- 2 years ago
Joe Haggerty is joined today by Zig Fracassi and Josh Cooper as the Bruins roster down the stretch is set, but their struggles against bad teams continue. Joe, Zig and Josh take a closer look at how the Bruins can correct these issues before the playoffs. That, and much more!
This episode of the Pucks with Haggs Podcast is brought to you by PrizePicks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy!
Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!
This episode of the Pucks with Haggs Podcast is brought to you by PrizePicks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy!
Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!
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00:00 It's going to be interesting, Josh, when they mix Pat Maroon into this in a few weeks,
00:04 when he comes back from back surgery.
00:07 Big rig!
00:08 And they figure out a way to get him involved with the other...
00:12 That is his nickname, by the way. Like, just, you know, his nickname is the Big Rig.
00:16 Like, don't worry, you're not going to have any Jack Edwards type situations here, Josh.
00:19 You can call, you can call Pat Maroon the Big Rig all day long on the Bucks with Axe podcast.
00:25 Okay, I'm pretty sure that's his nickname. I've heard him refer to him as that.
00:29 I don't think he's going to track you down or anything.
00:31 Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Axe podcast. I believe this is the 72nd
00:41 episode of the Pucks with Axe podcast. As always, I'm your host, Joe Hagerty. You can find my work
00:46 at joehagerty.substack.com. Get a premium membership going, you can get all of my NHL
00:52 and Bruins writing sent straight directly to your inbox. I also write columns for the Boston
00:56 Sports Journal after every single Bruins game. We'll have one up right now about that 5-1 stink
01:03 bomb loss for the Bruins to the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. So check that out.
01:07 With me today, a couple of great guests. We have Ankaran, XM Sports Network, NFL radio host and
01:15 longtime contributor to Sirius XM NHL Network, Zig Farkassi. Zig, thanks for joining us, buddy.
01:22 Hags, it's been too long. How you been?
01:24 I've been great. And you are clearly, you didn't pay your electricity bill this month because you're
01:29 you're a black box over there right now. We can hear you loud and clear and the beautiful
01:35 dulcet tones of the radio voice. I can hear it very well. Longtime hockey writer Josh Cooper
01:40 with us as well. Josh Coop, how's it going on the West Coast, buddy?
01:44 Good, good. So if this is the 72nd podcast, does that make it the Frank Vetrano Bruins era?
01:51 I think it does. We we have the Gronk episode, the 69th episode of the podcast.
01:56 Gronkowski jokes at that. But before we get into the show, thank you guys for joining us. I just
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02:53 of up to $100. Pick more, pick less. It's that easy. All right. Let's start. First things first,
03:00 Zig. I'll let you get right out of the chute since I know you want to talk Bruins.
03:04 Five to one loss to the St. Louis Blues last night. Down two to nothing at the end of the
03:11 first period. Took three penalties in the first period. Horrible start to that game.
03:15 Zero engagement, zero intensity. Exactly kind of what you expect to see out of good teams that
03:22 have wrapped up their playoff spots when they play teams that are just playing out the string and
03:27 playing for jobs and all that stuff. And really, when you look at it, the way things have gone for
03:33 the Boston Bruins since the All-Star break, they're losing to every team like the St. Louis Blues.
03:39 They've lost to Calgary twice. They've lost to Washington. They got blown out by the Islanders.
03:44 They lost to Seattle. Blown out by the Blues last night. Lost to the Kings. So basically,
03:49 if you're not in the playoffs right now, the Bruins are just kind of rolling over and playing
03:54 dead against you and just not giving you a game. They're still competing hard against the playoff
03:59 teams. And they had some good games this past two weeks against Toronto and Edmonton and then
04:04 obviously the Pittsburgh game, the big city greens classic. They took care of the Penguins.
