Carolina Hurricanes vs NY Islanders tonight in NY

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Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done. Canes and the Islanders. You know what this gives me?

An excuse to talk to my friend Michael Labov from the Action Network on the radio and tell everybody that he has the greatest Twitter handle going on that website. Oh, excuse me? At what? Other than you. He has no underscores.

I should say non-underscore division. At the big Lee Bowski on Twitter. Mike, how you doing, ma'am? I'm hanging in. The Islanders are trying to break me, but I'm doing my best. Also, does the Islanders' anxiety podcast.

There's been a lot of anxiety of late. So let's start with the Islanders. It was a rocky start when Patrick Waugh took over for Lane Lambert. I think they were like four, five, and three in their first 12 games. I think they won like six in a row and put themselves right there. I had declared emphatically that they were going to catch and pass Philadelphia and ultimately finished third in the division.

I think you and I texted about it. What's happened since? Because they've lost four straight. I think it said they thought that they had done it like they kind of rested on their laurels and the team has done that on a game by game basis. Sometimes they'll have a good first period and then there's a worst second period team in the entire NHL. So I feel like they they almost just let their guard down after they do something well. And then it catches up with them. And since they don't have the type of depth and talent that other teams boast ahead of them, it takes them a lot longer to find their game.

So right now they're in another one of their little patented down swings. It's crazy. They've lost, I believe, 37 or 38 games this season when you tally up all the overtime losses and the regulation losses. And they've lost one game in a row four times. That's crazy to me.

Mike LeBoff of the Action Network is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. I remember when this was a playoff matchup last year. We just assumed that there would be no goals in it because traditionally both teams are stingy when it comes to giving up goals. We ended up having a lot more goals in that series than we expected. And the three games this year have produced 25 total goals, seven, nine and nine. And part of that, obviously, the Islanders have won two of the three. The other one went to overtime. So it's not like the Islanders haven't scored. But you guys are giving up more goals than I was stunned to see that the Islanders are 21st in the league in giving up goals. Has the problem been defense team or otherwise?

Or has the problem been maybe Ilya Sorokin hasn't quite been as good this year as he was in the past few? You have a firm on your side that's a fiduciary planning firm, which means they take your side at all times. Now, we'll do this for the next 10 of you to call. This is a thousand dollar value. But I'm going to waive my planning fee to make sure you get your total retirement plan and you get on the right path for retirement. Call triple eight eight four three double o thirteen eight eight eight eight four three zero zero one three or text Adam to six hundred seven hundred.

Adam Gold is a paid spokesman investment advisory services offered by Capital Financial Advisory Group, a North Carolina registered investment advisor. Yeah, it's like I would say 60 40 split. Most of the blame certainly lays with the team defense. They were giving up more scoring chances than any team in the league.

Besides an Jose, when Lane Lambert lost his job and that was pretty much what caused him to lose his job is how abject they were defensively. They Sorokin had faced the heaviest workload in the NHL. I think he had at one point had faced more shots than any goalie in the NHL, except for Alexander Giorgia, but Giorgia have had played 12 more games or something like that.

And that's broken. So it was, it's been a really tough season for him. I think he faced the most challenging workload of any goalie, the side of San Jose and the season. But now it's, it's starting to rest on his shoulders a bit because the team has, um, you know, not including the past couple of games, they have been better defensively under walk and they need, they need Sorokin to, to find his game and click into form. He is the key to them. You're getting hot down the stretch and, and grabbing a hold of one of these playoff spots because it's still there for the taking, uh, somehow. And I mean, even that third spot is, is certainly up for grabs. If they can, can find a way to, to, to win, you know, nine, nine or 10 of these last 15 and time the wins and make sure you beat when the games against Philadelphia and Detroit.

But it's, it's, it's on, it's on Sorokin. I think at this point now to, to find his form, uh, because it's, we're running out of time and the defense has improved under walk. Before we get to the matchup, uh, and I have one question about Patrick, while you just to illustrate the point, um, the Islanders in Washington, each have a game in hand on Philadelphia. Um, Philadelphia has got 76 points. Washington has 75, the Islander 73. So any one of those three can end up finishing third in the metropolitan division.

Uh, and, uh, they can, and their wildcard is also there given how Detroit has completely cratered having lost seven, uh, what seven of their last eight, uh, I believe it is Detroit is, has fallen on hard times. What did what change or try to change in the short term after taking over for Lane Lambert? I think the biggest change is you're going to see a little bit, a lot more, um, action and a lot more, you know, you're a Liverpool fan, so you'll know like that, that clap ball where you're pressing no matter where the ball is on the field. Like the Islanders are putting pressure on, or supposed to be putting some hard pressure on the pup carrier, not too dissimilar to what we see a lot of times from Carolina winning those, winning those battles, whether it's in the neutral zone, offensive zone or defensive zone with, with Lambert. They played a much more sagging style, a zone defense that basically gave up the blue line and dare Judah to, to beat them.

You know, they, they try to pack the middle and it never, it just didn't click with this, with this group this season. So now it's, it's much more of a, an emphasis on man-to-man coverage and all over the ice. And so they're, they're going to look different. I think if you remember those games against the Islander, especially that one right before Christmas, that was all over the place.

It's going to be, it's going to look a lot different, but the pace is much more frenetic. It's the problem is that when they, when they get the puck on their six, the Islanders say it's almost like they, they, they don't really care who they pass it to as long as they pass it to one of the skaters on the ice. It won't matter if they're wearing red or orange and blue at this point. So it's been a frustrating watch. Well, tonight it'll be a black for the hurricanes and white for the Islanders.

