The Hockey Show: Roy Campaigns for Sidney Crosby (feat. Arda Öcal)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Hockey Show: Roy Campaigns for Sidney Crosby (feat. Arda Öcal)

Release Date: April 4, 2025
Hosts: Roy Bellamy, David Druk, Ethan Badowski
Guest: Arda Öcal from ESPN

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Introduction

In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosted by Roy Bellamy alongside David Druk and Ethan Badowski, the team delves deep into the current state of the NHL. Featuring a special guest appearance by Arda Öcal from ESPN, the discussion spans a range of topics from team performances and internal controversies to standout player moments and playoff predictions.

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New York Islanders: Performance and Internal Struggles

The episode kicks off with a critical analysis of the New York Islanders. Roy Bellamy expresses his ongoing frustration with the team, particularly focusing on recent developments involving player Anthony Duclair. Following the Islanders' loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Patrick Raw publicly criticized Duclair's performance, leading to significant internal tension.

Notable Quotes:

• Roy Bellamy [02:35]: "I need to continue the streak of bashing them for signing racists."
• Ethan Badowski [03:05]: "He was God awful. That's why I didn't play him a lot."
• David Druk [05:44]: "He's such a nice guy... he just look so happy in Florida... genuinely deserves to be happy."

The hosts discuss how Duclair’s limited performance (7 goals and 4 assists in 44 games) might be attributed to lingering effects from a groin injury, which is critical for a player whose game relies heavily on speed. Additionally, the team culture under GM Lou Lamarello is scrutinized, especially his outdated policies on player appearances, such as mandatory short hair and restrictions on facial hair.

Notable Quotes:

• Roy Bellamy [04:42]: "Lou Lamarello... still going by this archaic rule of keeping your hair short and having facial hair. That's just ridiculous."
• Ethan Badowski [05:18]: "It's 2025, Roy... If the Yankees can drop it, so can the New York Islanders."

The conversation highlights the tension between maintaining traditional team rules and adapting to modern player expectations, suggesting that such policies may be detrimental to player morale and performance.

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Wins and Fails: St. Louis’ Hot Streak and Defensive Mishaps

In the "Wins and Fails" segment, David Druk celebrates St. Louis’ impressive 11-game winning streak, attributing their success to Coach Ethan Badowski's leadership and the team's cohesive play.

Notable Quotes:

• David Druk [10:52]: "One of the best teams in the NHL lately... They've won 11 straight games now."
• Ethan Badowski [11:07]: "It's Jobu. Jobu."

Conversely, the "Fails of the Week" highlight defensive blunders, such as Nick Faja’s reckless hit on Tristan Frazier, showcasing the balance between celebrating wins and acknowledging shortcomings within the league.

Notable Quotes:

• David Druk [15:38]: "Nick Faja lit up UConn forward Tristan Frazier with a major hit."
• Roy Bellamy [16:11]: "That's a high percentage. Look... if Crosby had scored on 182 goalies, he'd be like, oh, this."

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Sidney Crosby: A Divisive Figure

A significant portion of the episode centers on Sidney Crosby, with Roy Bellamy airing his longstanding disdain for the Pittsburgh Penguins' star player. Roy criticizes the overemphasis on Crosby’s career statistics and achievements, arguing that such accolades overshadow other deserving players.

Notable Quotes:

• Roy Bellamy [18:56]: "I hate Sidney Crosby. I don't like the Penguins and I don't like Sidney Crosby."
• David Druk [19:59]: "Fourth most. We're celebrating."
• Otto Öcal [20:15]: "What you're doing is making the case for Sidney Crosby to be the greatest player of all time."

Guest Arda Öcal joins Roy in this spirited debate, sparking a lively discussion about Crosby's place in hockey history. While Roy vehemently opposes Crosby's acclaim, Otto advocates for recognizing his undeniable impact on the game, emphasizing the complexity of evaluating a player’s legacy.

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Boston Bruins: Slump and Roster Changes

Shifting focus, the hosts examine the current struggles of the Boston Bruins. Despite a historically strong presence in the league, the Bruins are facing a downturn with significant roster changes and declining performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Otto Öcal [22:44]: "They've been competitive for well over a decade, but signs were there... It's bullish on them not having a long term era of futility."
• Ethan Badowski [24:14]: "They killed them last year. They basically got their coach fired this year. And then they traded for Brad Marchand, which really put them in the shit."

The discussion highlights the transitional phase the Bruins are undergoing, with key players retiring or being traded, and the uncertainty surrounding their future competitiveness. Otto draws parallels to past teams that have rebounded swiftly from downturns, offering a cautious optimism for Boston’s potential resurgence.

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Player Safety and Fights: The McMichael-Chatfield Incident

A heated topic arises around a recent altercation between Connor McMichael and Jalen Chatfield. The melee, involving an MMA-style takedown, sparks debate over player safety and the NHL’s disciplinary measures.

Notable Quotes:

• Otto Öcal [26:59]: "That kind of leg sweep, like a judo throw, really is what it is. That has no place in hockey."
• Roy Bellamy [25:45]: "He’s not going to get any supplemental discipline. Did he deserve any type of final suspension for that move?"

The hosts advocate for stricter rules and clearer definitions regarding intent to injure, arguing that such actions should warrant automatic suspensions to maintain the integrity and safety of the sport. Arda Öcal echoes these sentiments, emphasizing the need for consistent enforcement to deter dangerous play.

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Playoff Wild Card Race: Emerging Contenders

As the playoffs approach, the conversation turns to the race for wild card spots. The Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild are highlighted as teams currently performing exceptionally well, with Ottawa's resurgence and Minnesota's relentless winning streak making them formidable contenders.

Notable Quotes:

• Otto Öcal [31:27]: "The Senators are in a firm position... The Canadiens have the easiest schedule for the rest of the season."
• Ethan Badowski [32:32]: "Are in firm position. It's good to see the Tkachuk brothers in the postseason."

The Montreal Canadiens are also discussed, with Doyle praising their tenacity and comparing their fighting spirit to the legendary Martin St. Louis. The hosts analyze how momentum and key player performances could influence the final playoff standings, with Arda providing insights based on his ESPN expertise.

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Florida Panthers: Injuries and Playoff Prospects

The episode delves into the Florida Panthers' struggles towards the season's end, focusing on injuries to key players like Alexander Barkov and the recent debut of Brad Marshan. Despite a poor run of form, Marshan’s impressive performance offers a glimmer of hope for the team.

Notable Quotes:

• Ethan Badowski [41:07]: "He just looks good in a Panther uniform... It's been amazing how quickly he's fit right into this team."
• Roy Bellamy [43:16]: "Not good. The Panthers are now 0-3 against the Canadiens."

