Devils Heading West

[00:00:06] Hey everyone, Mr. Devil here, Kenny Danico, three-time Stanley Cup champion of the New Jersey Devils.

[00:00:12] You're listening to The Uncle Puckers, New Jersey Devils Podcast with Chris, Dan, Bobby, and Tony, The Uncle Puckers.

[00:00:20] Let's go Devils!

[00:00:23] Hi Bob!

[00:00:25] That's not our podcast.

[00:00:26] How are you?

[00:00:27] Hey Chris.

[00:00:30] Good.

[00:00:30] Oh, okay, well then maybe you should hop off and I'll let you know maybe Thursday or Friday when they're available because I don't know, Bob.

[00:00:37] So we absolutely have to change the intro because, you know, Dan and Tony just are MIA all the time.

[00:00:46] Yeah, right?

[00:00:46] Just need some beeps.

[00:00:48] Dan said hopefully when his kids' sports schedules and stuff lighten up in a couple weeks he will have more time.

[00:00:56] Tony will actually be in the United States next week so he'll be able to do normal timing with us.

[00:01:02] So next week I'm hoping we get everybody back on.

[00:01:06] And look, even for Tony, that time change difference even helps.

[00:01:10] It bridges the gap one more hour in his favor because it is kind of ridiculous the hours he has to jump on this show.

[00:01:15] Dan has no excuse.

[00:01:17] He does do it.

[00:01:18] I could never do it.

[00:01:19] I would not be on the show.

[00:01:19] Dan has no excuse.

[00:01:20] No.

[00:01:21] But people aren't –

[00:01:24] Damn you, Dan.

[00:01:26] All right.

[00:01:26] But people aren't listening – coming on to listen to us bitch and moan about our partners in this show.

[00:01:33] I think they're coming on to talk about how the Yankees are about to get swept out of the World Series.

[00:01:40] It's so brutal.

[00:01:41] It's kind of brutal, huh?

[00:01:42] This is embarrassing.

[00:01:43] Yeah.

[00:01:45] Let me ask you a question.

[00:01:47] So if you get swept from them and the Mets at least put up a fight –

[00:01:51] No, you don't get second place.

[00:01:52] But we each can just say that we lost to the Dodgers and that's pretty much it.

[00:01:57] Misery loves company.

[00:01:59] All right.

[00:01:59] I'm going to lobby for second place.

[00:02:01] In the National League.

[00:02:04] You know, but seriously though, this is like – I mean, Aaron Judge, dude, you've got to do something here, man.

[00:02:13] You cannot seriously strike out every goddamn at-bat.

[00:02:17] Like I know there's more to it than that with the whole team.

[00:02:20] But like you're the guy.

[00:02:21] You're MVP Aaron Judge and this is what you're doing.

[00:02:24] It's embarrassing.

[00:02:26] This is the problem with big sports and big money.

[00:02:30] Everybody goes silent for a little while and if they do it at the wrong time, it looks horrible for you.

[00:02:35] And if you do it at the wrong time several times throughout playoff careers, you get labeled.

[00:02:41] So you really want to watch out for that.

[00:02:43] Judges already got it.

[00:02:44] All right?

[00:02:44] Last year, the same thing happened in the postseason.

[00:02:47] This year, now you're at the dance, right?

[00:02:50] And you're still not – I mean, I just finished watching the comeback on Netflix about the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

[00:03:00] Came back from 3-0 in the ALCS.

[00:03:03] So maybe.

[00:03:04] Maybe that's like a bit of an omen and the Yankees will – but it's got to start tonight.

[00:03:11] It's going to be rough.

[00:03:13] So, Bob, what did you think about the Duck game?

[00:03:21] I thought the Duck game was everything it had to be.

[00:03:26] It couldn't have paralleled more to your pregame than any other podcast we've done.

[00:03:33] It was exactly what you said, exactly what needed to happen.

[00:03:37] I thought that second period in particular was one of the best periods of hockey you're ever going to see.

[00:03:41] Like in any league at any time.

[00:03:44] They didn't quite follow it up with the third period, but that's okay.

[00:03:46] It was one of those big scoring games.

[00:03:49] So, yeah, just exactly what this team is supposed to do.

[00:03:52] You are supposed to beat them.

[00:03:53] Any team could beat you on any night.

[00:03:55] We all get that.

[00:03:56] At a certain point, you've got to start beating the teams that beat you.

[00:03:58] And I was really happy with it because I know we were looking at four losses in a row, and that's hard to look at without compartmentalizing it.

[00:04:07] But I was really kind of happy with the Detroit loss in a way.

[00:04:12] Like if that were kind of a singletary loss in a long season, I was kind of okay with it, you know, the way they lost, the way they played the game.

[00:04:20] Then I got a little more down again when they lost to the Islanders.

[00:04:22] See, I took the Islander game more as a positive than the Detroit game because they were able to come back and at least get that point.

[00:04:29] They were down and they were able to claw back in the third and get the point.

[00:04:34] Of course, you know, it went wrong in overtime.

[00:04:36] But the Detroit game, I thought they played a really good game for most of that game.

[00:04:43] You know, we talked a little bit about the end of it.

[00:04:45] You know, Mercer taking the penalty and then, you know, Markstrom's got to stop that shot.

[00:04:51] I mean, that's really what it comes down to with that game.

[00:04:54] He has got to stop that shot on Patty Kane.

[00:04:57] You cannot let them take the lead with a few minutes left in the third.

[00:05:01] And it was the goalies have been shaky at best.

[00:05:08] Yeah, they really have.

[00:05:09] And again, I was coming from it more of a standpoint of a standalone loss.

[00:05:14] That's why I was more more impressed with the Red Wing game.

[00:05:17] I know that the positives coming out of the Islanders was that point.

[00:05:20] But as a standalone loss.

[00:05:22] But either way, they were showing signs, I guess, of kind of coming out of it a little bit.

[00:05:27] And hopefully the Ducks game does exactly what we want it to do, which is springboard for this West Coast trip.

[00:05:33] And I got good feelings about this team on these West Coast trips, especially early in the year.

[00:05:36] Haven't really bonded like this yet.

[00:05:38] We've had a lot of positive outcomes like this.

[00:05:40] I think that it's a great time for it.

[00:05:42] Because we talked about, and it's been reported on, just how much hockey the Devils have been playing since the season started.

[00:05:50] And which their season started a full week before everybody else's, them and Buffalo.

[00:05:55] But they played a lot of hockey.

[00:05:57] Now they have the two days off in between each game.

[00:06:00] That's going to be able...

[00:06:01] They talked a little bit about it on the pregame and during the game.

[00:06:04] That, you know, they haven't had any practices.

[00:06:07] This has all been, you know, on the ice kind of learning.

[00:06:10] And you need to at least have some solid practices together.

[00:06:14] Get these guys...

[00:06:16] I understand the system and all that has to be implemented.

[00:06:19] But I want these guys on the ice together, having fun and, you know, practicing that way.

[00:06:25] And building that team camaraderie outside of just games and, you know, whatever else they're doing.

[00:06:31] But this road trip, I think, is coming at a really good time.

[00:06:36] You know, but they're tough.

[00:06:37] They're three tough games.

[00:06:39] I mean, this...

[00:06:41] We've talked a little bit, right?

[00:06:43] People talking, who have the Devils beaten?

[00:06:45] And you can basically still say that, you know, who have they beaten?

[00:06:49] You know, but although last year, tell me if you disagree, we lose that game to Anaheim.

[00:06:54] The way things were going and then into that Anaheim game, we just blow it.

[00:06:59] You know, they beat us twice last year and...

[00:07:02] I mean, yeah, it literally happened.

[00:07:04] Right.

[00:07:05] So, but like, okay, so you're right.

[00:07:06] It did happen.

[00:07:07] So, you know, going out there and just exactly what you said, doing exactly what you were supposed to do.

[00:07:12] No questions, no nothing.

[00:07:13] It was, there was never a doubt.

[00:07:16] Even when it was down one nothing and you were just pressing and all the offensive zone time you had, all the shots you had, it was only a matter of time.

[00:07:25] 17 nothing?

[00:07:27] Yeah.

[00:07:27] Or not 17 nothing, 17 shots in the first period.

[00:07:29] You knew, you know, we're not, this isn't Dominic Hasek in goal, it's James Reimer.

[00:07:33] Like, you're going to break through.

[00:07:35] And the second period was amazing.

[00:07:37] And most of their second periods have been really stellar this year.

[00:07:42] That is their period.

[00:07:43] Yeah.

[00:07:44] And their thirds have been pretty good.

[00:07:47] But I, yeah, go ahead.

[00:07:49] I want to bring up something real quick because you did mention Markstrom should have saved that one shot there in the Islander game.

[00:07:56] Yeah.

[00:07:57] Obviously the goaltending has to be better.

[00:07:58] They know that.

[00:07:59] I'm sure they will be.

[00:08:00] I firmly believe I was chatting with somebody on one of our socials during the game.

[00:08:03] Actually, he was there.

[00:08:04] Great seats, by the way.

