The Hockey Show: The Gentlemen's Sweep (feat. Eetu Luostarinen)

Summary

Detailed Summary of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" Episode: "The Hockey Show: The Gentlemen's Sweep" (May 2, 2025)

In this engaging episode of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz," hosts Roy Bellamy, David Dwork, and Ethan Badowski dissect the Florida Panthers' impressive sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Featuring guest Tara Sloan from NBC Sports California, the show offers in-depth analysis, player insights, and a mix of humor and personal anecdotes.

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1. Panthers' Dominant Sweep of the Lightning

Discussion Highlights:

• Media Skepticism vs. On-Ice Performance:

  • Roy Bellamy expresses bafflement over the media's underestimation of the Panthers:

    "I still don't understand why the members of the media decided to pick against him." (01:32)

  • David Dwork emphasizes key plays that led to the sweep, praising Eetu Luostarinen's pivotal moment against Nikita Kucherov:

    "The play that Luostarinen made on Kucherov where he just put Kucherov in his pocket. It led to the fifth and final goal in this game." (02:17)

• Brad Marchand's Exceptional Performance:

  • Highlighting Marchand's scoring prowess in Game Five:

    "In game five, nine combined points, more points than Nikita Kucherov and Braden Point in the entire series." (02:42)

• Depth and Defensive Strength:

  • Roy underscores the Panthers' depth:

    "Their top nine is any other team's top six." (03:47)

  • David praises defensemen Nate Schmidt and Uvis Balinskas for exceeding expectations:

    "Nate Schmidt, more goals than Nikita Kucherov in this series and Braden Point combined. He was awesome." (06:06)

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2. Wins and Fails of the Week

Wins:

• Carolina Hurricanes Fans' Creative Celebration:

  • Ethan Badowski describes Hurricanes fans throwing hats onto Svechnikov's lawn to celebrate his hat trick:

    "It looks like an Easter egg hunt for hats. I just thought that was so cool." (10:26)

• Gabriel Landis Cog's Triumphant Return:

  • David Dwork celebrates Landis Cog’s return to the ice and his first goal in three years:

    "Shout out to Gabriel Landiscog. One of the great stories in sports in the past few years." (13:36)

Fails:

• Wedding Reception Mishaps:
  • The hosts recount humorous spills and broken glasses at Daniel Gonzalez Crovato’s wedding:

    "One of the all-time party fouls... spilling a drink right in the middle of the floor." (14:43)

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3. Guest Segment: Tara Sloan on the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key Topics Discussed:

• Toronto Maple Leafs' Fan Atmosphere and Performance:

  • Tara Sloan describes Toronto’s passionate yet impatient fanbase:

    "This is a city that has not won a Stanley cup since 1967. Fans here are really hungry." (18:39)

  • She notes the Leafs' decisive performance despite fan chants like "we want Florida."

• Canadian Teams' Playoff Excitement:

  • With five Canadian teams in the playoffs, Tara highlights the national buzz:

    "Three of them are going to be in the second round. There's legitimate excitement building." (19:41)

• San Jose Sharks and Rising Stars:

  • Focus on rookie Macklin Celebrini’s impact and the Sharks' long-term strategy:

    "He has so much hockey, his IQ is so intensely high. He is a leader on and off the ice." (23:42)

  • Tara discusses GM Mike Greer’s commitment to building a Stanley Cup contender:

    "The idea is to get a Stanley Cup championship team." (24:35)

• New York Rangers' Coaching Change:

  • Tara supports the hiring of Mike Sullivan as Rangers' head coach:

    "He is among the best coaches in the game. So good on them." (28:34)

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4. Player Interview: Eetu Luostarinen on Panthers' Success

Insights from Eetu Luostarinen:

• Defensive Strategy Against High-Scoring Teams:

  "We were trying to hold the line... didn’t give them too much room to play on." (31:27)

• Team Chemistry and Integration of Brad Marchand:

  "Adding Marchand... he's such a great guy... experienced in the Stanley Cup. It's been really good." (34:13)

• Balancing Personal Life with Playoffs:

  "She’s already 10 weeks... it just brings more energy, like to go home and see her smile." (39:54)

• Upcoming Series Strategy Against the Maple Leafs:

  "We are going to play as hard as we can... shut their top guys down." (41:05)

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5. Light-Hearted Moments and Anecdotes

The hosts intersperse sports discussions with humorous personal stories, such as mishaps at a wedding reception and playful interactions about attending events without invites. These moments add a relatable and entertaining dimension to the episode.

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6. Notable Quotes with Attributions

• Roy Bellamy (02:42):

  "In game five, nine combined points, more points than Nikita Kucherov and Braden Point in the entire series."

• David Dwork (06:06):

  "Nate Schmidt only played in two or three of these games... he had more goals than Nikita Kucherov has had in 15 straight playoff games."

• Tara Sloan (18:39):

  "This is a city that has not won a Stanley cup since 1967. The fans here are really hungry."

• Eetu Luostarinen (31:27):

  "We were trying to hold the line... didn’t give them too much room to play on."

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7. Final Thoughts and Future Outlook

In closing, the hosts express strong confidence in the Florida Panthers' ability to continue their playoff success, attributing it to their depth, strategic play, and resilient defense. They also look forward to the upcoming series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, anticipating a challenging yet exciting matchup.

