Shoot or Get Off The Pond!

A throwback mindset for a modern playoff run.

Episode 13 of The Mask & The Mic takes its title from a classic 1997 Mighty Ducks playoff t-shirt — “Shoot or Get Off The Pond!” — featuring Guy Hebert. And the message couldn’t be more relevant as the Anaheim Ducks push for a deep run in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

At the time of recording, the Ducks lead their first-round series 3–1 against the Edmonton Oilers and head back to Edmonton for a pivotal Game 5.

Guy Hebert and Kent French break down the first four games of the series, including the controversial overtime winner by Ryan Poehling, the rising impact of role players in the postseason, and the standout play of young Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe. The conversation also dives into how Anaheim has managed to defend one of the game’s most dynamic players, Connor McDavid, and what role goaltending will play as the series continues.

Is the window to win closing in Edmonton? Can the Ducks close it out on the road? And what does the bigger Western Conference playoff picture look like?

This episode is a deep dive into playoff hockey — where execution, depth, and mindset define everything.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi, this is GA Bear. Yes, I know you know, and I am a former NHL goaltender and I am the mask in the mask and the mic. Yes, and I'm Ked French.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

I really don't know where I fit this equation, although I am the Mike. I'm a broadcaster, still trying to be a broadcaster, and this is the Mask and the Mike podcast Debo Focus of Attention is what you have on your hat. For those listening and not watching at home, it is about the Anaheim Ducks.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Yeah, no doubt about it. Go Ducks, uh, tremendous series so far. Uh by the time this airs, we'll know what game five situation was. So hopefully we're celebrating moving on to round two. But nonetheless, uh yeah, a lot of things to talk about, a lot of great things happening here in Anaheim with the Ducks, a lot of excitement, and the fans have been insane at the Honda Center.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yeah, Gibo's been boots in the ground. He will bring us uh all the happenings, what he's been seeing and hearing at Honda Center. That and much more happens on the mask and the mic. Hope you enjoy the show. Gibo is always. And as always, good for us. Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of The Mask and the Mike. You guessed it. Kent and Ghee back with you. And uh, as you can see by what Mr. Abear is wearing, this is certainly gonna be the topic of conversation for those of you who are listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. He has the Anaheim Ducks hat on, and rightfully so. Uh Gibo, I saw you you were at the game, game three and game four, which took place at Honda Center. I just want to start by asking you, what is the building like after not being in the postseason for eight years? I mean, it it seems electric on TV, it's coming through, but I want to know what is it like in person to be there?

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Well, I'm gonna say it is worth the wait for the Ducks fans. Uh, it's insanity. It really is. I mean, uh, the energy and the excitement. Uh, I've never been to a rank in my life as a fan or a broadcaster, or probably even as a player, where people are at the arena so early and so prepared to be in their seats and ready to go. I mean, it's, you know, you know how Anaheim is, and it's not a knock. I mean, it's a lot of major cities where you get there halfway through the first period, you kind of settle in, you get through traffic. There is nobody. I I mean, I was pulling in an uh an hour before the game and couldn't get off a Catella exit. I mean, it took us like 25 minutes just to get off the exit. So, I mean, the building's on fire, and you know, it's funny because this team has started slow all season long. They have these dramatic comebacks, and in the playoffs, they've done much the same. They've started off slow or they didn't score the first goal. Game three, they started off, they had a tremendous first period, but did not score um early on. And then again, in the game four, same thing. Edmonton kind of took a little of the air out of the building, but you know, I think the fans are so ready for any momentum swings. And that's what happened. I mean, they just keep climbing back, giving the fans a chance to uh give them that boost of energy. And I know that you know, there's been players coming out and to the media saying, you know, I've never experienced this before. It's my first go-around. Uh, I'm a I'm a youngster, I'm a rookie, or I'm I'm a guy like, you know, even Troy Terry, who's not been able to get into the postseason, and they're like, I've never felt like the adrenaline rush that we're feeling right now. So uh, you know, credit the fans because the fans are an X factor, and and the Ducks fans are as passionate as anybody else. You know, I mean, I think we're always lost in the shuffle, Frenchie, right? Being West Coast teams, people are sleeping on the East Coast, they don't pay attention to what happens out here. But uh yeah, credit the fans for um amazing support. And then I mean, game four OT Victory. I happen to be sitting behind the net, not right behind, but up, up above. Um, so I had a pretty good view. And I mean, the place was just going bonkers. So it is like um it's incredible to witness, and the fact that I can witness it uh in those two instances, not even working, just being a fan. Um was really special. It was special to be able to share that with uh my wife and some friends, and uh a lot of alumni were back. So it's amazing how many people come out of the woodwork when the team's better, right? Like, I haven't seen you guys. Where have you been all year long?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

You get the celebs come out, you get, you know, yeah, it's it's it's packed with celebs. You know, it's it's and it's a place to be too, right? A place to be, a place to be seen. People are dressing up, they're having a good time, and it's it is it is a scene. And uh, I think everyone over at Honda Center has done a tremendous job making it a scene and the place to be, and it's only gonna get better with OC vibe and everything growing. It is going to be a place that you want to get there early and you want to stay there afterwards. That's kind of the goal. So yeah, um, it's super exciting and and so cool. I feel like you're our correspondent, you know, on boots on the ground.

