Does Erik still have hope?

Some people have said to me it is nonsensical to still believe.

But again, as Mets legend, R.I.P. Tug McGraw has said, 50 years ago, in September of 1973, you gotta believe. So, I gotta believe. Eric Cole has his name on the Stanley Cup.

He joins me on the Adam Gold Show. Fair to, you gotta believe. Do you still have faith, my friend?

I certainly still have faith. I mean, it's, for me right now, Bobrovsky looks a lot like Jose Teodor did in 02. Where you just couldn't put anything past him, no matter how much we crashed to the net, tried to get to the net, just put tucks in his feet, whatever it was. Grade A scoring chances.

I feel like you just need to have that breakthrough, and once you get that, the floodgates will open. What is Florida doing in front of Bobrovsky that might be making it, whether it's easier on him or more difficult on Carolina? Well, they're definitely defending very well as a five-man unit, and it's coming from everyone, right? They're playing very good team defense. They're blocking shots. They're playing desperate, desperate hockey. And at times, they've been more desperate than their opponent throughout the playoffs, actually for the majority of the playoffs for them, coming in as an eight-season. And they get past Boston, and now they carry that momentum through Toronto, and they believe. I mean, how many times has Paul Maurice been behind the bench and gotten a team to believe in what they're doing and what they're capable of? So, I mean, they're certainly up against a very difficult climb, but I think that if there's a group between the Hurricanes or the Stars as to who can overcome a 3-0 deficit, for me, it's certainly the Hurricanes. Eric Cole is joining us here. The difference in these three games is nothing.

It's the width of a piece of paper. Is it fair to say that Florida is the better team in game one, was a deserved winner? Let's just call game two, even in Carolina, probably based on the way it was played, probably should have won game number three. Is that enough of a reason to really give belief? I mean, we're talking to fans here that if they can get one, they can get another?

Yeah, for certain. They've all been one-goal games, and like you said, the margin for error for the Hurricanes has seemed to be smaller than with the Panthers right now. And maybe a big part of that is just that they believe in what they're doing. They believe it's their destiny to get to the Finals and win the Cup this year.

But I firmly believe that if we can get one win, there will be more. Eric Cole is with us here. You mentioned Jose Theodore before to me, but he was the MVP in the season that year. But it's been a long time since Bobrovsky has played at a Vesna Trophy level. Even the last year with Columbus, he didn't play at a Vesna Trophy level, which is why they allowed him to go. They didn't really pursue. They could have signed him to a big contract too. He signed a $10 million a year contract with the Florida Panthers, and he has not lived up to it until right now. The last three full seasons before this one mean he was just okay.

Because of that, is that still there? Is that why if Carolina can break through and maybe there'll be some reverting to the mean? Yeah, absolutely. With a lot of these goaltenders, they're a little, you want to say streaky, but when a goaltender gets dialed in and is just seeing the puck very, very well, they believe themselves that they're unbeatable. He's very, very focused right now. You'll watch his movement and some of the saves that he's made with his blocker. I mean, he's almost a little old school, Dominic Hasek, where he's throwing his stick and using his blocker to deflect a shot and get a piece of it. I mean, he's made some incredible saves, but I still just, I believe that with him, if we can get that first victory, then I think that there's going to be more. I think that the Hurricanes just need to find a way to get to this guy and it's going to take a really strong effort tonight. Chad LaRose, who joined us on Monday, said that he would slash Bobrovsky in the back of the legs.

He also said that he stayed with you for like last week or last series anyway. Short of that, short of slashing Bobrovsky in the legs, do you expect Carolina to try to agitate him a little bit? Maybe try to take a few liberties? Nothing that you would get penalized for, but after a whistle, just kind of crowd the net a little bit? I don't see why they wouldn't be crowding the net all the time. If it were me, I would try and be standing in his crease, bringing a defense man in there with me, pushing a defense man in there in front of me, and then spinning. Then you've got his own defense man in the crease and you're outside the crease. So there are ways to be very disruptive and make sure that a goalie is just getting agitated enough or you could draw a penalty because the defense man's not going to like what you're doing.

So there's ways to go about it in lieu of just a slash in the back of the leg. But I wouldn't put it past Rosie. That's true. It did sound like him. I don't know that there's a player on the team who quite embodies those qualities, just like Chadler Rose does. Eric Cole is with us. Do you think there's anybody on this team more frustrated right now than Sebastian Ajo?

I'd be hard pressed to name anyone else. I think he's had a couple really, really solid chances that the goalies made an unbelievable save on. And sometimes you just be like, okay, well, we'll just keep cracking at it. But it's almost like you've got to go outside your norm of where you put the puck. Instead of it being elevated, put it on the ice.

Something like that. And he's a guy that if he gets one, then certainly his confidence and his swagger will be right there. So I look forward in game four tonight for the leaders of the team to really step up and play a big role and carry the series back here to Raleigh. Let me ask you one question about leaders of the team. This has nothing to do with the Carolina Hurricanes. I know you were a teammate for a while with Jamie Benn. Any thoughts on what might have been... Did he just snap when he cross-checked Mark Stone in the face while Stone was lying on the ice inside of two minutes in that game?

Yeah, a little early for it. That's kind of like letting the... Not playing with that controlled emotion, but Trump's just got a bit of a mean streak to him as well. And when I played with him, it was his first year being the captain in Dallas. And he scored big goals. He had big hits. He fought guys. He was just... He was tough. He was tough. He was just a great player that year and still is. But I think last night, that was probably a little bit of...

He chipped the puck and Stone came in a little high on him and kind of shrugged the shoulder and elbow up at him. And Jamie doesn't like that very much. And no one does. But yeah, I think it's just... It's kind of that emotion and you react to it. But in a way, you probably... Obviously, I'm sure Jamie regrets it completely today. But in the moment, you think back to... Would Scott Walker really headbutt Mike Fisher again?

Probably not. It's just the emotion of it all and you're already down in the series and you're just trying to dig in for game three and something like that happens and it's unfortunate. I feel badly this morning for my friend and former teammate.

Yeah, he's probably... He's not going to play. I will be stunned if he is in the lineup for game four.

I'm sure the NHL will take care of that. Eric Cole, I appreciate your time, my friend. I'll see you for game five. How's that? That sounds like a good plan. I'll be there. I'll talk to you later. Thank you. Thank you. You got it. Eric Cole here on The Adam Gold Show.