The Hockey Show: Four Nations Preview (feat. Billy Lindsay)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode Title: The Hockey Show: Four Nations Preview (feat. Billy Lindsay)
Release Date: February 7, 2025

---

Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve deep into the current landscape of hockey, spotlighting the upcoming Four Nations Tournament. Featuring expert analysis from Billy Lindsay of the Florida Panthers Hockey Network and NHL Network, the show offers listeners a comprehensive overview of team strategies, player performances, and tournament predictions.

---

Hot Takes on Hockey

The episode kicks off with a lively discussion on recent controversial plays in the NHL:

• Sam’s Take on Own Goals:
  Sam challenges existing hockey rules by questioning the prohibition of players kicking the puck into the net outside the crease. He argues, “If it’s not in the crease and it’s not dangerous to the goalie with you kicking your feet around, why can’t that be legal?” (02:27).

• Roy’s Counterpoint:
  Roy emphasizes the importance of safety and traditional stick usage, stating, “Have to use your stick… It’s not soccer. You should have to use your stick.” (03:07).

• Discussion on Ryan Hartman’s Suspension:
  The hosts debate the severity of Ryan Hartman’s 10-game suspension for a dangerous play, with Roy critiquing the NHL’s disciplinary measures: “He should have his license right... Taken away from him.” (04:47).

---

Player Performances and Team Dynamics

The conversation shifts to celebrating standout players and team dynamics:

• Porter Martone’s Dedication:
  Sam highlights OHL prospect Porter Martone’s impressive focus, remarking, “This kid is... so hyper focused and ready to do” (09:37).

• Sam Bennett’s Fight with Jake Neighbors:
  Ethan praises Sam Bennett’s tenacity in his recent fight, calling it “awesome” and suggesting it should count towards his goal tally (10:04).

• Panthers’ Ice Crew Excellence:
  Roy commends the Panthers’ Ice Crew for their professionalism in handling unexpected situations, such as safely removing a bat from the arena (11:09).

---

Four Nations Tournament Preview with Billy Lindsay

Billy Lindsay joins the show to provide expert insights into the Four Nations Tournament:

• Participating Teams:

  • Team USA: Featuring Matthew Tkachuk and others.
  • Team Canada: Led by Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett.
  • Team Finland: Including Alexander Barkov and Nico Mikola.
  • Team Sweden: With Gustav Forsling.

• Tournament Dynamics:
  Lindsay discusses the high tempo and competitive nature of the tournament, predicting that the Florida Panthers’ players will excel due to their conditioning: “The players are well conditioned, well trained, and when they come back, they'll be ready to go.” (19:05).

• Team Canada’s Prospects:
  Roy expresses skepticism about Team Canada’s chances, citing potential goaltending issues. Lindsay agrees, highlighting inconsistencies in Team Canada's defensive lineup: “If Team Canada does not get the goaltending and does not get the saves, they're not going to be around long.” (25:56).

• Detroit Red Wings’ Surge:
  Sam questions whether the Red Wings’ recent success under coach Todd McClellan is sustainable or merely a coaching bump. Lindsay acknowledges their structured gameplay and strong power play as indicators of genuine playoff potential: “Detroit has a good shot as any with the way that they're playing with McClellan.” (22:15).

---

Panthers' Recent Games and Standings

The hosts review the Florida Panthers’ recent performances and standings:

• Victory Against Chicago Blackhawks:
  Despite a blistering start with a 7-second goal by Landon Slaggard (37:19), the Panthers dominated, securing a 5-1 win with key contributions from Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett.

• Road Game vs. Washington Capitals:
  Following their White House visit, the Panthers faced a tough loss against the Capitals. Sam Bennett stood out with a goal and an assist, even as officiating came under scrutiny for missed penalties: “He had a goal and assist seven… seven shots on goal on 13 attempts.” (44:35).

• Thrilling Match in St. Louis:
  Matthew Tkachuk led the charge with two goals in a narrow 3-2 victory, further solidifying his role as a pivotal player: “He scored twice… Mackie Samiskiewicz also had a goal.” (45:19).

• Standings Overview:
  Roy updates listeners on the Panthers leading the Atlantic division by three points over the Maple Leafs and discusses the dynamic playoff race involving the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay: “The Senators have scratched and clawed their way into a playoff spot.” (50:15).

---

Guest Insights: Billy Lindsay on Player Conditioning and Team Strategy

Billy Lindsay shares valuable insights based on his experience:

• Pavel Bure’s Work Ethic:
  Lindsay recounts playing alongside Pavel Bure, highlighting his unparalleled conditioning and explosive skating: “He had the most powerful, explosive skater by far that I’ve ever played with.” (27:27).

• Matthew Tkachuk’s Impact:
  He praises Tkachuk’s scoring run and leadership, noting how the synergy between Bennett, Ekblad, and Tkachuk has elevated the Panthers’ performance: “Sam Bennett is such a key player with this Panthers team.” (40:34).

• Four Nations Tournament Excitement:
  Lindsay expresses enthusiasm for the tournament, predicting high-intensity games and exceptional skill displays: “They are going to represent it. They are going to go through the wall.” (23:43).

---

Concluding Thoughts

The episode wraps up with a recapitulation of the Panthers’ strong performances and strategic positioning for the playoffs. The hosts and guest analyst Billy Lindsay emphasize the team's balanced approach between offense and defense, underscoring the importance of maintaining player health as the season progresses.

Notable Quotes:

• Roy on Panthers’ Improvement:
  “They have played much better with him [Ekblad].” (40:56)

• Sam on Tkachuk’s Goals:
  “He’s probably going to, like, need three goals with like, five games left and go on some.” (45:03)

• Billy Lindsay on Tournament Talent:
  “There is going to be plenty of talent showcased in this four nations.” (25:44)

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a thorough and insightful analysis of the current NHL season, spotlighting the Florida Panthers' trajectory towards the playoffs and the anticipated excitement of the Four Nations Tournament. With expert commentary from Billy Lindsay, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of team strategies, player dynamics, and the broader competitive landscape of professional hockey.

---

Timestamps

• 02:27: Sam questions puck-kicking legality.
• 03:07: Roy emphasizes stick usage.
• 04:47: Discussion on Ryan Hartman’s suspension.
• 09:37: Sam highlights Porter Martone’s focus.
• 10:04: Ethan praises Sam Bennett’s fight.
• 11:09: Roy commends Panthers’ Ice Crew.
• 19:05: Lindsay discusses tournament conditioning.
• 22:15: Sam questions Red Wings’ surge.
• 25:56: Roy doubts Team Canada’s goaltending.
• 27:27: Lindsay on Pavel Bure’s work ethic.
• 34:59: Roy discusses Capitals and Oilers.
• 37:19: Fastest goal by Slaggard.
• 38:32: Sam on Reinhart and Bennett.
• 40:34: Discussion on second line synergy.
• 44:35: Critique of officiating in Capitals game.
• 45:19: Tkachuk’s performance in St. Louis.
• 50:15: Overview of standings and playoff race.
• 4056: Roy on Panthers’ improvement.
• 4503: Sam on Tkachuk’s goal needs.
• 2544: Lindsay on tournament talent.

Note: Timestamps correspond to the provided transcript for reference.

Transcript

[Mike Ryan]

You're listening to DraftKings Network.

[Dave]

Football season is here and there's absolutely nothing better than game day. But it can be a little bit stressful. You're placing bets, you're setting fantasy lineups. You're figuring out the most comfortable position to sit on your couch for the next 12 hours. No one has time to think about this part.

[Ethan]

Cooking.

