Roundtable Time!!

Camelot. Camelot.

It's only a model. Shit. And we still have more season. Thank you to both of you for dropping by. Mike, are you recovered from last night? Trip kept you longer than you wanted to be up there. Yeah, just to touch. Well, I had to run downstairs and I had the Valley postgame live commitments to get into.

And as you know, players don't like waiting around for interviews. So, uh, no, it was great. And, uh, I'm glad we got the chance to, uh, get the, the end for that. Cause trip has to put the cap on that. I almost was going to say trip and Adam on the other side.

Just go from there. Uh, but no, I'm, I'm fully recovered. And, uh, I might, uh, I might not have gotten a lot of sleep because of, uh, how that, that series ended. Of course, anytime there's an overtime winner, that's, it's just great hockey. Even if, uh, even if that was for a sweep, uh, when a series ends in overtime like that, it's phenomenal.

So yes, I am fully recovered and ready to go. By the way, I have an overtime trivia question. I'm going to ask both of you in a minute. Walt Roth, when did you get to sleep last night? Uh, far too late in the circle. I'm going to follow suit with that of Mike Maniscalco and say, it's very hard to sleep after a situation like that. I mean, an overtime winner. Yes.

But to do it at home in front of a crowd like that, it was just an electric atmosphere to see the joy on the face of both rod, Brenda Moore, you know, the coaching staff and the players, uh, was a really special night. And I'm really grateful that we get to do this for at minimum one more round, hopefully two more. Yeah. I mean, uh, they're only halfway through that's, that's how much of a grind the Stanley cup playoffs are. And I know the NBA playoffs are the same. They have to win the same number of games, but boy, it just seems like you go through so much more, uh, to do this.

All right, Mike. So last year when the hurricanes bowed out of the playoffs against the Rangers, uh, the narrative was, and it wasn't wrong, man, the hurricanes need to find some more goals. And that narrative carried throughout the summer and it carried throughout the season. Max Pacioretty was brought in, uh, you know, we can mention Andre Kasha, although nobody's surprised, uh, given his history. I hope, I hope just he has, he's able to have a good life, uh, because he has had so many concussion issues, but Pat, you're ready. Smash the cough gets hurt with 20 some odd games left a little bit less, uh, table, Tara vine and gets hurt in the second game of the playoffs.

He should be back at some point, uh, during the next playoff round, maybe more than likely. Anyway, I don't want to speak for table here, but, uh, how did they do it with less goal scorers this year than last year? Uh, and I think it's pretty simple. Uh, and it's what this team has preached pretty much since day one for Rod Bryn Mawr. It's a group.

It has to be everybody. It's, it's not just one guy. And in this series, Adam, we saw the defense do what they did in the regular season. You know, 59 goals from the blue line led the NHL.

Well, they got back into the scoring party against the New Jersey doubles. So that's a big part of it, but you know, you take a look on any given night and I've said this before, and I'll say it again, that locker room, they're not looking at one guy saying, well, he's going to score the locker rooms. Like, all right, I'll make a play tonight. You know, give me the puck.

I want to be out there. And you've got this mix of savvy veterans who know how to play at this time and the core that's been through it. I think there is that something to knowing exactly with what you just said, how hard it is to win. Uh, but knowing that this group has been through it together before previous post-seasons, not falling on the same mistakes that they made in years past.

And I, I did not see any of those things happen. And you got to, I think you got to start with special teams where the camp penalty job has been phenomenal in the first two rounds. And you can say what you want to about the Islanders, not having firepower. I mean, the Kings gave them absolutely nothing, one power play goal in that series. And then that's all we heard, you know, New Jersey and this power play and the Kings only give up two power play goals in this series to the devils. Uh, they outscore the devil's power play shorthand. I mean, that's something that if you tell me you win those battles, that's where the goals come from. And then the timely saves, you know, that's a big part of it, but you know, this is a, this is a team that once it gets rolling, it's hard to stop. And we've seen that all year and now it's carried over to the playoffs. You mentioned timely saves before.

I just want Walt's take on that particular issue. You say timely saves. Uh, there's been a lot of timelies because Freddie Anderson save percentage in the playoffs is 931 and that's with a four goal on H on 12 shots game number three. So he has been outstanding, not just good and timely. He's been outstanding throughout.