[00:08:05] And I was chatting with them and I said, I do believe they're going to get better.

[00:08:09] They're going to find their stride.

[00:08:10] But I came across a stat here that is pretty mind blowing considering where Markstrom was supposed to be with, again, the saves he shouldn't make.

[00:08:19] Well, I think he needs to focus more on the saves he should make.

[00:08:22] Because apparently he is a negative 3.8 goal saved above expected.

[00:08:30] So he's not at expected.

[00:08:32] He's not above.

[00:08:33] He's negative almost four, which is 44th in the league.

[00:08:37] This is as of a couple of days ago.

[00:08:38] 44th in the league out of 49 goaltenders who got a start.

[00:08:42] Okay.

[00:08:43] We know he's working through some stuff right now, but we didn't expect bottom of the league type goaltending from him.

[00:08:49] I mean, he's going to get the first goal against Anaheim.

[00:08:52] Like, that's not a goal.

[00:08:54] Like, you're too deep in your net and it just, you know, he's not challenging.

[00:08:58] Now, I had a question.

[00:08:59] I wanted to pose this to our resident goaltending expert in Dan, but since he's no longer, I don't know, on the show, I'll pose it to you.

[00:09:11] Is this a goaltending coach problem?

[00:09:14] Now, and let me just finish my whole thought because I'm going to kind of go through how my brain worked when I was thinking about this.

[00:09:21] Okay.

[00:09:22] Dave Rogalski has been there for a few years.

[00:09:24] We had all these struggles last year with Schmidt and Vanacek and the Dawes and, and then Allen coming in and Allen played pretty well last year, but he had his, his times.

[00:09:33] And we attributed a lot more to the defensive breakdowns and stuff last year.

[00:09:38] I think we were pretty much split it evenly, right?

[00:09:40] It's yeah, it's equal parts goaltending and shitty play in front of them.

[00:09:44] Well, this year to play in front of them has been a lot better and we have seen exceptionally shitty goaltending.

[00:09:50] So is this a Dave Rogalski problem?

[00:09:53] And then I thought, but do goaltending coaches really make a difference when it's a person like Allen and Markstrom that have been there for so long?

[00:10:03] They know what they're doing.

[00:10:04] They're grizzled vets.

[00:10:05] Like, is there anything Dave Rogalski is going to tell these guys that they don't already know or do or, or what do you think about that whole thing?

[00:10:15] That's interesting the way you bring it up, because at first I was, as you were talking about, I'm thinking back to Allen and his first 10 games with us last year.

[00:10:22] And you could argue they were more steady than what we're seeing now.

[00:10:25] So what is it now?

[00:10:27] Because Rogalski's had his ear for a while, but also it's funny.

[00:10:30] Cause I, all of a sudden you're hearing Rogalski's name all the time.

[00:10:33] Like nobody was really saying it.

[00:10:35] It all just started to kind of bubble up in these last couple of weeks.

[00:10:39] I would think that guys of their veteran stature, it wouldn't do anything to kind of,

[00:10:44] you know, bring the game down.

[00:10:47] But it may be, it may be if you're getting a message that you're not used to hearing and you're trying to tweak a way that you don't normally try to tweak that you're at the very least crossed in your mind.

[00:10:56] But that's a great question.

[00:10:59] Yeah, that would be nice.

[00:10:59] I'm a big fan of the goalie expert.

[00:11:00] Um, they, that part, and I agree with you that the goaltending is going to be okay.

[00:11:05] You know, they, they, this has been kind of shaky.

[00:11:08] Our defense is kind of, you know, the first up until just a few games ago, you know, we didn't have our, our, our starting defensive pairings in and stuff.

[00:11:18] Now we do.

[00:11:19] And you see it.

[00:11:20] I mean, um, I am, I, I want Brett Pesci on this team forever.

[00:11:25] I mean, he's just, I, I'm so happy we have him for six years.

[00:11:29] Um, you know, he's been fantastic.

[00:11:32] Uh, and you need somebody like that when you get, you know, Lucy Goosey Lukey, who just, you know, these breakdowns that he just shits the bed right in the front of his own net.

[00:11:42] Sometimes like, dude, it's your second year.

[00:11:44] You gotta, gotta clean that shit up.

[00:11:48] Yeah.

[00:11:48] I mean, not only is this guy, the steady force that we desperately needed, he is a technician out there.

[00:11:54] Like he, like you just, he's got it down to a T I'm very amazed at what I've seen from him in the first few games.

[00:12:00] So very excited about that.

[00:12:02] I'm still curious as to why we haven't disrupted the Dylan Hamilton pairing yet.

[00:12:08] It's obvious.

[00:12:09] It's a poor pairing, at least for now, not saying it always will be.

[00:12:12] There is recent history suggesting that Siegenthaler plays well with Hamilton.

[00:12:18] Siegenthaler is also arguably our best defensive defenseman right now, with the exception of the fact that Pesci, I believe, will ultimately take that, of course.

[00:12:26] So with the season that Siegenthaler's having, and with the season that Hamilton's having, it would seem to me you'd want to at least give that another try.

[00:12:35] And that's kind of where I line them up anyway, with where I thought Dylan Moore as a third pairing.

[00:12:41] I think the only issue with that is just how good Kovacevic and Siegenthaler are playing.

[00:12:48] I just, those two together have just been pretty rock solid.

[00:12:53] And I don't know if you want to, especially now when you see what Hughes and Pesci did,

[00:12:58] I think the stat that Spalding said was they didn't allow a shot until like almost a few minutes left in the third period against the Ducks.

[00:13:06] Okay, it's the Ducks, but they're NHL players that get paid a lot of money too, you know, and that's no shots.

[00:13:12] I mean, that's impressive.

[00:13:14] Sure.

[00:13:44] He's got a good point doing everything that Dougie Hamilton is doing.

[00:13:46] He hasn't been doing that.

[00:13:48] So something's got to give because his defensive play sometimes, I mean, I feel like it's getting fucking worse.

[00:13:56] Maybe he's just pressing on both sides because he knows his job is here to get some points and he's not getting it.

[00:14:00] But I just still maintain, yes, that pairing of Siegenthaler and Kovacevic is playing so well, so you don't want to break it up.

[00:14:05] But both of them are playing well.

[00:14:07] So I just feel like you can kind of afford to move Siegenthaler up to help Hamilton.

[00:14:11] You bring Dylan down with Kovacevic.

[00:14:13] He can be the steadier guy on that line.

[00:14:15] Maybe it's not the ideal line pairing, but I just feel like something has to happen.

[00:14:19] It's got to at least be trying.

[00:14:20] I'm not against trying it.

[00:14:21] I mean, it can't hurt to try it.

[00:14:23] And, you know, which brings up another person on the defensive line.

[00:14:29] What do you think Simone Nemich's role is going to be?

[00:14:35] What role is he going to play this year for this team?

[00:14:38] Is he just solid seventh defenseman and he's going to be lucky to get 30 starts if everybody stays healthy?

[00:14:44] Is that where we're at with the kid?

[00:14:45] And I'm fine if that's where we're at with the kid.

[00:14:47] I'm just curious what you think.

[00:14:51] I'm fine if that's where we're at with the kid in the vein that I just want the best six out there all the time, for sure.

[00:14:57] I think that Nemich is going to learn a little bit from this.

[00:15:01] I think he's going to get his opportunities again.

[00:15:03] And I kind of feel like he's going to make the most of that opportunity, get back in a lineup on a most-time basis.

[00:15:11] And probably towards the middle end of the year, you're seeing Kovacevic as more of the bounce guy.

[00:15:16] I think Nemich does come back.

[00:15:18] I don't know if I agree with that.

[00:15:19] I think that Kovacevic has earned himself a spot in this lineup, and I don't think he's going anywhere.

[00:15:24] I really don't.

[00:15:25] I mean, not only is he one of the best defensemen on the Devils right now, he's one of the best defensemen in the league.

[00:15:30] I mean, his numbers are really good.

[00:15:33] He doesn't make too many mistakes.

[00:15:36] That line's not going to give you a whole lot of offensive production, but that's okay.

[00:15:44] The Devils don't have a problem this year scoring goals, at least up until now.

[00:15:48] That has not been an issue.

[00:15:51] So I'm just, yeah.

[00:15:52] So then let's say this.

[00:15:54] Okay, let's say I agree with you there, which is, again, extremely valid point.

[00:15:58] Now it's the end of the year, though.

[00:16:00] And if he maintains this pace, do you still think you just can't sign him, though, because Nemec, Casey?

[00:16:09] Or now do you really think about getting traded?

[00:16:12] I think it depends on what are the needs of this team come the wintertime, come January, February, March.

[00:16:21] When you're in the thick of it, you're playing mid-season type hockey, and the team is, you know, you know what you have.

[00:16:28] Then you're going to really have to see, okay, we know what we have.

[00:16:30] What do we need?

[00:16:31] And right now, when you look at the team, it sucks that Lazar's hurt.

[00:16:36] And did they even say how long he's going to be out?

[00:16:40] No, but they called up Justin Howling from the AHL.

[00:16:45] Yeah, he's got four points.