[Dave]

Well, thanks to Doordash, you don't have to worry about that. Doordash is the best place place to order all your game day favorites. Chicken wings, nachos, burgers, dogs, hey, maybe even a little chips and guac, something like that. Get a little salsa in there. It can all be delivered with DoorDash. So this football season, don't stress about the cooking. Kick back and enjoy game day thanks to DoorDash. DoorDash, your door to more. Download the DoorDash app now to order your game day favorites.

[Bill Lindsay]

Hey folks, it's Mike Ryan and I need to talk to you about something that I use religiously. Anytime I'm hosting a big dinner party, I want to impress people and I get food from some of the most iconic, famous places in the country. You know what helps me do that? Gold Belly. This amazing site where I order from all the time where you can get all these amazing foods from all across our great country. They will ship free to your door anywhere in the US Of A. Gold Belly will ship you Philly cheesesteaks from Jim's or Pat's in Philly. I'm treating my office right now to a cheesesteak party from Pat's, courtesy of Gold Belly. And on top of that, I threw in some original Buffalo wings from Anchor Bar in Buffalo. You could get Kansas City's most legendary barbecue from Gold Belly. And if the pizza near you sucks, they will ship you New York style pizza from John's on Bleecker or Chicago deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. I do that all the time. Or even New Haven or Detroit style pizza. If you are truly gluttonous though, they will ship you Guy Fieri's famous trash can nachos, which I kid you not, are the ultimate game day centerpiece. So if you're looking to host an epic super bowl party, or any party for that matter, go to goldbelly.com and get free shipping and 20% off your first order with promo code DANIEL. That's goldbelly.com code DAN for free shipping and 20 percent off your first order.

[Roy]

It's the hockey show. That's Dave, that's Ethan, Rosie, is not here. She's at the Super Bowl. That's it. All right, so let's go to slap shots really quickly. Let's go. All right. Hot takes, Dave.

[Sam]

Hot takes. All right. Well, hi. Welcome to the show. Hey, Good to be here.

[Roy]

How you doing?

[Sam]

My hot take earlier this week, Ricard Raquel and the Penguins, they were playing the Devils. He had one goal disallowed right there that he kicked in the net. That goal did not count. Later in the game, he accidentally kicked the puck in his own net. That goal did count.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Sam]

So my hot take is, if it's not in the crease and it's not dangerous to the goalie with you kicking your feet around, why can't that be legal?

[Roy]

It's an own goal. That's why.

[Sam]

No, no. Why can't a player try to kick the puck in from anywhere on the ice? If it's a. If it's legal to deflect it off his skate, why can't he just kick it? If it's a safety thing outside of the crease, that's fine. But, like. And this coming from Rioli, like, what's the problem?

[Roy]

It's not.

[Ethan]

Have to use your stick.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Ethan]

It's not soccer. You should have to use your stick.

[Sam]

I'm not saying you should try to, but I'm saying it shouldn't be illegal.

[Roy]

You can't bat the puck in with your glove either. Yeah, it could bounce off your torso. It can bounce off your legs.

[Sam]

Different, I think. Hand eye coordination.

[Ethan]

Can't make that sweeping motion.

[Roy]

No, no.

[Sam]

I don't know, man. I think. I think it might be a lot fun.

[Roy]

Well, that's the other thing. Fun. I mean, you can deflect it off the skating.

[Sam]

Yeah, that's legal. So why can't you just kick it in?

[Ethan]

Here's my question. Soccer, if you score an own goal, you get credited for a goal. Why don't they do that in hockey?

[Sam]

Like your own goal, it doesn't count towards your goal total.

[Ethan]

No, I know, but, like, put in the E column. No, but on the stat column, it comes up like, Carter Verhagee in. In the Ranger, one of the Rangers games last year, he shot the puck and it went in off a stick. He got credited for the goal. That's not how it should be. Carter Hagee should not get credit for that goal.

[Roy]

You know the reason why the defender.

[Ethan]

Should be credited for an own goal. That's not how it works, though. In soccer, it works that way. But in.

[Roy]

You know, the reason why they do that though, Ethan.

[Ethan]

No, I don't.

[Roy]

Asking goaltenders. That's why goaltenders last time if they're the last to touch the puck and all of a sudden there's an own goal that happens. The goaltender is credited with the goal. You know, the opposing goaltender.

[Sam]

I don't need another anti goal stat attached to my goaltending stats. I don't need own goals attached to my goals against average.

[Ethan]

Enough of you.

[Roy]

No, no, no. We're talking about goaltender scoring goals. Actually not own goals, but credited to them because if they made the save and all of a sudden there's a goal.

[Sam]

Yeah, like the first ever goal credited to a goaltender. Billy Smith. He didn't shoot it in the net. He made a save and then Colorado Rockies shot it into their own net.

[Roy]

That's correct. That's. That's pretty much what it is.

[Sam]

All right. So that's my hot take. Clearly nobody agrees with me. Roy, what's your hot take?

[Roy]

All right. Ryan Hartman got suspended for 10 games for this. Now this, this type of stuff should not be in the game. And what he did looked like something out of the wwe. It looked like something out of aew TNA as well. I mean, Ryan Hartman basically did his best Jake the Snake, Jake the Snake Roberts impression and gave a DDT to Tim Stusler.

[Sam]

I mean, he didn't get hurt worse because that like came down right in his neck.

[Roy]

Yeah, like he could have.

[Ethan]

Visor is right there too. That's so dangerous.

[Roy]

That's what cut him over.

[Ethan]

Yeah.

[Roy]

That's what kind of sliced even worse. Yeah. So he had a cut over his eye because of that. He could have had a concussion. He could have had a broken neck. And he got a 10 game suspension. Not because of that. It was multiplied because he's a repeat offender. He's been suspended seven times prior to this.

[Sam]

Really?

[Roy]

Seven?

[Sam]

That many times?

[Roy]

Yes. It's been a few one game suspensions, you know, that's a couple of threes and a five. Now he's got a ten. This is it. This is the last one.

[Sam]

Dude's got a lot of points on his license.

[Roy]

Yep. He should have his license right. Taken away from him.

[Sam]

A ten game suspension, like that's a. That's an eighth of the season.

[Roy]

That, that, that's. That's crazy. That's reckless play. Now he gave the reason why. He was trying to keep my balance so I used my arm to be on top. It's just like, what is this?

[Sam]

Our kids, Tyler and Claire learning to skate that they need to Keep their balance on each other.

[Roy]

That's why you need a sled.

[Sam]

These are NHL players. They don't need sleds. These are the best players and staters in the world. I'm sorry, but you. I don't buy that.

[Roy]

That play was off a face off, by the way. That's why. That's why he complained about. I was trying to keep my balance there. But yeah, I mean, or just fall.

[Sam]

On your ass and don't, you know, maybe paralyze the guy.

[Roy]

Right.

[Sam]

I don't know.

[Roy]

So he's appealed to. He's appealing this suspension. If Bettman says no because this is six games or more, he's going to have to go to an independent arbitrator and then who knows what's going to happen from there. But he deserves this suspension.

[Sam]

Yeah, that's not cool.

[Roy]

And if. I'm telling you right now, following this, if he does anything as heinous as that, I mean, he's. He might as well go the Tony D'Angelo route and go to Russia.

[Sam]

Yeah, well, the lead's not going to keep putting guys in if they continue to repeat offend. And to put other players safety at hazard, like that's. You just got to protect everybody else.

[Roy]

Yeah. Ethan, you got anything?

[Ethan]

Can you share awards in the NHL?