So Walt, how do they win without with fewer goal scores? The new Chevy Silverado HD puts you in command. Own strength with its enhanced available Duramax 6.6 liter turbo diesel V8. Own the lake with its available advanced towing technology and own technology with an available 13.4 inch diagonal touch screen. The new Chevy Silverado HD own work own play own life.

Learn more at chevy.com find new roads Chevrolet. And Mike did a really good job of breaking that one down because it truly is by committee. Um, when you pull up the stat sheet for the series as a whole, I mean, just about everybody found their way into the goal scoring category, only three forwards played every game in the series didn't score.

So that means they were getting it done in a variety of other areas. Six of the team is 24 goals in the series coming from the blue line, which was an incredible step forward after just one for 16 in the first round. So, um, again, that's where maybe not having that guy again, as Mike said, pays dividends because somebody has to step up. You can't rely on, you know, Sebastian Aho to go out there and get you a goal. Of course, at night, like last night, we were all looking at him, looking at him, excuse me, as you know, he was all over, but he was kind of fighting the puck a little bit and it wound up not having to be him to get the goal. So maybe that's one performance you bank from Sebastian and maybe there's a game or two in the next round where he does have that electricity to his game and that jump that allows him to be the superstar that he is and potentially net you a couple, but it's just really that by committee and getting goals in a bunch of different areas.

By the way, the Hurricanes were averaging 3.7 goals per game before last night, so it went down slightly and up probably about a full goal per game over the regular season. Look, I think the style that they play has something to do with it because, and this is why at points when, you know, whether I go on with the guys in the fourth period on Sirius on weekends, and it was right after the Svechnikov injury that they asked me about it. And I said, I think they'll be OK. And they're like, how are they going to be OK without a 30 goal scorer, which Andre would have been this year. And I said, because because this the style that they play will somebody else will score those goals. And I just I feel like the way they go about playing almost makes them not immune because you're going to need a big goal scorer at some point.

That's why they went and got patchy ready. I think their style has a lot to do with it, Mike. Absolutely, Adam. And I think for me, if you watch the canes play night in, night out, they're tenacious and they just come at you wave after wave after wave. And you mentioned, you know, what they're able to do by committee or somebody will step up the Jordan Martinuk series. I know you called him what, Connor McMartin? Connor McMartin, yeah. I counted. I counted on King's cast plug for the podcast for the Carolina Hurricanes.

I counted. I'm like, I'm like, why don't we call Connor McDavid? Why aren't we calling him Jordan McMartin or Jordan? You're Jordan Martin David something, whatever, because 10 points in that playoff series for Jordan Martin is ridiculous.

But the other line in, you know, Walt was referencing it. There were three forwards who played, who didn't get a goal. Well, you had Paul Stasney, Derek Stepan, and last night, Mackenzie McEachern.

That line was phenomenal. They don't really factor in on the score sheet, but they hemmed in New Jersey. And, you know, in years past, Adam, I think that the canes, when they get to this point, because of the style they play and they don't come off of it and they play it for 82 and then you get to the playoffs and that gets ramped up, it takes a lot out of this team. I think that they have learned how to use rest as a weapon. A great Bill Burniston comment, the strength and conditioning coach for the canes, but Rod Brind'Amour buys into that. And again, he listens to his training staff. He listens to Doug Bennett, the head athletic trainer. He listens to Bill Burniston, listens to his assistants. And they put that into practice. He listens to the coach, to the captains and the players. So you see them now they're fresh.

And I think that this win over the devils getting this series done in five will pay dividends in the next round because of the way they play, they can rest and reset and go from it. But it is because they are tenacious and you look in rod does this. He never likes it. You've asked him when you label lines, he goes, I don't see it that way. This is the first line to you.

So he truly, that's how he views the game. The line that's out there has got a job to do. And if they do it, this team will be fine. And that's how we've gotten to this point where the canes are now in the Eastern Conference final. That's because when whatever line Jordan Stahl is on is the top line to the head coach.