The discussion highlights the Panthers' injury woes, their impact on team performance, and the critical games ahead that could determine their playoff fate. David Druk and Ethan Badowski express cautious optimism about the Panthers' ability to rally, contingent on the return of injured players and Marshan’s continued contributions.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reflect on the various team dynamics and player performances discussed, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the NHL playoffs. They encourage listeners to stay engaged as the final weeks of the season unfold, promising more in-depth analysis in future episodes.

Notable Quotes:

• Roy Bellamy [50:31]: "So that's what the Panthers are looking at this upcoming weekend. Not a good week for them. Hoping to bounce back before they head home after Sunday."

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Final Remarks

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a comprehensive and candid look into the current NHL landscape, blending passionate opinions with insightful analysis. Whether discussing team controversies, player performances, or playoff implications, Roy Bellamy and his co-hosts provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the game's evolving dynamics.

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Notable Guest Appearance:

• Arda Öcal [37:35]: "I'm starting a new podcast called 'Sidney Crosby's the Great Player of All Time Pod.'"

Disclaimer: Advertisements and sponsor messages have been excluded from this summary.

Transcript

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[Roy Bellamy]

Welcome to the Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy. David Druk from the Hockey News is right there. Ethan Badowski is in the shipping container and Rosie is still out doing March Madness.

[David Druk]

Stuff's over there doing the Gator Chomp with the Penn State.

[Ethan Badowski]

Big day boys. Big weekend. Big weekend. I'll get to it. I'll explain it all. Don't worry.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, you don't have to. We don't talk about that here. This is the Hockey Show. We talk hockey. We got auto ocal from ESPN on Later, if you are watching on DraftKings Network, you can watch that on YouTube by going to the Levitar YouTube page. That's Levitard and Friends. Search out the playlist and we are on the hockey show folder. So you can watch it there or you can listen on the podcast.

[David Druk]

So excellent explanation.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, thank you.

[David Druk]

I appreciate it.

[Roy Bellamy]

I appreciate you. All right, so let's start off with the. The New York Islanders so I can.

[David Druk]

Continue your favorite topic.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, I need to continue the streak of bashing them for signing racists. All right, so the New York Islanders have lost. They lost to the Lightning and effectively was knocked out of playoff contention basically on Wednesday. And during the post game scrum, Patrick Raw had some ire towards Anthony Duclair. His sound.

[David Druk]

Duclair played only a little over 12 minutes.

[Ethan Badowski]

He was God awful. He was God awful.

[Otto Ocal]

He had a bad game.

[Ethan Badowski]

That's why I didn't play him a lot.

[David Druk]

And he's lucky to be in the lineup.

[Ethan Badowski]

Sorry if I lose it on him right now, but that's how I feel. Just what are you seeing that he's not doing? He's not skating, he's not competing, he's.

[Otto Ocal]

Not moving his feet. He's not playing up to what we expect from him.

[Ethan Badowski]

Do you feel like that's an effort thing?

[Otto Ocal]

I think it's an effort thing.

[Roy Bellamy]

Okay.

[David Druk]

Credit to the journalists there for the quick follow ups is that's not easy in the moment.

[Roy Bellamy]

The, the PR staff for the Islanders actually cut the video portion of that short because that didn't sound too good. So, yeah, I got to say, Patrick Raw is probably right about Duclair. Seven goals and four assists for 11 points, 44 games, that's not going to get it done. But he did get injured earlier in the season with a groin injury.

[David Druk]

Yes. And for a guy whose game is predicated on speed, as we know, Anthony Duclair, he's a fast guy, he flies up the wing. That's like what his bread and butter is.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

To basically cut one of his legs out from under him with a groin injury. Like even when he came back, I'm willing to bet that he wasn't at 100%. Just as you know how groin injuries are, they can take a long time for you to heal. Now, you can play through it, but when your game is based on being able to move your legs at 100% speed, speed, speed like that would really cut into his ability to perform at the best of his abilities. So it's not terribly surprising. What is surprising is for the coach, to call him out so publicly like that.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. And that's the physical side of it, by the way. The emotional side is, even before the season started, Lou Lamarello, who's the GM of the Islanders, is still going by this archaic rule of keeping your hair short and having facial hair. There's a lot more to the. To the rules on this team. That's just ridiculous. The Yankees aren't even using.

[Ethan Badowski]

I was just going to say, who does Lou Lamarello think he is? The Yankees dropped their beards rule.

[David Druk]

That's where he got the idea. He got the idea from Steinbrenner. I think they were like, friends or something back in the day, and that's where he got the idea.

[Ethan Badowski]

It makes sense. But it's just like the Yankees dropped that rule. And I know that it was later than the season started, whatever, but if the Yankees can drop that rule, who are you? The New York Islanders? Like, seriously. No, seriously, Lou.

[Roy Bellamy]

Lou had that since he was the GM of the Devils. He took that with him to all the other stops that he made. So this has been going on for a good 30 years now. This stupid ass rule.

[Ethan Badowski]

You know what? It's 2025, Roy. And I know you're not defending it there.

[Roy Bellamy]

I'm not.

[Ethan Badowski]

Obviously you're not defending it there. It's ridiculous at this point. If the Yankees can drop it, so can the New York Islanders. It's ridiculous. And it just never felt like a fit for Duclair. I mean, they made him cut his hair right away. And he looked so happy in Florida. He looked so happy in Tampa. You know, there's. I saw a picture of him on. On Twitter the other day where he's just, like, celebrating. He's got this big smile, and now he's got 11 points in 44 games. Like, it's a bummer.

[David Druk]

He's such a nice guy. Like, he's a nice, good man. Like, he deserves to be happy. Like, all my experiences with him when he was here in Florida, since he's left Florida, because he's come back here a lot, he calls South Florida his, you know, home away from home. When he's not playing hockey, he's growing the game.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. You put that outdoor rink north down here.

[David Druk]

He's got roots down here to see that. Like, I remember when we were talking about this before the season, when he posted that picture on social media after he had to cut his dreadlocks off. And it was like the saddest thing. Yeah. And like, you know, trying to put on a Smile. And I'm sure that he wanted to, you know, be a good team player and everything, but I just feel for the guy. Like, just let the guy play hockey. Is that such a bad thing? Just let him go do what he's been born to do. Let him go play hockey.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. And back to the. The whole coaching situation, like, that was a. That was not good. Like, now we're throwing. We're throwing players under the bus now. Like, this is what Sheldon Keefe did last week, and this is not good. This is not how you get your players to respond.