[00:16:46] I wanted to see Brian Howling up there centering that line.

[00:16:50] Howling was a good dude, yeah.

[00:16:52] So they got him up, so it's definitely going to be.

[00:16:55] Yeah, yeah.

[00:16:55] So I know he's not going out west with them, so he'll be home, which sucks.

[00:16:59] I mean, I love Lazer.

[00:17:00] He's, you know, finally got his first goal.

[00:17:02] And that fourth line, since McDermott's been put out there, they've been giving you a hell of a lot more energy.

[00:17:11] I know Bastion can score some goals, and you're not going to get that from, what's him to call it?

[00:17:19] McDermott.

[00:17:20] You'll get the odd goal, of course.

[00:17:22] But you go back to the Islander game, and the hit that he put on, what the fuck's his name?

[00:17:26] Rakowski, or whatever his name is.

[00:17:28] I know I'm butchering it.

[00:17:30] But that changed the whole complexion of the game.

[00:17:32] You know, the devil's actually a big hit, the fight, and then the devil started turning it on.

[00:17:38] And it's like, wow, who are these guys?

[00:17:40] Because this never happens to us.

[00:17:44] Yeah, how about the narrative on that, right?

[00:17:46] Because after, you know, he was re-signed, and then we signed a few more players, and, you know, it was all, what do we need this guy for anyway?

[00:17:52] Now it's a wasted contract.

[00:17:54] And you talked about the difference between his style and Bastion's, but still look at what he brought.

[00:18:00] He brings an element.

[00:18:01] So now all of a sudden you're telling us that McDermott brought the energy to that line.

[00:18:07] It's just not what you would think you'd be saying, but he did.

[00:18:10] And this is, you know, he's a good guy to have around.

[00:18:12] Like, he's still going to be the first time guy.

[00:18:14] Well, he's going to be in the lineup for the foreseeable future, I think, right now.

[00:18:17] Well, for a while now, yeah.

[00:18:19] But, yeah, it still makes sense to have him in there.

[00:18:22] And I still think that we need a little more of him because I still got – there's still a culture that needs to change here.

[00:18:31] What was it?

[00:18:31] Yeah, Romano.

[00:18:32] Romano, right, who hit Jack, right?

[00:18:35] He went on record after and said, I got hit, so I targeted their best player.

[00:18:40] And I'm sure, you know, I'm sure that's said quite a bit.

[00:18:43] Fine, you're going to – but we can't let it happen.

[00:18:46] And it's still happening.

[00:18:49] I mean, they're just not quite there yet fully sticking up for each other.

[00:18:55] You go after Jack – listen, he hit you, Romanoff.

[00:18:59] That's one thing.

[00:19:00] Like, you're going after our absolute star.

[00:19:02] So that's something else.

[00:19:03] Now we got to go back after you or your absolute star.

[00:19:06] Like, it's just not sitting with me yet that they're really taking on this you-can't-mess-with-any-of-us mentality.

[00:19:12] I think they're going to get there.

[00:19:13] Oh, I agree with you.

[00:19:13] And you go back to the game – what game was it?

[00:19:15] The Tampa Bay game when Brat got absolutely fucking leveled behind the net and nobody did anything.

[00:19:21] And I don't care that Brendan Dillon was chirping on the bench.

[00:19:24] Like, dude, that's not – you're not here to fucking tell somebody to go fuck themselves.

[00:19:27] Like, I could do that.

[00:19:29] You know, you need to stick up for that.

[00:19:32] And again, I'm not a big fan of the fighting every time there's a clean hit just because you don't like the fact –

[00:19:39] like, the hit on Hughes, the hit on Brat, they were clean hits.

[00:19:42] But the hit on Rogalski was a clean hit too.

[00:19:44] Super clean.

[00:19:45] And, you know, it's – but you have to do something.

[00:19:51] It doesn't have to be every single time, but you have to at least put the NHL on notice that – yes.

[00:19:57] Physical edge.

[00:20:00] Listen, Dillon gets boarded, laying on the ice, taking his time to catch his breath and then says,

[00:20:06] I guess I got to get up and fight somebody.

[00:20:07] Like, come on.

[00:20:09] Anybody there could have at least got in like a tangle.

[00:20:12] You know what I mean?

[00:20:12] Maybe you're not a great fighter.

[00:20:13] You could do something more.

[00:20:15] I mean, that was like totally baller on Dillon's part, right?

[00:20:18] But, I mean, come on.

[00:20:20] That's what I'm talking about.

[00:20:21] Don't make the guy get up off the ice to take you down after that.

[00:20:24] I mean, I have to say though, over the course of the dozen games or so – and I know we said we were going to do the whole breakdown of the Devils season and stuff so far.

[00:20:34] I have not had time to do the numbers and put it all together.

[00:20:39] But we will for one of the shows this week.

[00:20:42] We could just give it a grade for today.

[00:20:45] Okay.

[00:20:45] So, right now, your overall grade of the Devils through 12 games, what letter grade would you give them?

[00:20:55] So, in doing this, I'm encompassing all aspects of it from goaltending to forwards and defense.

[00:21:00] I'm also looking at their record, which even with the dominating win, puts us at 6-4-2, which is NHL 500, otherwise known as 500.

[00:21:08] You have six wins and six losses, no matter how you slice it.

[00:21:11] But I cannot go higher than a C right now with all the potential for this team to be an A-.

[00:21:18] Like I said, I don't see them yet as a superpower.

[00:21:20] I will likely change my mind come around December and put them in the A, A-plus category.

[00:21:26] I think right now they're projected like an A-.

[00:21:28] I give them a C-plus.

[00:21:30] I will give them a little bit more.

[00:21:31] I'll give them that extra plus.

[00:21:33] And that is coming from just a few guys.

[00:21:38] Like, I mean, Nico Heischer is just playing some of the best hockey that I have seen in the-

[00:21:47] On pace for 60.

[00:21:48] I mean, look, Selkie, him and Barkov, that's your Selkie trophy, you know, right there.

[00:21:55] That's who they'll be battling each other for it.

[00:21:57] But at this rate, I mean, he's just playing.

[00:22:00] I mean, on both sides of the ice, all the faceoffs he's taken against every team's best lines,

[00:22:05] and he's doing everything.

[00:22:07] And I just hope he can maintain it.

[00:22:10] I'm not saying I want him to maintain all the scoring, but everything else.

[00:22:14] Because his scoring has always kind of been streaky.

[00:22:16] And this year it's just been, you know, nonstop.

[00:22:19] I mean, I heard Danico talking about how much he's been practicing it and all this stuff.

[00:22:23] Like, whatever work he's doing has been fantastic.

[00:22:25] I think that Timo Meier has been really good for this team so far.

[00:22:30] I'm super happy with him.

[00:22:33] I mean, Paul Cotter, Stephan Nason, as advertised, man.

[00:22:36] These guys are doing everything.

[00:22:38] You said it early on when these guys were signed and we were doing our projected lineups,

[00:22:43] line combinations.

[00:22:45] You said with, and we said it was probably going to be Holla, Nason, and Cotter.

[00:22:49] We could have the best third line in the NHL.

[00:22:52] We are on pace to having the best third line in the NHL.

[00:22:58] Yeah.

[00:22:59] You know, not included in who you just mentioned there is a guy like Mercer, who I do not think

[00:23:04] is playing bad.

[00:23:05] I mentioned the last show I was on, I was surprised he had only had three points because

[00:23:09] I feel like he's playing better than that.

[00:23:11] But we're back to a situation with Mercer where he doesn't have a defined role again.

[00:23:15] Now he's the guy I dropped.

[00:23:17] You know, Palat's up.

[00:23:18] He's down a little bit.

[00:23:19] Like, is he bad?

[00:23:20] Is he constantly with them?

[00:23:21] I mean, Heischer and Meyer throughout pretty much the whole season was when they moved the

[00:23:26] Meyer up to that line or down to that line, depending on how you want to put them.

[00:23:30] Where Palat was pretty much the only one.

[00:23:32] They tried it with Cotter and then they put Palat up there.

[00:23:36] And I'm still not sure what I think of.

[00:23:39] I mean, I thought Palat played much better against Anaheim than he has been.

[00:23:44] But I don't know.

[00:23:46] I just think it's age here.

[00:23:47] I just think he's he's not the Palat that he was.

[00:23:51] And I don't know if we can really expect him to be going on.

[00:23:56] I mean, maybe hopefully when if the Devils make the playoffs, he'll be what we expect him

[00:24:00] to become playoff time.

[00:24:01] But I don't know what we're really going to get from him this year.

[00:24:06] Yeah, I mean, I heard in the last one you'd mentioned again that you thought it's a good

[00:24:10] spot for him up on the top, you know, to see if you can get him going.

[00:24:13] And I think everybody knows my opinion on that.

[00:24:17] I think the Palat experiment essentially has to end.

[00:24:19] So I just dug a little bit deeper into what's been going on the last four games.

[00:24:23] None of these stats are going to blow you away because it's only four games.

[00:24:26] But in those four games, since he's been full time, you know, with Jack, right?