Mike Labov from the Action Network is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. All right, now let me get to the, the, the wagering element here. At the beginning of the season, Carolina was the betting favorites to win the Stanley cup. Now it's Florida. Um, Carolina went through some, I mean, mediocre is not really the right word because Carolina was always, you know, one of the playoff teams. I guess there was a day or two days where they were outside of the group of eight, but they had so many games in hand.

It wasn't really a big deal. Uh, and they are solid, solidly one of the top four in the East and probably one of the top, uh, eight in the NHL. Uh, odds still look pretty, are pretty bullish on Carolina.

Where did that number go to? And then what did Jake Genzel and Yevgeny Kuznetsov mean? Yeah, so they, the Carolina hurricanes are, are funny cause odds makers are very careful with letting that number get out of hand at all.

So even when you said mediocre, I think that's probably the right word. They, I like to think they were just, I tend to think that they were just finding their form and getting, you know, getting their act together. Um, and they did, obviously they needed to find saves. They, they, they definitely saved stabilized in the goaltending department. Um, and, but the highest number, I think I can remember in Carolina was like 13 to one, um, and around Christmas time. And as soon as they started to click a couple of games together, it went right back to where they were to start the season.

Uh, we've seen it shorten a bit since the trade deadline, nothing, nothing too substantial. But yeah, like you said, it's, it's, I think you can make a really solid argument for Florida to be the best team and not just a conference, but the NHL, but the margin between them and Carolina, who I think are clearly the second best team in the East. And maybe like the fourth best team in the NHL, I think you can even say maybe one of the top three.

Um, the margin is so, so thin. So, um, I, I think if, if you wanted to come to me and open a sports book, if I want to make Carolina the betting favorite to win the conference and even win the Stanley cup, I, I, I couldn't really poke holes in it. They are, they are that good. So I'm not too confident about the Islanders chances tonight.

I wouldn't be too confident about their chances in the seven game series, but I would feel pretty confident if I was a King's fan right now about their big picture outlook, especially the way again. So, and cause nets off have kind of blended in seamlessly. Uh, they were playing together for a couple of games and now Jake was playing with Sebastian. Oh, my guess is that is going to stay together. And cause nets off and Martin nature's look like they were born to play with one another. Uh, they, they have very similar styles, uh, which can be good and bad to be perfectly honest. I think that line, as I've said, it's going to be exciting.

It might make you angry, uh, but it's go, it's going to be exciting. There are going to be scoring chances, maybe both ways, uh, considering the, the, the way that they play, who do you like in the West? I mean, Colorado looks like they're, uh, maybe the, the, the favorite out West. Uh, but I just watched him here and I know they're getting some bodies back, but I think that I think they are super top heavy and I don't think they're the best team in the West. I'm not sure I don't favor Vegas again.

And right now they're the eighth place team in the West. For the ones who work hard to ensure their crew can always go the extra mile and the ones who get in early. So everyone can go home on time. There's Granger offering professional grade supplies backed by product experts.

So you can quickly and easily find what you need. Plus you can count on access to a committed team, ready to go the extra mile for you call click Granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Yeah, man, the Western conferences is an animal that it really is. It seems like the, the tide has shifted, uh, pretty precipitously. Now when the West is to be pretty top heavy, the East was East with Carolina, Boston, Toronto, Rangers, penguins, et cetera. Now that feels like it's, it's the West that's really deep and you can make a good argument for seven or 18th, even with the predators, uh, to make at least make some noise out there. Uh, I think Colorado looks like Dave they've found exactly what they were. They needed in terms of Casey metal stat, like they did not have second line center all season long.

Um, so they get one he's spinning and perfectly plays a good style for them. So I, I can see the argument that to make them the best team. I still think that the Oilers are the team I think should be the favorite in the West because of their path is going to end up shaking out a little bit easier, um, than Colorado. Colorado is either going to have to play, you know, Winnipeg or Dallas, if not in the first round, but almost certainly in the second round. Um, whereas I think you can poke hole in, in each of the teams in the Pacific. Um, whether they played Los Angeles or Vegas, or, you know, when they have to play Vancouver, whoever it is. So I think the path, and if you're betting the Western conference, the path actually matters much more than the East because the East like those teams are just all level, like flip a coin between Florida, Carolina, Rangers, the Bruins. You can just flip a coin, um, and, and feel fine, uh, with, with how it comes out.

I think that it's a little different out west. Michael LeBoeuf of the Action Network at the big Lebowski on Twitter. My man, I appreciate your time. I'll, I'm sure that we will be communicating throughout the game tonight.

Yeah, don't be surprised if I just turn my phone off after three nothing came. Oh, stop! Don't self-medicate on this show. No, none of that. None of that stuff. Alright, man, I'll talk to you later.

Appreciate it. Alright, so, uh. You got it, Michael LeBoeuf. He can self-medicate if he's saying the canes are going to win on this show. Right, but that doesn't matter. That doesn't make it happen.

No, but I like hearing it. For the ones who work hard to ensure their crew can always go the extra mile, and the ones who get in early so everyone can go home on time, there's Grainger. Offering professional grade supplies backed by product experts so you can quickly and easily find what you need. Plus, you can count on access to a committed team ready to go the extra mile for you. Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done.