[David Druk]

No, definitely not.

[Ethan Badowski]

But coaching, Coaching criticisms are nothing new. Right? We've seen coaches throw players under the bus. We've seen them criticize people for years. And if Declare is not playing up to a standard that the Islanders expect from him, you know, that's something in itself. I understand he's been hurt this year, but, you know, we pointed out, look, it's been a tough year for declair and sometimes guys need wake up calls. This obviously wasn't probably the right way to go around it. And now he's taking a leave of absence, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's played his last game for the New York Islanders.

[Roy Bellamy]

You do that shit in private. You don't go out into the media and just embarrass a player like this. And this is not 100% on declare @ all because this is a mediocre team, this New York Islanders club. Like the goaltender, the goaltenders, goaltending is in the middle of the league. They have the worst power play in the league. Yes, they have. Great. Penalty's terrible too. No, they. No, they have good penalty.

[David Druk]

Are they good on pk?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, they're good on pk.

[David Druk]

I thought they were terrible on both special teams. Maybe I'm thinking of somebody else.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. And the defense is bad. The defense is bad at evening even strength. So. But they're disciplined. They don't take too many penalties. That's why the penalty killings.

[David Druk]

It's because of the lack of facial hair. They're able to stay out of the box.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, that's. The referees are looking at that. And yeah, clean players mean, you know, discipline. But. But I really do hate when coaches do that to players because it's just. It's not a good look.

[David Druk]

No. And when does it work? Does that work anymore?

[Roy Bellamy]

These days it doesn't work. And then when the player goes. If the player does the same thing to the coach, ice time gets reduced, like straight up. Like it's a one Way street on that one. I don't, I don't like that. And now and now Declair has requested time off.

[David Druk]

Like yeah, he's not situation and moving forward because it was all great for Duke in the offseason. I remember like we were kind of surprised when n they signed him to the four year deal. Three and a half million AAV so he's still got what, 10.5 million on the books for the next three years. Like is that something that a team is going to be willing to take on for a guy who like we know what he's capable of but he's been hurt all year so he's had a down year. Is anybody going to be willing to take that on in a trade potentially? Is he going to come back next year and play for Patrick Wa again? Assuming WA comes back, which I guess some are expecting him to for the Islanders I after this season, I don't know. Seven points out of a playoff spot.

[Roy Bellamy]

I don't know if him or Lou.

[Ethan Badowski]

Duclair is only 29.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, he's been hampered by.

[Ethan Badowski]

It feels like he's been in the league for a long, long time but.

[Roy Bellamy]

He'S been hampered by injuries and that's pretty much reduced his playing career.

[David Druk]

No, we know what he's capable of when he's healthy. We've seen it. It's the lower body injuries that hurt. Whether it's been an ankle, whether it's been the groin. Right now. Like it's tough.

[Ethan Badowski]

That's what I was going to say is he has value. Like you ask would a team trade for him? Any team would want his speed, his playing style and when he can put the puck in the net. Like I mean he played for two Stanley cup contenders the last two years before going to the Islanders. Like he's a valuable player that people would want. You know, the Lightning gave up stuff for him at the deadline last year. Like he is a valuable player and I'm would be a market for him if the Islanders put him out there.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, he automatically changes your transition offense when he's on your club, when he's fully healthy and he's just going to have to heal and that's what we're looking at in on the island and just ridiculous.

[David Druk]

Makes me think of Vincent Trochak. Back when he finished his time with the Panthers. He went out to Carolina and then the Rangers his last time. His last year or so with the Panthers he had suffered two different ankle injuries. Speed was such a big part of his game that it Took him a while to get back to where he's. But now look, you know, Vincent Trocheck is the great two way center that we always knew he would be. Just guys have to heal when their game is based on lower body strength. They got to go through it.

[Roy Bellamy]

And I remember the last day I saw Vincent Trocheck in a Panthers uniform. We were in the locker room and I saw him and he was about as depressed as I've ever seen an actual athlete live. It looked like he was told that he was being traded and that's eventually what happened. He was traded?

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. So yeah, that. That's one of those situations where you gotta go like, man, I'm sorry, dude.

[David Druk]

So he's doing okay now? I think he's pretty happy. Well, well, in terms of the Rangers are not having a great year, but I think his career wise, I think he's doing okay.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, absolutely. Let's get into our wins and fails presented by Jagermeister. Silver Code or don't serve it at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's code. For more visit jagermeister.com Drink responsibly. David, your win of the week.

[David Druk]

My win of the week. It's in St. Louis, the middle of the country. One of the best teams in the NHL lately. What have they won? 11 straight games now it all drives back to something I know. We love Ethan. I think you love it. You're a baseball guy. It's Jobu. Jobu.

[Roy Bellamy]

I'm looking at him and he has a blank face. Blank.

[Ethan Badowski]

I mean, I know, I know the. I don't think I've ever seen. I saw the movie when I was a kid. I haven't seen the movie in a long time.

[David Druk]

Now you have some homework.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. You're going to have to watch Major League. Don't watch Major League 2. Don't watch Major League Minors. Just watch Major league.

[David Druk]

Major League 2 is great.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, it wasn't.

[David Druk]

In terms of the same goddamn movie one liners, some great one liners, some great comedy. Story wise, it's very. Whatever. It's a sports movie. But no Major League 2 is worth a watch. But anyway, back to my win of the week.

[Roy Bellamy]

I disagree.

[David Druk]

This is what. Next time Adnan's on, we need to get him talking about.

[Roy Bellamy]

Okay.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

Probably two weeks from now after Four.

[David Druk]

Nations, the Blues were out of the playoffs. They were 25, 26 and 5, eight points out of a wild card spot at Four nations, eight points back. That was what, a month ago? Since they've played what, 21 games and they have points in seven, 19 of them. 17. 2, 2 and 2. 11 games in a row. It's all Jobu. Nobody is drinking Jobu's rum, which I think is the key. It'll be very bad if you drink Jobu's rum.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

But man, how cool is this? He travels with the team. He gets his own locker. Like guys have said, like, they'll get like the crappier locker because Jobu gets veteran presence in the locker room or something. He's apparently. He's made speeches in the locker room. A couple of players have said that Jobu has made intermission speeches that they won't reveal what he says. And Jordan Bennington says he does talk. You have to speak his language. And also Jordan Bennington, Ethan, we talked about him at four nations.

[Ethan Badowski]

Yeah.

[David Druk]

Has. Has anybody carried their four nation?