SPEAKER_00 5:11

Boots on the ground, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

You're telling us what's happening. So I will give you the other side of the equation. I was putting in a shift at GreenCheek yesterday. I'm sure TVs were on. TVs were on, but here's the deal. So I get there, 3:30, it is slammed. I mean, we I did not stop moving for two hours, solid, two and a half hours. And uh, ducks fans everywhere. Uh people were kind enough to ask if I was going to the game. I said, No, I'm working tonight. I'm working here. People a little confused, still trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing, especially when the pregame show's on and I'm and it's on TV and I'm busting tables. That's the secret sauce. We can't tell anybody. And they're looking at me and I'm like, don't just don't ask. Just don't ask. Um, but it was, Givo, to your point, it was a ghost town at like 5:30, 545. All of a sudden, like, yeah, snap your fingers and everyone's gone. I mean, everybody wanted to get to Honda Center, get there, get ready for the game. They were fired up, ready to go, and certainly a lot to cheer about. To your point, this team falls behind. They've fallen behind in every single game. Um, and but I look up, they're down two, and I'm like, oh, they got them right where they want them. And that's, I mean, it's really a true statement. I mean, as we keep talking about, they are uh, along with Montreal this season, I think during the regular season, they had the most comfort behind wins. So, hey, you got them right where they want them. You keep telling me, if it's not broke, don't fix it, don't worry about it. I said, Okay, Gebo, and uh certainly that's that's bode well for them. But what I want uh you to tell me, because I'm sitting there watching the overtime goal, and what did you see in the arena? What was being told to you about Ryan Paling's goal, not goal? Because we didn't have the sound on.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Uh hey, how much time do we have for this? Because I still think that this is gonna be talked about for a long, long time. And I think that you know, the NHL. Um, I mean, it goes to this. Well, we gotta start from scratch, right? We gotta rewind to the actual play with paling, putting the puck on net. Okay, do his traffic in front. Yep. Uh the puck. He wins the face-off, by the way, right? Yeah, Brian wins the face-off.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Get control, puck goes to the point, goes back down to paling. Uh, there's he knows there's traffic in front. Never a bad idea to put the puck at the front of the net, and it inadvertently hits the defender's skate blade. And then as Chris Tristan Jari is going down, it's a helpless feeling for a goalie because you're trying to react to the pass coming across. It's going off the foot of your defenseman, and you know that you're kind of in a vulnerable spot. So you're squeezing everything, hoping you can use wherever it's at. Squeezing. And believe me, I was, I mean, I was I it's happened many times. Probably in your seat, you're doing this. So I'm clenching, I'm in full clench mode. But so you know, you can see the puck kind of drift toward the goal line, and then you can see their defenders getting the stick on the puck and tapping it back underneath them. And yeah, I see Chris Kreider was the guy that I focused on because Kreider kind of sneaks behind the net and he's just looking down. He's looking down at the net at the goal line, and then he like looks at the ref and he's like, that like that's in. And like from our vantage point, no signal from the ref at all. And and I've heard people online saying, Oh, it was called the goal on the ice. It it initially was there was no call at all, and they go right to review, and so they talk about it, then they call the goal, and then all of a sudden, so the pandemonium breaks out, guys are celebrating. I'm still curious because what we've seen on the Jumbotron that I'm like, listen, I know the rules enough to know that it has to be like clear and indisputable to see white on the other side of the puck, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:59

So, yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

So you can't ever assume, like, oh, it's under the pad, the skate, the glove, or whatever. Can you see it? It has to be indisputable. So then all of a sudden, so like we're celebrating with fans, we're heading out of the building, everybody's woo-hoo. And as we're exiting the building, uh, all of a sudden, on one of the brand new monitors that are at the Honda Center, which is awesome, uh, we see official review. And so we stand there for a little bit and we watch and we're like, okay, uh, I'm like, there's no way they're calling this goal back. So we're like, they're like, How confident are you? I'm with some people. And I said, I'm very confident. They said, Because if we leave and they still play hockey, we're gonna be pissed. And I go, it's a goal, we're free to go. And so a mob of people head out the door, and as we're walking to the parking lot, then you hear the horn at the Honda Center, you know, obviously saying that it was a goal. And um, but listen, I don't really know. We can all assume by looking at all the you know, all the video that you can see, the pictures that are posted online, the NHL does have other cameras that aren't available to the broadcast. So do they have a different angle that shows that? Are they conferring with the referee on the ice having him say, hey, I know that the picture doesn't show what I saw, but I saw you know, white between the puck and the goal line. Uh we haven't heard statement from referees saying that. Um and so it's terrible because there's it's clouded, right? I mean, it's clouded with like there's some uncertainty of like, well, I mean, any reasonable person could like do some measuring on a picture and say, well, that puck is there, you can see it being blocked out, but it's you know, clearly if the skate wasn't there, you'd see it. But if you go to the rule book, Frenchie, and who wants to be a stickler during the NHL playoffs? Uh not me, because it's too exciting, but the rule book clearly states that you have to have indisputable evidence where you can see the puck clearly over the line with separation between said puck and red goal line. So it is very interesting. Um, I'm sure some more will come out about it as you know, today goes on, tomorrow goes on. Uh, I'm sure, you know, if you're on the ducks side, hey, it's a goal, it's good. We moved on, it's a 3-1 lead. And hey, what's gonna happen in game five? If you're an Oilers fan, you're thinking, okay, well, how come the rules don't apply in this situation? So um, but what a win. Like at the end of the day, uh listen, I'll give Edmonton credit. Like, first period, I was concerned because they were playing a much better game. They rolled the dice by changing their goaltending uh from Connor Ingram to Tristan Jari. And Jari, who has not played well since he's gone from Pittsburgh to Edmonton, um, hadn't played a game, I think, since early April, like April 6th or April 9th. I think it was just in relief. And they rolled the dice and he actually responded well. I thought he played well. Uh, you know, the ducks' opportunities that they scored on were just great opportunities, great hard work. Uh power play was on fire. But I think this is a thing of of momentum. I think that the momentum that the ducks have certainly, and I know we're talking about this before game five, Frenchie, and oh, and this airs. We don't know. I think we might be talking about something a little different next week. We can we can speculate all we want on this show because that's what this all is. But yeah, listen, it was a tremendous game. Uh the Ducks really responded, being down two-nothing. I mean, I just think that is the heartbeat of the club is that we are never out of the fight. We do not panic. We know that we can score goals and we're gonna get our opportunities if we stick to the plan. And oh, before we go any further, I know the controversial goal is the biggest you know issue or talking point about the game. For me, how about Lukash Dostal, our buddy? How about the two saves on Connor McDavid late in the third period? Uh McDavid turned on the Jets, turned the D, drove in. And for a goaltender to go that far from uh his left to his right to be able to extend and get that little push. If he doesn't get that little push, Frenchie, off that left skate, there's no way he's gonna get enough momentum to be able to slide and extend that right leg. And McDavid would have tucked it past that right foot. And so credit him with that is to me the play of the game. He doesn't become the hero, yeah, but uh that save and then a subsequent save right after that. McDavid again kind of breaking in off that uh left side of Dostal and Dostal making another big stop.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, somebody, you know, we had a a few tables last night, still, you know, people that were watching the game, and they're, you know, obviously I told you we didn't have the sound on. They're like, so who's gonna win as we went to overtime? And I looked up and I paused for a minute and I thought about the end of the third period. And I thought about the ducks tying it. They they know darn well that they can't lose this game. They don't want to put it in the hands of McDavid and Edmonton back at home. They have to win. And the urgency for both teams certainly was there, but for the Ducks, I believe I believed it was more, and I said the Ducks are gonna win. And and I and and they ended up pulling it out, and I think it's that urgency that we saw that was so much fun to see. And they have so many players that are it's not just the top line guys, it's the depth, and that's what we're seeing for both for both teams, by the way, depth is playing a factor. Um I do want to to touch on McDavid, though, which has been he has certainly a been a storyline, and we went into this thing when uh we did a pregame show, uh, the very beginning, game number one of this series, and I had this fun stat that said when McDavid doesn't find the score sheet, the Oilers do not win. And that was the case in the regular season. They were 012-2 when McDavid does not score. Yeah, a goal or an assist. The first two games of the series, McDavid did not find the score sheet. Edmonton wins game one, Ducks win game two. Um, I was looking at the stats overall for the playoffs. McDavid's tied for 25th with four points. What a job they have done on Connor McDavid. Um, Tri Seidel is uh seven points. He's tied for second. He is he's shed the rust, he's playing well.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Oh, he's well rested.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Well rested and unrusted. But what's going on with with Connor McDavid? Tell me, is it is it that line of Washi Moore and VL? I mean, is it have they been that good? Is it a team effort? What have you been seeing that the Ducks have been doing well against Connor McDavid?