[00:24:31] He has actually gotten four shots, which brings his grand total to the season up from the seven

[00:24:36] we discussed to 11.

[00:24:37] He got two assists, including the one in the Anaheim game, which again was kind of a point

[00:24:42] brigade.

[00:24:43] He's still a minus one and he's averaging 13 and a half minutes.

[00:24:47] So then I wanted to look at the rest of the line.

[00:24:50] Jack has got two goals and three assists for five points in those four games with 18 shots

[00:24:55] on goal.

[00:24:56] I think it was the Red Wing game.

[00:24:57] He had like 10 though.

[00:24:58] He was like possessed trying to score, right?

[00:25:00] 18 shots on goal.

[00:25:02] He's also minus one.

[00:25:03] He's playing just over 20 minutes a game.

[00:25:05] A little more power play time, I guess there.

[00:25:08] And then Bratt has two goals, one goal, four assists also for five points.

[00:25:14] He's got nine shots.

[00:25:15] He's also a minus one.

[00:25:16] So all three of them are minus one and he's playing just a tick under the 20 minutes.

[00:25:21] So Jack and Bratt basically have more than two times his points.

[00:25:26] It's like double his ice time too.

[00:25:28] And none of, none of, right.

[00:25:30] And none of Jack or Bratt's points while those three have been together have been power play

[00:25:36] goals.

[00:25:37] So the point is I'm not, so Platt wasn't not scoring with them because they got power play

[00:25:42] points.

[00:25:42] They didn't.

[00:25:43] So Jack and Bratt are essentially outpacing his production by two thirds.

[00:25:48] And again, very small sample size.

[00:25:50] I get it.

[00:25:51] It's four games.

[00:25:51] He has shown improvement.

[00:25:53] Platt has shown improvement.

[00:25:55] But I'm wondering how much he's even factored into what Jack and Bratt are doing.

[00:25:59] I think they're just doing what they do and he's just kind of, that's what I agree with

[00:26:03] you.

[00:26:03] And my, my logic was with him up there on that line was, well, where else are you going to

[00:26:08] put them?

[00:26:09] Like that was like, where can you put Platt that makes sense?

[00:26:13] You know, we tried them on the fourth line.

[00:26:15] He's not a fourth liner.

[00:26:16] Like that's not, not at the place for him.

[00:26:18] The third line is too damn good.

[00:26:20] We're not mixing that up.

[00:26:21] We're not taking any of those guys out.

[00:26:23] We're not screwing up the Heischer line because that's just been unstopped.

[00:26:26] Where else do you put them?

[00:26:27] And if you're going to keep them on the team, that's the only spot I see that makes any

[00:26:33] sense.

[00:26:33] And I'm just, well, yeah, I just, I just think maybe it has to be the fourth line.

[00:26:40] I don't know because Cotter, I think you put Cotter on the fourth line where he started

[00:26:44] or you put him on the third line and he makes that like the best third or fourth line in

[00:26:48] the league.

[00:26:49] That's, that's how he's playing right now.

[00:26:51] Um, I just maintain maybe right now we've got a guy injured too, but I think maybe he

[00:26:56] needs to sit a game.

[00:26:57] I will agree with the fact, or at least think that if you put Nolan foot in his spot and

[00:27:05] with Heischer, I mean with, uh, Bratton and Hughes, I, I don't think you're going to get

[00:27:11] any less production.

[00:27:12] I don't think he's going to be any worse.

[00:27:14] Right.

[00:27:15] So, you know, I don't know what we're going to do with Palat.

[00:27:18] Uh, I don't know if he, uh, is going to be here after the trade deadline.

[00:27:22] The contract I think is might be just too much to dump and who's really going to want

[00:27:27] him at this point.

[00:27:28] I mean, I mean, I could see a few teams that want that veteran leadership playoff time.

[00:27:33] I could see him in a place like, you know, Boston makes sense for me.

[00:27:37] Um, you know, Vegas, something like that.

[00:27:41] I can see him playing third line minutes in Vegas or other teams like that.

[00:27:45] Maybe Colorado that, you know, always need some help.

[00:27:49] Even Edmonton at this point.

[00:27:51] Uh, so, I mean, there's a, there are a lot of teams, but if somebody want to take in an

[00:27:55] old forward at six and a half million dollars a year.

[00:27:58] Or, well, yeah.

[00:28:00] And that's the thing for that.

[00:28:01] But again, I'm not against getting rid of them.

[00:28:04] If he, but if he's going to be on the team, I just don't know where else you put them.

[00:28:08] I think he has to stay there.

[00:28:09] Yeah.

[00:28:10] And listen, I mean, I'm rooting for him.

[00:28:12] I just, I just feel like that's, uh, he should not be in the, I mean, maybe, so maybe just a

[00:28:17] little bit more time on that line and playing with those guys, you know, hopefully he'll start

[00:28:22] to figure things out a little bit and start to have that chemistry with them.

[00:28:25] Um, and you know, I hope that he can start doing some stuff because if you, if you can

[00:28:30] get a lot playing, uh, I mean, I think that then there's no weak link on any of these forward

[00:28:36] lines.

[00:28:38] Oh, if you can actually get him playing like to, to like half of the car that he was in

[00:28:43] Tampa, like that changes everything is basically even the, you know, over the summer, we're

[00:28:47] saying, well, you're going to put him on a third line because you know, he's, he's got

[00:28:50] great hockey IQ.

[00:28:51] He's just going to beef up that line.

[00:28:52] It's going to make it even better.

[00:28:53] If you actually got him going, yeah, that would, that would totally turn around.

[00:28:57] But, uh, yeah.

[00:28:59] And there's no signs that that's going to happen.

[00:29:00] Look, I'm watching him play the efforts there.

[00:29:02] I was watching him skating down the ice full speed, uh, you know, doing everything he can.

[00:29:07] It's just not translating.

[00:29:09] It just makes a lot of boneheaded plays too.

[00:29:11] Like someplace he makes absolutely beautiful plays, but you go back to the Anaheim second

[00:29:15] goal.

[00:29:15] That all started in our offensive zone or defensive zone, rather.

[00:29:19] I'm sorry.

[00:29:20] In our defensive zone, that whole Anaheim breakout was off a Palat turnover, a horrible pass.

[00:29:26] He chucked it up to the middle of the ice, tried to get somebody over in the point.

[00:29:29] I don't know who it was, but a duck was right there to pick it off in the center of the

[00:29:32] ice.

[00:29:32] And it caused the odd man rush.

[00:29:34] And Markstrom was completely out of position and you're down, you know, you got to get scored

[00:29:38] on.

[00:29:38] Um, so that was all on him.

[00:29:40] Yeah.

[00:29:41] Like you, that's the shit like, dude, I could suck up you, you know, not contributing offensively.

[00:29:47] And it's the same thing with Hamilton.

[00:29:49] You know, when you're, you're not doing you, when you're not doing this simple shit, right.

[00:29:54] Then everything else gets magnified tenfold.

[00:29:57] And with, with Palat, it's gotta be more responsible with the puck.

[00:30:01] You cannot be just, and he does it a lot.

[00:30:03] Not everyone turns into a goal, but he does cough the puck up a lot.

[00:30:07] He does pass the puck into a no man's land a lot of times.

[00:30:12] And, um, I just, I want to see him start playing better.

[00:30:18] Yes.

[00:30:19] Before we move on, give me one guy on this team right now that will be, that could will

[00:30:30] the team miss the playoffs.

[00:30:33] Like Nico, he's sure.

[00:30:34] Absolutely.

[00:30:35] I mean, I, and yeah, he's sure for sure.

[00:30:39] And I got Mason right behind him.

[00:30:41] I don't think this guy is going to let us sink.

[00:30:46] Neither of them will, but you know what I mean?

[00:30:47] He's going to pull other players up out.

[00:30:50] What Nico, he's sure.

[00:30:51] He's doing right now.

[00:30:51] It's just like other worldly, but that kind of gritty guy.

[00:30:54] He's exactly what I wanted back.

[00:30:56] I'm just loving everything that Mason's bringing.

[00:30:59] And he's sure too.

[00:31:01] Of course, if you, if you're in this league and you're not noticing what he's just doing

[00:31:03] a hundred percent and with Mason, his game and just what he does, he's so fucking good

[00:31:09] at it.

[00:31:10] Like his game, the getting in front of the net.

[00:31:13] There's not many guys that are that good with hands that can, you know, just stand there.

[00:31:18] You can't get them off that puck and he'll, he'll get that, you know, whatever it takes.

[00:31:22] He's battling for every inch of ice out there, every single shift.

[00:31:26] And the games that we lost, um, like the Tampa game and other games, you know, this whole

[00:31:32] last week, you saw that when Mason isn't playing super hard, the rest of that line's

[00:31:40] not really contributing.

[00:31:41] They're not put like he drives every element of that line.

[00:31:44] And when he's playing hard, you see Hala and you see Cotter and you see all the other

[00:31:50] guys on the ice with him playing that hard.

[00:31:53] You're right.