[Ethan Badowski]

Are they just going to do the same thing that they're going to do that they did in 2019? They've won 11 in a row now. They are red, smoking hot maybe. And they have moved into the first wild card spot in the West. They're 91 points. Minnesota's on 89. And then the rest of the pack is behind, starting at 84 with Calgary. Dude, they are on fire. Nice job, Jim Montgomery.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right. My. I can't believe you just said that.

[Ethan Badowski]

I can't believe I just said that. But maybe all he had to do was get out of the stink of Boston and then, you know, he became a good coach again. All of a sudden.

[David Druk]

He did okay in Boston, too.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, we will talk about the Bruins later. The. The Wild went to. This is my win of the week. The Wild went to Madison Square Garden to play play the Rangers on Wednesday and during pregame skate Matt. Matt Zucca Morello, who was a Ranger, wore a nice little jersey that had the. And the last name of Rosen on the back. And that was a nod to Sam Rosen, the Rangers played by play analyst for MSG who is retiring at the end of the season. Matt Zuccarello, as I said, was a former Ranger. So that is a nice gesture. Gesture for Sam Rosen, who is going to. If he's not already, I'm sure he's probably going to end up being in the Pro Hockey hall of Fame in Toronto.

[David Druk]

Oh, such a legend. I met. I met him when I first started covering the Panthers. I met him during a Ranger game in the press box. I wanted to take a bit. I was so star starstruck like you're used to seeing like those amazing broadcasters up there. But something about Sam Rosen, I mean, he's just like, it's a power play goal. Like. Yeah, you know.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Keith Overman always makes fun of him for some reason, but he's a Rangers fan himself, so. Yeah, I guess that's all in fun, Ethan.

[Ethan Badowski]

My win of the week goes to the Penn State Nittany Lions. They are headed to their first Frozen Four in school history. They took down Yukon in a classic game, and it was an amazing call on ESPN on the game winner. And I want to play it for you guys.

[Priceline Advertiser]

Oh, Chris Serrano moves in, swung it.

[Ethan Badowski]

Back to Maro, fires, scores. It's over. Penn State to the Frozen Four for.

[Arda Ocal]

The first time ever.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, my goodness. Chelsea Dagger.

[David Druk]

Was this in Chicago? No, that wasn't in Chicago.

[Roy Bellamy]

No, that was Chicago has one minor league ass goal horn. By the way, it is the closet.

[David Druk]

It is the Penn State misses Allentown Regional five. Okay, so that's that.

[Roy Bellamy]

Are on the hunt, Pennsylvania for the Frozen four.

[Ethan Badowski]

My word.

[Roy Bellamy]

Here in the Keystone State, their home state, they get it done. And the first time in their program history. And it looks as though Cinderella's class slipper is going to fit. Oh, there's a pa.

[Ethan Badowski]

There's a pa. My cousin went to Penn State, so I love my Penn State Nittany lines. And that call was incredible. I'm really excited for the Frozen Four coming up next week, and obviously I've got my squad and the Gators are in the Final Four as well, so it's a good time to be a badowski.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right. Fails of the week, David.

[David Druk]

From the same game. Actually, my fail of the week is from when Penn State defenseman Nick Faja lit up UConn forward Tristan Frazier. He tried pulling the Michigan in overtime. Here it is right here. And boom, Leveled him. Oh, what a beautiful, beautiful hit, you guys.

[Roy Bellamy]

Switch flipped.

[David Druk]

The Michigan has been going on for, like, 30 years. Can we get, like, a new Michigan? Because I feel like that's like the move that everybody celebrates, but it's been, like three decades. It's being defended by Go. Look, the goalie was ready. He was. It wasn't going any even if he didn't get leveled, but man, Trevor Zegras.

[Roy Bellamy]

Flip over the net.

[David Druk]

Yes. Yes. The Zegras flip. Make that the new Michigan. That'd be cool.

[Roy Bellamy]

My winner of the week. We go back to Tuesday for Capitals and Bruins. This is for Alexander Oreskin's 890th goal of his career. And I can tell you this is not how you defend anybody. Not a rookie forward, not Alexander or Veskin and nobody in the middle. He was left wide open with nobody around him, five feet away from the net. That, I mean, if you look at the still image, which is going to come up soon, there was zero reason, zero reason why Alexander Oveskin should have been that wide open next to your net. Look at this. Look at that.

[Ethan Badowski]

Yeah, that's a high percentage. Look. What's the, what's the XG on this, boys? 0.98099.

[Roy Bellamy]

Nah, man. Yeah, that's 99.

[Ethan Badowski]

That's a 1.0 right there.

[Roy Bellamy]

Ethan, your fail.

[Ethan Badowski]

All right, My fellow week comes from the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild game that Roy talked about earlier. Alexis Lafreniere, former number one pick, signed a extension in the off season worth $7.45 million. He's only got like 45 points this year. And this is not a great look. Gabe Perot, their new signing from Boston College just came in. Lafey clearly didn't watch a lot of Boston College hockey this year because he was not expecting that beautiful pass. Even though Perot has had a great.

[Roy Bellamy]

Year, that pass was deflected.

[Ethan Badowski]

He also fell on his ass like an idiot. So not the greatest, not the greatest moment for your $7.45 million player who only has like 45 points this week.

[Roy Bellamy]

So we got Otter Ocal from ESPN to come on to talk about what's happened this week. If you are watching on DKN, you can watch that on YouTube and you can listen to it on the podcast that is coming up next.

[Edward Powell]

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[Roy Bellamy]

Edward Powell joins us from ESPN and I just gotta tell you, if you've listened to me, if you watch me for the past 19 years, you've known my dislike for Sidney Crosby. All right.

[David Druk]

It's a great place to start. Welcome to the show. I hate Sidney Crosby.

[Roy Bellamy]

I hate Sidney Crosby. I don't like the Penguins and I don't like Sidney Crosby. And people look at me like I'm a fool because it's Sidney Crosby. He's quote, unquote. Quote, unquote, finger guns, finger waving. Over here, one of the greatest players of all time. Generation my ass about that. All right, so there have been entirely too much celebration for obscure, meaningless, pointless career stats all season for this guy. And. And I'm just gonna. I'm stuttering here. I'm just gonna give you examples of what happened here. Thank you. Ethan Crosby's assist last night. This was last night's game. Extended his point streak to 11 games, marking the longest point streak by A player age 37 or older since Nicholas Lidstrom in Detroit in 2010. 2011. What are we doing there? What's the point of that stat? On March 18th, Sidney Crosby surpassed Wayne Gretzky for the fourth most points for a single franchise in NHL history for 1670. That was back on March 18th.

[David Druk]

Fourth most. We're celebrating.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, fourth most. On March 11th, Sidney Crosby registered his 105th multi goal game, which is ranked second among active players behind Alexander Ovreskin. Arda, what the are we doing?