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Well, I I think it partly is these unheralded, untested, unproven, uh, you know, I mean, these I talked about it in the pregame show as well. These are three players. You got kind of a journeyman, kind of minor leaguers, a little bit up in the NHL in uh Jeffrey Viel, getting a chance of a lifetime, and he's taking full advantage of that and give him all the credit in the world. I mean, I think that, you know, sometimes you know when it might be your big chance to make an impact and and kind of create a spot for yourself, and he's doing it plain tough. I mean, just you know, he's a grinder, he's plain physical, he fights, uh, he does all the little things, he's responsible in the defensive zone, and he's a hundred percent effort. And that goes for Tim Washi and Ian Moore. I mean, these guys have no NHL experience except for this season. I mean, heck, we talk about Ian Moore, has never played forward in his entire life. Talk to him at pregame skates and stuff, and he's like, No, I've never played forward in my whole life. And so he's transitioned into the NHL. And these guys, just the chemistry between the three of them, they place very simple hockey, they know what to do, and they don't ever try to do too much, but they're being rewarded. But I with them playing against McDavid's line, it also includes the defense pair. And I think it's the five-man unit that's really being effective on Connor McDavid. Well that listen, we all know you know he's the best player in the world, and you know his best asset is his speed. And you talk about trying to contain him, and you know, you're not gonna stop him, but you try to contain him the best you can. And the best way to do that, every team goes in with the same plan is if you can get a hit on him, you hit him. But the best thing to do is you have to keep him to the perimeter, and he's not gonna score from the perimeter, and so but with the speed, he usually can beat guys wide, like we saw in the last game. So you got to do a good job, make sure that you stay in your lanes, keep him outside, try to make him get the other guys involved. And if you take away his options, then all of a sudden you can see what's happened is that you keep him at the perimeter, which the ducks have done, and then he gets frustrated because he can't get to the middle, and then he's like, Okay, well, I had, you know, whatever, 90 assists or 90 something assists during the regular season. He's gonna start looking for Zach Hyman or Evan Bouchard at the point. He's gonna look for those options, and the ducks have done a really nice job for the most part, making sure that the passing lanes are covered and that he doesn't really have too many options. So I just see a very frustrated player who kind of feels the weight of the world on his shoulders once again. And I think when you get there, he's trying to do too much on his own, and the ducks have been able to feed off of that. They're like, okay, he's gonna try to beat two of us here. We can make sure that you know he's not gonna beat us.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Well, here's what's been impressive to me is when you are, you know, focusing on one player, right, and you want to play physical, but you're you're taking on a team that has the best power play in the National Hockey League, especially when you get Dreisidel and McDavid on the ice together. Right. Yeah. So the discipline that the Ducks have shown has been incredible. In three of the four games, Edmonton has only had two power play opportunities, which is awesome. The other time they had four and they were 0 for 4 on the power play. So they're three for 10, if my math is correct. On the other side of the equation, the Ducks, how about six for 12? Now, did we see that coming? Like the disparity there and the shift when it comes to the man advantage and what the Ducks are doing and what Edmonton is not doing. I mean, there are so many games within the game. You said that in one of our pregame shows earlier. This is certainly one of those that was, hey, stay out of the box. But on the other side of the equation, hey, let's draw some penalties and score some power play goals. And that's been the case for the Ducks. I mean, that's that certainly has been something that's really stood out to me.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Special teams are such a key. I mean, you win and lose games because of special teams. And it's most mostly in the playoffs, it's going to come down. I mean, the games are all close, even if they're high scoring, a lot of games are one goal games or they're overtime games. So you have to- Except for the Ducks.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Except for the yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