Overall, this episode provides comprehensive coverage of the Panthers' playoff performance, enriched by expert analysis from Tara Sloan and firsthand insights from Eetu Luostarinen. The blend of serious sports discussion with humorous and personal anecdotes makes for an engaging and informative listen for hockey enthusiasts.

Transcript

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[Roy Bellamy]

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[David Dwork]

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[Roy Bellamy]

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[Ethan Badowski]

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[Roy Bellamy]

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[Ethan Badowski]

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[Roy Bellamy]

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the hockey show. My name is Roy Bellamy. Behind me sweeping right now is David Dwork of the Hockey News. In the shipping container is Ethan Badowski. And we me and David are wearing ties. Well, and I'm wearing a suit because.

[David Dwork]

And I'm wearing a 3XL.

[Roy Bellamy]

The hell for man. This is not 1995. I don't know why we've been doing.

[David Dwork]

That old shirts thread oh throughout the show this week. So I thought we were going to continue that. And then you guys are in here in a frickin suit and tie.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, you over here. What are you like £235 when you're like 16 years old?

[David Dwork]

Triple X. I thrifted.

[Roy Bellamy]

So I'm in, I'm in a suit and Dave is in a tie and he's holding the broom because the Florida Panthers gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a gentleman's sweep. So I can tell you that I still don't understand why the members of the media decided to pick against him. But hey, what are you going to do? But the Panthers completely shut them down. They shut down the lightning pretty, pretty well because when you're that good, when you're scoring that well, especially on special teams and the Panthers penalty kill stifles a player like Nikita Kutrov. I mean that should be terrifying for the rest of the league.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I would think so. Tampa. I mean, you've talked about how good of a scoring team they were, how amazing their power play was. And Florida, I mean, you know where they took him.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Shut down city.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Shut down city, baby. Everything between the circles was incredibly difficult for Tampa. You could tell as the series was going on they were getting more and more frustrated. They were blocking shots, lots of shot blocks. The shot attempts were there, but the shots on goal, not so much.

[David Dwork]

The play for me, that defined really what this series was all about was the play that Luster Rinen made on Kucherov where he just put Kucherov in his pocket. It led to the fifth and final goal in this game. And Brad Marchand, this line was absolutely unbelievable. In game five, nine combined points, more points than Nikita Kucherov and Braden Point in the entire series. In one game at Tulo, Serinen had more goals and the same number of points in game five that Nikita Kucherov had in the entire series. The Panthers dominated the Lightning. They piece them apart just the way that they did last year. And looking back on it, this should have been the expected result. The second that Buzzer sounded, as a fan, I was already like, okay, we're on a Toronto or Ottawa? Because this is what the Panthers do now. They take teams apart. It doesn't matter how good you are in the regular season. It doesn't matter if they're on the road, if they finished strong to end the season or not. They are going to take you apart if they're at their best and they're healthy. And they did that to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

[Roy Bellamy]

That tells you not just how deep the Panthers are, that tells you about their secondary scoring. They have an excellent top nine.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Yeah, their top nine is any other team's top six. Yeah, it's not just the Panthers that got better, too. Like I not to take away from your point, Ethan, but Tampa got better, too. They're a much better team this year than they were last year. So I understand some of the logic behind some of the talking heads that wanted to take Tampa. Like, they're looking much better. Florida was injured, but anybody that's really paying attention here, that that was watching what Paul Maurice was doing over the past few weeks, they knew that all they were doing was making sure they could hit the round running in game one with the playoffs. And holy shit, did they.

[David Dwork]

I'll say this, though. Tampa did get better. And the Stamcos tr, you know, moving on from Stamkos and getting Gensel instead, you know, was a great move by Tampa, I'll admit that. But coming into the series, people were talking as if Tampa was the deeper team, the better team. I don't know how you can look at the forward depth on Florida and you look at the floor depth on Tampa, that's a mismatch. A deeper team like Zemgis Gergensens and Luke Glendenning and Mitchell Chaffee and Darren Radish, like, those are the guys that, you know, Tampa Is running out there up against teams in this league. Yeah, like, it's. It's. They have. Erod started the series on the fourth line, moved up to the second line once Mackie Samiskiewicz started getting dropped. Like, I don't know how people looked at this series before and said Tampa's the deeper team. The Panthers were always the deeper team up front and on defense. And then they got better goaltending as well. It was a perfect recipe for a quick series.

[Roy Bellamy]

And that's also proof how deep this team is. Mackie Samiskiewicz is not seeing that much time.

[David Dwork]

A.J. greer only played in two. What, two of these games? Three of the. Two of these games. You know, we haven't seen Jonah Gadjevic, who I thought was really solid all year for the Panthers. Like, this team is so good and so deep. It's just like last year. They can roll out five lines at you.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Hold on. He has something to add. What was that?

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, you. Perry Saturn. No respect.

[Unnamed Analyst]

No respect.

[Roy Bellamy]

No respect.

[Unnamed Analyst]

No, you're right. The Panthers were not getting any respect.

[Roy Bellamy]

Panthers defense, the defensive core, I should say the defenseman, Aaron Eckblad played only two games in the series. He served his role pretty well by knocking out Brendan Hagel, Brandon Hagel and Seth Jones. Has been out. He's been lights out.