[Otto Ocal]

What you're doing is making the case for Sidney Crosby to be the greatest player of all time.

[Ethan Badowski]

You're just reading off amazing stats about Sidney Crosby, that's all. I heard you have, quote, unquote, one of the great players of all time. He's top five in everything.

[Roy Bellamy]

The fourth most points for a single franchise in NHL. His. What are we doing? There are 32 teams in this league. What are we doing here? Why?

[Otto Ocal]

To be fair, though, to be fair, throughout the great chase, there's also been the super obscure Alex Ovechkin. Like, hey, did you know that Alex Ovechkin has scored on the most goaltenders in NHL history?

[Roy Bellamy]

That's a good stat. That is a good.

[Ethan Badowski]

You like that stat because it's about a vegetable. If Crosby had scored on 182 goalies, he'd be like, oh, this.

[Roy Bellamy]

I hate that. I would hate that set. It was Sydney Crosby.

[Ethan Badowski]

Sidney Crosby has won a face off against 757 different NHL players.

[Roy Bellamy]

Compiler. Compiler. All right, let's get that.

[Ethan Badowski]

He's Omar Viscale.

[Roy Bellamy]

He hasn't committed a single error in 15 years. This Sydney Cross me, I'm like, I'm tired of it all Right.

[Ethan Badowski]

We're wasting artist time.

[Otto Ocal]

I'm loving that we're just pulling out stats out of everywhere and trying to diminish Sidney Crosby's impact on hockey. Where do you put, Sid? Top. Top what? Hundred, 200? Five hundred?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Yes. I mean, come on.

[Otto Ocal]

We got Gordie Howe, obscurity, Paul the.

[Ethan Badowski]

Rocket, Rashad, Maurice Rashad, Ned Gretzky.

[David Druk]

Like, what are we doing here?

[Roy Bellamy]

Ned Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky's brother.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Ethan Badowski]

E2 loose, Torainian.

[Roy Bellamy]

Jagger, and everybody. Yeah. Yes. Everybody excelled. Yeah. All right, let's move on.

[David Druk]

All right, I've got a non Crosby question for you, Arda. And thank God it's not necessarily a positive one, though, because it's about the Boston Bruins. They've lost, what, 10 in a row right now.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, the loss of the Canadians did that one. Yeah.

[David Druk]

This is, this is going to be the first year that they finished last in the division since like the 90s.

[Priceline Advertiser]

What?

[David Druk]

We're like two years away from this being like the best regular season team of all time. Like, is this something that, like, we kind of saw coming, Arda? Or is this Boston thing, like, where did it come from? I'm kind of shocked because we've gotten so used to Boston being so good for so long.

[Otto Ocal]

Yeah, they, they've been competitive for well over a decade, but I think the signs were there just because of the veteran players and the end of an era feeling, obviously, with Bergeron retiring, you know, you still have David Pasternock, but Brad Marchand being traded, like, you just, you're, you're seeing the changing of the guard one by one. It felt like it was an eventual kind of situation to where we are right now. I don't know if it's going to last as long as people might think. Like, I don't know if they're going to be bottom dwellers for seven or eight years. I think the turnaround can be pretty quick. I don't think Jeremy Swayman had his best year. That happens sometimes with athletes when they sign a big deal. You know, the first year of that contract maybe sometimes isn't as great as the contract year, but I don't think the Bruins are full despondence and despair for a long time. Maybe they benefit from this tank and get very high top five pick in the draft and that pans out for them and a couple of moves later they're competitive again. So I'm bullish on them not having a long term era of futility.

[Roy Bellamy]

Ethan, you know, I'm going to Say here.

[Ethan Badowski]

I know exactly what you're going to say here, Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

The Panthers murdered them. The Panthers ended that era.

[Ethan Badowski]

They retired Trees Bergeron.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes, they did.

[Ethan Badowski]

They killed them last year. They basically got their coach fired this year. And then they traded for Brad Marchand, which really put them in the shit.

[Roy Bellamy]

My goodness.

[Otto Ocal]

Oh, can we confirm the moment was. The moment was when Marchand started picking up rats from the ice after that overtime winner that he set up, Sam Bennett. That was just the cosmic. Like the. The body was put into the coffin in that moment right there. Exactly. That was the. That is the last page of the chapter right there.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's when the casket went down and they started putting dirt in the grave. That was game over for the Bruins in this era. So let's play the. The video of the fight between Connor McMichael and Jalen Chatfield. This. This is an MMA move, basically. This looked like something out of wwe, actually, because look at this. He's going to spin him around and look like he looked like he ended up rock bottom. Giving him a rock bottom on that one.

[David Druk]

The look on McMichael's face after is he was as surprised as the rest of us, I think.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. I mean, we've seen plenty of takedowns in these fights, but we haven't seen a takedown like that. And that looked pretty dangerous. That's the type of takedown that you end up hitting your head on the ice. But he's not going to get any supplemental discipline. Did he deserve any type of final suspension for that move?

[Otto Ocal]

I believe he didn't receive supplemental discipline because there was no injury on the play.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Okay.

[Otto Ocal]

The deliberate foot leg sweep that you saw there. And yes, you see it in the UFC all the time. That kind of leg sweep, like a judo throw, really is what it is. That has no place in hockey. I think everyone can agree with that. I am. I enjoy fights. I think they're highly entertaining. They have their place. Anyone that says that the three fights in nine seconds, Canada, usa, four nations. Didn't turbo boost hockey interest in that moment is lying to themselves. With that said, there are considerations that should be made by willing participants in a fight where you try to protect your opponent's head as you are going down to the ice. Either you have the seat belt method where you're holding them tight and making sure that both of you are able to land on the ice safely. You do not, in my opinion, that. That what we saw there should never, ever, ever happen in a hockey fight, let alone in Hockey, period. Especially when someone doesn't have a helmet on their head, because that's just absolutely dangerous. And so I feel like maybe we should have a rule change. There should be some sort of deliberate and black and white. If you do this in a fight, you're getting suspended. There's going to be discipline.

[Ethan Badowski]

Now, this was a tough look for the NHL because I think it was either the same day or the day after Nico Mikola got fined 5,000 dol for doing a slap shot down the ice at the end of the Montreal Canadiens game. And then nothing happens to Chatfield here. Now, I remember last postseason when Truba threw that hit. I can't remember who it was. On in the Carolina series, there was a lot of talk about intent, right? Oh, you left his feet deliberate and he left his feet. Like, shouldn't there be. Yeah, I think it was Marty Natures, maybe I. Shouldn't there be a stipulation where it looks like there's intent to injure? Because even though he doesn't get injured here and he escaped without being. Being kink cost or, you know, God forbid, something worse? Like, shouldn't there be some kind of discipline where it says if there seems to be deliberate intent, like, that's not in the rule book, isn't there something there for that?