[Roy]

Can you share awards like a co. Mvp?

[Sam]

The Jennings Trophy goes to two goaltenders.

[Ethan]

Okay, but you can't, like, like my hot take is Barkov and Reinhardt should share to the Selkie.

[Roy]

Oh, boy.

[Sam]

I mean, why don't we just go back to having ties?

[Roy]

Well, I mean, you got first, second, third, fourth and fifth place votes, so that's going to be exceedingly difficult. So if they tie to happen?

[Ethan]

If they tie, what happens? It's a first place tiebreak. First place vote.

[Roy]

Yeah, it's got to be a tiebreaker there.

[Sam]

I just think I should know the answers.

[Roy]

I guess you are a voter here.

[Ethan]

Is that Reinhardt should really win the Selkie, but he's not going to because Barkov is on his line and Barkov is just going to win the Selkie.

[Roy]

Well, keep in mind, Barkov was actually injured earlier in the season. That's going against him, definitely.

[Ethan]

But he only missed really like a week or two at the beginning of the season. I just think the. The work that Reinhart does defensively go so flies so far under the radar because he plays next to the guy that everybody agrees is the best defensive forward in the league right now. And now that Patrice Bergeron is out of the league Barkov can finally start winning the Selkie every year. But I just think my hot take would be those. Both those guys give it to him.

[Roy]

Under zero circumstance where those two cancel each other out. That's Balkov.

[Sam]

It's one or the other. But I've actually put a lot of thought into this in recent weeks and I've been kind of on team Reinhart since last year just as somebody coming up, but he's going to score 50 goals. The conclusion I came to is that Barkov's what he does defensively and I don't mean broadly and statistically. I mean the plays he makes with his stick, the way that he separates guys from the puck, the way that he accelerates and completely ends plays out of nowhere. I don't see anybody doing those specific things.

[Ethan]

The play he made on the game winning goal last night where he's just got a guy up against the boards and just shoves him off and gets the puck right into the middle for Reinhardt.

[Sam]

No disrespect to Sam Reinhart and what he's doing and he's an amazing defensive player, but I think Sasha Barkov is on another level. That's just where I'm at.

[Roy]

Wins of the week David.

[Sam]

My win of the week. Porter Martone, prospect, prospect for the NHL. He's playing in the OHL right now for the Brampton Steelheads. He did a Q and A recently with Bar down and they asked him like 100 questions or you know, whatever. It was 94 questions as he wears number 94. But so many of the non hockey related answers were hockey related. Like what kind of toothpaste do you use? Oh, I don't know, whatever would keep my teeth in because I play hockey, you know. What kind of shows do you watch? Well, you know, whatever, you know, nhs. Yeah, like every single thing was hockey related. I'm so here for it. This kid is, what is he, like 17 years old? He hasn't even gotten to the NHL yet.

[Roy]

He's got the cliches down already.

[Sam]

As a prospect, he's so hyper focused and ready to do.

[Roy]

It's like they teach a class pass.

[Sam]

You know, it's Bull Durham all over again. It's Crash Davis. But the, you know, maybe it's a goalie instead of a catcher, but Porter Marton, I can't wait for him to get to the NHL. He's such a hyper focus hockey guy. Kind of makes me think of Matthew Tachuk and somebody that's just eats and breeds and sleeps hockey 24 7.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Sam]

So I just thought that was cool.

[Roy]

That's.

[Sam]

That's my win of the week. Give me more hockey, guys.

[Ethan]

Ethan porter Marton is 18 years old. My win of the week goes to Sam Bennett. This was awesome. Last night. I was absolutely jacked up.

[Sam]

He finally got somebody to fight him.

[Ethan]

Jake Neighbors. Sam Bennett, for those who don't know, delivered a big hit to Jake Neighbors the last time. The pan ahead. And I guess the Blues decided we were going to send Jake Neighbors after him. And these two went at it off the opening draw. Right away, both of them in the center circle. And look at Bennett just whooped his ass. Bennett also almost got credited with the goal. Mackie Samich ended up getting the credit for that goal, but did have an assist. So he came up a goal shy of a Gordie Howe hattrick. And that fight was awesome. I think we should pay a pet adoption fee just based off that fight. You know how Bennett is paying a pet adoption.

[Roy]

Yes, I know that, but still, you want us to pay it. You want us to.

[Ethan]

That should count. That should count as a goal.

[Sam]

That was good enough. I kind of agree with that because it's so rare when a guy will actually agree to drop the gloves with Sam Bennett. Like, it's not like he doesn't want to fight. The guy wins every fight he's in. He's a menace. I would never want to face him. So anytime somebody's got the balls to drop their gloves with Sam Bennett, I think there should be some kind of reward.

[Ethan]

Hats off to both Jake Navers and Sam Bennett. That was a great fight.

[Roy]

Jake Neighbors was like, I'm sorry, Mr. Bennett, I was not attuned to your game. Yeah, that sort of thing.

[Sam]

Seemingly good fighter.

[Roy]

Yeah. My win of the week goes to the Ice Crew at the United Center Wednesday night prior to the against the Blackhawks. Saw a bat flying around.

[Ethan]

Where's Manu Ginobly when you need him?

[Roy]

Yeah, yeah, the Coyote. Yeah. Eventually again, like they do with spurs games. Like we just mentioned, they caught the bat. They netted the bat down with a huge net. Down to the ice and safely got that flying mammal up out of there. So good job by the Blackhawks. Ice Crew.

[Sam]

Multipurpose. I like that.

[Roy]

Yeah. Very good. Philosophy of the week, David.

[Sam]

I'm afraid, boys, that we're going back to Buffalo for my fail of the week, but I feel like this one is kind of a universally agreed on thing. Earlier this week, Tage Thompson got absolutely leveled by Stefan Nosen of the Devils. And nobody on his team did a goddamn thing.

[Roy]

This is the second time. This is like the second straight week.

[Sam]

He'S laying there on the ice, face down, and everybody's just skating around, palms to the ceiling.

[Mike Ryan]

What happened?

[Sam]

The guys in the bench. There's guys in the bench that were like standing up and furious, but they can't do anything right. It shouldn't matter. This is hockey. This is the highest level of hockey. This is the NHL. Your teammate gets run like that and look, we've talked about this before. Clean hits. You leave him alone. That's not a clean hit. The guy's frickin helmet went popping off into the second row of the stands. Nobody did anything. That is embarrassing. It's disgusting.

[Ethan]

You know what was even worse is in their next game they played Columbus, and Columbus sent out Matthew Olivier. And Matthew Olivier fought a defenseman for the Sabres, whose name is escaping me right now, Dennis Gilbert said. Anyway, they fought off the draw and it was like, is this them being like, yeah, we're tough, we're going to fight the Columbus Blue Jackets? Yeah, like that was too lame.

[Sam]

Like they said, they're so little, so late. Words were said that guys got heated and then they went out the next. It's like, no, no, this is. Your guy was bleeding on the ice, you missed your chance and I just look like fools.

[Roy]

A couple of things, a couple games prior to that, they had the goaltenderan, they didn't do a thing. And they went into the press conference saying, hey, well, we do this, we take a penalty. In that situation, we needed to win. And then Lenny Ruff said, pick anybody else, go and fight. Like they did that, that, that happened. That's twice in a row. And the second thing is you gotta go pretty high, and I mean pretty high to knock down Taze Thompson with a headshot. The man's six, eight. That's ridiculous.

[Sam]

There's just nothing that was good about any of that. The more I see it, the more I hate it. And I'm sure that a lot of those guys in the Buffalo sweaters feel the same way, but just twice.