I mean, except for these games. I mean, these games, these games are close. I mean, they're six to four or six to five, you know, whatever. So it's it's not a two-one game, but still it's a game where it's it's tight at the score at the end of the night. Uh, I I just think that they've been, you know, really good on the power play with getting a lot of net front traffic. Uh, they're getting redirects on pucks that are coming from the point. Uh, they're passing it. They're being I guess the best thing is is they're being very decisive. There's not a lot of hesitation. You could see during the regular season when they were struggling, it was a lot of perimeter passing. No one wants everybody was kind of reluctant to shoot the puck at the net. And I think that right now, you know, when you start to get some good mojo and you feel confident and you see the puck going in the net and you make these passes, cutter goche with one-timers, uh, McTavish getting to the front of the net for tips and screen goals. And then you got, you know, the good shots from the point, you got Leo Carlson. So, I mean, there's a lot of threats that the Ducks have on that power play, and it is. I just think it always always boils down to the fact that when you feel confident and you feel like you got a team on their heels and they start to guess. So that's what Edmonton, I think, has done in their penalty kill, is that they're starting to guess. Um, I think that they lost some confidence in their goaltending, so they sometimes try to do too much. So uh even when you try to block a shot, if you're not fully committed, a lot of times all that does is screen your goaltender. And you could see a couple times where they were going down, trying to block shots from the ducks and in uh you know, unintentionally screening their own goaltender. But yeah, the confidence is a key. But nobody would have seen this. I mean, I I was like, listen, to me, the key factor in this entire series is discipline. They cannot let that number one rated NHL power play get on the board. I mean, just see so many times, you know, McDavid to dry sidle. The Hyman, the Bouchard, you know, the one timer from the point. You know, it's it's deadly. Last game we saw how deadly it can become, right? They had uh a couple opportunities, uh, they made good on those. I I was concerned in that first period because I said this is how Edmonton starts to go. They start capitalizing on their power play, and then all of a sudden, you know, you get behind and you start chasing the game, you start taking too many chances, and then that opens up the game uh in a bad way. But yeah, special teams uh give the ducks tons of credit. They're very prepared, they're making those changes and adjustments, like you mentioned. And it's it's the game within the game. And I think that, you know, the coaching staff loves to be able to pick apart another team and say, okay, we've discovered something through the video, or players coming back to the bench and saying, you know, hey, when I cut to the middle, you know, Ekhome is dropping down a little too quick, it's opening up a seam pass because the stick's now in the wrong position. I can slide that through the box over to Cutter for a one-timer. So there's so many great little nuances to the game in these special teams that uh if you're a fan, I mean, you can really dive deep into these things and and kind of enjoy kind of the cat and mouse games that they're playing.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

You know, and and I'm not gonna make I'm not comparing these two as a player positionally on a power play, is what I'm doing here because Cutter obviously has a ways to go in his career to be in any sort of conversation when it comes to Ovechkin, and you know where I'm going with this. Sits at the dot, has his stick back, and has the wicked one timer. He's on that second power play unit. He just missed it last night. He missed a goal, and he was he looked into the heavens, yeah, right. Um, but on the power play, here's something you don't see every day. You mentioned coaching staff, and you and I again touched on this last week. Jay Woodcroft, how often do you have a former head coach of the team we're taking on in the Stanley Cup playoffs, who's only a couple years removed from that team, so he knows the personnel very well, including the number one player and the number two players, arguably in the National Hockey League. He is now on your team running your power play unit, and right now, as I mentioned, clicking at 50%. I mean, it's been fun to watch Jay go to work. Oh, yeah. And I can only imagine you talk about picking apart, and now it's not just a one-off game, right? So now you're in a series, and now the coaches get to dive into tendencies and dive into stats and dive into analytics. It has been, I can't imagine what those conversations are like with Jay, other players. I mean, if I'm in that room and I'm a player for the Ducks, I'm like, all right, Jay, come over here. I want to hear everything about McDavid. What does he do? What does he doesn't do? What you know, what are tendencies? I mean, picking his brain, uh this is a unique situation the ducks are in. Certainly a unique advantage, I would think the ducks are in.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

A huge advantage. And it was interesting. I talked to some people, and they're like, okay, if you watch Jay Woodcroft on the bench, watch him watch Dry Sidal and McDavid. Uh, he's expressionless and he's staring them. And and he's not, and what I was told is he's not, you know, he's not staring them down. Sure. What he's doing is he's looking to get any kind of sense of their emotion because he's been with them as a head coach. He knows when they're confident and you know, getting ready to take that next step and and take over the game, but he also knows when they're pissed off or they're frustrated or any and all of that. So it it the talk about again, look behind the peek behind the curtain of a coach who once coached these world-class players is that he's looking for any edge. He's looking at them and going, Okay, I I know his mindset right now because I I've seen it when I've stood on the bench coaching him. So I think that's another incredible, um, I mean, valuable piece of information that Jay Woodcroft can certainly, you know, absorb as he sits on the bench and watches these games in real time and then be able to pass that down to the other coaches and the players to say, like, hey, I've seen this before. We got him right where we want him. He's really frustrated. Now he's gonna try to beat you one-on-one. So I think that's uh it's an intangible advantage, and it's uh another layer to how great the playoffs are when you have you know some kind of familiarity with uh the opposition.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Well, and you you go back to the beginning of the season, too, right? When Coach Q comes over, and then it is an all-star coaching staff for the Anaheim Ducks. Um and what you know Pat brought on uh under Q. I mean, these coaches are top-notch. Nothing, you know, taking nothing away from the coaches we had in the past, but you know, former head coaches, and and it it's it seems like it's paying off right now. So it's it's uh you know, this again, layers and layers upon layers about how things can affect uh the game itself. You mentioned um the one-on-one matchup. I saw a play by Jackson Lacomb against McDavid, and he followed him into the corner, skating backwards, turn, and he put his hip into him, and he and he literally didn't use his hands, but used the strength of his body to kind of push McDavid down and get him out of the play, separate him from the puck. Just shows the strength of that young man. What he has been able to do, you know, you got you know, Pat signs him to an eight-year extension, and I maybe I don't know if a lot of people were questioning that, but that's a big deal for a young man who's just getting into the National Hockey League. But if I told you the beginning of the playoffs that Jackson Lacomb after four games would lead the NHL in points, what would you say, Gui A Bear? Uh leading forwards and defensemen.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