[Otto Ocal]

Absolutely. Agree 100%. Obviously, if you look back at suspensions and fines that have been issued in the past, many, most all have some sort of weight attached to them based on the injured opponent. Right. And how injured the opponent is attempted is often not like, I won't. I don't want to say dismissed, but like, if. If, for example, if I'm skating towards a player and I have my elbow out and I miss the player, that's not going to get a suspension. Right. Unless contact is made. But. But if I had the intent, it's clearly established that I'm skating like this towards a player and I'm headhunting, but I miss the head, you know, like very. Unless. Unless. Unless. Unless contact is made and unless there's. And then further to that, if there's an injury on the play, that's when we typically hear of suspensions, fines, etc. Being levied. So in that chat field example, it's very clear that that could have gone south a lot worse than what happened. You know, Conor McMichael got right back up. Luckily his head didn't smack on the ice. So. But like, in that specific case, though, that's not a hockey play whatsoever. Not. Not saying an elbow is I'm saying in that moment, that particular leg sweep, unnecessary, not needed, should be an automatic. Should be an automatic suspension of some kind.

[David Druk]

You got to hold him accountable so it doesn't happen again. Again.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. The director of the Department of Player Safety is noted pugilist George Perros. So how much of this is on him? Because it seems like a lot of these suspensions and fines are substantially subjective.

[Otto Ocal]

Yeah, they have checks and balances in place. Like we get a presentation from the Department of Player Safety every year and, and they are available for conversation, we receive emails on, like, explanations, etc. So. So I'm not necessarily saying that I think overall they do a good job. I think it's difficult. I think everything is case by case. I think that they have a very, very important task to accomplish. I do think that in certain insta, like this is a different case because we don't often see leg sweeps in fights. Right. This is really the first time that this has come across to this spotlight, to this degree. So is it, Is it as simple as the Department of Player Safety looks at it in the off season and says, all right, we're just going to eliminate this completely and this is going to be the fine or the suspension if it's ever seen again, that could be the case. But yeah, to your point, like, there are certainly a lot of plays that people are going to compare, especially when it's their team and this happened, that happened, and what factors went into it, etc. Every single play has different factors going into it.

[David Druk]

So, Ardo, we're about two weeks away from the playoffs and I've been following, I guess we all have been following the playoff chases, the standings very closely. My question for you. There's a team that's been pretty hot in the eastern wild card race for a while now, and that's the Ottawa Senators. They've, you know, leveled out a little bit, but they're a team that's been playing very well. And then you've got the Blues out west that are just on fire right now. And I think back to a couple years ago when the Panthers, as a wild card two team, beat that Boston Bruins team, went all the way to the final. Is there a wild card team that you're more afraid to play? I would think the Blues right now because of how good they are. But Ottawa's been playing well. The Montreal Canadiens have won three in a row. Wild card teams are very fluky when it comes to this time of year. So are there any that you're really Looking at as like a playoff team that could make some damage.

[Otto Ocal]

The blues have won 11 in a row. The last time they won 11 in a row was 2018. 2019. That turned out pretty well for them.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, well, they played Gloria, so.

[Otto Ocal]

Yeah, yeah, they played Gloria. They were raising Stanley Cups. Jobu apparently is doing very well for them at the moment. But I. Yeah, the. The Senators are.

[Ethan Badowski]

Are. Are.

[Otto Ocal]

Are in firm position. It's good to see the Tkachuk brothers in the postseason. It'll be fun to.

[Roy Bellamy]

To.

[Otto Ocal]

To watch Brady and his progress. That team looks good. The Canadiens are the thing I like about the Canadiens. First of all, I. I do want to say the Canadiens have the easiest schedule for the rest of the season. Like, their remaining games are the easiest as compared to every team that is chasing them in the Eastern Conference wild card. So they have that benefit going for them. They're a minus 22 and they're in wild card, too. Like, that's very rare that we would see that a team that has been scored on a lot more than they have scored in a playoff position.

[Ethan Badowski]

But didn't Washington get in like that? Sorry to cut you off. Yeah, Washington get in with the same thing last year.

[Otto Ocal]

Yes, absolutely. And now they're a plus 67. Like, what a difference a year makes, right? Like, isn't that ridiculous? It's absolutely wild. But my point with the Canadiens is they. I almost compare this. It's a full 180. The Canadians and the Rangers. The Canadiens look like they're fighting hard and they're battling to the bitter end in every single game. It's like that Martin St. Louis mentality of. Of. Of gritty and passionate hockey. Whereas there's been some games, more than not lately as well, where the Rangers have just looked listless in the third period, where they're down a goal and they need to push and the net is empty and they're just not getting any opportunities. Whether it's not clicking, whether it's an effort thing, it just looks so different when you watch the Habs in that situation and the Rangers in that situation, which is surprising because the Rangers are still fighting for that spot. So I would say the Habs are a team to watch. The Blues, if they continue the hot streak. We know this, boys. It's about getting hot at the right time. If you're. If you're. If you're feeling it and if you're hot going into the postseason, you're going to be unbeatable. Just ask the Panthers, like you mentioned a couple of years ago and obviously last year. But also teams like the LA Kings in 2012, right where they limped into the playoffs and then they went up 3, 0 in every single series.

[Roy Bellamy]

Finally, two teams, as you said, have not been hot at the right time. That's the Devils and the Islanders, especially the Islanders because of whatever. So Sheldon Keefe and Patrick Raw have both thrown their players under the bus. In this latest instance, Patrick Roy ended up doing that to Anthony Duclair and Anthony Declair is now done for the season as he takes some time off to reflect. So what is your opinion on coaches nowadays throwing their players under the bus and embarrassing them in the media?

[Otto Ocal]

I like when coaches speak on their players. I like the passion. In Sheldon Keefe's case, I think he mentioned that he just saw like one particular play of Kovacevic that was not good. I think it was in the second period. He just saw that clip, it was fresh in his head. He went to the podium, he got asked about him and then, you know, that that passion and that opinion just came out. They had a conversation afterwards, apparently very similar to Patrick Wa and Anthony Duclair. And then whatever the fallout is in Duclair's case, like you said, taking time away from the team. I like the passion. If nothing else, it gives us media types something to talk about as a talking point. But also I'm under the paradigm that I want this from players and I want this from coaches. I want real comments and thoughts and opinions. I don't subscribe to the, you know, scrubbed answers of the 200 foot game and pucks in deep and blah blah, blah. Like, like I, I like this. So when it happens, I want to honor it and obviously discuss it, but I want to, I want all the players and the coaches to feel encouraged to have this level of honesty because it's, to me it's better for the game and you know, a lot of people will disagree. I think that they're going to say no, this should happen behind closed doors and they shouldn't have these conversations in public and don't air your dirty laundry, etc. It's sports. Multi million dollars are on the line. You know, this is of great public interest. So of course I'm going to be on the side of I want to hear this more and I want to hear this passion.