[Roy]

Twice.

[Sam]

I don't know what the hell's going on in Buffalo. That's a deserved fail of the week though, right guys?

[Roy]

Yes. That has deserved my fail of the week. The bouncers did not go the Kings way early in their game. I mean, ridiculous. Mike Matheson, this was against the Canadiens, took a shot from the point which deflected off the ass of Drew Doughty, which then deflected off the mask of D'Arcy Kemper to tie the game at 1:1. The Kings ended up winning this one 6 to 3. But you can't take that to. What are you going to call this?

[Sam]

An own goal?

[Roy]

The butt puck.

[Ethan]

There you go. The butt head goal. That should count against Drew Doughty. That goal should be Drew Doughty's goal.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Ethan]

His own goal. Not whoever shot it for the far to punt out.

[Roy]

And that would be a defenseman. What? That would be what, an E2. In that situation, if you go from goaltender to defenseman to forward, that'll be E2, E3.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Yeah. There you go. Ethan, you are wearing a Northeast.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Roy]

University jersey.

[Ethan]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

Why?

[Ethan]

I want to give a shout out.

[Roy]

Going back to college.

[Ethan]

Good friend of mine from my time at NBC this summer when I worked the Olympics, Julia, she goes to Northeastern now. She was one of our interns and she sent me this jersey and I appreciate it so much. And she wanted me to shout out the women's team who won the bean pot this year. And I think their win was like the biggest win, biggest margin of victory in bean pot history or something like that. They absolutely destroyed. I can't. I think it was BC maybe. Now BC, of course, went on and ran the men's bean pot and Northeastern got run out of the tournament over there. So I guess that could be my fail of the week is for the men's. Northeastern men's really kind of hitting a.

[Sam]

Broad scope here on the men's.

[Ethan]

But anyway, I just wanted to give a shout out. Appreciate it. And also a little bit of stu got to everybody. If anybody wants me to wear a hockey jersey on the show, send it my way.

[Roy]

Now, we did this, what, I don't know, five episodes in.

[Sam]

Yeah. A while ago.

[Roy]

Yeah, we got. We got a John Van Beesbrook statue. Statue? Oh, no, the mask. John Van.

[Sam]

It's right over there.

[Roy]

Over there in the production studio. Like, I try. I try to get free stuff all the time, you know, and I deserve it. I worked hard over 20 years.

[Sam]

Free stuff.

[Roy]

I want free stuff right now.

[Sam]

So please remember.

[Roy]

Yeah, yeah. So please, if you have free stuff, myself, David, Ethan and Rosie, if she was here.

[Sam]

The awesome stickers.

[Roy]

Now we got the awesome stickers.

[Ethan]

As long as it's not arrival of the Gators or the Panthers, send it my way and I'll wear it on the show.

[Roy]

And again, as long as it's not Sydney Crosby related, I ask that you please bless us.

[Ethan]

We got a minute left in this segment. Who you guys have in the four nations?

[Roy]

Oh, boy.

[Sam]

Panthers.

[Roy]

All Eight of them.

[Sam]

I'll take the Panthers.

[Roy]

All eight Panthers. I'm cheering for everyone who's Panthers.

[Sam]

Yeah, I really don't know, like, who in terms of a favorite, like, it's hard not to go to Team Finland.

[Ethan]

Team Finland to me is like Team Japan in baseball tournaments where there might not be the most talented, but they're so fundamentally sound and they're going to play such good hockey and they're going to have such a cohesive unit. But I find it hard not to believe that Finland could easily end up in the final of this tournament.

[Roy]

We have Bill Lindsay coming up. If you want to watch that, you can watch that on YouTube, if you're watching on DKN. So Billy Lindsay is going to join us in a second.

[Bill Lindsay]

Hey, folks, it's Mike Ryan and I need to talk to you about something that I use religiously. Anytime I'm hosting a big dinner party, I want to impress people and I get food from some of the most iconic, famous places in the country. You know what helps me do that? Gold Belly, this amazing site where I order from all the time, where you can get all these amazing foods from all across our great country. They will ship free to your door anywhere in the US Of A. Gold Belly will ship you Philly cheesesteaks from gyms or Pat's in Philly. I'm treating my office right now to a cheesesteak party from Pat's, courtesy of Gold Belly. And on top of that, I threw in some original Buffalo wings from Anchor Bar in Buffalo. You could get Kansas City's most legendary barbecue from Gold Belly. And if the pizza near you sucks, they will ship you New York style pizza from John's on Bleecker or Chicago deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. I do that all the time. Or even New Haven or Detroit style pizza. If you are truly gluttonous, though, they will ship you Guy Fieri's famous trash can nachos, which I kid you not, are the ultimate game day centerpiece. So if you're looking to host an epic super bowl party, or any party for that matter, go to goldbelly.com and get free shipping and 20% off your first order with promo code DAN. That's goldbelly.com code DAN for free shipping and 20% off your 1st order.

[Roy]

Joining us now is the analyst from the Florida Panthers Hockey network on the radio and from NHL Network, Bill Lindsey, who's been doing this for a long while.

[Mike Ryan]

David, everything good?

[Roy]

Yes, sir.

[Sam]

Good, sir. How are you?

[Mike Ryan]

Just came out of the gym, a little bit sweaty in my car. My apologies.

[Sam]

I love it.

[Mike Ryan]

Trying to go for the Pat Riley look a little back here. I don't got much hair left.

[Roy]

We just happen to have Pat Raleigh over here.

[Sam]

Yeah, no, you got the slick back hair thing going with the, with the sweat. No, it's a good look, Billy.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Yeah, you're looking good.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't know about that, but we'll try and make it work.

[Roy]

Yeah, well, speaking of trying to make it work, the Florida Panthers are making it work right now.

[Sam]

Nice segue.

[Roy]

Oh, thank you. I've been doing this for a while. They just beat the St. Louis Blues and now they're going into Saturday to face the Ottawa Senators before the Four nations tournament break. So let's go over the Four nations and who's going to be in it for Florida? For TM usa, we got Matthew Tkachuk, Team Canada, Both Sam's.

[Sam]

The Sam's Club.

[Roy]

The Sam's Club with Reinhardt and Bennett. Team Finland, four people. We got four, everybody. All the fins. We got Alexander Barkov, Anton Lindell, Italusa Rinen, Nico Mikola, and for Team Sweden, Gustav Forsling. Now my question is, you got all these guys going into this tournament, multiple games. How are they gonna feel coming out of this tournament? My, my comp is obviously the World cup of Hockey. That happened in the mid-90s and that was, that was tough. That one was very physical. Nobody liked each other even if they were on the same team. So I expect them to be a little bit tired coming out, coming out of tournament. What say you, Bill?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, we'll see. It's. It's a good break. Once you go there, the speed level, there's not many times that you can get at a speed level that's going to be higher tempo, higher paced than the NHL. But when you go best on best, that's exactly what happens. Yes, the Panthers have played a lot of hockey and some of their stars, the eight players that you mentioned going over to the Four nations, they're excited about it. It's not a heavy lift as far as scheduling. Not a ton of games in the two week span. I believe the most you can play is five over that. So it's not, it's not going to be too tiring, not wear them out, but because of that speed level and hyper temple. Paul, Maurice, I was talking to him on every occasion that he's mentioned the players, when they come back from that, their tempo and pace is so high. Getting back to the NHL Level is kind of seems like they're, they're going back maybe down to the American Hockey League for, for a normal, normal player. That's what you hope happens. And then the rest of the group of the Panthers that get to dip their toes in the sand, Sergei Bobrovsky, Carter Verheagy, players along that line that have just played a ton of hockey. Aaron Ekblad. You know what? Take some rest, take some time. Gather your thoughts. The team is playing well at the right time. They've done enough to this point. 500 hockey the rest of the way guarantees you a playoff spot. They want better than that. But the four nations, they're excited for it. Expect these players. They're well conditioned, well trained, and when they come back, they'll be ready to go. And that's when I believe you will see the Panthers hit the gas pedal full throttle. That's when they want to be dialed in.

