Canes win Game 5, in OT, and is now onto the Eastern Conference Finals!

I have a lot of questions about whether or not now Victoria has VIP credentials. I hope so. So real quick before I get to Luke. He's going to be so mad because we're so late. I know.

It's fine. Did you get any VIP credentials? I'm going to meet him tomorrow and my life is made. Oh my God.

I'm so excited. Yes. Sorry. No, no, no.

That's all. This, see, this, the adrenaline, I know the adrenaline, right? This is how I get whenever I see Luke DeCock at PNC Arena, especially when the hurricanes are doing what the hurricanes are doing. And he joins us. We have Luke now. He joins us. Yeah. I jumped in late.

I thought Victoria was talking about me. Both of you, I guess. Oh, yes.

All right. You asked Rod the question last night. Were you surprised that he did not know that they had now played and won seven consecutive overtimes? No, I wasn't surprised.

And I know what kind of silo he's in at this time of year and the way his brain works. I mean, he's not thinking about Nashville in 2021 right now. So I wasn't surprised. I was curious whether he had any thoughts on it because, you know, seven straight aside, this goes back to game seven against the capitals. It goes back to 2009. It goes back to 2006. It goes back to 2002. This has always been a team that's done well in overtime.

And, and, you know, the only common thread there, uh, unless Nikki Walleem wanders back in is Rod Brindivore. Um, you know, he's been a part of all of this, whether it's as a player, a center, a captain or coach. So, you know, I think to a certain extent there, you know, when you say, why is it that this franchise has done so well in overtime over the years, certainly since 2002. And I think it has something to do with some of the qualities that Rod Brindivore brings to the club.

I don't know that that's all of it, but I think you can't discount that. Um, but I also think that, you know, the fans have a confidence, you know, in some buildings at home, you go into overtime and I've been in them and everybody's kind of expecting the worst to happen. And word knows that that happens in college basketball or out here sometimes, but I think Carolina Perkins fans has seen so much success in overtime. I mean, they haven't lost a home overtime game in the playoffs since, since, uh, Zay, Jack scored in 2009. I mean, this is, this is a lot of home playoff games that had been won in overtime. I think there's a confidence that emanates from the fans. There's not that nervous murmuring. I mean, so there's a lot of things that go into it obviously.

Uh, but I do, I'm not surprised he didn't know. I do think it's a remarkable record. And I think that's something that, you know, transcends players and whoever's on the roster. And of course, when you get right down to it, Adam, and you and I both know this, the most important factor is as Eddie will check would say, Ron Francis fingerprints are all over their overtime. Uh, I love the host and I know you're the host and you're supposed to be asking the questions, but I want to ask you, will you ever, will the jokes about Ed Olchik and Ron Francis on Turner and OLN and wherever else you've been doing it ever get old? No, they will not.

They will not. I look in game, I think it was game three. I gave Eddie Olchik so much credit for holding it all back. It was like beyond the halfway point of the third period, before we had the first legendary Ronnie Francis mentioned, I could not believe the amount of willpower it took.

And so you and I talked before the game and I said over, under midway through the second, you went before I could finish the sentence under eight minute mark. Yeah. The new Chevy Silverado HD puts you in command own strength with its enhanced available Duramax 6.6 liter turbo diesel V8 on 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. The eight minute mark look good. I could not get that action fast enough before you pulled it off the board.

It was not available. I think Caesars and MGM action both both pulled it off. Yeah. Do you think that let me let me ask you this question. Do you think there's a there is because I don't you would never set it up this way because you wouldn't it would be silly to tailor your style to be effective in playoff overtimes. But do you think there is a benefit to the way the hurricanes play their style of play that actually works in its favor when you get to overtime?

Yeah, I think there is. They're not an east-west team. They're a north-south team. They're going to get the puck in deep and try to turn your defenseman around and play behind you.

You know, they're going to go blue line to blue line. They're not going to try a bunch of fancy dance stuff. Jim Rutherford would say and I think that kind of direct style where you're you know, you're relying, you know, they rely less on skill than they do. Where's that work ethic and structure and, and, and diligence and everybody knowing their roles. Although they have plenty of skills.

Don't get me wrong. This isn't 2002 all over again, but I think that's the way you have to play to win in the overtime and playoffs in the playoffs. You have to possess the puck. You have to not make mistakes.

You have to not leave yourself open to counter-attacks. And those are three things that the hurricane and their style do all year long during the regular season when they're playing well, you can see it break down sometimes like it did in game three in, in Jersey, but for the most part when they're on their toes and they're playing reasonably well, even if not great, that is a, I think a style of play that lends itself well to overtime. And I think you can say that since 2019, that style of play has been a factor when you start getting into some of the more historical stuff.

Oh nine and oh six, no two. You know, I think then it starts to break down a little bit, but certainly in the rod, Bryn more as coach era, the way he wants them to play is a style that's conducive to winning overtime games in the playoffs. I think that's probably, that's probably true. You know, and, and I'll mention one other thing here, Adam, on this subject in 2002, in game three, the hurricane's fourth line barely played in the third period in overtime. I mean, that was a three line team in that game that lost in three overtimes that would not happen. Now that fourth line goes over the boards with a regular shift, whether there are four minutes to go in the third period or it's four minutes into overtime. And I think the competence that the hurricane had in each other and Rob Brindamore has in all of his lines and his third defensive bearing also enables them to go longer and deeper than some teams that don't have that confidence.