[Ethan Badowski]

So it feels like we're always asking for more personality from NHL coaches and players and then when they give them more personality, we're like, not like that.

[Otto Ocal]

Yeah, yeah, like we got to stop that. You're right. You're absolutely right. We got to stop that. Like, like either, either. Either support it or completely ignore it.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, but is this actually going to help the player in this situation? Because if the player did the same thing and said this stuff about the coach, then the ice time will get reduced or try to railroad them out.

[Otto Ocal]

Of town or if.

[Roy Bellamy]

If.

[Otto Ocal]

If the relationship is beyond repair. Like, we don't know, right? Like, we're not in the locker room every single day. If the relationship is bad and this needed to happen for a separation to occur or for. Or to jumpstart, you know, looking for a new home or whatever. Or maybe they just needed to have this conversation. And maybe what will happen is Duclair takes time off and comes back to the team and has a new lease on life and is refreshed and has a career resurgence under Patrick Wall. Like, multiple outcomes can happen, but if the outcome is Duclair and the Islanders was not a good fit and they need. And they need to look at where else do Claire can be in the off season, and this was the moment that needed to happen in order for that to get into the minds of, you know, Lou Lamarello and the Islanders, etc. Then either way, it's a. It's a net positive because then the team and the player are better off if the relationship is toxic or it's not working out.

[Roy Bellamy]

Man, they made that man cut his hair earlier in the season. Then they signed Tony D'Angelo. I'm sorry, they're in my. They're in the shithouse right now, the Islanders. So that's just me. That's my humble, very, very much humble opinion. Otto Cal from espn. Where can we find you? We got podcasts over here with great Brzezinski and. And we got the point and everything. So where can we find you? What can we watch and listen to you?

[Otto Ocal]

Just find me on social media, NHL on ESPN broadcasts. Roy, actually, I'm gonna take this time to announce that I'm starting a new podcast called the Sidney Crosby's the Great Player of All Time pod. Wow, that's launching with Metal Arc. I was talking with Dan. Yeah, I was talking with Dan. It's going to launch with Metal Arc. It's going to start next week. Oh, you're going to be the first guest. You're going to be the first guest, Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, wow. Oh, Jesus Christ.

[David Druk]

All right, Crosby jersey's in the mail, buddy.

[Otto Ocal]

Crosby jersey's coming.

[Roy Bellamy]

I'm washing my hands of this interview. I am done.

[David Druk]

Thanks. So much.

[Ethan Badowski]

Arda, that was awesome. Thank you so much.

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[Arda Ocal]

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[Roy Bellamy]

All right. Unfortunately, we have to recap what happened to the Panthers this week and I really don't feel like doing it, but I got to because Brad Marshan made his debut on Friday when Utah came to town. And yeah, this, this has not been good. This has not been a good week for the Panthers. But Brad Marshon looked great. Like, he looked fast. He made, he made a big impact very quickly. He looked fresh and he got the game winning assist on Sam Bennett's overtime winner.

[David Druk]

He did.

[Ethan Badowski]

He just looks good in a Panther uniform. Like, everybody was talking about how weird it looked and sure, maybe it looked weird, but it was exciting to see him out there with the boys. You got him. You know, he's fitting right in, really. It's been amazing how quickly he's fit right into this team. And if he perform, if he starts performing well, especially come playoff time, would you guys be surprised at all if the Panthers decide this is a guy we want to keep around going forward?

[Roy Bellamy]

Like, well, that's a decision up to, that's, that's up to Marshawn, right?

[David Druk]

I, I'm fairly confident that's going to happen unless some kind of disastrous thing happens between now and whenever Florida season ends. I, I'm, I have good reason to believe that when he was traded here, there was an idea of him staying.

[Ethan Badowski]

He forced his way here for a reason. This is where he wanted to be. This is the club that he thought he would be best with. And I mean, look at him and Barky chumming it up right here. This was a great quote from Barky, by the way, where he said that he would. He heard something that he was so used to he being on the other side of. Like there was some chirp that Marshan threw out there at a Utah player. And Barky laughed because he's like, I've heard that one before. And now it's just nice to have him on our side. So he's fitting right in with the guys and it seems like it's been a perfect marriage so far. To be honest, it just little better results, you know, one point in four games. But you know, this point was an important one. I mean, they needed this win against Utah as they need every win down the stretch here. And you know, he gets an assist on the overtime winner from Sam Bennett.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Sam Bennett had sponsored two pets for adoption. He had two goals and those pets getting adopted through Benny's buddies and the Humane Society. Of Broward. Good job by Benny as career high in points now.

[David Druk]

Career high in points, career high in assists. I think he's three off a career high end goals. And that was while missing time this year with that giant chunk where he didn't score earlier in the season. So setting himself up for what should be a pretty nice payday for him. Hopefully one that he is able to stay in Florida because we know how important of a player he is to the Panthers lineup. But he's going to get paid this summer.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. And the Panthers were dominant in that game. Don't let the school fool you. Don't let the fact that they win the overtime for you.

[Ethan Badowski]

The Panthers have been dominant recently.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, dominant.

[David Druk]

Kind of the opposite of what's happened over the past week. Right.

[Ethan Badowski]

It's been interesting because you said, don't let the score fool you in that Utah game. Don't let the score fool you in the Montreal game, in the Toronto game. Because the Panthers have been really good in these games. They just haven't been getting the results. It's been really weird. Especially Montreal. You're up nine, you know, with nine seconds left. And when do the Panthers ever blow that situation? They had the puck pinned up against the boards at one point. Montreal fished it out of there and late Lane Hudson. What a player this Lane Hudson is. I mean, he, he, you know, makes a great play at the end of the game there where he has the wherewithal to just. That was the second game. I forgot that there. It came back to me that there was a back to back home and home with Montreal. Montreal has the Panthers number this year. Clearly they beat him four times. Like you got. People are worried about facing Toronto or Tampa in the first round. I. I'd be worried about facing Montreal later in the playoffs considering they beat him 4 out of 4.

