The Carolina Hurricanes prepare for the New Jersey Devils tonight.

We have a big hockey game tonight. The Devils are in town.

I talked to Rod Brenda Moore. So I know you said before the game on Sunday that if there was a practice in between, that maybe we would have seen Sebastian Ajo. But you didn't practice yesterday, so I'm guessing we won't see Sebastian Ajo tonight.

Yeah, that's correct. I mean he's real close and I think he wants to play, but like I said, he's been out for a little while and really hasn't tested it like we need him to. So we'll keep him off again. Alright, what have you liked from Paul Stasny in the middle? I know you say all the time he's a pro. He understands he's not afraid of the moment. What have you seen from him that has maybe kept this thing going?

Well, I mean, I don't think it's just him. I think he's definitely stepped in the shoes and had to play, you know, more minutes than he has and done a good job there. You know, it's just, you know, like I said, we're not replacing Ajo, no matter who we put in there.

So you just gotta, you know, do your job. And I think he's done a, you know, a fine job. Just, you know, I don't want to hold the fort down until Ajo gets back, but he's been a, you know, like we said, he's a pro.

He knows how we need to play the game and done a nice job for us. Let's get the other injury stuff out of the way real quick. Freddy Anderson was on the ice today, but my sense from talking with you about this, that is still not really that close to a return, right? Yeah, unfortunately, I mean, I think, I mean, it's definitely starting to feel better. And, you know, we're kind of just on him when he feels that he can actually play a goal at the NHL level. So that's really what it is right now.

And, you know, maybe it's, I don't know, it could be thinner than later. I hope hopefully for us it is, but kind of just not sure at this point. It'll be Piotr tonight?

Yep. It certainly has, I call it meeting the moment. He has certainly lived, you always look for the big saves. He made some really big saves against the pens on Sunday. Well, he did early and that's the key for me in that game. Well, you know, obviously it took us a long time to get up to speed and, you know, a weird penalty to start the game that just puts you on your heels.

And then if you don't have those saves, all of a sudden the game just looks and feels a lot different. So he's been good. And obviously that's, you know, your most important position on the ice.

So when he's good, that gives us a chance. Have you noticed anything different about the way Andre and Marty Neches have sort of accepted their roles as stars and leaders on this team? Well, I think they definitely feel, certainly, I don't want to say if they don't feel like they're leaders, but they definitely feel like they're huge parts of the team. You know, we have great leaders on this club, but everybody can lead, right?

And you need to. So they're not the leaders, but they certainly lead by the way they play. What did you think of Neches's almost goal between the legs?

I would have put that above Andre's lacrosse goals. With the new Chevy Silverado, you might be driving in this, but with the Silverado's redesigned interior and large infotainment screens, it'll feel more like this. Introducing the new 2022 Chevy Silverado. Find new upgrades, find new roads.

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Plan your getaway at myspringtraining.com. Wow, it's good. It would have been, well, listen, it didn't, so it doesn't, you know, it doesn't count, right? But it was, it was actually the right play at the time. Think about it. The goal is over.

He's trying to figure out how to get it back against the grain. And, you know, when you're a high level player, those are the moves that you have in your repertoire. Is it, is it harder than special? One?

No, it's not. So I would, I would say no to that, but I love the fact that they're, you know, they're thinking of those kinds of things. That means, certainly means you're, you're a confident player. Yeah, I don't think either of those two guys lack for confidence. I try to find different ways to ask you about how much Jordan Stahl means to this team, but I mean, he was just enormous on both goals in the third period. You know, he occupies two bodies on the first and that line just absolutely leaned on Pittsburgh for the third. Do you have another way to talk about how good Jordan Stahl is? I was kind of hoping you would fill in the blanks and I could just agree with you, to be honest with you. Well, listen, it was a weird game because, you know, he was actually not doing well on pace-offs.

Right. And it's just, I've seen this so much with him over the past. It's like, you know, he's going to get it at some point and, you know, he's just such a competitor and I think that, you know, obviously in the third period when it mattered the most, he was the best player on the ice. And then at the end, especially, you know, the value of a face-off sometimes get overlooked, but, you know, in a crucial situation like we had at the end of the game and, you know, he just shut the door for us.

So that's the kind of player he is and certainly what he means to our group. To your point, and I made note of this during the second intermission, that Jordan was just three and seven in the face-off circle through two periods, but he went six and three in the third. Overall, though, this season has not been his best in the face-off circle.

Do you have any explanation for that? Yeah, it's clear we don't have a right-handed sentiment, so he's taken every right-hand face-off on the penalty kill on, you know, a lot more than he has in the past. The top centers in this league, if you look at it, they don't generally take the same amount on the left and the right side. So that's clearly the reason.

I love the fact that you came up immediately with the reason. Paul's been very good, by the way, in the face-off circle, and for the most part, as a group, you have been very good in the face-off circle. Yeah, that's an area that I thought we'd struggle a little bit this year, but I think bringing in stats, he's, you know, a veteran player and great face-off guy. He's kind of alleviated a little bit of it, but, you know, not having the right-hand centerman, it kind of does put a little bit of jam in there. We've used Stepper because, you know, he has a right-hand center, but he's playing right wing. You know, at times we're trying to net you there, but, you know, there's a difference there between a guy who's learning how to do it and a guy that certainly knows how to do it. I think Brett Pesce is undefeated in his career in the face-off circle.

I'm sure he's lobbying for that. Let me ask you about a former teammate and a team that, you know, they might be struggling a little bit of late, but the New Jersey Devils are deep and they are fast and they are really good. What have you seen from them? Well, listen, I think last year was just a weird year. It's a very similar team and I think when you get in a rut sometimes it's hard to get out. Their goal setting was really poor last year. This year, I think, I don't know if it's been better, but their total way they play is a little different and they're more go-go and you watch how they play. They blow the zone. They really actually have adopted a lot of the game that Florida had last year with the coach that was there, who's now the assistant in New Jersey, so you definitely see the tendencies there and then they do have to meet players. Listen, they got a lot of high-end players and, you know, we know a couple of them, but those young kids that they have are as good as they get, so tough team to contain because they've got it kind of covered top to bottom. No question about it. I'm assuming we will see some sort of a video. Hello to Dougie Hamilton, who was part of the the core that turned it around here.

I appreciate your time. We will see you before we get to the Penguins again. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be here, or I'm sorry, will be there in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. With the new Chevy Silverado, you might be driving in this, but with the Silverado's redesigned interior and large infotainment screens, it'll feel more like this. Introducing the new 2022 Chevy Silverado. Find new upgrades. Find new roads. Chevrolet.