Is it as simple to say it’s all been Bobrovsky this series?

Earlier on the program, in between trips to the dump button, which is a radio term for when somebody works blue, Chad LaRose guaranteed the game five. I am not asking John Forslund, who is doing the show, doing the series for national radio, I am not asking John Forslund to guarantee. I'm just hoping that John doesn't work blue, but I understand that John doesn't.

He is a radio professional and he joins us on the Adam Gold show. That was an adventure before, John. How are you doing?

I'm doing great, Adam. It sounds like it. Oh my gosh. Wild gyrations from me. So Victoria would hit the dump button when we were talking to Chad LaRose.

It was fun though. What do you think? Is it as simple as saying that Sergei Bobrovsky has Florida ahead 2-0 in this series? I think yes, and maybe a little bit of no. I mean, there's no question he's front and center. There's no question he's been able to, I think it's two goals against or less in his last seven starts.

So, you know, not only this series, but the previous series. And the thing about Bobrovsky, some people might suggest that he's riding a hot streak. He could be, or I think we forget this is an elite goalie too.

So he is who he is. He's an outstanding goaltender and he can be a single-handed difference in any playoff series. I do think the hurricanes can help themselves by trying to get more to the interior of the ice. It's not easy to get inside of Mark Stahl and Goudis and Ekblad. They're big, they're strong.

Forsling plays a petition, a position really well as a great stick. Um, Montour is a threat both ways. So their defense is underrated. They're doing a really good job and their forwards are, are pretty sound defensively too. So I think it's a, it's a task. It's going to have to be another step up. It's not as simple as, uh, you know, bounce or if it's a shock falls, we're in a better spot. Some of that's true, but I think the canes have to take the next step tonight.

And if they don't, they're really going to be in a, in a bad way. So, uh, I'd like to agree with Chad LaRose. I think there's an opportunity there, but I think we'll know by the end of the first period where we're headed in terms of that. John Forslund is joining us. He's doing the series Eastern Conference Finals nationally on, uh, on radio.

I think you can hear it on Sirius XM. If you're not listening to, uh, to the fan, uh, cause I do the intermissions, uh, and why not? I, I heard, I heard one of my intros on the quest for the cup thing that, uh, ESPN behind the scenes documentary.

It freaked me out. The, um, both teams have had opportunities to score a lot more goals. I don't know what, what stock to put in the analytics of it all, but in terms of expected goals, I mean, the, we had a three, two game Florida wins in game one, the expected goal said seven, five Carolina. So both teams have left goals on the ice. The, the goaltending really has been great in for, for both teams. This series, obviously Florida has taken it to a new level, but I think you're right in that Carolina has typically gotten a lot of traffic in front of whoever the goalie is, but they haven't been able to do that against Bobrovsky. There haven't been as many of net front chances for Carolina in this series. Is that Florida discouraging or is that Carolina just not working hard enough in that place? Well, I think the answer to this one might, might be who's involved.

Okay. So when you look at some of the scoring chances, the canes have had Jordan stalls had numerous opportunities. Jordan, Martinuk has had numerous opportunities.

Um, Seth Jarvis has played really well in the two games. I felt, and maybe a different narrative of his crossbar hit and overtime goes in where he had basically the entire net. Um, I don't think he could do it again if he was trying. So, you know, those are interesting situations, but my point here will be this. If Sebastian Aho has the looks Jordan stalls had in the first two games, does the puck find the back of the net if, if nature's does the same, same things Martin looks been able to do, you know, with the puck and gets the insight and has great scoring chances.

Does it start to fall is table terrifying. And so at some point appear in the series and to what degree can he get his game to, um, you know, what level can he raise it? I think that's what we're looking at here. So tonight to single out one player, I think the game's going to have to belong to Sebastian Aho. He's been good. He's been a point of game player, but I believe he's gone four games without a goal, made a nice pass on the Chatfield goal in game two. Um, but, but he has to outplay Barkov and I'm pretty sure that will be the match that Paul Maurice will be looking for a one-on-one. So it's his game tonight. And if these players are a step up, then maybe that's the difference.

See, that's, that's exactly what I feel about. And I said this on the podcast the other night is that Carolina's got that nobody is complaining about what the roster looks like based on injury. Uh, and, you know, they did get Tevo, Tara Vaughn and back, uh, Carolina's missing two players that they were counting on to be part of a playoff run in Svechnikov and, uh, Max Pacioretty. Um, but, but nobody is saying that if Carolina doesn't win this series, it's because of that. The Hurricanes have gotten to this point.

Um, and based on the way they play and they're as currently constructed, they are more than capable of beating the Florida Panthers. But if they're going to do it, then their goal scores have to score goals. And that means Sebastian Aho, as well as he's played, you said no, none in his last four, uh, and Neches who has been sporadic in the, has actually been sporadic last quarter of the regular season as well. Uh, and Tevo Tara Vaughn and who missed, you know, four weeks with the, the broken hand and had great opportunities to score in both games and didn't, uh, and didn't really play well in the first game.

