Staal is back!

We got a hockey game tonight, shall we?

So, let's talk to Rod Brindamore. So, you have now only two goalies. We'll talk about Piotr and the decision to send him down. But obviously, Freddie impressed plenty with two starts to know that he was going to be your guy. Well, he was, you know, we didn't know what we were going to get there.

Been out for so long. I mean, he looked like he didn't miss a beat. So, that was good on him, you know, for stepping in. And like you said, we gave him a couple of starts and I think he looks like he's back to normal. And you had mentioned that, well, we don't even have three healthy goalies right now.

Obviously, you do because Total Trust and Ante Ranta as the number two. But let's talk about what you want from Piotr going back to Chicago. And maybe how you see the organization using him even this year. Well, Lee's got to play. And he already played last night down in Chicago.

He was actually in Winnipeg, but he had a good start. He needs to get action. And so, like I said, having a three goalie rotation, it just doesn't work. So, he's, you know, I think there was still a lot of room or is still a lot of room for him to grow as a goalie.

The best way to do that is to play. And, you know, we've got, you know, obviously, Jason is always down there working with him on a daily basis. So, you kind of, I think, just keep growing his game. And obviously, we know if we need him, he's more than capable. But like I said, we still have room to grow with him.

And I think one of my favorite things about him is that he's not afraid at all of the moment. I mean, you used him last year in a game where you needed to win to clinch in New York. And he's obviously played big games in the playoffs already.

Is this as healthy as your team has been all year? Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think, you know, obviously, Andre Costa hasn't played. Right. And that was the guy we were kind of hoping he would, you know, obviously, at the start of the year, you're hoping he would make it through.

But he clearly hasn't. So, now they're not. Now, we've got one else in the lineup.

So, that's definitely a good time. When Max went down in the game last week, what went through your mind and then take me to when you found out it wasn't going to be a long-term thing? Well, if anybody goes down, you're worried. And then, but with him, there's obviously history.

With us, too. Obviously, recent history where he's been nicked up. So, you just, number one, I was worried, okay, how bad is it going to be?

And then, number two, just for him because, you know, you could just see it on his face. He's just, you know, not again. Here we go. So, I'm, you know, happy that, you know, we did the right thing. We just shut him down, precautionary. Gave him through the weekend.

And now, he seems like he's ready to go. Well, let's talk about some guys who filled roles against Vancouver. I know the game didn't end up the way you wanted.

It probably wasn't even played the way you wanted. But, yes, Barricote Kidiemi stepped in for Jordan Stahl. And, I think, did a very good job centering that line. And, he has certainly been a pretty solid player over the last month or so.

He's been good. I mean, if, you know, we changed his role a little bit with who he was playing with. And, I think, you take the pressure off trying to, you know, make plays and, you know, set up your wingers and things like that.

Which, you know, you still got to do. But, if you're, you know, not thinking about it as much as it might, just take the pressure off and I think that's what's happened. And, you know, listen, if that's how you can get out of him, that kind of play like you mentioned over the last month, I think we're in good shape.

I think he's been incredibly solid. I liked the attempt, the between the legs shot he tried. I'm actually glad it didn't go in because the play was so far offside. They could have challenged it to me and I would have overruled the goal. Right. Well, that's, listen, that's kind of the sidebar on it.

I don't know if he knew it was offside, but it clearly was. But, I have no problem with these, you know, moves and people, I mean, I actually heard, I think, the broadcast on the PNP or whatever we were criticizing. And, I'm like, they don't even know what they're talking about. Like, how can they, you know, guys make moves like that now. And, if that's the best move that you have, the IC applauded because it's too great. You got to make moves in this league. You can't just shoot the puck out. The goalies are too good.

So, you got to try to get them off their angles and whatever you got to do. So, I have no problem with it. Rob Brendan Moore is joining us. Alright, let's talk about the return of Jordan.

Everything is good. How much of what happened late is Jordan not being there? I don't know. I mean, I think if you really break down the goal, we had it on our stick and, you know, our best player had it. Right. We were 10 feet inside the blue line and it just rolled on him. Otherwise, he puts that out and the game is over. But, you know, obviously, Jordan would have been out there. We also missed the puck by an inch in the corner to stop it from coming out.

You know, there's a whole bunch of things you could have said should have happened. But, at the end of the day, I know Sebas, he knows he should have got that puck out. Is that a just result, though, when we talk about, you know, whether or not you guys played the way you wanted to play? Just didn't seem like, really, the game was that it was your type of game at all against Vancouver last Sunday.

I don't know. I mean, I thought, you know, it wasn't a great start, which we've had pretty good starts throughout the year. Even though we were up two, I didn't like, you know, we had six shots on that.

They had five, I think, or something. Like, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't a terrible start.

It's just not how we normally do it, like you said. And then we actually had a really good second period and got nothing out of it. And then the third period just kind of, you know, it was what it was. And we should have had that game put away, like we talked about.

But, you know, things happened and, you know, you move on. Let me ask you about the Minnesota Wild here real quick. Since a slow start for them, they have been outstanding. They're 18-6-2 in their last 26 games. One of, if not the best team in the Western Conference of late. Well, what they play is this really gritty, grindy game.

And so they don't give you much. So if you're, you know, if you're not willing to embrace the kind of game it's going to be, which will be fighting for inches out there, they'll be on top of you. You know, I look at their, I watched their game against Washington. They had five shots on that halfway through the game. But it was 1-0 and they were happy to play that way. And then they got going to their game a little bit. All their goals were just shots with big guys in front of the net and found a way through and they end up winning the game. So they're happy to play that way and we just have to understand that's kind of probably how it's going to be tonight. How do you stay patient against a team like that? Well, that's the key. You just got, you have to, because you know they're a good checking team and they have, you know, listen, they have Kaprizov, which we know he's a dynamic player as they come.

But the rest of the guys are hardworking, big, big players. And you just know it's not going to be a lot of room. And you just have to stick with your game because the worst thing you can do is start opening up and then that gives them, you know, the opportunities they're looking for. Alright, sir. Good luck tonight and we'll talk to you later. Got it.

Thank you. That will be the low watermark for the Hurricanes this year. It's a big one tonight, I think. Carolina's got to finish strong heading to the All-Star break. I mean, they've fallen off their game a little bit and let the Devils right back in. It's a one-point gap between the Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes right now.