04:08 But it looks like the teams, they're taking teams for granted that come in here that aren't playoff
04:13 teams. What did you see last night against the Blues, Zig, and what have you seen lately out
04:17 of the Bruins? - Hags, I couldn't agree any more with you because usually you get a tip on when
04:23 a team is engaged or not. Like when they got that first power play, not even what, minute into the
04:29 game and they're treating the puck like it's a ping pong ball. You know that they're fighting
04:35 it a little bit. And granted, they got on the one goal, you know, it takes a funny carom off
04:42 the side boards there, but that doesn't happen if they clear the zone. Simple as that. And then
04:49 they may have gotten screwed on that Razo goal where it looked as though Krug actually played
04:54 the puck back into the Blues zone, but the refs ruled that it was not, you know, at that particular
05:00 point, a play of possession or whatever the term that they used. So bottom line is Hags that they
05:07 have played down to their competition. There's no question. And you pointed that out so very well,
05:13 but they seem to be more engaged against the better competition. They're clearly flawed.
05:19 There's no question about that. They've had problems in their defensive zone all year long.
05:24 They've been too reliant on, you know, the great goal tending tandem that they've had. And to me,
05:31 their, their bottom six hasn't been as consistent. Although I'd like that line with the,
05:37 you know, the last four or the last three there with Brazil and focused and, um,
05:42 Loco last, I thought they were their best line. So, so I don't see enough consistency,
05:48 maybe now a couple of days off practice, you know, they got Montreal on Thursday nights.
05:54 So it'll be interesting to see, but all in all hags for what was supposed to be a so-called
06:00 reset, rebuild your top five and points. Hey, anybody will take that before what's to come
06:07 supposedly next year when they got more money to spend. Yeah, no doubt. And, and I've looked at
06:13 this and talked about that this year as being kind of a transition year for them, where I actually
06:18 liked what they did at the deadline because they recognized where they are, the flaws, some of the
06:23 flaws that they have, that they weren't going to be able to address every single issue or weakness
06:27 on the roster at the trade deadline. But they added some players that are going to help them
06:32 in this particular playoff run, big, heavy, physical players, um, to, to help them give
06:37 them a little bit of a push as they can, but they weren't going to sacrifice prospects.
06:41 They weren't going to trade their 2025 first round pick. They weren't going to start trading
06:46 players to create cap space under the illusion that this team is like a Stanley cup favorite.
06:51 Um, I think in the East, the only team that looks like a Stanley cup favorite or a team that you
06:56 would expect that it's going to get that far, uh, and have a chance to win as the Florida Panthers.
07:00 I think they've shown in the second half that they're legit again, that they're playing great
07:04 hockey, that they're going to be a handful in the playoffs. Um, and, and I think Bruins fans could
07:09 take heart and should take heart though, that as much as you get on them for efforts, like our
07:14 lack of efforts, like last night, uh, against the blues, you know, as Jim Montgomery said,
07:19 after the game, you know, we have 91 points, we're a good team. We just weren't a good team
07:23 tonight. It's it's become the year where, you know, Montgomery is not going to be cracking,
07:28 cracking, uh, you know, cracking his players over the head, uh, every time they make a mistake and
07:34 killing them, um, because they're losing a game that's going to look meaningless and is going to
07:39 be forgotten next week. Um, it's about getting ready for the playoffs and making sure they're
07:44 right for them. And kind of the focus being on that, Josh, you covered, uh, plenty of playoff
07:49 teams in Nashville during your long run with the Preds. Uh, I'm sure you saw plenty of games in the
07:54 second half like this, where it was clear, uh, the Predators just kind of, you know, kissed it
08:00 goodbye and didn't really bring it and kind of just laid an egg as they were getting ready for
08:04 the playoffs. Just, you know, it's tough that it happens. And I feel bad for the fans that forked
08:09 out a lot of money for the seats to watch those kinds of games. But like, if you're a playoff
08:13 team and everything is sewn up, I think these games happen in the second half of the year.