He is leading everybody in points with eight. You know, I probably would have said I wouldn't think he'd be leading the NHL in points, but I would have said that he would probably be up, you know, up toward the top. Just because he's logging 25 plus minutes a night, he's so instrumental on the power play, uh, the amount of ice time that he gets and the fact that he's always pushing the pace and getting the puck up the ice. I mean, he's constantly coming up the ice with speed, getting involved in the offense. And I think that, you know, when you do that, you're putting yourself in a position to, you know, whether it's the primary or secondary assist, you know, you're kind of leading the charge into the offensive zone, moving the puck and getting it to, you know, some of your prime goal scorers. So um, you know, I it's funny. I I've heard a lot of people all of a sudden wake up and realize that, hey, there's this guy, Jackson Lacomb. Like, he's pretty good, you know. Again, I think it's another West Coast bias. And people say, no, there's not, there is a West Coast bias. West Coast teams just don't get the recognition or the TV time that uh the East Coast teams get. But when you become a good franchise and a Stanley Cup playoff franchise and a Stanley Cup contender, all of a sudden that's that dynamic certainly changes. But Jackson Lacomb is turning out to be the player that they had hoped. Um without a doubt. I mean, you're talking about his size, which people underestimate, but his strength, certainly people underestimate. Uh, his skating ability, you know, is as good as anybody in the league. I mean, I I look at him and you know, it was funny. I saw another podcast with uh our pal Chris Pronger on it, and they were talking about like, who's this Jackson Lacombe guy or whatever? And he's like, listen, he goes, not right now. And I totally believe Prong's on this next year, and as he continues to develop, I mean, Jackson Lacomb is going to be a guy like Kale McCar being talked about for the Norris trophy every single year moving forward. So I think he's got that high of a ceiling, and he's just such a humble kid, loves the game, works incredibly hard. And I think sometimes, you know, people think things come easy to you, but he's a student of the game, and he makes sure he pays attention to the opponents that he's gonna play against, you know, and what you know he can expose defensively and offensively. And I mean, he's you know, he's a goaltender's dream, really. Yeah, because you know he's just gonna be on the ice all the time. And you know, the pairing with him and Jacob Truba is a great part of that shutdown line against you know, Connor McDavid, Leon Dreisidel, whoever they need to be out there, because Truba really brings that big physicality, certainly while Radko Gudis is out of the lineup.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Technically sound is something certainly describe Jackson Lacomb, right? We talk and we mentioned you know not taking penalties, knock on wood moving forward, but certainly, you know, I I go back to that play. It was so impressive to watch what he was able to do against the best player in the world who is so strong, so strong on his skates, and was able to take him and move him off the puck. No, and I don't think people understand, you know, the you know the difficulty of the play and the perfection in execution that he was able to um to make happen. So it yeah, it's it's been it's just watching these guys evolve, too. I mean, this series is a learning experience. 13 Anaheim ducks entered this series with Edmonton with no playoff experience, and they are growing before our very eyes. And two, Lacombe, and you were there on uh Friday to be able to do what he did on the empty netter to seal the game. Yeah, like he held the puck for what seemed like five minutes, and he kind of held it, held it, and then he went the length of the ice about 150 feet and put it in the back of the net. So he's been able to do a little bit of both, but he shows no panic. Um, and you're seeing it in these kids. I I call them kids, but as as the series goes on, they are becoming more comfortable with the moment, and I think that's gonna play, you know, huge dividends. They're up 3-1 now. Uh, it's gonna pay huge dividends moving forward in this postseason.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

Yeah, there's a couple ways to look at like youth and you know inexperience when you go into the playoffs, right? Uh I at first I think there's a great balance on this team between experienced veterans and the youth. Like youthful enthusiasm goes a long way, right? Because the guys are hyped up, they're ready to go, you know. I mean, almost to the point where the veterans have to kind of rein them in a little bit so that they don't, you know, burn too much of energy, right? I mean, that's sometimes the fear is you're so hyped up and ready to go, you know, like you just get gassed early in that first period, and then you don't really have anything left in the tank. Uh, the other thing about youthful, inexperienced players is that it it think about golf. Like when you play golf and you're coming onto the PGA tour, uh you've been great at every level you played, and you just have these expectations to continue to be great. And you can be because you have no scar tissue, right? You haven't had these devastating losses, or you have right. So when you build up scar tissue, you know, when you get in those moments where you need to perform, you know, make that one chip or putt or drive or whatever it is, or in hockey, you got to make that good pass or that big save. You know, the longer you play, you know, unfortunately you build up scar tissue of negative response. And, you know, the best players in the world are always able to kind of keep that at bay. But I think for this team, these guys are all like, well, why wouldn't I score in overtime? Or why wouldn't I score on this power play? And don't know any better. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who are they, right? I mean, we're better than they are. So I think it's it's that I think coupled with you know, some some really great veterans, I think about how how great a signing of some of the players Pat Vriek got. I think about Mc Mikhail Granland. Uh, you know, I talk about you know, Adam Henrik back in the day, the Swiss Army knife. He can do anything. And Granland to me is just like that. You can put him in any position, right? Yeah. Power play, penalty kill. I mean, even strength. He's got a great nose for the net. He knows how to finish. You know, I mean, uh he's just an indispensable pickup uh for this team for this season. And, you know, not to mention the other guys that were included. I mean, you know, the Ryan Paling move that uh moved a popular player, Trevor Ziegris, out and brought Paling in. But I mean, what Paling brings is incredible speed, great PK threat on the penalty kill to score shorthanded, which he has done. Uh, you know, I think that puts a lot of pressure on Edmonton and their power play, knowing that there's a guy out there, you know, throw Leo Carlson out there too on a penalty kill with that thread of speed. So uh, you know, right now, I mean the Ducks have, and I said it before the playoffs started, I was like, nobody wants to play the Ducks. And that was, you know, even during their slide at the end of the season where they were kind of limping into the playoffs and was like, you know, I'm like, is this a telling sign that they've kind of, you know, run out of gas here at the end of the season that they're gonna just get to the playoffs, be happy and satisfied to get to the playoffs? Because it does happen, right? You you play 82 games, there are expectations for this team by the organization, ownership, fans got to get to the playoffs, and then they got, you know, hey, we made it, we accomplished our goal. And then you take that deep breath and you let your guard down, and all of a sudden you just get you know blown out in the first round. Uh that is not the case here, which is wonderful to see uh from all of our perspectives that like this team wants more. And and when you get a taste of winning, Frenchie, like it doesn't matter in what league, I don't care if you're playing pickup with you know your buddies in in the street or you're playing one-on-one basketball against your brother, everybody likes to win. And so when you get that ball rolling and that momentum rolling, I mean, you're like you start to think like, okay, we don't want to look too far down the road, but we want to finish Edmonton off, you know, next game, and then we want to see who our next opponent is because we feel like we can beat anybody. And I think that's a great sign for this young team is that they just, you know, we joke about Ted Lasso all the time. You know, we've done it for years at the set in the pregame show, you know, believe, and this team has that belief that like they can beat anybody because at the end of the day, it's who scores more goals than the other team. And this team has that scoring depth that that they haven't had in years. Just get in, right?