[00:31:53] He is a guy that you watch and you just want to emulate and say, well, fuck man, he's getting

[00:31:58] the shit beat out of him.

[00:31:59] Every single shift out there, uh, doing everything he can to try and score a goalies and everybody

[00:32:04] else follows.

[00:32:05] So yeah, I'm with you.

[00:32:07] And you know what I love?

[00:32:09] This is what I love about him.

[00:32:10] Look, Keith had the designs to put together kind of that all-star power play one line.

[00:32:16] I get it.

[00:32:16] You want to see that you want to hope that it works.

[00:32:19] And then you got a guy like Mason comes in with his, you know, middle range salary, you

[00:32:23] know, kicks out almost a $9 million player essentially.

[00:32:26] Right.

[00:32:26] And you get better.

[00:32:29] You get better because you're, you're putting the right, you know, product on the ice for

[00:32:34] what you're trying to do at that moment.

[00:32:35] And team was on the second power play unit and, and that's going fine.

[00:32:38] I mean, they're, they're, um, at 50% in their last four games, I believe on the power play

[00:32:43] and 30% overall in the league.

[00:32:45] 30% is their power play percentage.

[00:32:47] And a lot of that is since it's been so obviously noticeable with Mason on there.

[00:32:51] I mean, the power play just seemed to click right away and just doesn't always have to

[00:32:56] be the most talented in raw ability.

[00:32:59] You know what I mean?

[00:33:00] It's got to be guys who had a particular role that know how to do it.

[00:33:03] And like you said, net front might be the best in the league.

[00:33:06] And I think that the second power play got a hell of a lot more dangerous by making that

[00:33:10] move because now Myers on that line and they're producing a little bit more now too.

[00:33:14] Uh, you look at our second power play unit, it's pretty loaded too.

[00:33:18] Um, you know, so this team has everything right where it needs to be.

[00:33:23] And I think the game on Monday night is a really good launching point for what they're about

[00:33:28] to go and, and deal with, uh, out West because those are three really good hockey teams that

[00:33:34] we have to play in the next week.

[00:33:37] Um, we'll do a little shout out and then I want to dive a little bit into, uh, what you're

[00:33:42] expecting on this West coast road trip.

[00:33:44] And, uh, we'll talk about that, but first the quest for the Stanley cup starts now and

[00:33:50] the puck drop in drops on the 24, 25 season.

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[00:34:54] The crown is yours.

[00:34:59] You know, you can't duplicate the energy of a live sporting event.

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[00:36:22] What time is it?

[00:36:24] Game time.

[00:36:25] The last time for Yankees.

[00:36:26] What?

[00:36:27] So did you vote yet, Bob?

[00:36:30] No.

[00:36:31] I have not.

[00:36:32] We're looking to do it early.

[00:36:34] I guess you could still do it.

[00:36:36] Anything's early before Tuesday, right?

[00:36:38] There's no.

[00:36:38] Okay.

[00:36:39] Yeah, we're going to try to figure out.

[00:36:40] Yes, we went Sunday.

[00:36:41] Tuesday.

[00:36:42] That was my daughter's first presidential election.

[00:36:46] Well, the first time she ever voted at all.

[00:36:47] So it was kind of exciting.

[00:36:48] It was pretty fun.

[00:36:50] So, you know, Tuesday is also my wife's birthday.

[00:36:52] So she's really hoping for one specific birthday gift.

[00:36:55] So I said, I did all I could do, hon.

[00:36:58] Can't help you out after that.

[00:37:00] She could get a single birthday gift for millions of Americans.

[00:37:05] I've never gotten a gift from one of like seven.

[00:37:07] I don't even know if I've ever gotten seven.

[00:37:08] So, yeah, that would be a wonderful gift for her.

[00:37:11] So we'll see how that goes.

[00:37:12] But, yeah.

[00:37:14] So, look, devs are on their way out west.

[00:37:17] The Western Canadian road trip.

[00:37:19] Probably the one road trip that two years ago really set this team up and heading out on a 13-game win streak.

[00:37:29] And that was huge.

[00:37:30] I think they were the first team to sweep every game or every Western Canadian team or something or a Canadian team.

[00:37:39] Yeah.

[00:37:39] That was a really exciting time.

[00:37:40] I know that that's not this team.

[00:37:41] But you got a Vancouver team.

[00:37:44] That's, again, you know, they got the Hughes Cup going on.

[00:37:47] And they're a good team.

[00:37:49] Followed by Calgary, which is surprising everybody.

[00:37:53] And then we finish up next Monday against the Edmonton Oilers.

[00:37:58] Possibly sounds.

[00:38:00] Connor McDavid, we don't know yet.

[00:38:03] Yeah, because he's injured.

[00:38:04] And the whole NHL is like freaking out that Connor McDavid is injured.

[00:38:08] It's really crazy.

[00:38:09] Like, you know, it's like I honestly feel like Gary Bettman is losing sleep at the fact that he's not.

[00:38:17] He's hurt.

[00:38:17] Like, just the way that like every national, especially Canadian broadcaster is talking about it.

[00:38:25] It's just like, you know, can the NHL really go on without Connor McDavid for maybe a week or so?

[00:38:30] Like, you know, yeah, they'll be fine.

[00:38:33] The answer is yes.

[00:38:34] Can Edmonton go on without Connor McDavid for a long time?

[00:38:39] That's another story.

[00:38:40] I mean, they got absolutely.

[00:38:42] Yeah.

[00:38:43] Their doors blown off last night.

[00:38:45] How are they overall?

[00:38:48] They're 4-5-1.

[00:38:49] Did you see the score last night?

[00:38:52] Hold on.

[00:38:53] Minus 13 goal differential.

[00:38:55] That's surprising.

[00:38:56] They're 2-2 in their last four.

[00:38:57] Okay.

[00:38:58] No, I did not see anything.

[00:38:58] They lost 6-1 to the Blue Jackets last night.

[00:39:01] Like, yeah, that's kind of rock bottom.

[00:39:06] I mean, Sharks got their first win last night.

[00:39:10] Yeah.

[00:39:11] They beat now a struggling Utah club that doesn't, you know, now they look like they're going the other direction.

[00:39:16] It's like, God damn it, man.

[00:39:19] They're looking like it now.

[00:39:21] They're playing like the Coyotes.

[00:39:22] But, you know, this is...

[00:39:26] Arizona.

[00:39:27] Yeah, they started out as Phoenix.

[00:39:28] Yeah, I do too.

[00:39:29] I still say that.

[00:39:31] Cardinals.

[00:39:31] Or if I see that, I'm calling them fucking football team.

[00:39:34] Say you're in the wrong sport.

[00:39:35] Yeah, I'm with you.

[00:39:36] But Calgary's a good team.

[00:39:38] Well, I should say this.

[00:39:40] Calgary is playing good hockey.

[00:39:44] They're not like a loaded team.

[00:39:47] They're like, that's the game I think the Devils should be able to take care of.

[00:39:52] But Vancouver makes me nervous and Edmonton makes me nervous.

[00:39:55] So where do you think they're going to come out of this road trip?

[00:39:58] Because I'm still kind of like, I don't know what to expect.

[00:40:02] I really don't know what to expect.

[00:40:05] Well, and rightfully so.

[00:40:07] Again, it's been kind of a weird season for us.

[00:40:10] Again, we're technically 500.

[00:40:12] They only just had one really good blowout against a team that they were supposed to blow out.

[00:40:17] And before that, they lost quite a bit.

[00:40:19] So it's hard to get a gauge on where they are.

[00:40:20] But momentum is a thing.

[00:40:22] It was a big win.

[00:40:23] They're getting on the plane.

[00:40:24] I always have confidence when they go on these West Coast trips.

[00:40:27] I also, in general, have confidence when the Devils have to play better teams, especially concurrently.

[00:40:34] You know, I just feel like they do up their game.

[00:40:36] Even when they were having a great season, I felt like they sometimes had a tendency to play down to the lesser teams.

[00:40:43] And you hate to see that.

[00:40:43] You imagine what kind of points you could have got if you didn't do that.

[00:40:46] That being said, I think it's very possible this is a two out of three trip.

[00:40:51] I'm not sure on exactly which loss it is.

[00:40:56] I kind of feel on the surface maybe it would be to the Flames.

[00:41:01] I feel like maybe we could beat Vancouver.

[00:41:03] As you know, I kind of picked that as my early Stanley Cup final.

[00:41:07] So I'd like to see that game going there.

[00:41:09] Vancouver's...

[00:41:10] They lost overtime last night to the Hurricanes.

[00:41:16] 4-1-3.

[00:41:17] Well, that's 4-1-3 for the season.

[00:41:18] Yeah, okay.

[00:41:19] They have 11 points.

[00:41:21] So their last game...

[00:41:23] Let me see.

[00:41:27] So they lost their first three.

[00:41:30] Two of them were in overtime.

[00:41:31] And then they won the next four.

[00:41:33] And then they just dropped overtime loss to the Canes 4-3 last night.

[00:41:37] So that's where they're at.

[00:41:39] So they started out a little shaky.

[00:41:41] They got on a bit of a run, 1-4.