08:17 Well, and the other thing too, is remember last year, the Bruins were sort of coasting into the
08:21 playoffs, but still winning and what happened to them. So I think there's something to be said for
08:28 a grind mentality, uh, even though they may not be as deep as they were a year ago and, you know,
08:34 they lost arguably my favorite player of the last 20 years and Patrice Bergeron, he and Jay Weber
08:41 are like kind of up there for me. It's like one, one a, but, uh, you know, what's funny, Coop,
08:47 I don't mean to cut you off, like, and we're going to get back right back to what you're saying, but
08:51 what's amazing. Some of, one of the amazing things to me is you talk to, uh, and this has happened
08:56 over the last few days, Lena Selmark, when he was talking about like sort of having a tough time,
09:01 sort of dealing with the anxiety of if he was going to get traded. And the first time he was
09:06 really, his name was tossed out there and trade rumors. And he mentioned that, that, uh, a
09:11 conversation and a text from Patrice Bergeron was really meaningful from him for him while this was
09:16 all going on. And I talked to, I talked to Jake DeBrusque yesterday, similarly, uh, about how he
09:23 was worried about, he was going to get traded. And this whole year has been stressful for him
09:26 because it's so uncertain because he's in a free agent walk year, uh, negotiations aren't really
09:32 going well with the Bruins. Uh, and it felt like either he was going to get traded or maybe he's
09:37 going to leave in free agency at the end of the year. Um, so it's been a difficult year for him
09:42 mentally too. And he talked about how Bergeron has reached out to him a bunch of times. And just
09:46 like, he's like, even though I played with the guy for as long as I did, I can't believe that a
09:51 player like that will just out and out sometimes just like, shoot me a text, say I'm thinking
09:56 things like that. So like, it speaks to what they, uh, a miss this year, uh, and are trying
10:02 to get past and sort of, you know, get over and move on from, but also be how he's still a presence
10:08 like, and he's still like helping this team in ways, even though he's been retired for a while,
10:12 he's a Bruins legend. He will always be a Bruin. And that's sort of the great thing about him is
10:16 like, and I love Zidano Charles too, but you know, you went out and played other places.
10:21 Like I don't look at him as sort of a Bruin forever versus Patrice Bergeron to me is a
10:28 lifetime Bruin. So he will always be there for these guys. And one of the things that's great
10:33 that I always say to people in LA living out here is like, you don't know how really great a guy like
10:38 Anze Kopitar truly is. Like he's a tremendous person on top of a tremendous player because we
10:43 know these guys, uh, and we know their, their character, which is just really awesome. Um,
10:49 and I always try to say that to people whenever I see anyone wearing a King shirt and I'm like,
10:54 I I've met this person. He's a great person. You know, that we all know that about Patrice
10:58 Bergeron too, but, um, in regards to the Bruins though, I just sort of think of again, last year,
11:04 we all thought they were going to cruise to the cup final. That's just not how this works. So,
11:09 and you can get hot and get rolling and get past, you know, the first round into the second round,
11:18 third, like who knows? I mean, they, they are deep enough to do that. I love their D
11:22 or at least on the top end, I love their D I love their goaltending. Um, I do love, even though he's,
11:29 his numbers are down this year, I do love Brad Marsh on, um, David posture knocks a guy you
11:34 always have to watch out for. So yeah, I mean like these games, they happen, but at the end of the
11:39 day, if you, as long as you get in, anything is possible. I mean, remember the Islanders a few
11:44 years ago, like when Barry, I mean, I know, you know, much. I love Barry trots as a coach. And
11:48 now he M what he's done in Nashville is unbelievable, but like, um, I just, I love what he
11:54 loved what he's done there, but, uh, the Islanders made the conference final two years in a row.
11:59 Who saw that coming? Like with a team that nobody thought could get past the first round. So, uh,
12:06 I liked Jim Montgomery as a coach. I think he's got the right mindset this year. They're not
12:10 playing it safe. They're, they're really going out there. And like, this is just how it works
12:16 with most teams that make the playoffs and normalcy is good. Um, I just remember how
12:22 Washington used to have all those great teams and then they would just wilt in the playoffs.