[Roy]

Well, you mentioned pace of play. This is going to be completely different than what this tournament is replacing, which is an angel all Star game. So what I'm looking at right now is them going into this game and the fact that their teammates during the regular season, it's all going to be put aside. Right. So do you agree, like, is there going to be chirping? Is Matthew Tkachuk going to be chirping Alexander Barkov when USA plays Finland?

[Mike Ryan]

It depends how the games go. You play with guys and you win a Stanley cup like that, the chirping is going to be minimal. I don't know how much you actually get to it, but Matthew and Brady could Chuck playing together. That's kind of interesting. I guess there's no bounds. Once you get into that team competition, you're playing for your country. Things get a little side, we'll see maybe some chirp and I believe between teammates, you will not see it go overboard. Just kind of some friendly kidding, if you will.

[Sam]

Billy, I wanted to talk to you about the Detroit Red Wings, which is maybe a sentence I haven't said out loud in a while, but they've won what, seven in a row now? They've crept into a wild card spot in the East. They're playing great under Todd McClellan. My question is, is this just the new coach bump or are the Red Wings really turning it on? Are we going to see them possibly entering the playoff conversation when we get into March?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, there's a possibility. Todd McClellan's got it dialed in right. Their power play is exceptional. They move it around quick. Larkin has gotten better since Todd McClellan's taken over defensively. They've been a little bit more structured, not giving up some shots. They still rely a lot on that power play. They do not score a lot of. And still a team that you look at if you're trying to compare, but who's going to come out? Detroit has a good a shot as any with the way that they're playing with McClellan with it. And they pushed right to game 82 last year with a hard push. Almost, almost got in. And I guess the template for the Red Wings is being set with just a little bit more defensive. Their top players are going and Todd McClellan's made tweaks with Marco Casper on that top line. A young kid playing with Larkin Raymond. So that kind of stuff. Patrick Kane, they can get in there. One. So Ottawa maybe. Yeah. Who knows? They're kind of up and down like a yo, yo. I would say that same thing about the Detroit Red Wings. They're gonna have to. They played a. Played a lot of holding games. They're gonna have to go on the road and win. But I was picking out of that lot. Yeah, it's really tough to say. I would say Ottawa and Detroit have the best chances though.

[Sam]

Definitely not Boston, right?

[Mike Ryan]

Boston, yeah. Boston's all over the map. Boston gets in somehow. They always do.

[Sam]

No, no, no. This year it's over.

[Ethan]

Billy, I want to go back to the Four nations for a second. You're around the team, you know, I feel like I've seen a lot of writers and people kind of poo pooing the Four Nations. Oh, it's a made up tournament. It doesn't really matter. But I get the sense that these players are really jacked up. What's the sense that you get from being around the Panthers and being around the league as well in terms of how fired up these guys are to play in a tournament like this? Because remember this was an NHLPA ask. They wanted best on best hockey. So what are your sense about, you know, how just how fired guys. Fired up guys are guys?

[Mike Ryan]

It's been a long time. Best on best. And when you put that flag on the jersey and all of a sudden with advancements in USA hockey, USA Hockey is the favorite in that tournament, which is crazy to think about. So you go into that, the goaltending, the defenseman, you look at the group and Sweden, Finland always put together really superb teams. They're going to be tough outs. You put on that flag for any country, they're going to represent it. They're going to go through the wall and that's why they wanted to be there. And who doesn't want to go against Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, against the Tkachuk brothers? Going head to head and seeing the best players in the world showcase their skills, they, they are pumped. They're going to do it. You're going to see the best from these athletes. You'll see the game at a speed at a level that's just almost grotesque. You can't believe that it gets that fast. It's truly going to be fun to watch. And countries like Finland is the size of Manhattan try and grasp that. Five million people, it's the size of Manhattan. And they continue on the world stage with these kind of players. You've seen Lundell, Luo, Serena and Barkov, how they play the 200 foot game. They never quit. They're well taught from a young age. The same thing goes for Sweden. The Scandinavian countries are just really, really good at what they were able to do. So hit the ground running. There is going to be plenty of talent showcased in this four nations.

[Roy]

Now, you mentioned Sidney Crosby and I'm setting my very unhealthy dislike of Sidney Crosby aside. Tell me why I'm wrong for believing that Team Canada won't even make the championship game.

[Mike Ryan]

Tell me why you're wrong. Because of goaltending.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

I would start there. You got to fill. You've already got Petrangelo that's going to miss the tournament. Are you going to go with Drew Doughty? Are you going to go with Mackenzie Weiger? Who's going to fill this? So they got some question marks already on their defensive core that they're trying to plug in place. They have people that are available up front. They're pretty deep, but the consistency maybe around some of these rosters are pretty stacked. I talked about Team Finland, always seems to make an impact at these tournaments. Yeah, maybe you're not wrong. Maybe just look at the World Juniors. This is a past example of what happened at the World Juniors for Team Canada. But the only really main reason that you could point to is the goaltending on the other side for the other teams. Seems much better just all around. So if Team Canada does not get the goaltending and does not get the saves, they're not going to be around long.

[Sam]

Roy, Billy. We've been having a lot of fun this year watching Alex Ovechkin chase history. I think now he's 15 goals away, if I'm not mistaken, from Tyne Wayne Gretzky, which he's going to do it this year. Fonzie stays healthy and it's been so much fun to watch. But it made me think about another amazingly good goal scoring Russian that you actually played with. I don't know, I was going to say back in the day, but yeah, I guess it was kind of back in the day. Now, Mr. Bure. Yeah. Mr. Bureau, the few years that you played with him, what was it like having a guy that ridiculously good watching him behind the scenes? Like was he like in a crazy work ethic kind of guy, first die in, last die out kind of mentality or did he just kind of show up and the goals just went in?

[Mike Ryan]

So kind of interesting thing about Pavel Bureau and his routine that I caught on, didn't know a lot about was that at the rink he came in and went, he was fast, he practiced, but he did not, he didn't put a lot of extra time in at the very rink. From what I gathered over time though, that there was a continuous work workout cycle that continued at, at his home or his apartment, wherever he had a gym and it would be late at night for whatever reason before he went to bed and they would, would eat after that and he would come to the rink. So to put it in perspective, David, we came into training camp one year and our lowest body body fat percentage was 6.2 and Pavel Burria came in hovering around 3. That's, that was the best. It was like rice paper on a human anatomy veins. And yeah, you didn't think it was possible so you knew that he, he put in the time and the work ethic and the explosiveness to watch him practice. And there was a dedication there that sometimes he would play 30 minutes a night and we'd be playing back to back games and he would be at the morning skate the next day. And I was just like, whoa, whoa, this is a little guy just played half a hockey game and he wants to come out and twirl around in the morning. So his conditioning was off the charts. That's what made him special. And then just watching him shoot the puck and the speed, I've never seen a person that explosive with, with his first three, four strides and every breakaway you got five a game it seemed like, but just shoot five hole. It was simple. Just go down, boom, Fievel, boom, five hole. So he was special. It's just, I guess, I GUESS he's around 5, 9, 5, 10. He was 180, 185 pounds. But there was not one shred of Fat. And it was the most powerful, explosive skater by far that I've ever played with.