[00:41:43] And then they just dropped it last night.

[00:41:45] So if they're going to go in that row, then they're going to lose two more.

[00:41:48] So we should get the win.

[00:41:52] I'm going to switch it now.

[00:41:54] I'm going to switch it now.

[00:41:55] They're going to start off with a loss on this trip.

[00:41:58] They're going to rebound by beating Calgary.

[00:42:00] And they're going to look at the Oiler game with or without McDavid

[00:42:03] as a really big statement game to take down the team

[00:42:08] that went within minutes of a Stanley Cup last year.

[00:42:10] And they're going to beat them too.

[00:42:12] So I'm going to go.

[00:42:12] They start off 0 and they wind up wanting to.

[00:42:15] I can see them sweeping this road trip and going on a four-game winning streak,

[00:42:20] which they haven't done in over a year, and put something together.

[00:42:24] But it does not mean that I'm confident about it.

[00:42:27] I'm nervous.

[00:42:28] I feel like the way that these guys have been.

[00:42:30] Like at that Tampa game, I'm still having PTSD about it.

[00:42:35] And then even Jake Allen starting against Detroit.

[00:42:38] No, he wasn't with Detroit.

[00:42:40] He was with the Islanders.

[00:42:40] He played that game.

[00:42:42] Which one was it?

[00:42:43] The Islander game, right?

[00:42:45] Yeah.

[00:42:46] And just just like flopping around.

[00:42:48] Like when he goes out to play the puck, holy shit, it's an adventure.

[00:42:51] Like, dude, we're used to Marty Brodeur back there.

[00:42:55] And now we have Jake Allen who's like, wow, we have no idea where the puck's going to go,

[00:42:59] where he's going to end up flopping all over the place.

[00:43:02] Like that's the shit I saw in Montreal last year that made me nervous about getting him when his name was first mentioned.

[00:43:09] But he came in, he played stellar.

[00:43:10] But then we kind of saw that a little bit this year.

[00:43:12] I think Markstrom is going to find his game.

[00:43:14] I mean, you're talking his last two teams that Markstrom played for, right?

[00:43:17] Vancouver and Calgary.

[00:43:19] He's going to want those starts.

[00:43:21] Yeah.

[00:43:21] And that's the other reason I'm going to take the Calgary win.

[00:43:25] Yeah.

[00:43:25] Yeah.

[00:43:26] So I'd like to see, to be honest with you, I want to see Markstrom play every game in this road trip.

[00:43:35] Well, he's got a couple days off, right?

[00:43:38] So it's very possible.

[00:43:42] Yeah.

[00:43:42] You know, at some point, I'm going to give you a glimpse of the schedule ahead.

[00:43:46] I mean, you've really just got to start winning against the really good teams anyway,

[00:43:50] because it's just not going to get any easier.

[00:43:52] So I don't think there's no time better to start than now.

[00:43:55] Sure.

[00:43:56] After the West Coast trip, we come back and we've got the Canadians at home.

[00:43:59] Playing some good hockey.

[00:44:00] Good team.

[00:44:00] We should maybe beat them.

[00:44:02] But, you know, good team always plays us well.

[00:44:04] Then it gets pretty tricky.

[00:44:06] I mean, the Islanders, you never know what you're going to get with an Islander game.

[00:44:10] All right.

[00:44:10] Then we've got the Sharks.

[00:44:11] Please, God, beat them.

[00:44:12] None of this crap from last year, right?

[00:44:14] But then the Panthers, the Panthers, the Lightning, the Hurricane, the Capitals to finish out.

[00:44:20] And then Nashville.

[00:44:21] Those are all.

[00:44:21] Red Wings and the Blues, which, eh.

[00:44:23] Red Wings and the Capitals again.

[00:44:25] It's not going to get easier.

[00:44:26] Like, you just got to start playing your game and winning.

[00:44:28] And that's why this West Coast trip, now that you've mentioned that aspect of it,

[00:44:32] I feel that this West Coast trip is way more important than I thought maybe 15 seconds ago.

[00:44:38] Because that schedule is brutal.

[00:44:40] And it is really good hockey teams for the next month.

[00:44:45] And you don't have any respite other than, you know, San Jose.

[00:44:48] But then again, you know, San Jose, if you're sleeping, you're going to lose.

[00:44:54] You know, it's that simple.

[00:44:55] You know, you don't think Blackwood and Toffoli and Zetterland want to come in and beat us?

[00:45:00] Of course they do.

[00:45:01] I don't like the combination that it's both a lot of good hockey teams and good hockey teams that like to play especially good against us.

[00:45:13] I think of, like, the Hurricanes.

[00:45:14] I think of the Capitals and, like, Tampa Bay.

[00:45:16] And then, I mean.

[00:45:17] But you can change the entire narrative of this team and how this team is discussed moving forward for the rest of the year if you really play well in this next month.

[00:45:28] You know, you can't just beat the teams below you on the schedule.

[00:45:33] You have to beat Carolinas.

[00:45:35] You have to beat Florida.

[00:45:36] You have to beat Tampa.

[00:45:38] You're going to have to beat these guys.

[00:45:41] And I think that this road trip is going to be a huge part of it.

[00:45:45] I want to see them really just play consistent.

[00:45:48] That's what I want more than anything out of them.

[00:45:51] Start on time.

[00:45:51] Their first periods have been terrible.

[00:45:53] But just be consistent and get through this road trip with three wins.

[00:45:58] Come back home feeling really fucking good about yourself.

[00:46:00] No injuries.

[00:46:01] And I think we'll be fine.

[00:46:03] Because I do think.

[00:46:05] Three wins.

[00:46:06] Yeah, okay.

[00:46:06] So you've got a possible six points going out there.

[00:46:08] Yeah.

[00:46:08] Come home with five out of the six at least.

[00:46:13] Yeah, because I don't want to get too far ahead, but this is kind of fun to look at.

[00:46:17] Let's say if they had a crummy November.

[00:46:21] You're like, all right, well, they've got to start coming out of it, right?

[00:46:23] Is December the best month to do that?

[00:46:25] Of course, everybody's talking about coming out of your slumps in December.

[00:46:28] That's just when we start with the Rangers and the Avalanche and the Leafs and the Kings and the Blues and the Rangers again.

[00:46:35] And the Hurricanes twice at the end of the month.

[00:46:37] All playoff teams.

[00:46:38] All playoff teams.

[00:46:38] And, you know, look, the Rangers are playing some amazing fucking hockey right now.

[00:46:43] I mean, they look like world beaters.

[00:46:45] Yeah.

[00:46:45] Them and the Panthers are, to me right now, the two best teams.

[00:46:50] They're playing phenomenal hockey.

[00:46:52] So if we can hang with those boys, that would be awesome.

[00:46:57] What do you think about Winnipeg's start, though?

[00:47:01] Have they turned around for you to think they're a top echelon team?

[00:47:05] Or do you think it's just a hot start?

[00:47:06] Any team that has Connor Holobuck, you have to put into the upper echelon.

[00:47:10] I mean, he's just that good.

[00:47:12] Yeah.

[00:47:14] He can win you.

[00:47:15] Yeah.

[00:47:15] And I think they have a lot of good players on that team.

[00:47:18] They play.

[00:47:20] Now they're scoring goals, too.

[00:47:21] Like before.

[00:47:22] Yeah.

[00:47:23] Plus 18.

[00:47:23] I mean, I know they lost last night to the Maple Leafs.

[00:47:27] They're not going to win every game.

[00:47:28] I understand that.

[00:47:29] But 8-0 to start.

[00:47:30] I mean, that's just.

[00:47:31] You just banked yourself 16 points right off the bat.

[00:47:34] And that's awesome.

[00:47:36] So I think they're a good team.

[00:47:37] Yeah.

[00:47:37] I think they're a good team.

[00:47:39] I think they're a better team than Colorado.

[00:47:41] I think they're a better team than Nashville.

[00:47:44] I think they're a better team than Vancouver right now.

[00:47:48] I think they're a better team than Edmonton.

[00:47:53] Yeah.

[00:47:54] Look at that Central real quick.

[00:47:56] So, you know, Winnipeg's on top with 8-1 and 16 points.

[00:47:59] And they got the Stars at 7-2.

[00:48:01] The Wild playing really good.

[00:48:03] You know, actually at 5-1 and 2.

[00:48:04] The Blues are surprising right now.

[00:48:07] Avalanche haven't even gotten hot yet.

[00:48:08] They're 5-5.

[00:48:09] And like you said, Utah's a doubt.

[00:48:11] And Nashville is 3-5.

[00:48:13] That Central could be awesome.

[00:48:15] I know.

[00:48:15] Some of these teams haven't even gotten going yet.

[00:48:16] You know, Nashville.

[00:48:17] I watched that game last night because I had to watch Stephen Stamkos' return to Tampa.

[00:48:22] Ah, yes.

[00:48:23] Tampa Bay is really good.

[00:48:26] Nashville, to me, what I noticed on that team, like they have just a ton of great players.

[00:48:32] Sometimes, and we've kind of seen that.