There's no question. Every time the fourth line came over the boards, especially in the third period. And we saw them in overtime too. It was, they were, they, they spent 45 seconds to a minute.

It seemed in the offensive end, they were really, really good. How was it that Jacob Slavin didn't get a star last night? I mean, I don't know. I don't know. In the days when the B writers used to do the stars, maybe they mattered now. I don't think they really matter, but, uh, no, I mean, here's a question. I got a better question for you. Not that I'm, that's fine. I'm happy that you, you asked me questions.

How is, I looked at the ads this morning. How is Jacob Slavin 1,000, no 100 to one to win the consummate. Interesting. He's plus 10,000. Wow. When the consummate, well, he's also plus 10,000 and plus minus rating, right? Right now he's also plus 10,000 and plus minus rating.

Maybe that was what you looked at, right? No, I mean, to me right now, Jacob Slavin, if I had to vote right now and I'll, if the hurricane makes the final, I'll have a vote. I had to vote right now. I'm voting for Jacob Slavin. Um, you know, the other favorites are Aho and Natius and that's fine, but both of those guys have disappeared at times.

I mean, to me, the three people on my ballot, if I'm picking only hurricanes, cause who knows what will happen? I mean, you know, dry cycle may end up on there or whatever, but if I'm picking three hurricanes, it's Slavin, burns and salt, not Martin. Uh, I mean, yeah, I mean, he had a great series. He was scoreless in the first, um, but he had a great series in the first two. He just didn't score. He played really well. Yeah.

And that's fine. But when I look at who are the players who have really propelled this team to this point, um, you know, I mean, I, I wrote about Jordan Saul after one of the first home games of this series. I don't think he's getting enough credit for the way that he's dictating play.

Oh, I'm with you. Not to mention he's dangling and, and we're scoring on breakaways and doing very un-Jordan Saul like things. My three stars, who are your three stars of this series?

Cause I do that at the end of series. Who are your three stars of this series? Well, I would put Martin hook in there for sure.

Yeah. Um, yeah, I w I think I would have a Slavin, Martin hook and Anderson. Not stall. I would put stall there because, uh, especially in games here, we did not really remember the Jack Hughes played in them. Yeah, no, I, that's totally fair. And I just spent all my time talking about how people are overlooking Jordan.

Um, you know, so he's on my con smite ballot, but not my second round con smite ballot. Um, I do, I do think I put Freddie in there because I do think with the exception of obviously game three, when everything seems to break down, um, his ability to play in six straight games, there's something he hasn't done all year. Um, and play well, like, like I think the first two, the, the two goals last night, they weren't soft goals. I mean, I think you'd occasionally want to me, I'm going to make a big say there in a class, but man, did he buckle down in the third and that's, you know, the knock on him in Toronto was can't finish a game. Can't finish a series. And now he's finished two series and he's finished, finished that game. And then, you know, the devil's played their best game of series. Schmidt was good, but the same on plot and then plot why that's a, that's a game changer.

And then, okay. He gets a break. Timo Meyer shoots it through the crease and Hughes passes it to Meyer instead of shooting and Meyer misses an open net even worse than yes for Fox. And, um, you know, that's a break, but I, you know, Freddy, Freddy made some big say in the middle of the second period and in the third. And I think he gets a little credit for that, but you're right.

I can't sit here and say that Jordan stalls being overlooked and then overlooking myself. I just think that's, you just proved your point. That's all all you did. Luke was prove your point.

Look at the cock of an instant observer at Luke, the cock on Twitter. All right. Final thing. Would you rather play Toronto or Florida, Florida? I mean, I think as, as you know, that probably in terms of style of play, Toronto's probably actually better. Um, but I think just in terms of, of raw talent, you know, you hate to get into a situation where these guys, these stars for, for Toronto, who have, who have been so absent to times during the playoffs all get hot at the same time and just get sort of overwhelmed, especially if, you know, you, you continue to run into sort of goaltender availability issues. Um, you know, there's not going to be a secret to Florida.

It's Palmer East. Um, you know, it's Barkov, it's Kachuk. Um, I think the hurricanes have a considerable advantage on the blue line. Um, I think they've got a depth advantage even if Kachuk is the best player on the ice. And I think they've got a, a goaltending advantage because I'm still not, not sure about Bob.

And obviously the outline struggled. So I think Florida style play probably isn't as good a matchup, but everything else I think points toward the Panthers and Adam, as you know, Southeast division rivalries die hard. Oh, it's too bad. The, uh, the Atlanta Thrashers couldn't be part of this. What, what's, uh, what's Danny Heatley doing? Well, we don't work down. There you go. Exactly. There you go. Exactly.

The Atlanta Thrashers still live. Uh, Luke, thank you very much. Take a couple of days off.

Yeah, I'd like to, but we'll see. All right, man. Take care at Luke to cock on Twitter. Why I've had so much fun today. I have, I hope, I hope people understand that, that I'm having a good time and, and obviously Victoria, it's a fun Friday.

Oh my gosh. Are you okay? I'm good. I think I'm good.

I think we're good. 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.