[David Dwork]

He's been excellent, phenomenal. And the guys that for me deserve shouting out are Nate Schmidt and Uvis Balinskas because they struggled a lot during the season. And I was really worried about if those guys have to play in the playoffs, big minutes because, you know, injuries, depth, whatever. And obviously Balinskas was dropped from the lineup, then had to move back into the lineup. He'll be in the lineup for game one because Ekblad will be out of it for the next series. I. I don't feel worried about that anymore. Nate Schmidt, again, more goals than Nikita Kucherov in this series and Braden Point combined. He was awesome. He was the. He was the best 88 on the ice in this series. As crazy as that is to say.

[Roy Bellamy]

Nate Smith has had more goals than in this series than Nikita Kucherov has had in 15 straight playoff games.

[David Dwork]

I've had the same amount of goals as Nikita Kucherov in his last 16.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Playoff games, but the last 10 of.

[Roy Bellamy]

Those 16 came against us as if I'm a part of the team. I did it again. Biased. Yes. Ten of those have come against the Florida Panthers.

[Unnamed Analyst]

That's not good.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. Yeah. What are you going to do? Well, I mean, he's going to win Ross.

[Unnamed Analyst]

But I mean the Panthers are Nikita Kucherov right now is that he's a regular season player.

[David Dwork]

Gustav Forsling deserves the a lot of the credit for this. This guy is unbelievable. He is amazing to watch and he keeps him in his pocket. He can't do anything when Gustav Forsling.

[Roy Bellamy]

In another part of the league. This happening today. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost Mike Sullivan a week ago. They decided to part ways.

[Unnamed Analyst]

You called it.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, it took a while, but I.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Was right a while ago.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, that happened months ago. I was right about Mike Sullivan. I was right about John Toddorella. And the New York Rangers today have decided to make Mike Sullivan very quickly their new head coach.

[Unnamed Analyst]

It's a good hire.

[Roy Bellamy]

It is a good hire. All they need. Yeah, it's a real guy. They already got the goaltender and let's see if there's going to be a philosophy change for the New York Rangers as well.

[Unnamed Analyst]

You know what's going to happen though with Sullivan out. You're going to hate it. But you know what's going to happen, right?

[Roy Bellamy]

What?

[Unnamed Analyst]

We're going to get our first player coach in like 100 years. It's going to be your favorite guy in the world.

[David Dwork]

Okay, before we move on, I want to you talked about how you were right, Roy. Which take all the victory laps you want. I want to talk about some people that were wrong, a lot of people that were wrong. And I want to specifically talk about these predictions from the athletic, ESPN and sportsnet up in Canada. Look how many people took the Lightning. 18 of 24 from ESPN took the Lightning. This looks like a 68 to 32 split on the athletic and I'm not sure about the numbers over here for sports. I don't see what plenty of lightning.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I'm Pretty sure that's 100 kios had the Panthers.

[David Dwork]

Other than that, everybody else.

[Unnamed Analyst]

You're right. Kipios Panthers in seven.

[David Dwork]

So as much as I'm on to the next series already, it is fun to sit around and be like we were right.

[Unnamed Analyst]

We see you Arda our boy Ara.

[David Dwork]

Or we see you picking the Panthers Bob Washoes. And thank you for your service for picking the Lightning.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Friends of the show, I hope you.

[Roy Bellamy]

Picked the Maple Leafs and John but grass you should know better and better. Let's go to our wins and fails of the week brought to you by Jagermeister. Servicode or don't serve it at all. Jagermeister. Damn, that's code. For more visit the jaegermeister.com Please drink responsibly Dave, my.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I've got two wins of the week.

[Roy Bellamy]

Two of them.

[Unnamed Analyst]

My first win of the week comes from Dallas. There was a guy behind the bench. The Stars are playing the Avalanche, and Jared Bednar's doppelganger was sitting behind him. Right behind the Stars bench or right behind the Avalanche bench? Excuse me. In Dallas. I don't know. I just thought it was awesome. He's got the video up here. For those of you watching on YouTube, he looks like. Yeah, well, that's the thing. He's got the suit, he's got the hair. It's not. It's not like an exact look alike, but it's a lot of fun. It's more like an SNL lookalike than it is an actual lookalike. But it did remind me of like 10 years ago when Paul McClain was the coach of the Ottawa Senators. There was an actual doppelganger of his behind the bench. And I think we have a picture of it if we can pop it up there. But this one was, like, extremely accurate.

[David Dwork]

This guy looks more like Andy Reid than Paul McLean. That's Andy Reid shaking his finger at a plate of donuts saying, don't mind if I do.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I think the guy in the stands looks more like Paul McLean than Paul McLean looks like Paul McLean in this.

[Roy Bellamy]

But Brimley actually is what he looks like.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Diabetes.

[David Dwork]

Diabetes.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Okay. My second win of the week. Last week, the Carolina Hurricanes. Well, this week the Carolina Hurricanes dispatched the New Jersey Devils. Andrei Svechnikov had a hat trick in game number four after the Hurricanes had lost game three. And what did the Hurricanes fans do? Because the Carolina was in Jersey. Yeah, Svechnikov gets home, his front lawn is littered with hats. Fans went to his house and threw a bunch of hats on his lawn to signify his hat trick. Because he was out of town. They couldn't do it at home. I thought that was like, so cool. I love that there's a picture of it. It looks like an Easter egg hunt for hats. I just thought it was so cool that the fans did that. I love things like that. I love that the player can get ingrained to the community. You know, maybe Miko Ranson could have seen this a few months ago, but he seems happy in Dallas. We'll see what happens in game seven. But I just. I saw that the other day and I absolutely loved it.