And I have no problem with it. I think I think rod sees so much of his game in Jordan that he and he Jordan is so responsible defensively that and that's really what the is the backbone of this team is more goal prevention. That's the other thing I said to those guys. It's more about goal prevention than goal scoring anyway, and so nothing will change. Well, what is your what is your main story take away from this series against the Devils? Wow, I think it's that they found a way to limit New Jersey's offense and I know looking at it from their side. They may be feeling how Carolina might have felt during last year's second round series in the Rangers and that they expected a little bit more out of their big dog. I mean, my goodness, that one sequence last night between Jack, you and Timo Meyer that had them an opportunity to go up to an impipitable juncture of the game and seemed like almost neither of them wanted to shoot and then eventually it goes wide. I think that one's going to haunt them for a little bit, but as a whole, I mean, it was a pretty darn good series for the Carolina Hurricanes aside from the very atypical game three. We heard guys using phrases like losing the 50-50 puck battle writing that nature and also goes to show how good Carolina's attention detail is and as you and Mike were just talking about they don't change a whole lot, you know, series to series. Yes, they shuffled the forward line to go against New Jersey for a variety of combination that they haven't used over the course of the regular season, but stylistically nothing changes. They forced the opposition.

They make them be so good in order to have to try and create often. That's the only way they're going to get it done. Unless we see what we saw in game three, which again was just so uncharacteristic from the King outside of that they were in control for the bulk of the series. There was so little that New Jersey could do that wasn't Carolina making mistakes. So that's a big one for me because when you start to look ahead and look at the next series between Toronto and Florida and these are two high-powered one-and-gun style offenses and yes at times. That's what has worked against Carolina, but it's also a double-edged sword because those are the groups that turn the puck over and who turned the puck over a lot in the last week and a half the New Jersey double and that didn't really work out for them.

No, it did not. This was also a great series to put on display just how much of a freak show Jacob Slavin is defensively and I say that in the most endearing possible way. I can't Rod believes that he's the best defensive defenseman he's ever seen. Yeah, I wouldn't agree with that. Go ahead Mike. No, I know.

Well, I don't I don't need to add to it. I just don't disagree with what Ron Brinton Moore said you get to see it every night. That's why he makes on Michael McLeod in Game 4. Yeah to set up the the go-ahead goal for Marty natures where he gets the pass to Jordan Martin. I mean, I'm serious when I say this there might be eight guys in the league and make that play and it's phenomenal McLeod didn't even know the puck was gone right away.

It's like what where did it go and all of a sudden Martin Oaks got it and then natures is natures has got it. All right, let me ask both of you to see if you can get fill out this list. Okay, and there's one I'm basically going to give you one guy missing as we've already done this on the radio. Nine and four and overtime Mike meniscalco and Walt Ruff are joining us here the play-by-play voice of the Hurricanes and the chief content maestro for hurricanes.com nine and four and overtime in the Rod Brind'emore coaching era for the canes Jordan stalls got three.

Yes per Faust has to Paul Stasney has one Sebastian Ajo has one. I'll just leave it there who has the other two. There's two players each have one overtime goal Mike who's got one of them. Oh, man, I should know this. Well, the easy one.

The easy one is Brock McGinn double overtime in 20. Yes. Well, you want to take a stab at the other one? No, I don't. All right, Mike back to you. All right, it's spinning. own technology with an available 13.4 inch diagonal touchscreen the new Chevy Silverado HD own work own play own life.

Learn more at chevy.com find new roads Chevrolet. I want to go with I want to get Marty natures had just a run there against Nashville where he scored big goals. Did we already say Marty nation?

No, we did not. I'm going to say Martin ages. Sebastian Ajo is the only and I'll put an air quotes goal scorer that has an overtime goal in the five years the Rod Brind'emore era. How about Ian Cole game one against the Rangers, right?

And this is why when we do these overtime challenges who you going to pick and I go well, give me somebody dumb because that's me no offense, but that's probably who's going to score. Yes, per Faust is to overtime goals. He has five goals in the playoffs. He's got as many goals in the playoffs as Sebastian Ajo does he had 10 during the regular season. He's got five. He's got half as many goals.