[Roy]

And you talk about all those breakaways. That was before they got rid of the two line pass.

[Sam]

Right.

[Roy]

So that's more amazing.

[Mike Ryan]

He told the goalies just to kick it out as hard as they could on the rebounds.

[Roy]

Yep.

[Mike Ryan]

So he could get breakaways. He just pounded the puck out and boom.

[Sam]

Good strategy.

[Ethan]

Billy, I want to take you back a little bit. You were an original Panther, so Obviously this moment, June 24, 2024, meant a lot to you. And that came out in your call of the cup final when the time was expiring. We haven't had you on the show to ask you about this yet, so I want to ask you about it. Walk us through that emotion where it just all pours out. We can hear you and Doug Plagan's hugging, literally hugging. We hear you talking from chest where you guys are hugging. I thought it was beautiful. I just want to know what your emotion was in that moment.

[Mike Ryan]

So there's a bunch like broadcasting. It's not supposed to really turn out that way in a game. Set. I look back at the histrionics, I'm like, oh my God, what, what am I saying here? What's happening? But so to lead up to that, to have that three to nothing series lead, the reaction is going to be pretty good. If you win in Game 4. It's not going to be what you saw come out of me in game seven. It would have been. Been somewhat pre. Not predetermined, but I would have just let Doug have his whole say, let him run through it. And then I would have jumped on board with my part. Same thing with game five, Game six. So going into game seven, it's the most nervous I've ever been. I would go back to Game 7 against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference finals since I felt those kind of nerves. But this time I had no control. And you're on the verge of the biggest collapse in NHL history going back to 1942, World War II, Toronto Maple Leaf, and there's only six teams in the league. So you're trying to picture this as. And Palmer, he's 26 years behind the bench. All the thoughts I'm going, how does Paul Maurice come back and coach next year if we lose this game, how do we get back? We've been here twice. How do we get here a third time? And we had a three nothing series lead. So you're going into this game with. This is. This is monumental. This might Be the. This might be it. This might be it for 20 years. You don't. You just don't know. You can't waste an opportunity like this. So just nerve wracked the whole game. So the reaction is gonna be different if it's 3 1, 4 1, we're cruising. So it's still all different. When that puck got held down in the corner, there was nothing going through my mind, but just counting down that clock and thinking it was still 6 on 5, 2 on 1. And to be able to know that the Panthers won that trophy, it just exploded. There was no rationale that what was coming out of my mouth, it was just gonna be spit out. But yeah, I lost my mind. It's one of the greatest feelings I've ever had in my life and I couldn't control it. I felt a little bit for Doug for stepping on him and game seven for such a historic call, but once it went in, that's it. It was. Everything was just being let out. I couldn't believe that we'd handled that pressure, got through it and we were finally, finally going to be called Stanley cup champions down in South Florida.

[Sam]

Yeah, I think I got hit by a water bottle.

[Roy]

I apologize for that. The. Let's look at the division leaders before we let you go, Billy. The Panthers are leading the Atlantic. They got a three point lead over Toronto. Right now. The. One of the biggest surprises of the year are the Washington capital. So that's, that's the east right there. The Capitals leading the metro. The Edmonton Oilers have had the best record in the NHL since 28-11-7, 9 and 3. And the Winnipeg jets, who have been great all season, have won seven in a row and 11 of the last 14. So are we looking at both conference matchups there for the semifinals?

[Mike Ryan]

You're looking at Washington and Winnipeg.

[Roy]

Yeah, well, I'm looking at Washington and Florida and Edmonton and Winnipeg. Are we looking at the conference?

[Mike Ryan]

There's a good chance. The question is, Washington did a fabulous job in the off season, bringing in seven players under the age of 30. They retooled on the fly and they all have been impactful. Pierre Luc Dubois, you go. Majapani the goaltender. Logan Thompson, Chikrin Roy on defense. You just can name them all. So they, they got better fast. How good are they going to be in the playoffs? There's no real track record there. They were there last year. Spencer Carberry. Unbelievable. Coach. But if the Panthers are there when push comes to shove, can you go toe to toe with that lineup and kind of Unexperienced group there is just unproven in the playoffs to to get there and get it done against the Panthers it would be a heck of a series. My hat's off to Spencer Carberry and the whole Capitals organization. It would be fun to watch. Let's. Let's say that way. And on the other side, Winnipeg hellabuck for all. For all he's done in the regular season and another Vesna trophy coming Winnipeg. He. Winnipeg. He blew up in the playoffs unfortunately last year and held just dismantled. They got kicked out quickly. So they're another team like the Toronto Maple Leaf. So the Winnipegs just got to prove it. They're a prove it team. Edmonton's been there done that before. You look at the analytics from the Edmonton Oilers. It's outrageous. The zone time first and expected goals for second and expected goals against. It's a dominant team even even throughout the lineup. If they get any kind of secondary production and holds up it'd be tough to see. But it's so you go. I guess it would be just more two experienced group that have been there done it before and if Winnipeg and Florida or sorry Winnipeg and Washington, the two W's are able to get there. The question is how do you hold up in a seven game series under all that pressure when it's been the first time in a long time for both those franchises.

[Roy]

Billy, we appreciate you joining us from the Florida Panthers radio network and NHL network. That's Bill Lindsay, everybody. Thank you, Billy.

[Sam]

Love you Billy.

[Mike Ryan]

Sorry about the car and everything, but. Yeah.

[Roy]

Hey man, you gotta go to the gym.

[Mike Ryan]

So I appreciate you guys having me on. All the best, Roy and David.

[Unknown]

Guys, it's that time of year. Valentine's Day is coming up and for me there's only one place that I trust. 1-800flowers calm. Every year I order stunning high quality bouquets from 1-800-Flowers that my wife absolutely loves. She looks forward to them every every single year. She knows it's happening and yet she's surprised and loves them every single year. In this year I'm partnering with 1-800-FLOWERS to make sure you're a Valentine's Day hero. With exclusive offers just for our listeners. Double the roses for free. When you buy one dozen roses, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen roses. It's the perfect way to say I love you without breaking the bank. Trust me, 1,800Flowers always delivers and the roses are incredible. Guys, we got the stick sneak peek of the roses at the Lebatar show. Studios. And they're incredible. All right. Long stem red roses accompanied by an hourglass red vase. Everything beautiful. They're timeless, luxurious, romantic. Ready to get you going for Valentine's Day in the office. Has never smelled better, fellas. It's a must have on this Valentine's Day. To claim your double roses offer, go to 100flowers.com Dan. That's 1-800flowers.com Dan.

You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now there are so many more ways to answer the question, what's your Venmo? Download Venmo today. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International incorporate dosh cash back terms apply.

[Roy]

We're gonna go over how the Panthers did this week. And they did well. They won three games out of the four and they took half of the games on the road that they just recently played. We're gonna get into that right now. We're gonna start with. With the game at home versus the Chicago Blackhawks. It didn't start well.

[Sam]

No, it didn't start well.

[Roy]

Seven seconds. That's the fastest goal in the 97 year history of the Chicago Blackhawks. That.

[Ethan]

That blew my mind. Somebody at the game. I was at the game. Somebody behind me told me that that was the case. That an original six team scored the fastest goal in their history against the Florida Panthers in 2025. And I was just like, that is crazy. That was terrible play.

[Roy]

That was a goal from a Landon Slaggard. Seven seconds.

[Sam]

Yeah. I mean, cool.