[Roy Bellamy]

My win. I have two wins this week. The first one comes from the Capitals Canadian series, and that was a wild one. One of the reasons why the Capitals will be moving on to face the Carolina Hurricanes is because of Tom Wilson in Game 4. Tom Wilson provided this very clean check.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Boom.

[Roy Bellamy]

Knocked him down, knocked the Alexander carrier down, and that allowed the capital to get the puck back. And on the ensuing entry into the zone, they managed to score. Brandon Duhame ended up coming off the bench and on the line change and was able to score on that one. The Capitals will win Games 4 and 5 to finish off the series. And again we'll take on the Carolina Hurricanes. And speaking of Hurricanes, my win number two is coming prior. This is prior to puck drop game five. This Steve Smith senior and he had the honor of firing it off. Firing off the air raid siren. As you can see on the video here, he did it so well that he just did not stop. I mean, stamina.

[Unnamed Analyst]

He got a little carried away.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, he got a little carried away.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Steve Smith Jr. Is ripped. Holy cow.

[Roy Bellamy]

I mean, you have to be the.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Hockey jerseys, don't they look baggy on most people?

[Roy Bellamy]

Steve Smith did so well on that, by the way, that again, he refused to stop. And the Carolina Hurricane's handler there had to tap him on the shoulder to say, hey, Steve, good job. But we got Steve. Steve, Steve, Steve. Easy, Ethan, you'll win.

[David Dwork]

My win of the week comes from the stars Ave series guys, we forgot to touch on Gabriel Landis cog's return to the ice last week. That was a big omission by us. So I want to give him his flowers here. He scored his first goal. And the amazing thing about this return, first of all, I want to talk about what happens after this goal. Amazing celebrations. Watch this couple in the crowd here. So excited that Gabe Landiscog has scored his first goal in three years or whatever it is. They just decide to have a n little moment right in the middle of.

[Unnamed Analyst]

The crowd for everybody actually into that because you couldn't see what he was saying. Yeah, what he said to her was, I told you I should have taken him for an anytime goal.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, money on the line, buddy.

[David Dwork]

It was a really awesome moment. And the amazing thing about his comeback has been he didn't just jump back in the, you know, in the lineup as a third line guy, just eating pucks or whatever. He's out there on their first power play. He's scoring goals. Like unbelievable story. So shout out to Gable and Gabe Landiscog. One of the great stories in sports in the in the past few years, really.

[Roy Bellamy]

Landiscog is a finalist for the Masterson trophy. Yes, he is dedication to hockey. So congratulations to him coming back. And now he is going to look at Game 7 against the Dallas Stars.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Can't wait.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, I can't wait. That's gonna be great. Our fail of the week comes from this weekend. And it comes from within the Meadowlock media organization. Engineer Daniel Gonzalez Crovato, better known as Danny gq, get married this weekend. Congratulations. That is not the fail.

[Unnamed Analyst]

That was wonderful.

[Unnamed Host]

No, that's a win.

[David Dwork]

That's a win for Danny.

[Unnamed Analyst]

GQ for sure.

[David Dwork]

Win for Danny. GQ for sure.

[Unnamed Analyst]

My fail of the week, our friend Danny got married.

[Roy Bellamy]

Our fail of the week is marriage. No, no, no. That is definitely a win. Congratulations, Danny. Our fail happened at the reception. It happened on the dance floor. It happened to Mike, Mali, Ethan, you were there. You wanted the all on the floor.

[David Dwork]

One of the all time party fouls. Matt, Roy, I don't know how this happened, but all of a sudden I hear a spill, a crash. No glass was broken. Luckily that came later when Sebastian the Ibis came in. I broke his glass. You hear the video, Sebastian the Ibis, he does the C A N E s and then you hear glass crash right on the floor. Mazel tov, by the way. But Mali, one of the all time party fouls, spilling a drink right in the middle of the floor. You know, he had a good time. Mali. We all had a good time. It was a great night. Wonderful night.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah. You had a problem with this?

[Unnamed Analyst]

I was just wondering, like, you know, Danny and I are still getting to know each other, so I understand why I didn't get a wedding invite. But I have Ethan, I have Roy, I have Rose. You all went to this wedding. Y'all had a plus one.

[David Dwork]

Like, where am I? I did not have a plus one.

[Roy Bellamy]

My plus one was at the house because I came straight from the pantheon.

[Unnamed Analyst]

From where I was. With me.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Yeah. Okay, that's it.

[David Dwork]

I missed out on game three because of it. And I was happy because I ended up going to game four, which was way better.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Yes.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes.

[David Dwork]

We have another fail of the week. Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

We gotta go.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Get to it real quick.

[David Dwork]

We gotta get to it real quick. Rose.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Rose.

[David Dwork]

This was really bad.

[Roy Bellamy]

That's bad, man. You jinxed Rose. Jinxed them. She jinxed.

[David Dwork]

We have the sound. We have the sound. We gotta run it real quick.

[Roy Bellamy]

Lay it.

[Tara Sloan]

LA is winning against Edmonton. So we don't have to fly to Edmonton and don't say anything.

[David Dwork]

Don't takes it. Yeah. The Oilers were down three nothing in the cup final last year. You had to go to Edmonton twice.

[Tara Sloan]

Right Now I'm liking what I'm seeing, so I'm gonna go. And those are my wins.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Rose is high in the Kings.