12:27 Then the one year, nobody saw them coming. They wouldn't the Stanley cup, not saying it's going
12:30 to happen with the Bruins this year, because there's a lot of really good teams, but I, I,
12:35 well, I would take this over last year as far as how they're getting in, but I would take this
12:40 with Patrice Bergeron not having him as a big problem. Yeah. And I agree with you in that
12:44 respect that facing some adversity, being pushed hard, being at forcing the players to ask each
12:50 other tough Congress, uh, questions or have tough conversations in the locker room during the
12:55 regular season and sort of sort all that stuff out. So it's not a new experience or a new phenomenon
13:01 or like just hitting you once the playoffs start, I think is definitely important. And I think that's
13:06 something that, you know, they've gone through three or four tough stretches this year. And I
13:10 think that's been very good for them to do that. Uh, in contrast to last year where they just like
13:16 rolled through everybody football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up,
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14:04 dollars. Use the code CLNS for the first deposit match up to a hundred dollars, pick more, pick
14:10 less. It's that easy. Uh, but I think it was also interesting the other day, Brad Marchand was very
14:19 like vocal about saying, look, if we don't play our hardest, if we don't give everything we have,
14:24 we're, we're not going to win even against average teams in the NHL. Like we can't just walk in and
14:30 think our skill is going to take over and we're just going to blow teams out and overwhelm them
14:34 with our depth. Like we did last year, like we have to work hard. We have to dig in defensively
14:40 and basically be a team that's playing from the goal tending on out. Uh, if we're going to have
14:45 success and we're going to win this year. And I, you know, I think it's good perspective that the
14:50 leader says that, and he has it, it definitely down and he knows exactly what this team is made
14:56 of, how they're going to have success and that they're going to get shown up by the St. Louis
14:59 blues, the Calgary flames twice, all these other teams. Um, if they're not bringing it and if they
15:04 just kind of think they're going to show up and something good is going to happen.
15:07 Do you take any concern or you have any concern just of the phenomenon of playing down to
15:14 competition? Um, given that, you know, their record is overwhelmingly good against playoff
15:20 caliber teams, teams that are in the playoff structure this year. Yeah, it can, although
15:25 technically hags, if you look at it, the blues, well, I guess mathematically are still in the mix
15:32 because they definitely are. They're about six points out of a wild card spot. So they're,
15:35 they're playing for Sunday. Clearly they're playing hard last night because they still are
15:39 within shouting distance of the playoffs. Right. And, and if you want to make an argument, you
15:44 could say that they actually outplayed the Bruins when they played in St. Louis, but Boston wound up
15:49 stealing two points and maybe they had a little bit of a revenge on their mind. So, you know,
15:55 so yeah, it, to me then, then that says, you know, are, are they mentally focused when they should be,
16:03 you know, taking care of these bottom teams, but at the same time, I think along what Josh was
16:09 saying here is to maybe even last year when everything was going so well, they were trying
16:16 to be, excuse me, so darn perfect that when you're playing against even the teams that you're
16:22 supposed to beat and you, you know, obliterate them, then, you know, do you spend too much energy
16:29 doing that? So I think that's where Maddie's trying to sort of fine tune this game. You know,
16:35 now they got to be without Bergeron and crazy in the playoffs. So I'm sure he's thinking of those
16:39 adjustments. I think he, you know, maybe at some point you want to start inserting some kids out of
16:45 Providence, get them a little bit of playing time and spell these guys. Like for example, yesterday,
16:50 if coil wasn't feeling a hundred percent and they had Johnny Beecher on the ice for the pregame,
16:56 why not play him? I know you're losing your top center, but the same time you're letting coil
17:02 rest and then be ready for the next game and give Beecher who's actually been good in Providence
17:07 lately, give him, you know, a few shifts and that kind of thing. So I think they got to reconcile
17:13 a few things. And obviously I, I see the rest of the schedule hags. I know there's Carolina,
17:19 couple times more Florida, a couple times more Tampa yet, but then you've got Montreal, you've
17:25 got the Ottawa's, you've got some teams on there that you're going to, you would think that they
17:30 should be able to beat rather handily. So to me, it's just going to be kind of, I would call it
17:35 juggling Jim. How do you try to get through these last 15 games, which by the way, I think they
17:41 played the most games already of everybody in the NHL. So you got that factor going for him too.