I don't actually, I think he played better in the four overtimes than he did even in game two of this series. They need those three guys to have their fingerprints all over the game. Otherwise it's going to be tough.

Yeah. And, and defensively, I think from the circles down, they're going to have to be better as a defensive team too. Um, you know, they, they they've got a great backend, but they've been pressed. They've been pressed in the turnovers. They've been pressed in the miscues. You're not used to seeing if you fall the hurricanes all season. So Slavin and burns and, and Shay and Pesci had a great regular season, um, been okay in the playoffs, um, need to be better.

Uh, you know, this is, this is kind of where it is. And I think those are the fi that's the fine tuning adjustment that's needed for a team that feels are in the neighborhood, unless they want to get to the podium again tonight and talk about, gee, we almost did it again. Um, they're, they're better than this. And, and yes, points are obviously out there with, with the players who are not in the series because of injury, but they're good enough to play to the third round of the playoffs without those players. And so if you're good enough to be in the third round, you should be good enough to be in the fourth round.

And it's, it's up to them now to fix some of these things, which I think they can fix. Um, but, but you got to give Florida credit the way they're playing because they are bringing a level, which is really a lot of fun to watch if you're a Panther fan. And, uh, it's, it's really, um, uh, it's really something to see some of these players like Kachuk and Bennett and, and, and Barkoff, you know, they're not only skilled, they have a heavy side to their game and the canes have got to overcome that if they can.

Yeah, there's, there's no question. Sam Bennett's made for playoff hockey. Matthew Kachuk is made for playoff hockey. The Kachuk for Jonathan Uberdome trade, um, was, was a hundred, was a huge winner for Florida in the off season, even though they had to sweeten it by also sending McKenzie Wieger up to Calgary. And he was a big part of their blue line, but Kachuk is such a post season type player real quick about the Florida Panthers and about, I'd say two thirds of the way through the season. You know, it almost breaks down into midway at the midway point, but through about two thirds of the way through the season, it didn't look like they were going to make the playoffs. It didn't look like the appointment of Paul Maurice as the head coach was working out. What changed basically around February? Well, I, I'm not sure because even in February, although the coach is very good at going back and kind of chronicling what January was like and what February was like, most of the league had given up on the floor of the Panthers. I mean, most of the league, I know, you know, the teams that I was watching, you know, down the stretch for the last six weeks in preparation for the playoffs and wherever I might end up, um, you know, that wasn't a team that I basically was out front and center.

So there was, there was that game. And I remember watching it, uh, in Toronto, the morning of the game that Keith could Chuck Matt's dad called in and called out the team called a sports talk radio show in Toronto and basically said the problem with my son's team is this they're soft and they're getting what they deserve right now. Well, I don't know if that had an effect on the team all the only they can answer it, but during that game or he snapped on the bench, things weren't going well. And you know, Mo and most snaps, it's, it gets your attention because he doesn't always do that.

He's very stoic back there at times. So he snapped and he went in the direction of Matthew could Chuck and said a few things and the team responded. They won the game.

They started riding this crest of momentum. I think we can look at Paul Maurice's career as coaching career and say this when teams are in that position that they're, they're not being looked at by others as a, as an, as a, as a suspect, as a team that, you know, you're going to look at here, he can ride that. He can play that card is what I'm trying to say. He can play the underdog card very well. He did it with the hurricanes way back when he did it with the hurricanes in 09, he did it with Winnipeg. Uh, when he took them to the conference final, he's doing it again and good for him. Um, but he's, he coaches better. It seems under these conditions. So he has a team now believing he is a good coach.

He can, he can, he can put a real good game plan in place defensively. That's showing. Um, but these players right now are writing a chemical equation too. And, um, and they're really having a lot of fun doing this. And when you beat Boston and you beat Toronto, I think the rest of the league better stop looking at Florida and saying, Hey, this is an incredible run. They're proving that they underachieved most of the season. They made these moves at the end of the president's trophy season to become a little bit harder around the edges.

And now it's working. So basically I think this is probably, you know, it's a long time to get here, but they do have excellent players on this roster from the goal out. There's no question. Rob Brindamore said it before the series.

They were supposed to be here. This is not a surprise based on the roster, based on the goalie and Sergei Bobrovsky, who had a rough go in his four years with Florida. I mean, he didn't, he didn't start any of the last seven games of the regular season. He was healthy. He didn't start the first three games of the playoffs. He was healthy.

He just hadn't played well, but now it looks like the $10 million goal tender that Florida signed after that 2018 19 season in Columbus, John Forslund. I look forward to seeing you for game five at PNC arena. I know we'll just call Chad LaRose and we'll get the final score of the game. Yes, but we just can't tell everybody. You can't tell all the kids what Chad had to say. We just have to keep that quiet and keep it quiet. Thank you, John. See you buddy. You're the best. John Forslund here on the Adam Gochis.