Our last Triangle team is officially out.

Trip Tracy, my man, Hurricanes analyst.

We got to start with Martine Neches here. Because I don't know if I have ever seen any time a player do what he has done in clutch situations. Four goals that tied games late. One at 205 with 205 left against Philly back in October. Then with 39 seconds left in Winnipeg in November. Then we had the two overtime winners against Dallas. Then he did the double. 12 seconds left against San Jose and the overtime winner. And then point nothing on the clock in Philadelphia. He's worth nine points just on his own to the Hurricanes.

How do you put that into words? Well, first of all, A.G., you got me racking my medulla on Hurricanes history, you know, and I'm thinking, I just quickly thought about U.C. Jochen and the 2009 run, you know, scoring a goal with just seconds left against New Jersey in the playoffs. And, you know, the tying goal before Eric Stahl scored it. And then I believe he had an overtime winner in the Boston series, but you just have me going through my head in Hurricanes history.

Neches has been, he's been Captain Clutch. Yeah. I mean, it's just that simple.

You know, you think about it. Gosh, it and it seems like eons ago because the bookends. On all of these clutch goals, laden regulation and then in overtimes, the two books on both ends for me was the goal when Carolina wasn't generating much of anything late in the game, I believe on October 29th in Philadelphia. And he goes high heat to get him to overtime. And he sets up Brent Burns to win that game. And eventually, a couple of nights later, beat Washington, go seven and two, I believe in October. And he has all these other moments, tying goals, overtime goals.

And then the other end of the of that stack of books is the buzzer beating goal on Saturday. And, you know, you can quantify I know that you did on Twitter, the number of points that because of his clutch ability that the Hurricanes have accumulated. And I just specifically be on the points of whatever you would say what they've gained and what they would have lost. I think specifically about what the bus and plane ride home would have been like. Coming home from Philadelphia, losing both ends of the back to back true adversity, and it changed the entire complexion aside from the points to important points in the win column as you're trying to chase down a division.

I don't think you can put a price tag on that. If if this was a three way call, you, me and nature, he would speak about the trust that Rod has shown him this year to put him out in situations where the game is on the line. You know, that's so important to any player I've talked to.

I think I've shared it with you. I've talked to Scotty Bowman about it in his history. Yeah, Russians and and checks are now check. Yeah, those Scotty's words. He thinks the players for those countries, especially so need to feel that trust from the coaches and boy has with Rod giving him that trust as he ever delivered and scored just an abundance of huge calls. Last year was such an really was the outlier for natures who struggled mightily the year before. He scored a bunch of big goals and we remember in the playoffs, the the wraparound goal against Nashville that may have saved that series for Carolina trailing in a two two series at home in game five. It gets them the overtime where Carolina wins, but he has a knack because I may be crazy here, but I don't think the last not necessarily the entire month, but I don't think the last few weeks have been the best of nature says game in other areas. He's playing less on the penalty kill. His puck management hasn't been outstanding, but the one thing that hasn't gone away, he's been able to score big goals for them, which sort of masks some of the other issues that maybe has crept into his game a little bit. But I do think that nature's has worn everything and I think he's carrying himself. I think he's just a much more confident player. It's you bring up a lot of really good and important points.

Number one, I agree with you. If he doesn't score that wraparound because the hurricanes weren't generating much of anything against Nashville, I think they very good chance with the way the press has been at home and and how little Carolina was generating that third period. Very good chance Nashville went that series and six. So that's my first, you know, it take away again going back into hurricanes history.

What I like most about Marty nature's here recently is how candid he's been. He did an interview on the television side with Annie Yates after the second period in Toronto on Friday night, and he immediately, you know, pointed to not managing a park in the neutral zone that led to Aston Reese from Lafferty scoring a two on one goal that you just you just can't have that. You can't have that period, but you can't have it against elite teams like Toronto or certainly all the weapons that the New York Rangers present tonight.

But I was I really I didn't like the turnover. I didn't like the long shift that that led to Marner scoring in the first period. But what I love is his immediate accountability, his recognition and desire that he's had all year to be relied upon as a 200 foot forward for the Carolina Hurricanes. So that just gives me a ton of hope that he's going to find a level of consistency from both ends of the rink. And with regards to the details necessary in his game, I just see mature professionalism through and through. And when I watch him on a daily basis, there will be some hiccups, but I believe he will get there.