[Tara Sloan]

Beautiful puck.

[Roy Bellamy]

That is too bad.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Oh, that did not age well.

[David Dwork]

One of the poorest age takes in the history of his first two hot. They lost four straight games after that.

[Roy Bellamy]

All right, for those on dkn, we have Tara Sloan from NBC Sports Network and we have ITU Lucerineen from the Florida Panthers. We're going to be talking to them coming up next. The Dan Lebuitar show with Stugotz is sponsored by BetterHelp. Life gets busy and your mind cares it all. But just like your body needs care, so does your mental health. Therapy is an investment in clarity and peace in you. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in person therapy can cost anywhere between 100 and $250 per session, which adds up fast. With BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you can get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it and now it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. Your well being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com DLB today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H e l p.com d o b tur Sloan works for NBC Sports Sports California. She is the San Jose Sharks reporter and she's joining us right now here on the Hockey Show. We're going to talk about the Stanley cup playoffs with her. Let's start with what's going on in Canada. The Maple Leafs managed not to choke despite the fact that the fans almost jinxed them by chanting we want Florida and then them losing to straight afterwards. Now, they put themselves in that situation and I would not have had sympathy for them because they're not learning. They're not learning at all. But now that round one is over, give us a sense of what the mood is in Toronto.

[Tara Sloan]

Well, you know, I live a little bit outside downtown, but I understand that the streets were pretty packed in spite of a lot of rain last night. So this is a city that has not won a Stanley cup since 1967. This is a country that has not won a Stanley cup since 1993. So fans here are really hungry. And, you know, like you said, the Leafs have this kind of playoff curse that, you know, they tend to get in their own way about it, and then fans are really quick to also jump on that. So it almost happened, but I think last night they looked. It was very decisive, and it bodes well for the next round, which is going to be a challenge for sure.

[Unnamed Analyst]

What is the excitement like north of the border right now? I'm just. You're just generally a Canadian right now, Tara, but because five of the five Canadian teams made the playoffs, which is, I'm sure, awesome. They all hate each other, but, you know, it's cool for the country. Now it looks like three of them are going to be in the second round. So, I mean, is there some legitimate excitement building that for the second straight year, the Canadian team could actually play for the Stanley Cup?

[Tara Sloan]

Absolutely. I mean, it was. It was a great season for Canada. The Four nations victory also buoyed the country.

[David Dwork]

Yeah, that was. That was that. I. I was in Montreal for that first game. That was incredible. But I'm.

[Roy Bellamy]

What was the name of the building, Ethan?

[David Dwork]

The Central Bell. Thank you, Roy. And we. I. I was saying to myself, I'm like, every time we win the first game, just like 2010, we can't let this be like 2010 all over again. And sure as hell, it was just like 2010 all over again.

[Tara Sloan]

Yeah. I mean, so you get the sense hockey is a great big deal everywhere here. It doesn't matter, you know, walk down the street, if there's a Stanley cup playoff game on, there's going to be noise. So it's. It's everywhere. It's definitely, you know, hockey is. Is it for us, unlike south of the border, at least not everywhere. So, yeah, I think there is some optimism, but also, you know, the same. Same fears. Right. That. That will make it to the finish line, but won't quite get over it. So I think there's reason to be optimistic. But, you know, a couple teams are making me nervous, so I think Winnipeg isn't, you know, Winnipeg is also falling for that curse, the halibut curse, too. So we're. We're a little worried about them, but it can happen.

[David Dwork]

Before we dive more into how each team is doing, I want to ask a question, since we're on the subject about Canada. How mad was the entire country when the Stanley cup went in the Atlantic Ocean last year?

[Tara Sloan]

I don't think. I don't think we're that protective of the Stanley Cup. Listen, I think it's been in much more disgusting places. So at least it had a little saline wash. Fair.

[Roy Bellamy]

I mean, you got to worry about corrosion there. I mean, saltwater is pretty damaging.

[Unnamed Analyst]

That's Phil's job to keep the cup.

[Tara Sloan]

Exactly.

[Roy Bellamy]

I mean, the other side of the country right now we got the Edmonton Oilers, who for the fourth straight season has eliminated the Los Angeles Kings from the playoffs. And they did it this time. Well, down 02 and coming back to win four straight. How is this going to propel them through the rest of the playoffs?

[Tara Sloan]

Well, I think that they were really calling upon, you know, the team to go beyond their superstars. And I think we started to see that this is a team with a lot of depth. So, you know, we know that scoring is not going to be the issue for them. Ekholm will still be out for the second round. So that is definitely, you know, the nerves lie in defense and in goaltending. But as long as the superstars can keep scoring and there's some depth scoring, I think, I think they can really. I think they're favored like third in terms of taking the Stanley cup at this point. So I think there is a lot of faith in this team.

[Roy Bellamy]

The Montreal Canadiens, they weren't able to get past the Washington Capitals, but it was a surprise for them to make the playoffs in the first place. Do you believe that this is just a stepping stone right now for the Canadiens? Are they going to get better next year?

[Tara Sloan]

Oh, I think they're going to get better next year, but I think it was really fun to watch. Obviously, when a team loses a playoff series, it doesn't, you know, doesn't feel good. And it's no consolation to say, but, you know, this was so promising. But it is. I mean, they're such a young team. This is where I would love to see the San Jose Sharks next year or, or the year after. But yeah, this is a team that absolutely. I think they surprised everybody in such a pleasant way and I think next year could be really exciting for them.