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Just get into the postseason. Anything can happen because it the beauty of hockey is everything's a seven-game series, right? So it's you just and you grow and develop as the series goes on, as we're seeing the Anaheim ducks doing. And I want to hit on one thing you said about Ryan Paling, too. You uh and and please give me a little insight into this, but when you have you have superstars, right, on your team, but not everybody is gonna get all the ice time, not everybody is gonna score all the goals. You played with two of the best in Korean Salani, but you have to have guys that are acceptant to other roles on this team. And I think Ryan Paling, the signing there, and a lot of people were based on who they traded away in Ziegrist, they were like, What are we getting here? But it's it wasn't they weren't trading one dynamic player for another, they were trading a dynamic player for somebody who could fit a role and fill a need in a fourth line, third line center, yeah, in Ryan Paling. And you need to have those role players, and and this it's not even it's those are as porton, if not more important, than than your stars sometimes. You because those guys are the guys that aren't going to be, you know, double team, triple team, whatever it is, and they're gonna be, you know, looked upon to produce. I want you to tell me how that works, you know, in a room on the ice when you talk about role players, players that come in and know and how important that is to know what their role is and do it at a high level.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

That's how you you create a winning atmosphere and a championship team is that you have to get players who fit in a specific role on your team. We kind of joke you always would sit around the locker room, and when kind of those role players would get outside of their lane, you know, guys in a locker room would call them out and say, like, hey, know your role. Because it's like your role isn't to score goals, your role is to make sure that you check the top line, or your role is to make sure that you know you're killing penalties, or your role is X, Y, or Z. And, you know, I mean, sometimes everybody does get out of their role occasionally because, hey, they're feeling good, maybe scored a couple goals and they're like, hey, I'm a goal scorer now, right? And and it's like, okay, no, that that's make sure you stay in your lane. And I think it's important that you know, if you look at any championship team in any sport, you think about the balance throughout a lineup, you know, whether it's you know, uh specifically hockey, obviously, you got to roll four lines, no pun intended, right? But you have to have four lines that can play in the playoffs, and you know that your top lines are gonna face their best checkers, right? So that they're gonna try to shut down the top line, much like our team is doing. So where does that fall to goal scoring sometimes? It it falls to like, can our third line beat their third line? Can our fourth line beat their fourth line? And if that happens, then you eventually win the game, right? So you have a guy like Ryan Paling. And I think that, you know, when Pat was looking for, you know, how does he create, you know, you're thinking about some of the young stars. You got, you know, Cutter, you got Leo, you know, you got Troy Terry, you got Granlon, you got all of a sudden this kid Beckett Seneca, who just rolls in and has uh, you know, a rookie year of his life and you know creates a spot where like, okay, we've got another high flying power forward. Well, I I we just can't have you know four lines of those guys because there's just not enough time to share. And I think that's the thing is that all of a sudden you start to balance that out with role players. And I I honestly think that that's why Jeffrey Viel has fit in so well into this team, is that that that's what he does. He's just gonna do what he's told and not do anything different. And oh, by the way, if you had told me after four games in this series that Jeffrey Viel would have more goals than Connor McDavid, I would have probably lost, I would have lost a big bet with you. But that's a lot of people would have, yeah. Oh my gosh. Because he's he's doing what he's supposed to do, and then the same with you know, uh any of those guys. I mean, you know, Ryan Paling certainly comes to the forefront of being such a great acquisition because yes, you you let go of a superstar. But you know, at the end of the day, are you like, okay, we actually came out on top in a way because you know, this guy fits into our team and our team chemistry and where we want to go? That's uh, you know, like you said, you can't have four lines of superstars because eventually, you know, nobody nobody can share one buck that many times.

SPEAKER_01 41:03

What is the emotional lift like in a dressing room when uh when a said role player goes out there and makes a huge impact and does a little bit more because you know you can have your your stars, you kind of expect those guys to score goals. Jeffrey Viel goes out on uh game three, he draws, he basically takes the penalty that leads to a power play goal, then he comes back and he scores a goal. Oh, and he has a fight near the end of the game. He always had a Gordy Howe hat trick that game. And then you have you know Paling doing what he's doing, uh and everything in that a shutdown line, a Washi VL uh and more. What what type of emotion does that drum up in a room when you kind of look down the line and go, damn, everybody's stepping up right now?

SPEAKER_00 41:49

Yeah. Well, it's all about respect. And you know, you want to perform for your teammates. And nobody wants to be that guy who makes a mistake that leads to a goal that ends up in a loss. You know, so I think that that you know, aware awareness is heightened. You know, I mean, right now, I mean, everybody is trying to make sure they take care of all the fine details, and you know, it's whether, you know, the the role players are doing their job and they're doing it incredibly well. You know, I think about VL scoring from his backside in game four, you know, just hard work, finishing his check, gets to the front of the net, and is able to score a goal. But I I think that when you, you know, those guys come back to the bench, I mean, you're the scorers are so excited for them to be rewarded for all their hard work, kick onto the dirty work that the guys have to do. Absolutely. You know I mean, yeah, think about you know, if Yellow getting in the scrap at the end of game three, making sure that he's standing up for his teammates, um, you know, just any of the guys doing those little things. I mean, it does just it it galvanizes the team, it it brings you closer together, you know, it makes you want to sacrifice more for your teammates. You know, a guy comes off having a great shift, you're like, okay, when I get on the ice, man, I I gotta have as good a shift as that guy just had. And, or if your goaltender makes a huge save, you're like, man, he bailed us out on that one. Let's go get Doste a goal, right? So, I mean, that's what really brings the team together. And I think that the the closeness that you get when you're at war in the playoffs. I mean, during the regular season, very similar, but you know, when you're playing that best of seven and you know, first team, the four moves on, and and you don't want to be the team going home for the summer, uh, it it's amazing how that brings the team so much closer.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