And and, you know, whether he stays in wing, whether ends up being a center, whatever it is, a guy that will be a 200 foot player in this league, because I just see that desire and that pride that he strives to be and doesn't shy away from those hiccups if they occur along the way. Let's move on to the the other I guess the the footnote from the game, the guy with the hat trick, which is amazing. Of course, I did have a debate whether or not that move around Tony DeAngelo or through Tony DeAngelo was better than the one when Tony was with the Rangers in the bubble. Both remarkable moves.

But I actually didn't I have not disliked Aho's game even during that seven game stretch where he didn't score. But he did take it up to a level against Philadelphia because they needed goals. And you could tell the relief when he scored the first one.

Yeah, I, you know, I was having my coffee, you know, Sunday off day, you know, I tweeted a little bit about it and in speaking about Sebastian and during this the stretch. And, you know, I do think that there is a G a distinguishable difference between compete and frustration. You know, Sebastian. Well, yeah, you know that he has full recognition. The team first guy that he is that he knows he needs to produce for this team to win hockey games. And it was just churning him up inside the fact that, you know, that whole process of seven games without a point. But when I speak about and I feel with strong conviction that frustration never ruled the day is on ice play.

He continued to stick with it. He did get for the most part an abundance of chances. His overall his overall game did not fall off drastically. He didn't stop moving his legs, which often times you do. And you lose your work ethic when you lose your offensive confidence.

And then your game really falls down the slope. And then watching him in the locker room on the plane, the private conversations, even as I know him, he was churning inside. He, he never lost his marbles and it got to the point where, you know, the flight from Toronto after the game on Friday, he was walking down the aisle, let the players get off first. He looked at me, goes, Trevor, hit me. He said, just hit me. And, you know, I hit him face. And, you know, then he said, after the game of Philadelphia, you're going to have to hit me again.

I said, Sebastian, a guy like you doesn't need superstition. And, and my hope is, is that first of all, that's a leader. Yeah. That's a leader that sticks with it. I can think of stretches and rod Brenda Morris career. It comes to my, but the hurricanes aren't going to have success with or without Andre stretch the crop back to patch already without Sebastian Ajo going next level in the playoffs. And my true hope is, and I'm cautiously optimistic about this, is this seven game pointless stretch is going to serve him well. And it won't go dry in April and hopefully beyond, but the reason he wears a letter on his Jersey, watching how he conducted himself during those seven games on the ice and in the locker room away from the rink is why he is a leader on this team. I final thing. And I think we agree that whenever the captain is done, whenever 11 is done, 20 will, but we'll wear the sea.

I've, I've, I've thought about that for years. Whenever Jordan stall is done, I think Sebastian Ajo will be the captain. I know there are other candidates, but he's got a fire about him that I think means he should be the captain. Let me, let me just ask you about tonight because it's the start of a five game stretch Rangers, Rangers, Leafs, Bruins, Tampa in eight days, these five games in eight days. I don't know what it's going to determine, but we know that these are hard games, but these two specifically against the team that you feel like you should have beaten a year ago and that you haven't beaten yet this year. Your thoughts. Well, what I think about, um, is, and you and I spoke about it, um, that not even close the best all round game Carolina has played recently, tough schedule coming from the West and a grizzled opponent in Tampa. I think that respect factor got that complete buy-in that is required, um, to be successful.

Um, and, and that's why that game looked the way that it did. So my hope and cautious optimism is that the hurricanes are going to have, you were talking about nature's details, details that, that, that buy-in is going to be there because otherwise it can get ugly quickly. So as long as that's there, I think with the straw that needs to serve the drink and, and what needs to be the best group of defensemen in the Eastern conference, I think that five on five will be there and can match up against any of these teams, New York, Boston, uh, Toronto, chronologically Toronto, Boston, then Tampa.

Um, what needs to be a steady common denominator in this stretch, uh, AIG is that it's simple, but it's magnified. Now hurricanes are going to need to have the better goal tender. I think they got to go with, I got to, they want to make sure that they preserve them for the playoffs health wise. I personally think that got to run Freddie as much as you can, while preserving him from the playoffs, he's got to be the better guy.

If he goes tonight, he's got to be better than yours. And then your special teams, you got to find a way to win them. The penalty kill has fallen off these last couple of games.

It had been Sterling before relocate that. And what an opportunity, what a litmus test here to look and see, you know, with what has cost you in the last couple of playoffs of matching and exceeding the top power plays in the Eastern conference. We're going to get a real good barometer of where that stands. No question. The Rangers power play is what did Carolina in a year ago.

We could say that about every playoff exit sit in the, uh, in the last four years. Hopefully that will not be the problem tonight. Trip, Tracy, I will see you very soon. Thank you. You got it, AJ.