[Unnamed Analyst]

You perfectly led me into my next question, Tara. Talking about going to the next step, talking about the San Jose Sharks. I think, you know where I'm going with this. Somebody that you saw a lot this year, young man that I think is on a lot of our Calder ballots. And that's Macklin Celebrini. I've been high on him all year. I thought he was one of the most well rounded rookies I've seen in a long time. His two way play kind of blows me away a little Bit. But as somebody who got a front row seat and saw him all season, what's your take on Macklin? Do you think he's as, as advertised with such a high ceiling?

[Tara Sloan]

He is as reported. Absolutely. I mean, he was from the first time he stepped on the ice with the San Jose Sharks. You know what's funny for me, kind of seeing him up close. You know, he and Will Smith are attached at the hip. They're kids, you know, like you just. I see them playing soccer together outside the locker room and they're giggling, right? They're. But when it comes to hockey, the guy hates to lose. He has so much hockey, his IQ is so intensely high. He's got such an aptitude for learning and he's a natural leader. I mean, he's not going to be the captain next year. I think he's not quite ready for that just in terms of his age and experience. But he could be. And he is a leader on and off the ice. He learns from his mistakes and man, he is, he is really good.

[Unnamed Analyst]

But being that he's so good, how do you think the Sharks are going to build around him? Because they were pretty bad this year, despite Macklin kind of standing out the way he did. I wouldn't imagine they want to have that long of a plan to kind of get them back into the perennial playoff team that they were for so much of this decade or the last decade. But is there a plan to kind of build the team around him in the short term and make them competitive?

[Tara Sloan]

Yeah, I mean, I have to think so. You know that your faith has to be in your gm and Mike Greer seems to be really building this team from the ground up. I think that this is a long term goal. I mean, I think we of course want to see them make the playoffs next year. But when you look at. First of all, the Barracuda have moved on to the second round of the playoffs. So there's a lot of, you know, great players in that pipeline, but coming up from the OHL and from overseas. So I, I just, of course, like, we all want immediate results and I think what Mike Greer did at the trade deadline showed that they are committed to the long game. For sure. They could have kind of stacked the, the team and made them more viable sooner, but I don't think that's the idea. The idea is to get a Stanley cup championship team.

[David Dwork]

I want to stay in California. We talked earlier about the Oilers kind of flip to the Kings side of things. Where the hell do they go from here?

[Tara Sloan]

You are asking the wrong person. I don't know. I mean, they looked so strong this year. I think if there was a year, it could have been this one. So honestly, I don't know.

[David Dwork]

I didn't even realize how close they were. They were up to. They were up a goal with 45 seconds left in game four, trying to take a 31 lead and they lost that series in six games. It's insane. I have no idea where they go.

[Tara Sloan]

From here, but this is another one of those. Like, I don't, I don't want to be all woo woo. But they're curse, you know, so they're cursed against this team. So. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what, I don't know what their plans are. They also have some young talent, but yeah, things are going to have to look a little different next year.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I think it's just payback for the Miracle on Madison or Manchester. Excuse me, The Miracle on Manchester.

[Roy Bellamy]

They're still paying champions though. They've won twice.

[Unnamed Analyst]

But they didn't have to beat the Oilers.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, okay. I bet you they're wishing for 11 to 8.

[David Dwork]

I know they're wishing that. Yeah. I was just gonna say they should be the first team in line to campaign for the 1 through 8 playoffs again because it's probably just gonna be the same thing next year, if we're being honest.

[Roy Bellamy]

I counted 64 members of the media who are picked, who had picked the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers. Now, granted, one guy, by the way, that I saw, Ian McIntyre, I have no idea who he is and I'm sure he doesn't have any idea who I am or you or him, but he picked the Lightning in five games. What are we doing? Like, somebody has to explain to me the amount of disrespect that the media, the members of the hockey media gave the Florida Panthers knowing that they were going to end up in full strength without Aaron Ekblad, who was suspended and eventually got suspended again. To me it's just disrespectful of the defending Stanley cup champions. What do you think, Tara?

[Tara Sloan]

Yeah, I agree. I mean, there's so much momentum behind the Florida Panthers and if you've watched any of their games this year, I mean, that's a really intense, gritty team. So I wouldn't put anything past them. And they are favorited at this point to take the Stanley cup home again. I mean, I guess it's just, it was a numbers game, you know. Tampa finished higher in the standings. They've got Vasilevsky, they got Kucharov. So maybe they just sort of look a little bit better on paper and obviously they've had more recent, you know, two, two back to back Stanley Cups. So. But no, I, I wouldn't have bet against the Florida Panthers, not for a second.

[Roy Bellamy]

And finally, the New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan to be the 30th coach, head coach today.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Poor, was unemployed for so long.

[Roy Bellamy]

Did not even take in a week. Did not even take a week. What do you think about the Rangers decision?

[Tara Sloan]

I mean, we, yes, we knew Mike Sullivan was not going to be unemployed for very long. Listen, his, his time had run out in Pittsburgh, but it didn't say anything about him as a coach. It's just, you know, that that room is, was tired, I guess. I think it's, I think it's a great move. I think he's certainly among the best coaches in the game. So good on them. They got the money, honey. They're going to get the guy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Tara Sloan from NBC Sports California, thank you for joining us.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Thank you, Tara.