[Roy]

Cool.

[Sam]

It's awesome that he's got a big piece of Chicago history.

[Roy]

And that would be it for the Chicago Blackhawks in that one. The Panthers then pretty much took over for that game. They had 22 shots on goal and 47 attempts after the first period. 27 scoring chances on 15 high danger chances and scored twice to go into the intermission.

[Mike Ryan]

Two.

[Roy]

Two to one. They won the game. Five one. It was. They were actually five on five. And for the game, a goal and assist for Sam Reinhart. Sergey Bobrovsky, after allowing that goal, could have taken a nap in the crease for the rest of the game. That's how bad it was for the.

[Sam]

Blackhawks to make like 20 saves, I think.

[Roy]

Yeah. Yeah, 20, 23, 24, something like that.

[Sam]

Like that. You know, he was. So he didn't take a nap maybe.

[Roy]

You know, he woke him up in the nap and he went back to semantics. Samantha's Cauda Verge he finally scored a goal after a four game drought and only one point in those games. He himself had nine shots on goal and 12 attempts, nine scoring chances and five high danger chances. The fact that he only got one goal in that game was amazing, but he would make up for that.

[Sam]

Yeah, the shooting percentage even evened out the next game for him, didn't it?

[Roy]

Yes, it did, because the Panthers won six, three and he got a hat trick.

[Sam]

He had on three shots.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Sam]

Three goals.

[Roy]

On your calendars. Three shots, three goals.

[Sam]

So four goals on 12 shots, 25% shooting percentage. I'd say he's pretty happy with that for a couple of days worth of work.

[Ethan]

Yeah, that was well earned for Verhagi because he struggled this year. Like, I mean, coming up, you know, we'll talk about St. Louis. That game where he misses an open net. Like it just feels like that's been. It's been that kind of year for Carter Ver Hagee. His shooting percentage is really low, so it felt good to see him even out with a 3 for 3 against the Islanders.

[Roy]

There's another dominant first period for the Panthers. 15 shots on going 28 attempts, 15 scoring chances. But they let the foot off the gas pedal in the second period. Now I asked for 10 goals, they didn't give it to me. I asked for 10 goals to stick it to Tony D'Angelo, the fact that he's back in this goddamn league again. But they didn't get 10. They did get six though. But the story again was Carter Vahegi with the hat trick. He had an assist, four goal, a four point night. He the. The three secondary assists for Alexander Barkov. And Sam Bennett made himself known in that game even though he didn't get a point.

[Sam]

Bennett's been playing some great hockey lately. That whole second line like Mackie Samistevich has been in another lineup, but when he's out there, they look great. But putting Bennett and Tachuk back together, that's really clicked for the Panthers because, you know, Tachuk for a while was playing on that top line. Paul Maurice was farting around the lines a little bit. Now they're getting back into something more traditional as we're starting to hit the ground running towards the playoff push. But I think Sam Bennett is such a key player with this Panthers team. Him And Aaron Ekblad. The two.

[Ethan]

I was just gonna say the two UFAs are PHAs. And it's no surprise to me that the Panthers have been playing such great hockey since Aaron Ekblad returned. Yeah, they struggled with him out. They've been playing much better. They're 7 and 3 in their last 10. They've been playing much better with him in. Bill Zito, if you're listening, get on it, buddy. You have enough cap space to sign both of them. Make sure you get both back.

[Roy]

The Panthers then went on the road on Monday and visited the White House in the District of Columbia. Now, it's an honor, it's a privilege for any champion, especially the Stanley cup champions, to visit the White House. I don't know if they go up to Ottawa to see what the Prime Minister or anything like that in Canada, I don't know if they do that. But say what you will about the man in the Oval Office, I find him to be a vowel, repugnant, reprehensible human being. I don't believe in his politics. I don't believe that he will make America great again. I believe he will make America the complete opposite of great. I don't respect him as a person. I don't respect him as a man, but I do respect the office. I do respect the title that 48% of our fellow Americans have bestowed upon him. And as I said, it is a privilege and honor for a champion to get to go to the White House and meet the President of the United States, the leader of the free world. So no matter what you say about the guy, no matter what you say about a president, whether it's a man or eventually a woman, whoever owns that title is there. And the champions get to meet them. And the Panthers, be it as they may, got there for the first time in 30 years. I'm very happy about that. And they joined the many teams and people over the past 34 years in this sport to be able to go to the White House. Good on them. It was great to see the boys stand proud at their accomplishment. It was great to see Carlock Pozo.

[Sam]

That was cool.

[Roy]

That was really cool. Good for him. And Matthew Tkachuk, as the speaking voice for the team, went up, said he was proud to be an American. It was an honor to be there. What else do you expect him to say? He's the alternate captain of Team USA for the Four Nations Tournament. Of course he's going to say that. So good on him. Very happy that the boys went there. So Again, what else he's going to say he's going to play for his country in a week and a half. So good on them. So say what you will. They did what they had to do. They visited the White House, and good on them.

[Sam]

They won the Stanley Cup.

[Roy]

They won the Stanley cup, so they.

[Ethan]

Deserve to have that moment.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Ethan]

And I don't think anything else. I think you said it perfectly right. I don't think anything else needs to be said.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Hopefully they return next year.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Or skip the trip entirely.

[Sam]

They'll. Hopefully, as we get older and our kids get older, they'll be, you know, a few. A few pictures of the Panthers at the White House with different presidents over different generations. Because as you said, the president, whether it's man or woman, whoever, is just the person. The office is everlasting.

[Roy]

Yes. Well, for as well, 300 long as democracy, whatever. Yeah. Yeah. This great experiment.

[Sam]

Another topic for another great American experiment.

[Roy]

That is still going on. The next day they played the Washington Capitals. They lost. I don't know what it is about a team going to the White House and then losing the next game, but that tends to happen a lot. And the Panthers had a poor effort against the Capitals, except for Sam Bennett. He had the best game out of any Panther on the ice that night. He had a goal and assist seven. Seven shots on goal on 13 attempts and nine scoring chances. And he has now paid for the adoption of 17 pets to Benny's buddies in the Humane Society of Broward.

[Sam]

Yes.

[Roy]

So good on him.

[Sam]

It was a rough third period, really.

[Roy]

Yeah. It was also poorly officiated this game because Nick Dowd, who ended up having a goal and an assist in this game, ran Sergey Bobrovski twice.

[Sam]

Twice.

[Roy]

Twice. No calls either time. And it was not a good night for Bob anyway. But it is what it is. Alexander Vereskin scored a goal in that game and he's gotten closer to Wayne Gretzky. He might do it. He's got too much to do it. He might actually do it.

[Sam]

Was he 15 goals away? Is that what it is?

[Roy]

16, 15, 16.

[Ethan]

He's tying 16 from break.

[Sam]

And let's see Washington's play at 35, 45, 46.

[Ethan]

He's got it.

[Sam]

He's got three games, so. Yeah, they've got 19 games to go.

[Ethan]

He's got it. I think he's going to get it.

[Sam]

He's probably going to, like, need three goals with like, five games left and go on some.

[Roy]

Yeah, he's going to have to have.

[Ethan]

A couple of fun and when. When Gretzky starts traveling, when he gets close, when he gets within five or something, Gretzky starts being in the building. And the. It's going to be awesome.

[Mike Ryan]

He's.

[Ethan]

He's going to get there.

[Roy]

Yeah. Hopefully. TNT breaks into programming and starts airing stuff live on nights that does not include the NBA. You know, like, don't have to play any Marvel movie or any episode of Charmed or New the Supernatural for any of that. On Thursday, the panthers went to St. Louis and they won by the skin of the teeth in regulation, 3 to 2. Now, Matthew Tkachuk has this thing about scoring goals in his hometown. That's what he did. He scored twice.