It's overtime just leads to silliness Walt. Who do you want in the next round? I think Carolina would have better success against the Florida Panthers that again. I know a very dangerous slope to go down but we saw during the regular season especially late in the regular season the final game of the regular season 82 out of 82. That was a weird game. They faced some adversity in that saw them have to bounce back a couple of times in the game. That was again, maybe not the best performance of Frederick Anderson's career.

So maybe there's a little something that he wants back from that game as well. Toronto, I think, you know, you're lying. If you say Toronto's stars that they have it forward, don't scare you a little bit.

I think Florida is a little bit different in terms of the pieces that they have. And why not for the rod, Brenda Moore, Paul Murray storyline to Mike. I was going to give you the coach answer.

It doesn't matter who they play at him. It's going to be a tough theory. You know, that's not why we don't want to hear that.

All right, so I'm going to I'm going to run down this. I'm going to run down down this line with what Walt said about Florida. The thing that scares me about Florida is how talented they are up front. And Sergei Bobrowski, when he gets into that groove, can be one of the best goaltenders on the planet. That's that's a little bit frightening for me. And they have a bunch of irritants on that team in Florida, led by a superstar in Matthew Tkachuk, and maybe one of the most underrated players up front in Alexander Barkow, by the way, sneaky finish name in history. Yeah. So but when I look at Toronto and I've actually tried to do this scientifically, Walt, you hit it right on the head.

How good they are with their and can please can everybody please stop saying the core four. That's the New York Yankees, not the Toronto. Oh, my God.

I can't believe it. In a way, it's sort of like Eddie Olchik phrasing Ron Francis. We were going to get a Yankee reference out of Mike Maniscalco.

He knew it was coming. But how dangerous they are, how dangerous their power play can be. But when I look at Toronto, the goaltending the canes can be, the defense is OK, but not above average. In the playoffs. And if they win this series, I would wonder, you can say, well, they have all the momentum.

I believe Rod Brandon Moore. Momentum doesn't carry over from series to series. I agree. And I would wonder if you're Toronto, would you just spend everything if you become the fifth team ever to do it to win a series? After falling down, oh, three in the NHL playoffs. I don't count the one that happened in the forties for Toronto. So it'd be five different teams who've done it. Right.

So I can't believe I'm going to say this. I think that the canes could find a way to handle Toronto. But again, in either matchup, Adam, it's going to be going to be hard fought. I think if Carolina manages the puck, well, they're probably better suited to play Toronto than they are Florida if they manage the puck. Well, because I think Florida will come at you with more more speed and aggression than than Toronto. Well, as good as Toronto is, both teams are. I think they're going to be better suited to the puck. Well, because I think Florida will come at you with more speed and aggression than than Toronto.

Well, as good as Toronto is, both teams are, I think, in terms of their rosters, they're both absolutely loaded. What are you going to do with, let's just say, three days off, Mike? I got some stuff around my house that needs to be fixed. Gosh, that's boring. So that's, that's about, that's about it. No, nothing, nothing else.

Nothing else to do. If it's five days, maybe I'll take a jaunt to the Netherlands. Oh, the Netherlands. Always good.

Wooden shoes, clogs. Walt, what will you do with your days off? Probably not the Netherlands, but you can probably catch me on Glenwood Ave at least one night.

That will definitely be happening. But hey, sunny in the eighties and the Friday Raleigh area. Come on now. I mean, what more could you ask for? This is gorgeous. It seems, it seems to be an outdoor cafe in Walt Ruff's future. Mike.

A rooftop, a rooftop in my future. Oh, very, very nice. Very nice. Mike Mediscalco, played by play voice of the Carolina Hurricanes. What's, what's the podcast you're plugging?

What was that again? That'd be Cain's Cast. Cain's Cast. Cain's Cast. And then there's Cain's Corner, which is also a phenomenal podcast. You started that.

Mike is the guy who started it. There's no question. It's not even my intellectual property anymore. It doesn't belong to me.

We just keep it warm. Walt Ruff, the next guy is going to have to do it. Walt, thank you very much, man.

At Walt Ruff, at Mike Mediscalco. We'll see you guys both in a few days. All right. That was, uh, that was fun. Why not talk about the game?

They're, uh, the hottest thing going. Work. Own play. Own life. Learn more at chevy.com. Find new roads. Chevrolet.