[Tara Sloan]

Hey, thanks, guys.

[Unnamed Host]

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[Roy Bellamy]

So we have E2 booster is here for the Florida Panthers. He's currently on the third line with Anton Lindell and Brad Marchant. They just eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning.

[Unnamed Analyst]

5 games.

[Roy Bellamy]

5 games. 5 games by game dispatched them pretty quickly. So the Lightning led the league in scoring. They were top five in power play. They were top five in the penalty kill and they had the league leader in points this season. E2 how were you guys able to shut them down?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, before the series we obviously know their stats and like what they're good at. Obviously offensive game which were their top priority I think. But I think just the way we play, we're trying to hold the line like just play us by like didn't give them too much room to play on. So I think we did a good job on that.

[Unnamed Host]

Do you guys see that everyone in the media is picking the Lightning in that situation or that never gets on your guys radar?

[E2 Lucerinen]

I mean I think just the way we're able to shut them down there, I think just playing hard against their top lines, that was our priority.

[Roy Bellamy]

The penalty kill had been excellent in this series. You guys only gave up two power play goals and what, 18 opportunities against the Tampa Bay Lightning. So go over how the addition of Brad Marchon on that penalty kill helped you guys.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, obviously the kill was really good on that, that series and that we knew like their power plays elite. So I think we, we were able to do a good job there. Obviously adding Margie, I think just getting more depth the lineup as penalty kill wise too. We could roll three pairs like be fresh out there and then pressure when we had a chance.

[Unnamed Analyst]

E2 When I think of young hockey players, like we all want to score goals, right? Like my little 8 year old, he wants to go out there, he wants to score goals. He's not worried about anything else but your game. You have like perfected defensive hockey over the last few seasons and it's getting talked about now on a very grand scale. After what you guys just did against Tampa Bay. Just for you personally, how much do you enjoy playing the defensive side of the game because you're so good at it.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, I mean I think that's Just like all the way from juniors. I think the way Finnish guys play in, in Finland that league, like it's more defensive, not as much offensive game. I think it's less goals. I think it comes from all the way up in there. But yeah, obviously everybody wants to score and. But I think I'll. I'm string to play both ways and like be responsible like getting trust from the coaches and I get Iceland like.

[David Dwork]

That game five we saw the potential of the third line. You, Lundy and Marshy had nine combined points. But the weirdest thing for everybody has been seeing Brad Marchand in a Panther uniform. So what has that adjustment been like going from he is, you know, enemy number one to now he's one of your teammates and you're chasing a cup with them.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, that was a big one on the deadline. I. I didn't see that comment. But obviously he's such a great guy. He talks up, talks a lot in the locker room. He's such a good guy. So I think that's a great ad. And obviously on the ice he's experienced Buna cup and he knows what it takes and just able to play with him. It's been really good.

[Roy Bellamy]

We mentioned Anton Lindell was also on that line with you and you guys seem to have gotten chemistry pretty quickly. Why don't you go over your ice time with that third line?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, obviously I've been played with Londy like few years now and able to speak finished once in a while. It helps go through the place. But I think adding Marchie like last year, we've had bloody a lot of experience there too and he liked to talk well as well go through the place and like stuff like that and this whole and that way. I think March is similar guy there like a lot of experience, talks a lot, wants to teach us new things all the time and obviously we're listening.

[Unnamed Host]

Then you, we mentioned you and Lundell playing together for a few years. You guys are close off the ice. Tell me like about like I want to get inside your guys relationship a little bit. How much are you guys that close off the ice? Like tell me what is Lundell's favorite food?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Oh, that's. That's tough one. I guess we're not that close then.

[Unnamed Host]

You guys don't like finish each other's sentences. You know his favorite movie?

[E2 Lucerinen]

No, I don't know that either.

[Unnamed Host]

I think you know it and you're just keeping it close to the vest. I like it. You don't want to give up the goods.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Yeah.

[Roy Bellamy]

It's pasta, isn't it? Some sort of spaghetti?

[Unnamed Analyst]

That'd be chicken and pasta salad. I mean, you guys basically eat the same five things during the season, right?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, it's same thing all over again. So maybe the next few months we'll eating pasta. So that's, that's how we get.

[Unnamed Host]

Well, there's no pasta available in this playoffs, but maybe next year we can eat some pasta. We had pasta last year.

[Ethan Badowski]

What?

[Unnamed Host]

Give me something that you and him do that is like fun off of the ice together.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Usually we just keep it pretty simple. Just hang out by the pool, go to the beach once in a while, have an lunch or dinner, skip a light between. Between games and like just, I don't know, relax.

[Unnamed Host]

Lucy, what's your go to? What would surprise us? Do you have any game day traditions? You know, where you're like, I have to eat this every day. I need to put my pads on a certain way. What are your game day superstitions?

[E2 Lucerinen]

I don't think I have too much, but like, I think just maybe like the, the way I put my gear on, it's pretty specific. Like you should put my right sock on before and then let's skate like, stuff like that. It's pretty stupid, but like, it's just a habit and I mean, I just gotta go with it.

[Unnamed Host]

Wait, how do you put your right sock on and then your left skate? See, there must be a sock. There must be one, but there must be a sock on that left foot. No.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, there's a sock, but just order.