17:48 So maybe a little fatigue setting in as well. Yeah. I mean, the fatigue thing is definitely
17:52 real. And I think that has hit them at times this year. And I think part of that is because Jim
17:58 Montgomery plays his top guys a little too much at times. And I agreed if that is, you know,
18:04 and part of it also was that he did not have a fourth line, I think in the first half of the
18:08 year that he felt could handle more than eight or nine minutes in a game. So it was problematic
18:13 where you you're playing posture neck 22, 23 minutes a night. You're playing a 35 year old
18:20 Brad Marshan 20 minutes a night. You're playing Charlie McAvoy, huge. I think you played 26
18:24 minutes last night. He's played big minutes totals a lot this year. Lindholm when he gets healthy and
18:30 he's fully up and operational plays big minutes as well. So there are players that I think he's
18:36 he rides too hard. And I think there are times where they hit a little bit of a wall and the
18:41 fatigue definitely affects the performance. And you can see that a bright side of that game.
18:47 And this was the classic game last night where Montgomery said afterwards that the fourth line
18:52 was our best line. And that is usually always a slap at the rest of the team and a sign that the
18:57 team lost when the hockey coach talks, waxes poetic about how great the fourth line was and that it
19:03 was the best line. But it was in that game last night, Justin Brezow had that goal that ended up
19:08 getting called back because it was challenged for offsides. Whether that was a good call or not,
19:13 we could argue that one all day, but like, and it was a nice, it was a great move by Brezow to take
19:18 the puck down low. He got a bounce, but he got a bounce because he went down low with force and
19:23 was crashing the net hard with the puck and doing exactly what a six foot five wing or a power forward
19:28 type guy should be doing. And I've been impressed with him and his willingness to do that, win
19:34 battles, take the puck hard to the net, all that stuff. I like him a lot as a player, but they
19:39 found something with him and Bo Quist playing center, who is over five in the face off circle
19:44 last night, continues to struggle to win face offs, but at least he's bringing speed, two-way
19:49 hockey, 200 feet hockey, and an anxiety to the other team because of the speed that he has when
19:54 he attacks them. And Lelko, I think is a good player too. And has been a very effective at
20:00 times can pop in a goal every once in a while and certainly will play on the edge in his physical.
20:04 It's going to be interesting though, because it seems like they're starting to form an identity
20:09 a little bit as a fourth line. It's going to be interesting, Josh, when they mix Pat Maroon into
20:14 this in a few weeks, when he comes back from back surgery, and they figure out a way to get him
20:21 involved with the other. - That is his nickname, by the way,
20:24 like just, you know, that his nickname is the big rig. - Don't worry, you're not going to have any
20:28 Jack Edwards type situations here. You can call, you could call Pat Maroon the big rig all day
20:34 long on the Pucks with Hags podcast. - Okay, I'm pretty sure that's his nickname.
20:38 I've heard him referred to as that. - I don't think he's going to track
20:41 you down or anything. - Okay, well, he's also been great to me in my career as far as giving
20:46 me interviews and stuff. So I've always been appreciative. And I just shout out to him,
20:50 that's just his nickname. But you know what's fascinating though? You mentioned adding Pat
20:54 Maroon. I'm just thinking, and first off, I mean, that guy's a winner and he's just won everywhere.
20:59 So adding him is great, but this is just such an NHL thing, right? I'm looking at the standings
21:06 right now. And when you add essentially the overtime losses, the Bruins are only 38 and 29.
21:13 - Right. - I mean, like-
21:15 - They would drop down in the standings if it was about regulation wins, there's no question.
