at five on five, then Katie may be right, and there will be a very quick end to this series. But he has to do it, so he's the one I'm watching. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:29

Katie, who you got?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:32

I have Shane Goss to spare. We know what Hudson brings, we know the kind of dynamic play that he brings from the blue line and the kind of cheat code he can be. And the Kanes need to answer with that and Ghost. They need Ghost to bounce back to his top form that he had in the regular season and really be an effective member of their blue line, both five-on-five and on the power play.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:54

Yeah, I'm gonna pick uh Andre Svechnikov. I think he's been knocking on the door, and I think he's about ready to break out. So yeah, uh, I had Gosses Fair last time. That didn't work out so well. So good luck for you, um, just to end this part of the discussion on the matchup, uh Daily Faceoff uh have nine folks who decided to make their picks for the two series, um, and they decided that Carolina would win the series quite handily. There was only one of nine that suggested Montreal would win the series, and that was uh Tyler Uremchak. And the same thing with Colorado would win them all. Uh, like every one of them thought that uh Colorado was gonna win the series. So um kind of interesting to see uh how the pundits are looking at it. The general feeling is that this is the year for the Keynes to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. I mean, uh, I don't think we're seeing many people say anything different. If Montreal doesn't upset, it's gonna be quite a story.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:53

So we don't want to see that story, I know.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:57

It's been done before, so you can't sit here and say never on anything like this. If Jakob Dobish uh you know continues his outstanding play and you know the top line gets hot for Montreal, all of a sudden the rules change. It doesn't take a lot of scoring to win these games, as we found out. Last night, you know, they're pushing and shoving all night and it ends up 3-2. Like it's you know, these are these are tough games. And uh so a little bit of offense can go a long way. So anyway, lots of fun talking about it. Uh, we're gonna follow this very, very closely, of course, and we'll keep an eye on the other series as well, Katie, to see what's going on with the Avalanche and Vegas. And I also want to say this that uh for all the folks out there who are mindful of what's going on with the Chicago Wolves, you know that I'm all over that one too, because the Wolves are just crafting quite a story. And they have a chance tonight to uh to knock off the uh Grand Rapids Griffins and move on to the next uh the next round. So it's kind of exciting with both the Canes and the Wolves doing very, very well. In any case, ladies, great to talk about this. It doesn't get more fun than talking about the third round of the playoffs and our favorite teams doing extremely well. So it's good. Um, for those of you who have been watching or listening, of course, we're very, very pleased you spent time with us. If you like this episode, please press the like button. If you have any questions or comment, please put those in the comment section. And of course, if you want to be alerted to future episodes of Stormtractor, please uh press the subscribe and the bell buttons, and we'll alert you 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 Storm Tracker.