[Sam]

I felt so stupid for not betting on Matthew Tkachuk before that game.

[Roy]

I didn't bet at all. I wish I did. Yeah, but that seemed like the easy.

[Sam]

Like his shots, his shots over hit in the first period, his. His point total, his goal, every. All the overs hit for Matthew Tachuk. Yeah, anytime he plays in St. Louis, that's got to be what we do next season. We just got to play. Tchuk.

[Roy]

Yeah. 11 seconds left in regulation. Got the game winner. He also had an assist, two goals for him. Mackie Samiskiewicz also had a goal, but he left in the second period due to injury.

[Sam]

Yeah, upper body injury. Paul Marie said maybe for. For Ottawa on Saturday.

[Roy]

I had. I wouldn't.

[Sam]

I wouldn't, you know, at this point, the way they had, you know, be. Don't. Don't push it. Just be cautious. They can survive a game without him. Get him healthy for the stretch run, because that line with him and Sam Bennett and Matthew Tachuk has been really good.

[Roy]

Floor is yours. Ethan. This is your time to gush about this new second line with Mackie Tkachuk.

[Ethan]

I love it. I really like how they're bringing along the young kid. And like, we came into the air kind of saying, okay, is Mackey going to be the guy? Because, you know, we knew what the lines were going to kind of look like at the top. And then the third line you knew would be Lundell and Lou Sterrine. And so who's going to fill in that void left by Vladimir Tarasenko? Samich did a great job with that. He bounced around the fourth line a little bit. Now Erod's filling in on that third line. He's moved up to the second line. And that speed element that Bennett and Sam Eskiewicz are bringing, and Matthew Tkachuk just kind of driving the play and everything, they've been great. And it's been nice to see Tkachuk kind of get on a scoring run here. He's up towards, I think, I think he's got 54 points now, second on the team. You know, looking like he's going to have like an 80 point year and the Panthers don't need him to be the 100 point guy that he was in Calgary. The pan aren't a team that has 100 point guys. Right. Reinhardt leads the team with 60 they don't need. They spread out the scoring so much throughout the lines and that second line is a great example of it. I love the way they're playing. I love the way the lines right now are structured. Obviously that could Chuck Reinhardt Barkov line was ridiculous. But I think the Panthers are best off when it's kind of spread throughout the lines the way it is right now. Now I think this is what the Panthers will look like. Barring any trades that add to the forward group. I think most of their trades will add to the defensive group. So I think you could be looking at the playoff lines right now. As long as everybody's healthy. The way that they're structured over these.

[Sam]

Last few games, it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see them add a depth forward. Like a bottom six guy.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Sam]

But I think the forward depth overall, they're a lot happier with it this year than they were last year. Generally. I think Mackey just adds to that. You've got a fourth line of guys that anybody could bump up at any time, whether it's Thomas Nosek who's been just very steady and stable in that fourth line center spot, or Jesper Boqvist who's played all up and down, which is really what most of their forwards do. So yeah, I think that they got to be pretty happy.

[Ethan]

I think their ads have to come defensively. They need a little more defense that they lost or they lost with Anam Book offense on the blue line. They lost with Brennan Montour from last year, so.

[Roy]

So they need a puck mover.

[Ethan]

And for what it's worth, Freej on the pod said this earlier this week that, you know, teams are wary of the Panthers. Teams are looking out and they're like they don't have a lot to move, they don't have a lot of cap room, but they're going to figure out a way to make something happen.

[Roy]

Sampson Reinhardt with a five with a five game point streak after assistant on the game winner that he was originally credited for scoring but he ended up with the assist as they Gave the goal to Kachuk who by the way has a five game goal streak.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Roy]

And Alexander Barkov also has a five game point streak. The Panthers once again rips the heart out of Jim Montgomery who took over the for the Blues earlier in the season after again, the Panthers ripped the heart out of Jim Montgomery early in the season prior to his firing in Boston.

[Sam]

He does not like playing Florida.

[Roy]

No, he does not. Tomorrow on Saturday they play the Ottawa Senators one more time. Brady versus Matthew. They will not fight, but they will fight the other members of the opposing team before Brady and Matthew end up joining each other for the four nations on Team usa. So that, that should be a lot of fun. And things have gotten a lot interesting in the standings right now. The Panthers are 840 in the last 12. They lead a division as we said earlier, by three points over the Maple Leaf Senator. One point.

[Sam]

Yeah. Toronto won last night.

[Roy]

Toronto won last night.

[Sam]

They beat Seattle.

[Roy]

Son of a mutter. But the Senators.

[Sam]

Mutter was a mutter Mutter.

[Roy]

But the Senators have scratched and clawed their way into a playoff spot. They are now in a wild card spot after losing to Tampa last night.

[Sam]

They're actually tied with Tampa. Tampa's had one less game played. So they got the percentage.

[Roy]

Yeah, they got the percentage. They got the tiebreaker.

[Sam]

Fun race to watch play out, man.

[Roy]

Yeah, I mean Ottawa had their place in the division and lost it because of that loss last night to Tamper and. And Ottawa's 10, four and one in the last 15. But they lost two in a row back to back losses. And that's the situation that those two are looking at tomorrow.

[Sam]

Before we go on break, Panthers, Senators, potential playoff series. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

[Roy]

Yeah. Yeah, that's going to be. Yeah, that's going to gain some national attention. They are going to kill each other. Except Matthew and Brady who are going to be standing off to the side.

[Sam]

Yeah, well, they're not allowed to fight each other. But what happens with like the all bets are off in the playoffs, right? Like that's.

[Roy]

No, no, no. Grandma says no. That's how that works. Sorry. All right. That's Dave, that's Ethan. My name is Roy. Thank you for joining us. We'll see you next week.

[Bill Lindsay]

Hey folks, it's Mike Ryan. It is big game week and I've got just the thing to make your big game time a Miller time. From fireside conversations to football Sundays, winter means more moments with the coolest people in your life. Make these moments even better with Miller Lite, the great tasting light beer for people who love beer. A new year is a perfect time for friends, family and great tasting light beer. Tastes like Miller Time. Miller Light is brewed for taste. It hits different than other light beers. When you're hosting your ultimate game day party, why don't you bring out a beautiful silver silver platter of that amazing white can and know you will make everybody there happy. Because Miller Lite is the original light beer since 1975 and still the very best. One Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell. Beer tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Unknown]

Guys, it's that time of year. Valentine's Day is coming up. And for me, there's only one place that I trust. 1-800-Flowers.com Every year, I order stunning, high quality bouquets from 1-800-Flowers that my wife absolutely loves. She looks forward to them every single year. She knows it's happening and yet she's surprised and loves them every single year. In this year, I'm partnering with 1-800-FLOWERS to make sure you're a Valentine's Day heroes with exclusive offers just for our listeners. Double the roses for free. When you buy one dozen roses, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen roses. It's the perfect way to say I love you without breaking the bank. Trust me, 1-800-FLowers always delivers. And the roses are incredible, guys. We got the sneak peek of the roses at the Levitar show studios and they're incredible. All right. Long stem red roses accompanied by an hourglass red red vase. Everything beautiful. They're timeless, luxurious, romantic. Ready to get you going for Valentine's Day. And the office has never smelled better, fellas. It's a must have on this Valentine's Day. To claim your double roses offer, go to 100flowers.com dan that's 1-800-flowers.com dan.