[Unnamed Analyst]

I got you itu. Obviously you guys had this ridiculous, amazing run last year at this time to the Stanley Cup. The year before you had gone to the final. Last year you won it. Now this is like the third year where you guys are kind of viewed as a Cup contender. You're trying to do it again. Have you noticed any differences just in how you feel when you're going to the ring now that you've kind of been down that path before, you've won the Cup? So now you guys have that kind of veteran experience going into the playoffs?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, I mean, obviously it helps to be like gone through it already and you know what to expect, how it's going to be. It's hard work for two and a half months and yeah, I think just the experience and the feeling of winning, like you want to just feel that again.

[Roy Bellamy]

You have the Toronto Maple Leafs coming up next, and that's the return of Anthony Stolars. You got Oliver, Ekman, Lawson, and you got Steve Lorenz coming back to Lorenzo. And the Leafs fans wanted this. They were chanting, we went Florida.

[Unnamed Host]

They weren't chanting that again, were they?

[Roy Bellamy]

Yes, they were. Before the series even ended, they ended up losing two straight before they ended up dispatching the Ottawa Senators. Boy, it's like they haven't learned a lesson. But why don't you tell us about this matchup, how you guys match up against the Toronto Maple Leafs this time?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, I mean, it's going to be a tough matchup. Again, there's no easy opponents at this point. I think similar things as well, like the way they play. I think they have speed up front a little bit, side, back, back end, and just to, I think, do the same thing, like shut their top guys down and like, just play as hard as we can.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Itu, something that we've talked about over the last couple of years is among some of your teammates is the dad Bump. We know Lombie. He became a dad. He got the dad bump. Bob became a dad. He got the dad bump. You recently became a father. You have a young daughter, Sophia. She's beautiful. Congratulations.

[Roy Bellamy]

Girl dad.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Girl dad. In the club with Roy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Analyst]

How has your route? Chris was asking about your routines. Are you getting as much sleep as you got last year? Are you feeling the extra energy from being a dad? What's the experience like now, going on a playoff run, knowing. Nope. I got a little one at home.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, it's been great. The time supplies. She's already 10 weeks. 10 weeks old and yeah, just to hang out with her, like, obviously it cuts down the sleep a little bit like you said. But you're just kind of like. You enjoy it so much, so you don't really care about that. But yeah, I think it doesn't really affect in the hockey part, so I think it just brings more energy, like to go home and see her smile and stuff like that.

[Unnamed Host]

She on you yet?

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, man.

[Unnamed Host]

I'm telling you, I have like my daughter and that. That those first six months, that thing's flying everywhere.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Oh, my God. He's not wrong.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, once. Once I was chasing and yeah, I really explored it all over that, so.

[David Dwork]

I know.

[E2 Lucerinen]

I don't know what you mean.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Sudden death overtime doesn't seem so serious when you've dealt with that. Right?

[Roy Bellamy]

It's like target practice.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, that's easy.

[Roy Bellamy]

Coming off the series with the Lightning, that was a physical series. How about team health right now, coming into this series with the Maple Leafs, you guys healthy right now? Obviously. Aaron Ekblad is suspended, but is this series going to be as physical as it was against Tampa?

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, I think that's, that's, that's the plan. I think just like how we play, I think there's going to be a lot of hits and we dump a lot of pucks. We, we're going to recover pucks and then we want to get on the body. Just worded down, it's a long series, a lot of hockey in that, that stretch of hockey and yeah, I think it's going to be as physical as the last series.

[David Dwork]

Lusty. I was in Montreal for the Four Nations. It was an incredible event from a fan standpoint. You obviously got to play with a few of your teammates and some of the greats from Finland. Tell us a little like that experience and what it was like to be able to represent your country on such a grand stage.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, it was a great experience. Obviously the teams were stacked so it was great to see like what is it playing and like usually you play against one or two like top lines but there were like four lines like really, really stacked and like everybody was so hard to play against. And yeah, it was a great experience and I think fans really enjoyed it. Like everybody played hard. It was not like just like show off or anything like it, it was really good, good hockey.

[Unnamed Analyst]

Itzu Roy mentioned your coming up series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and some old friends that are on that team that were with you guys last year. So I just have a real quick question for you if you can answer it. How do you beat Anthony Stolars? How are you guys going to, you know, five hole, under the arm, over the glove, you know, what's the secret? How are you going to beat him?

[Unnamed Host]

Tell us.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Yeah, I think stole A has been really good this year but yeah, I think we're going to hear that tomorrow from Robbie tells. So got to pay attention to that meeting.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Host]

Can you confirm.

[Unnamed Analyst]

All right.

[Unnamed Host]

The Internet rumblings have been saying and I think you guys are aware of this more than anyone. Paul Maurice is a silver fox. Right. Like this guy's sneaky, good looking.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Oh, said that. I don't know.

[Unnamed Host]

I'm saying it. And you. All right, you know, maybe you don't. You can tell him the Dan Lebizard show. Can you tell him later today thinks he's a silver fox.

[Roy Bellamy]

It's the glasses.

[Unnamed Host]

Can you just pass along the note? Thank you. You will great. Thanks.

[Roy Bellamy]

Lucy Ryan and thank you for joining us. Good luck against E2.

[Unnamed Host]

We love you. Go get Toronto.

[David Dwork]

We love you Lucy. Really?

[E2 Lucerinen]

You're one.

[David Dwork]

You're my boy.

[E2 Lucerinen]

Appreciate it, guys.

[Unnamed Host]

Get it, boys.