[00:48:34] I felt like watching them last night, like I'm thinking to myself, are they going through the like New York Ranger problem that we've seen the Rangers do so many times?

[00:48:43] Do they just have too many really good guys that want the puck and only play certain ways and aren't really used to ever having to tweak their game because of somebody else that might do something similar on the team?

[00:49:00] And we saw it with like Tarasenko and Kane when we beat them in the playoffs two years ago.

[00:49:05] And you kind of see it with Marcheseau and Stamkos now.

[00:49:08] I don't know.

[00:49:09] I mean, I love Brunette and I hope he can get it together.

[00:49:12] But, you know, they came back.

[00:49:13] They started so bad in that game.

[00:49:16] They were down 2-0.

[00:49:17] They came back.

[00:49:18] They scored the two goals.

[00:49:19] They lost in overtime.

[00:49:20] Stamkos played pretty good.

[00:49:21] But Tampa is a scary team.

[00:49:23] That is a team that I think has another run left in them.

[00:49:28] And I can see that this year.

[00:49:30] They're going to be a really tough team.

[00:49:34] Yeah, and they believe it too.

[00:49:36] And, yeah, they're not going away easily.

[00:49:39] Kind of reminds me, like the Penguins, I think, are finally starting to kind of fall off the cliff.

[00:49:43] But even they took them a while too.

[00:49:45] Like they were still always there, always in the playoffs, always this close to getting on another run.

[00:49:50] I think those days are gone now.

[00:49:52] But you never know.

[00:49:52] I thought that the Penguins were going to be a team that fought for a wild card spot this year in the East.

[00:49:58] I think I was dead wrong about that.

[00:50:00] I don't know what the Penguins are going to do.

[00:50:03] I honestly don't.

[00:50:05] Like they look so bad.

[00:50:07] And now you sent Chris and Jari down to the AHL for like a conditioning stint.

[00:50:12] And you have so many old guys.

[00:50:16] Right.

[00:50:17] That's shocking.

[00:50:18] That just didn't happen before.

[00:50:21] Chris Letang and Carlson, like they don't play good defense.

[00:50:24] And you just signed Sidney Crosby to an extension.

[00:50:28] Like, you know, how about we give Pittsburgh, Palat, and I don't know, throw whoever else you want in from down there.

[00:50:37] And we get Sid up.

[00:50:39] And we put Sid on that line, centering that line for Bratt and Hughes.

[00:50:43] How about, how's that for a fucking line?

[00:50:46] I take it.

[00:50:47] I mean, so that was a legacy signing, right?

[00:50:49] But as it's, it's Kyle Dubas was, I don't understand it.

[00:50:55] You have, you know full well, you're not going anywhere.

[00:50:58] You do not have a team to compete.

[00:51:01] And you have this awesome generational talent in Sidney Crosby.

[00:51:05] That is, last year is the time to say, guys, we're pulling the bandaid off.

[00:51:10] It's going to hurt, but sorry, we got to trade everyone.

[00:51:14] And that's what they should have done.

[00:51:15] Like, you were cool letting Getzel fucking leave, but you're going to go and sign Crosby?

[00:51:20] Like, I don't know.

[00:51:21] I think, I.

[00:51:24] Like I said, legacy signing.

[00:51:25] And now at least he's on the books for a couple years if you want to trade him.

[00:51:28] People know they're going to get term.

[00:51:29] Could you imagine?

[00:51:30] He's not going anywhere.

[00:51:31] That's the bottom line.

[00:51:37] Not really.

[00:51:38] I'd have to see it and pinch myself to see if it's really happening.

[00:51:41] That would be the coolest freaking thing the Devils have ever done is that they went and made a freaking ballsy ass move like that, you know?

[00:51:50] Well, we'd have to get rid of another.

[00:51:51] Oh, I'm sure it would be Nemech and Palat.

[00:51:54] And, you know, it would be a guy like they.

[00:51:56] Yeah.

[00:51:57] It would be a load.

[00:51:58] It would be a whole.

[00:51:59] I know they're not going to move them, but that's what you, you know, you want is that.

[00:52:02] That what's going to take the Devils to that next level.

[00:52:06] That's the type of guy.

[00:52:07] That's the type of guy.

[00:52:09] Can you have he sure and Crosby in the middle and hollow who's a very good faceoff guy and playing really well right now?

[00:52:15] Like, fuck, man, this team could be unbeatable with that.

[00:52:20] Let's do it.

[00:52:21] Would be fun.

[00:52:22] So, okay.

[00:52:22] So you're saying five out of six points.

[00:52:24] That's what you're expecting here.

[00:52:27] I mean, I think two out of three is acceptable on this trip.

[00:52:31] But yeah, once we said five, sure.

[00:52:32] Give me a chance.

[00:52:33] Yeah, I'm still I just I want to see how they play tomorrow.

[00:52:36] Like, that's the big thing.

[00:52:37] I want to just so much last year and even some of the little bit that we've seen this year.

[00:52:42] Right.

[00:52:42] You've seen that like nice, good, complete game just followed up by a complete clunker.

[00:52:48] And I want to sit here and say that that's not this double team, but I don't know yet.

[00:52:55] So I really want to see how they.

[00:52:57] Yeah.

[00:52:58] I really want to pull away from this 500.

[00:53:01] I want to start putting streaks together.

[00:53:03] Let's not only do 13 in a row or anything like that.

[00:53:05] And you start like consecutively winning three out of four and start putting some pace.

[00:53:08] If we wake up a month from now and we're still talking about this team like we were at this time last year, it's just it's not going to sit right.

[00:53:17] And I don't think it's going to happen.

[00:53:19] I think there was still a lot of changes.

[00:53:20] A lot of people were covering.

[00:53:21] I honestly have all the faith in the world.

[00:53:23] The team's going to take off.

[00:53:24] Probably not to the expectations we originally had in the year.

[00:53:27] I was giving them gaudy points.

[00:53:28] You know what I mean?

[00:53:29] It looks like that title is going to go to the Rangers again, quite frankly.

[00:53:31] That's how good they look right now.

[00:53:34] But just get back on that pace towards that hundred win team.

[00:53:38] Win way more consecutively than you're losing.

[00:53:40] Make it an entertaining season.

[00:53:43] Allowing you time to polish up your game for when it really is.

[00:53:46] I agree.

[00:53:48] They have the potential to be that team that goes on those five, six, seven game winning streaks.

[00:53:54] You know?

[00:53:54] And then drop one.

[00:53:56] A couple of those a year go a long way.

[00:53:57] You got to start now.

[00:53:58] I mean, you put that.

[00:54:00] That was a big.

[00:54:02] I don't care that it was against the Ducks.

[00:54:04] It was the way that they played at home.

[00:54:06] You know, they didn't get frustrated by shooting 17 shots on Anaheim and not putting one past them.

[00:54:14] They didn't get frustrated.

[00:54:15] They came back out and they just kept going.

[00:54:17] And once you got the first one, they were, okay, it's open season now.

[00:54:21] And everybody was contributing.

[00:54:24] It was.

[00:54:24] It was duck hunting season.

[00:54:27] That's it.

[00:54:28] It was fantastic.

[00:54:29] But I think that that is the best thing.

[00:54:32] Because even if they won by like an overtime goal or, you know, a last second goal or like, you know, we had a two goal lead and then Anaheim tied it up and we won it late in the third.

[00:54:41] Like if there was ever any doubt in that game at all, and then you're heading into this long road trip against three really good teams.

[00:54:49] I think that could fuck with their psyche.

[00:54:51] It would have fucked with my psyche just as a fucking fan watching them.

[00:54:55] But the way they beat them, like you have to just now feel good.

[00:54:59] You know, now you can.

[00:55:00] All right.

[00:55:01] Well, yeah, it's got all the makings of doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

[00:55:05] But it was just a couple of nights ago when I said, you know, when I was talking about Detroit and I was like, so it's prime for an upset because we should be beating them tonight.

[00:55:12] And sure enough, we lost.

[00:55:13] Like it's the kind of thing that scares you.

[00:55:15] That's why I just at some point, I just want to see this team be the consistent team that it can.

[00:55:20] We all know you're going to lose hockey games.

[00:55:22] You can lose a lot of hockey games, even the best teams.

[00:55:24] But just to get that frequency of winning back is just so important.

[00:55:28] And it's just it's got to start now because, you know, American Thanksgiving, I never used to believe that about your team.

[00:55:34] You know, I still really don't.

[00:55:35] If you're not in the playoffs by then, there's, you know, all that percentage, because sometimes even as bad as we were last year, like a little streak at the end could have got us in.

[00:55:44] You know what I mean?

[00:55:45] But it is true that like you at least kind of know your team by then.

[00:55:50] Yeah.

[00:55:50] And that's only a few weeks away.

[00:55:52] And if they don't turn it on and keep it on right now, they can find themselves behind the eight ball huge.

[00:55:58] They already got games on everybody.

[00:56:00] So it's not a good place.

[00:56:02] And, you know, you've got to get into that top three because that Atlantic division could possibly take five spots.

[00:56:08] So the way that everybody is all clumped together there.