I ask you that question too, because sitting there as I'm watching it on TV and they're waiting to figure out who in the hell if if it's a goal or not a goal in overtime, game number four. Uh, just paling, just the teammates around paling and just the the sheer joy that it was him, you know, knowing as you mentioned, you put in the hard work, the dirty work, so to speak, and it was him that was the guy. So that was pretty damn cool to see. You could see him all kind of rallying around. Him and it was just a fun, fun moment um for the team, and obviously, I mean my God, for the fans as well. But um, before before we close shop here, a couple things. Um one is and and apparently I'm stat guy today. I don't know why. I was looking at some stats. So better better are you than me today. John Carlson, right? Yeah, he has the hardest shot in the playoffs so far. And I don't think I knew this about him. Veteran, savvy veteran, Stanley Cup winner coming into the team. How about 102.72 miles an hour? Next closest, 97.45, and Mike Matheson for the uh for the abs. So I mean that's a that's a rocket. I didn't realize he had that type of shot, and to be able to have that type of weapon in this lineup on special teams. I mean, damn.

SPEAKER_00 44:57

I mean, damn. Yeah, yeah. So you're saying that Gibo, you're braver than I thought you were because you used to stand there in front of that. Uh John Carlson, I mean, obviously, that's why he's been in Washington his entire career. I mean, he was a fixture on that power play. I mean, a very good defender. Uh, he's a big guy. I mean, he's like sometimes you look at the players like, oh, that key's pretty big. Uh you stand next to John Carlson, uh, he's a really big guy. And so, but he's, you know, it's part of his uh, you know, his specialty is being able to unload that cannon from the point. Sometimes you don't need the hardest shot, you just need to be able to get the shot through trap, which he does too. You'll see him get wrist shots through from the point. But if he gets a chance to tee it up, I mean, sometimes it's just playing the odds. If I can unload this at 100 miles an hour, you know, sometimes guys are very brave trying to block shots, especially in playoffs. But sometimes if they know who's shooting, you know, it may say, okay, I'm gonna get out of the way and give my goalie a clear look at this. And then so if the goalie sees it, I mean, it's hard to stop a 100 mile an hour shot, you know, coming in at you and controlling the rebound. Like you could you can stop it. NHL goalies can stop that shot depending on its placement. But the fact is, is like, okay, I can stop it or it hits me. Where does that puck go? And can I control that rebound? Can I cover that rebound? And usually the answer is no. I mean, usually it's like I I my first job is to block the shot. Second, I have to just react if I can't cover up the rebound or get it to the corner. So um, but yeah, that's that's a big time shot. I think I'd read, and I think Evan Bouchard up from the Oilers had, I thought he had like a 98 point something mile an hour shot up until the last game or so. But there's some guys out there who can kind of really whistle the puck from the blue line and uh it causes havoc, you know, especially for rebounds and gives opportunity to teams. But yeah, you're right. A lot of people don't know because John Carlson's been in Washington in all those years. So Ducks fans are getting a uh a nice look at their newest acquisition and and who's certainly paying big dividends offensively and defensively.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

All right, we won't mess around with the East, but certainly touch on the West for a minute, which uh the Aves they sweep the Kings. Um surprise, and not nothing against the Kings, but the Aves are that good. So it didn't, I mean, you kind of expected they were gonna move on. Not necessarily sweep, but certainly move on. And they're gonna play the winner of the Stars in the Wild, who, by the way, tied at two games apiece, which is no surprise. I mean, that's a battle with those two teams.

SPEAKER_00 47:25

Yeah, uh, it sure is. And I I I've known I I've heard, you know, Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas, kind of all talking, you know, they're they're the players, management, fans, like, hey, we're getting the shaft. Because like, yes, like this should be like a conference. We were just talking about that.

SPEAKER_01 47:43

These two guys, yeah, one of those two teams. I mean, that's gonna be a battle.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

Yeah, I mean, Minnesota and Dallas are thinking, well, like, like I I mean, I know people say unfair, and maybe that's not uh too strong of a word. Um, but it is it that's a tough road. And that's I mean, I guess the beauty of the NHL is that like there's really no easy path to the Stanley Cup and to win that Stanley Cup. So if you're gonna win it, you're gonna be tested along the way. And you know, I mean, sometimes it's you know, that seeding when you're trying to finish and can you get home ice advantage? And that's why I was uh such a big proponent for the Ducks trying to hang on to that first place in the Pacific, you know, to be able to get home ice advantage or even second in the Pacific that have home ice. You know, it may not turn out to be that important for this team, you know. They just seem to be able to play no matter where they go. They just put their jerseys on and lace them up and and go out and try to win. So, but yeah, I think that uh, you know, hockey's been so so great to watch uh that series. I mean, I actually thought that Dallas was gonna go up. Um, you know, they had the lead two to one with I don't know, several minutes left in the game, and and Minnesota found a way to tie that game up. Uh one of the Falino brothers, Marcus, was able to tuck in the the game tire. And then, you know, of course, and overtime you just never know, right? I mean, some teams could have 10 shots and you know, no goals, and then the other team gets one great opportunity and score. So, I mean, it it's it's the greatest thing. I mean, I'm so happy that they played 20-minute overtime, five on five, that they have not tried to adjust the Stanley Cup playoffs to be, you know, five-minute overtime with anything less than five on five. So even though you got to stay stay awake, Frenchie, sometimes for single, double, triple, quad overtimes, um, this time of year, there's nothing better, just you know, calling sick the next morning.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

And in the Ducks Oilers brackets, winner of this series will face the winner of Utah and Vegas. And by the way, the mammoth right now leading that series two to one as we uh record this podcast. And speaking of loud fan bases, you mentioned, you know, the Ducks. I mean, we've been to Vegas, we've done those games. I mean, it's insane there. I can't imagine what it's like right now in Utah for that expansion franchise to be A, in the postseason, B, be leading in their first round matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. So uh who whoever can get through this series with the Ducks and Oil, um, there's two great fan bases that they're gonna be, you know, subject to when it comes to Utah and Vegas.