21:19 - I mean, I'm looking at say the Red Wings right here, they're essential, and we're talking about
21:23 how, you know, rebirth of the Red Wings this year. They're essentially 33 and 31. I mean,
21:29 it's just, it's so wild. - Hey guys, can I interject here
21:33 just for a second to further up Josh's point? And Pags, I put this out on my ex account there at
21:40 Zig Sports Voice. A team like the Bruins could finish 41, 21, and 20. So if you look at the
21:48 mathematics, that says 102 points, right? That's a good year. But if you use Josh's logic, which
21:56 is so accurate, that's a 500 season. Think about that. - Well, they're approaching the NHL,
22:03 record for overtime shootout losses. It's 18. And they would break the record if they get to 20,
22:10 but it speaks to a couple of different things. It speaks to that they're not good in overtime
22:16 at all, just bad three on three overtime team. - Won't matter in the playoffs, which is good.
22:20 - But no, which, yeah, correct. That doesn't matter in the playoffs, but it also speaks to
22:24 their inability to extend leads in the third period. And they're constantly white knuckling
22:29 one goal games in the third period where they're blowing leads and then going overtime. That has
22:34 happened a lot. They've allowed a lot of goals when the other team pulls their goalie in the
22:38 final minutes. Those are the kind of things when you watch this team day in and day out that you
22:43 know is going to come back to haunt them come playoff time when it's going to be tight, one
22:47 goal games everywhere, and they're not going to be able to close teams out in the third period.
22:50 - Oh, I mean, and that's something I remember covering Nashville. What was so important was
22:57 that Barry Trotz, when he was the head coach there, and I saw him do this in Washington,
23:01 I saw him do this. I mean, as you can tell, I'm a card-carrying member of the Barry Trotz fan club.
23:06 - Yeah, yeah. - He's a hell of a coach.
23:08 - But he's also probably a Hall of Fame coach at this point. So I mean-
23:11 - Absolutely. - I mean, they would lock leads down.
23:15 Like one goal, they knew how to shut it down. And it's hard, especially, and it was easier back then
23:20 when offense wasn't as good. - Well, it's also easier when you
23:23 have Shea Weber, like- - And Ryan Stewart.
23:26 - Yeah. - And Ryan Stewart, yeah.
23:27 - 100%. - Roman Trotz is on the second pair.
23:30 - That's kind of the difference now, is like Charlie McAvoy, I love him as a defenseman.
23:34 He's a really good defenseman. He's very Drew Doughty-esque, but he's not Zidane O'Chair
23:39 when it comes to shutting down the other team at the end of games, and neither is Hampus Lindholm.
23:43 They don't have that classic sort of shut down guy that's just going to lock it down
23:48 at the end of games. On the back end, like, you know, winning battles in front of the net,
23:55 and they also don't have Patrice Bergeron anymore, who used to always play in those
23:58 situations, win face-offs, where they could get it out of the zone and avoid all that trouble
24:03 in their own end. So you can put those two things together and you can see why they have trouble
24:08 late in games. - So I'm going to actually make a really
24:12 weird assumption here on that. Maybe it's because the kids like playing video games too much,
24:16 and they like the offense too much. - Well, that's part of it too.
24:20 - Could be. - And they don't like to play defense
24:22 nearly as much as, say, Zidane O'Chair, who I believe would read books, or Patrice Bergeron.
24:29 I'm just kidding. - Read nine languages.
24:31 - But you're talking about guys who had incredible sense and size and were really
24:40 genetic and, in some respects, mental freaks as far as how good they were. Don't forget Pecorine
24:47 too was the first huge goaltender who could move that fast in Nashville. But the Bruins have great
24:54 goalies too. They really have incredible goaltending. They should be able to lock these
24:59 leads down. But yeah, I'm just honestly, Hags and Zig, looking up and down the NHL standings,
25:06 the Islanders are essentially in a playoff spot. And if you count overtime losses, they are 29-35.