[00:56:11] And right now I know that the Rangers and the Hurricanes have a better winning percentage than the Devils.

[00:56:16] And I think the Capitals do too.

[00:56:18] And that is why, yeah, you can't fuck around anymore.

[00:56:23] You're 12 games in.

[00:56:24] It's no more that, oh, well, it's early in the season.

[00:56:27] You know?

[00:56:28] Yeah, sure.

[00:56:28] But the points need to come now.

[00:56:31] You cannot keep.

[00:56:32] Yeah.

[00:56:33] Capitals are five and two.

[00:56:34] Everybody has those three teams in our division already have a better winning percentage than the Devils do.

[00:56:41] And again.

[00:56:43] Yeah.

[00:56:44] And in the case of the Capitals, because some teams have played a closer amount of games to us.

[00:56:49] They've played seven.

[00:56:50] Right.

[00:56:50] So we have four games in hand on that.

[00:56:52] Five games in hand.

[00:56:53] Jesus Christ.

[00:56:54] Five games in hand.

[00:56:55] Now, I mean, you just got to start winning.

[00:56:58] Three out of four points from them in the two games that we played them.

[00:57:02] So, you know, we do have the tiebreaker over them and everything.

[00:57:05] And I think that Washington is not going to be able to hold this up.

[00:57:08] I really don't.

[00:57:10] I do think Carolina is.

[00:57:11] I think Carolina is the team that we, you know, I think there was a lot of wishful thinking that Carolina is going to fall off a map.

[00:57:20] They're not.

[00:57:21] They're fucking good.

[00:57:22] Yeah.

[00:57:23] They're always busting our ass.

[00:57:24] But I think the Devils are better than Carolina.

[00:57:27] I think they will end up being better than Carolina, better than Washington.

[00:57:30] The Rangers are the tough ones.

[00:57:32] So what you really want to happen is like everybody in the Atlantic to beat the fuck out of each other and everybody get clumped together.

[00:57:39] Right.

[00:57:40] And you're not really.

[00:57:40] So whether it's one through five, whether the top three or those two wild cards, you know, they're going to be really good teams.

[00:57:47] So you need like a team like Tampa to get in that, that second wild card and play the Rangers.

[00:57:55] Right.

[00:57:55] As the number one seed and upset them.

[00:57:58] And then we can have, you know, take care of Carolina in the first round.

[00:58:02] And then maybe we, even though I'd love to play the Rangers and beat them in the playoffs, the Rangers are really scary.

[00:58:07] They're really scary.

[00:58:08] I don't want to play them right now.

[00:58:09] They are scary.

[00:58:10] No.

[00:58:11] Yeah.

[00:58:12] Yeah.

[00:58:12] That's true.

[00:58:12] Maybe we sound different in March.

[00:58:28] Anything else you want to talk about?

[00:58:30] I got two.

[00:58:31] I got two quick things here.

[00:58:32] One is a Islander related.

[00:58:34] I'm, I saw a little something that apparently Lou and Patrick are button heads a little bit.

[00:58:40] And Lou to the tune of like Lou basically telling why who's going to play as opposed to why being able to make those choices.

[00:58:46] Yeah.

[00:58:46] That sound like to you.

[00:58:48] Sure does.

[00:58:49] Yeah.

[00:58:50] Guy does like to take charge.

[00:58:52] So I guess in why, you know, he's, he's a hothead.

[00:58:54] So I only heard, I just saw one little tweet about it.

[00:58:57] Just wanted to bring it up.

[00:58:59] And then more importantly, this one's really funny.

[00:59:03] This is called the Paul Cotter apology form.

[00:59:08] And for anybody who's been listening to us, the minute we sign this guy, we're telling you he's going to be a fan favorite.

[00:59:14] You're going to love his underrated hands, his speed, everything about his game.

[00:59:18] And we're completely seeing it.

[00:59:20] So this is the Paul Cotter apology form.

[00:59:22] And you have check boxes, date and reason for behavior.

[00:59:28] Check box.

[00:59:29] Number one, the media convinced me he was a depth player.

[00:59:33] Check box.

[00:59:34] Number two, I miss Alexander Holtz.

[00:59:37] Check box.

[00:59:38] Number three, I miss Akira Schmidt.

[00:59:40] Check box.

[00:59:41] Number four, I overreacted to the trade.

[00:59:44] Number five, I didn't trust Tom Fitzgerald.

[00:59:47] Number six, I don't know hockey.

[00:59:49] It is great.

[00:59:50] And it's funny because there was a lot of that, especially like, I can't believe we're getting rid of Holtz for this guy.

[00:59:57] This is a bad trade.

[00:59:58] Like Holtz is playing really good right now for Vegas.

[01:00:01] But Holtz, that was not what we needed.

[01:00:03] We didn't need fucking Alex Holtz.

[01:00:05] We needed Paul Cotter.

[01:00:06] There's a difference.

[01:00:06] It's a different type of player.

[01:00:08] It was a different need.

[01:00:09] And they went and got what was needed.

[01:00:12] I will take Paul Cotter over Alex Holtz at this moment in time, 10 out of 10 times.

[01:00:17] Alex Holtz can end up being a 40 goal scorer down the road in his career.

[01:00:21] And that's great.

[01:00:22] Good for him.

[01:00:22] But yeah, that's the one thing that, yeah, I thought that right away, this guy was going to be exactly what the Devils needed.

[01:00:30] But there were a lot of people that didn't.

[01:00:32] Then you'd be willing to sign the opt-in at the bottom here, which says, I will hereby respect Paul Cotter and I will not talk down on the future MVP.

[01:00:43] Future MVP, I'm not sure about.

[01:00:45] But yeah, I totally will opt into that because this show gave Paul Cotter love from day one.

[01:00:52] As soon as that trade was made, I was happy that Holtz was out.

[01:00:55] I was happy that Schmidt was out.

[01:00:57] And I was really happy that Paul Cotter was in.

[01:01:01] And so I just want people to remember this because as always happens, somewhere down the line, they're still going to look at the trade and say who won maybe two years from now, maybe now, maybe 10 years from now.

[01:01:12] Paul Cotter may be on his way out after his two years with us.

[01:01:15] And likely so if he plays the way he's capable of playing, we probably won't afford to be able to keep him.

[01:01:19] But it just goes to show you, like you said, like there are hockey trades and it's not always about a popularity contest.

[01:01:26] Let's say offensively these two wind up being a wash.

[01:01:29] That's great.

[01:01:30] Or even Holtz goes ahead and scores 5, 10 more.

[01:01:33] We got to look at the different elements, you know, that this guy's bringing us over here.

[01:01:37] And like you said, it's what we needed at this time.

[01:01:39] And because of that, we got one of the best bottomless players.

[01:01:40] And I think you can say a lot more so with Paul Cotter than Alex Holtz is Paul Cotter is a hockey player in that definition of a hockey player.

[01:01:49] And Alex Holtz is, Alex Holtz has got some skill and he's got a great shot, but the game didn't come to him.

[01:01:57] Yes.

[01:01:57] He's a periphery player.

[01:01:58] And that's great for, you know, what Vegas wants to use him for.

[01:02:02] But I mean, come playoff time, I want Paul Cotter.

[01:02:05] I want Stefan Nason.

[01:02:06] I want Brendan Dillon.

[01:02:08] I want Brett Pesci.

[01:02:09] I want Timo Mayer and Nico Heischer and Dawson Mercer.

[01:02:13] That's who I want in my playoffs.

[01:02:14] Notice I didn't mention any of the other guys because they need to start waking up a little bit.

[01:02:18] Yeah.

[01:02:19] So, all right.

[01:02:21] So we are heading out West.

[01:02:22] We will be back probably, I'm not sure, but it'll be probably definitely in between these games.

[01:02:30] Hopefully we have the guys on and we can get back to doing some more fun games and shit that we used to do.

[01:02:36] So wherever you guys.

[01:02:38] Got a W note that's burning.

[01:02:40] So wherever you guys are listening to us or watching us, if you're on the YouTube channel, a like, a subscription.

[01:02:45] If you are interested in one of these, let me just make that a little.

[01:02:49] There you go.

[01:02:50] One of those super rad, awesome Uncle Pucker podcast stickers.

[01:02:54] Just go to theunclepuckers.com.

[01:02:56] Go to the contact info.

[01:02:58] And I just nailed a bunch more out.

[01:03:01] So they are on the way.

[01:03:02] They're free to you guys.

[01:03:04] You don't have to do anything.

[01:03:05] Just give us your address and we send them out to you.

[01:03:07] Wherever you're listening to us.

[01:03:08] Like I said, subscription, download, like, five-star review.

[01:03:10] All the same bullshit every other fucking podcaster tells you.

[01:03:13] We appreciate you guys.

[01:03:14] Thanks for listening.

[01:03:15] He's Bob.

[01:03:16] I'm Chris.

[01:03:16] We're the Uncle Puckers.

[01:03:17] We'll see you when we see you.

[01:03:20] Bye-byes.

[01:03:26] It's over, Johnny.

[01:03:28] It's over.