#76 is gearing up for Game 5, but first talks with Adam about it.

First of all, how do you feel? I feel good. Obviously, Game 4 was a huge game for us. We got to play the way we wanted to play. We kind of trashed that Game 3 and forgot about it pretty quick. So, it was a good bounce back game for us and we're excited for tomorrow night to be back home and try to close it out.

I was really talking about just you physically, but that's fine if you want to just move on. Hey look, everybody's hurt at this point. One of my wife's horses stepped on my foot, so I'm dealing with my own playoff issues. In the first period last night, Brady Shea is with us, when they scored the first goal, is there a no, not again type of mindset? What happens after the first goal?

I wouldn't say that. Obviously, it's not the way you want to start. Obviously, giving up a goal, I don't know what it was, two minutes into the game. We knew there was a ton of hockey still to be played. We didn't start the way we wanted to, but we know if we got to our game, we'll be just fine. We'll give it our goal. Obviously, we had a great second period and kind of poured it on. There wasn't too much worry, but obviously, it's not the way you want to start.

Brady Shea is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. You mentioned you wanted to flush game three. I wasn't in the locker room on the road, obviously, and it's tough for me to get there during the week.

I can get in there on game days and talk to you guys. But after game five against the Islanders here, right in the postgame, there was a quiet confidence, almost a relaxed attitude. I felt like in the interviews that I listened to, there was a similar feeling on Monday that you guys knew what you could do and were capable of doing. Not that game three was a good game, but game five against the Islanders was.

Was there a similarity between the mindset after those two games? I think throughout the whole year, obviously, the playoffs are different, but we've been pretty even, Keel, and kept it light in the room. I think now, this time of year, that experience the last few years of this team playing together in the playoffs, you know the ups and downs. You're not going to win every series. You're going to lose some games, or you're not going to win every series, sweep them. But you're going to lose some games, and it's the way you bounce back.

The games happen every other day, so they're quick turnarounds. I think that experience that we've had in the playoffs the last few years have helped with that for sure. We've done a good job, and we have lost a game to learn, watch a few video clips.

But we have a game coming up right away. After that, we'll get back to the way we need to play. Do you like the rhythm of game off game? Do you like the every other day rhythm?

I do, yeah. It keeps you in it, I think. Every game happens, it seems like it's going really quick. It just gets you in kind of a nice rhythm. Knock on wood if you don't have any injuries, anything like that.

It's definitely a nice thing. I wasn't sure, you guys, I had a debate with a friend, because the way it was worded from the team was that practice on, I guess it was Monday, would be at 1.15, but everybody should be ready that basically media would be available at 1.15. Which said to me that you guys probably weren't practicing. Was there an option and you guys all took the option to skate?

No, there wasn't. It was a skate. Ryan just said if guys have little nagging injuries that they can take the day off.

Everyone was pretty much out there, which is good to see that this time of year. You guys certainly put out a great performance yesterday. What are your thoughts on Connor McMartinuk? Well, I heard the broadcast, he watched his goal made.

I think Wayne Gretzky said that they compared him to where he shot that puck and scored. He's been phenomenal. He's been good for us the whole year, but it's great to see that the pucks are finally going in for him. He's getting rewarded for his hard work. Every single day, every game, you know what you're going to get from him.

You're going to get a guy that works hard and is hard to play against for their team. We're all obviously really happy for him that he's finally getting rewarded for all that hard work and pucks are starting to go in. But his game doesn't change, regardless of whether he scores or not. He had no points in the Islanders series and he was great.

Exactly. He was one of our most effective players that taught that series. And in this series, same thing, he's been effective and just pucks are going in. Like I said, you know exactly what you're going to get from him. He never really has an off night.

He's been great for us. Brady Shea is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. You know, Rod, Brendan Moore called you old the other day? I did see a tweet about that. Yeah. Yeah. I guess so.

I don't know. Forty nine. I got some gray hair now, so I guess I'm getting a little older. You know, I think the salt and peppery look is good. So and I mean, my I'm completely gray.

If I had hair, I would be completely gray. Brady Shea is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. So the second period goes the way it goes last night and it kind of snowballed and got out of control from a devil's point of view.

And the Martin, Nicole was just that the absolute dagger. But when you come when you're in the locker room, what are you talking to each other about? Or does Rod say anything about preparing you for what you can expect in the third period? You know, as as teammates, we know, you know, things are said that just along the lines of, you know, we got to play the same way we've been playing in that second period. Obviously, we knew what was working and trying to get off off script and just keep playing the way we were playing. So nothing, nothing, nothing crazy. You know, this team, we know how we how we need to play and that's fast and and physical and, you know, game pucks in there in their zone and make it hard on their defense.

And so there's usually not much to ask. We said we all kind of know how we need to play. Did so were you guys bracing for maybe a physical pushback from them in the third period, even though it's not necessarily their game? I mean, it's playoff hockey. You always think it's going to be physical. So we weren't, it wasn't like we were talking about that. You know, in this time of year, you know, when you have the puck, you just got to, you know, have your head up and, you know, expect, expect some contact. So no, not much was said.

I don't know. We just, we wanted to play the way we need. We knew how we needed to play. And what is your level of urgency about tomorrow? Not that Newark isn't a wonderful city. I've been there hundreds of times growing, having grown, grown up in northern New Jersey.

And Don Pepe is a wonderful Spanish restaurant. What is your level of urgency to not board a plane and head back there? Yeah, it's huge, obviously. I mean, we, we're, we're going to win this one and close this out tomorrow night. There's no question about that.

We don't want to be on that plane. We want to close out in front of our fans. And if we play, you know, our style and the way we've played most throughout this whole entire year, you know, hopefully we can get it done tomorrow night.

Brady Shea, before we have to say goodbye here. Have you heard any of the national narratives about they can't win on the road? Where are the goals going to come from? Have you heard any of that or do you block every single thing about what they're saying nationally about this team? I block a lot of it. I don't, I don't see much on what people are saying about our team and all that. I think, I think, um, you know, you learn pretty quick that, you know, you started looking at Twitter and all this kind of stuff. You can kind of go down a little rabbit hole.

So I usually don't look at all that stuff. Uh, but, um, you know, I was obviously our knock last year was we couldn't win on the road. And then, um, this year we got, you know, one in the island and then have one in Jersey. So I don't know if they're still saying that I have no idea, but, um, we've obviously proven that wrong this, this year, which is nice. Yeah, no, it was, it was a little bit of a theme last night. Is there, uh, is there somebody in the locker room who does pay attention to the narratives being thrown around? I honestly don't know. I think, I think Roddy has a pretty good handle on what's going on. He knows what everyone's saying, but, uh, yeah, I actually don't even know if he does, but he seems like he listens to, you know, other teams and maybe a little bit of the media. But I don't know if any of our players, I don't know exactly who maybe follows that either. They have to ask around in the locker room tomorrow.

All right. They mentioned last night on the broadcast that you're a scratch golfer. I hope you keep your clubs in the closet for a long, at least another month and a half or so. Brady Shea, I appreciate your time. We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks Adam. Appreciate it. You got it. Thanks for being here on the Adam gold show. Um, I think, I think what rod does is he listens to Nash, the Sirius XM, the NHL radio, uh, on satellite. Like a lot of us do to kind of keep tabs with what's going on, uh, just around everywhere else.