SPEAKER_00 50:21

Yeah, like I said, the path doesn't get easy. You know, both of those teams, if the Ducks are to advance, and and and hopefully when this airs, we can giggle and say, I'm so happy they advanced, they ended it in five games. Uh, but I guess that's the thing is ducks going through that that game, you know, uh Edmonton's not gonna roll over. And the Edmonton fans are gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 50:42

Well, and you have Connor McDavid, you have Dry South, they're not, and they've been to the finals the last two years. McDavid's window. I mean, it we you told me this, right? I kept saying, Oh, they're windows closing or their windows, you know, whatever. He's like, wait a second, you're 29 years old. Like, yeah, hold on. What are you talking about? Windows here. Well good point, Gibo. Yes, good point. But I feel like, doesn't it feel like they gotta win now? I mean, this Edmonton team needs to get it done now.

SPEAKER_00 51:08

Yeah, I mean, I I listen, we could continue this show for another hour just to talk about that. But yeah, I I mean, you go to the cup finals twice, heartbreaking losses in those two finals. You feel like you're on the right track. Connor McDavid signs a very team-friendly two-year extension and not going into unrestricted free agents of this summer where uh everybody would be trying to get him. And so he did the team a favor, said, I want to win the cup in this city for this team. And oh, by the way, I just opened up a bunch of cap space for you to go fill some spots that will help us win. Uh, you know, they did a nice job. I think Jason Dixon Dickinson is been a real key pickup for them. Uh, he's battling a lower body injury. He was in a game, had a huge impact. He was out, he was back in for game four. Um, he I think he's a guy that they need to have in the lineup. And I'm not placing the blame on the goaltending because this team is really deficient defensively. Uh, and that's not just all on the defense, it's their collective defensive systems. Um, so any goalie going in there is gonna have a tough time, but they didn't go and get a really top-rated goaltender, you know, kind of paid the price to get somebody. I mean, heck, we we talked about it for years that John Gibson could have fit that role, I think, very well. Uh, Edmonton never pulled the trigger. You know, who knows what happens in the the you know, the backroom dealings and why something never materialized. Tristan Jari, oh, I think he's a multi-cup winner in Pittsburgh, right? So uh he's struggling. So it's it's evident it's not the goaltending, but they didn't show Connor McDavid that they were gonna go in, push all the chips in, and then really make a push for somebody that was out there that could have been a better upgrade to their goaltending. So there's a lot of things online. I I mean, I I think management could have a uh a it could be kind of like the Boston Red Sox. There could be a lot of people being swept out of that front office and and coaching positions in Edmonton if the Ducks do finish them off.

SPEAKER_01 53:12

I am going to end where we began, and I'm gonna answer my question to you first. Go right ahead. Talking about the the replay of the goal in game four, right? We and I have been, I was talking to my wife about this, going, well, there's other camera angles that we are not privy to. To my knowledge, in the NFL, we are privy to pretty much every single camera angle that they show when it comes to you know, to get both feet in, to the ball across the line, whatever it is. I would like to see the fans, now that we know that there are cameras out there and everything, I want to see every angle. Gebo, I I want to see what they're seeing. And I probably could create an argument for why they don't want us to see it, but I think we should be able to see every damn angle when it comes to the puck crossing the line, so we can see what they're saying. What do you say?

SPEAKER_00 54:13

It would become non-controversial. Like if we could see, and for everybody for the world, both teams, fan bases, players. I mean, again, we can speculate that that puck is in the net. I I think there's no doubt about that. But if conclusive evidence from the NHL and just said, hey, these are our cameras, we're gonna put it out to our social media, we hear a lot of backlash, we're gonna put this completely to rest, and here it is. And I I mean, I think you're on to something, Frenchie. That I think that would be come on. I mean, I think like if you're gonna take the time to review these things, it don't leave players, teams, fans all in the dark about, you know, was it or wasn't it? You know, I mean, you have to live with the end result, both teams have to move on. You know, that's the thing about you know sports is that okay, you can't do anything about what's in the past, you can only look to the future, and that's what you can have any kind of um you know say in and termination of uh how the outcome's gonna be. But yeah, I I agree. I I think I think if there is technology that they're not sharing, they should certainly put it out there.

SPEAKER_01 55:21

All right. Well, this has been Hockey Talk brought to you by the Master.

SPEAKER_00 55:23

It was it was hard to talk about anything else.

SPEAKER_01 55:25

We I mean we kind of went into this thing going, this is what we are gonna talk about, and rightfully so, as we uh move on to game five. And uh, like you mentioned, Gibo, by the time um this airs, game five will be in the books. And next time we come on next week, I would like to continue talking about playoff hockey. That would be nice.

SPEAKER_00 55:44

That would be. Hey, and Charles Barkley, we haven't had him on the show yet, but he said, I'm not watching this NBA playoff, it's too boring. So he's been all in on the NHL and the Stanley Cup playoffs.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

So we got Spirit Charles. I like it. Sir Charles, yeah, we'll we'll put the ask out and see what happens. Hey, well, listen, uh, if Sir Charles wants to watch us, he can certainly tune in to our YouTube channel at the Mask the Mic. And also we are on Spotify and Apple Podcast. Uh, Givo again, it's been uh it's been good catching up. Thanks for being Boots on the Ground for the postseason. You and I have at least one more post-game or pregame show coming up. Yes. Uh so that will be exciting, and uh, we will uh, as mentioned, uh keep our fingers crossed and uh look to next week to chat some hockey as well.

SPEAKER_00 56:26

Yeah, absolutely. And listen, good vibes. Good vibes for everybody. Yeah, and go ducks. And go ducks.