[David Druk]

Let's see Montreal get later in the playoffs.

[Ethan Badowski]

Of course, of course. But I'm just saying, you know, very.

[David Druk]

Different games, each one too. It's been a weird series against Montreal.

[Ethan Badowski]

The weirdest one was this. This one where the Panthers, you know, they have the lead with nine seconds left. And like I said, Hudson makes a great play, just kind of throwing it towards the net. Takes a weird bounce through Reinhardt, who, you know, he struggled at the end of the game.

[Roy Bellamy]

I don't understand the play that he made in that situation. Why you got nobody around you. And Reinhardt ended up trying to block the shot. Now, keep in mind that was a good play by Seth Jones at the blue line.

[Ethan Badowski]

Great play, Great Play. He almost got it out of there, but Hudson keeps it in. And you know, Rhino, okay, he's trying to block the shot. He's just trying to keep it in front of him. And he almost does. It just kind of takes a weird hop through him and finds its way to Suzuki. But then Rhino gets beat for the OT winner. And that was a tough game for.

[David Druk]

Him as a goalie, I will say. Like, a lot of guys were getting on Reinhardt, like, just get out of the way, let the goalie have the shot. Like, no, I get where he's coming from. Like, guys are blocking shots. And look at what has happened to the Panthers in the three games this week. They've had a shit ton of shots blocked against them. So, like, blocking shots is fine. Rhino wants to get that out of the goalie. It just. There's nobody around the flukey ness of the way. It just happened to hit him in the perfect spot. So it bounced directly to the guy on the other side of the crease when everybody else was moving the other way. It was a perfect comedy of errors that just, you know, crapped on the Panthers.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, not good. The Panthers are now 031 against the Canadiens as they get the point on Tuesday. So we move on to Toronto now. One was the biggest game of the season up until the next biggest game of the season when they play him again. That was not good. Now they have five players out. Kachak, Kulikov and Ekblad. Obviously, Alexander Balkoff got hurt in the Montreal game with a lower body injury. He came back in that game, but they, you know, back to back.

[David Druk]

Yeah.

[Ethan Badowski]

And it looks like he's not going to play this weekend either. Pierre Lebrun reported that he's probably out for this back to back in Ottawa and Detroit Saturday and Sunday.

[David Druk]

No point in forcing him back like right now. Like, they haven't clinched yet. But you know the Panthers gonna be in the playoffs. You know that the goal is another playoff run. So they're not so worried about right now, like, get everybody healthy, make sure that you're as good as you possibly can be when the playoffs. Because you already have question marks between Eclipse and Tkachuk.

[Roy Bellamy]

So that. That happened. So five players out. You got the. You got to call up some players, obviously. But the third period did not go well for the Panthers at all. For whatever reason, they have been giving them stretch passes leading the breakaways for the past month and a half.

[Ethan Badowski]

Well, this was a. The. This one in particular was just a bad play by Nate Schmidt. He Steps up to try and cut the pass. I think it was Nice who got in behind and the pass goes right through him. And now it's nice ahead of Mikola. Like, I don't understand why Schmidt isn't. It was a sick pass by Marner. Marner had a great game. You know, he gets the go ahead goal to make it 2:1 and then he makes a sick pass to make it 3:1. But Schmidt there, he just needs. He doesn't need to step up into that lane to try and cut the pass. He just needs to stay behind Nice. Make sure Nice stays behind him. Schmidt's, you know, he's out of his depths right now. He's playing on the second line and he's a third line guy. Let's be honest, right? You know, they're missing two of their top four. So obviously when those guys are back in, you would expect that Schmidt's not going to be in the top four, you know, but it's not going to be until the third game of the playoffs that these guys are going to be back. So he's going to have to stay afloat right now. And the Panthers are having a tough time staying afloat because, you know, they get back into that game. Rhino has a six shot to make it three two, you know, with under a minute left. But still too many defensive leaks. Guys like, you know, Marner's wide open. That's not what you expect from the Panthers on the second one. The stretch pass in behind. They're giving up too many of these rush chances and that's not the Panthers game.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, Nate Smith, Nate Smith is definitely a third pair defenseman. And yeah, I mean the defensemen have not had good positioning in the neutral zone for these things to be happening. So they're not good now they move on to Saturday. By the way, the Maple Leafs clinched on that game. They are officially going to the playoffs. The Panthers have a chance to clinch by themselves with a win in Ottawa on Saturday. And it's the first half of a back to back. I'm tired of this, man. This is the second back to back left. The two back to backs left in this season. So gotta get through it. So they, they did. They beat. They beat Tampa, right?

[David Druk]

They've been Tampa.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, they beat Tampa.

[Ethan Badowski]

Yeah, they beat Tampa in their last meeting. Yeah, it was that game where there was that crazy finish at the end.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, so there's that. They got. They got a good amount lead in for the first raw card spot. So I don't think they have to.

[David Druk]

Worry about 2 and 1 against Tampa so far.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. And now the series is split against Florida for the season. The Senators won 3 to 1 in October and the Panthers won 5 to 1 in February.

[David Druk]

That would have been a fun playoff series.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Yeah.

[David Druk]

I mean, may still happen.

[Ethan Badowski]

Look, it can still happen. Like, there's seven games left. The Panthers are four points down. All it takes is the leaves dropping two and the Panthers winning two and you're tied on points. So remember how this can absolutely happen. This same exact thing happened where the Panthers were kind of limping, they were resting some guys because they remembered what happened to them the year before. You know, look, it's not the team right now. They're missing Barkov, their best player. They're missing Kachuk, their second best player. They're missing two of their top four defensemen and they're missing their Ford Flying Center. It's just they're having to stay afloat. The injury bug has bitten them in a bad way at the end of the year.

[Roy Bellamy]

And then Sunday they go to Detroit, who is still in the race. They're still in the race for the second wild card. So they got something to play for. They'll be coming off their game versus Carolina. They played tonight. And the Red Wings won 5, 2 against Florida back in January. That was their only meeting. So they got a couple of games left against Florida. The. The Red Wings have gone four, five and one since losing six in a row. So there's that. I wouldn't say a bit of a bounce back. I mean, they lost six in a row. So again, four. Four wins out of the last 10.

[David Druk]

You know, that's not how you make the playoffs.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's not how you make the playoffs. So that's what the Panthers are looking at this upcoming weekend. Not a good week for them. Hoping to bounce back before they head home after Sunday. So for David Dwark, for Ethan Podowski, for Jason and whoever it is back there as well, Arta. Oh, yeah. For Auto Ocal Fujino and I don't know who that was. I think that was dang. Q, thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. We'll see you next week. Bye.

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