25:15 I mean, there's so much parity in this league. I wouldn't be shocked if the Bruins lost the game
25:22 to Ottawa down the stretch. But that's just the way the league is right now. And that's why I also
25:27 have incredible faith that the Bruins could go on to run in the playoffs is because there is so much
25:32 parity. - And the goaltending.
25:34 - And the equalizer. - And that they're not the favorite
25:38 this year. - Which is great.
25:40 - Yep. - It's great.
25:43 Now the pressure's on Florida. Florida's not the team that nobody saw coming except one person who
25:50 was a former athletic writer who picked them to go to the Stanley Cup final right here.
25:54 - His name's Josh Cooper. - But that's only 'cause nobody saw them
25:59 coming. So I could see the Bruins going on a run like that because I do think they have a lot of
26:06 really good pieces. They're very well coached. And you know who? I mean, I could see it happening.
26:14 Is it likely? No, but like, I mean, I could see it happening.
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27:36 I think with their goaltending, anything is possible in the playoffs, especially if like
27:43 Jeremy Swayman, who it's really been his year, you know, he's really stepped up and elevated his game
27:47 and kind of ascended to another level. And if he all of a sudden gets hot in the playoffs and starts
27:54 throwing together performances, I think that could change the dynamic quite a bit, as it would with
28:00 any team, like if it gets a hot goal in the playoffs, that is still a phenomenon that I
28:04 very much believe in that can give you success. Zig, some great defensive efforts before this
28:12 St. Louis game allowed one goal in regulation and four straight to Toronto twice, Edmonton once,
28:20 and Pittsburgh once again in that big city greens classic game that we love so much.
28:25 So do you, how much did you read into those four performances against high wattage offenses,
28:33 really, really good offensive players as to like them being able when the time is right to step up
28:40 the defensive play to be better defensively in front of their elite goaltending and frankly,
28:48 play the way that you're going to have to play in the playoffs to have success?
28:50 Well, I think it was after the Islanders game, when Madi got into the grill of the leadership
28:58 group and he didn't reveal what he said, but you could tell that there was an emphasis Hags
29:04 that Monday night game in Toronto to really clamp things down. Now granted,
29:08 it wasn't total perfection, but it was clearly a message that they were playing, you know,
29:14 both ends of the ice very well. Uh, so they clamped them down the Monday night and then
29:19 Tuesday they should have beat Edmonton. If, if Heinen hits the empty net there, make it two,
29:24 nothing. I don't think you get the overtime. And then, you know, the Harlem globe trotters that
29:30 are the oilers there with high sidle and McDavid when it in overtime. So I thought that was kind
29:35 of a misnomer. Uh, I thought they took advantage of the rematch against Toronto because they had a
29:40 tough game against Buffalo the night before, but still very solid defensively. Then the game
29:47 Hags, like you called the big green special there, which I can tell you're, you're a big fan of
29:52 there. And it's kind of like my son, my 10 year old son lives a big city greens. So he was cool.
29:57 I enjoyed it. Oh yeah. But, uh, to that point now they granted, they allowed over 40 shots.
30:05 So, I mean, Pittsburgh was taking a ton of shots, but I think that was a game Hags were, maybe that
30:11 was a statement, uh, by all Mark to management. Like, uh, you're not trading me here. And I don't
30:19 doubt for a minute that Donnie was pursuing trades, by the way, I honestly think, and I know
30:26 Elliot Friedman was reporting about that. He definitely did. And it seemed as though it was
30:30 the Kings that was the destination, right? Yes. But the thing is the all-mark trade, wasn't just
30:37 going to happen by itself. The all-mark trade was going to be part of a, uh, some dominoes
30:42 to make another move, right? You weren't going to get a lot for all Mark. The only reason you were
30:48 going to trade all Mark is to get salary cap space. Um, you know, it's in a little freedom
30:53 to be able to make another move or two because like, let, let, you know, anybody that has covered
30:58 the league for a while knows you're not going to get a lot of value for trading goalies. Like
31:02 you're just not going to, even if it's a reigning Vesna trophy winner, you're not going to get some
31:06 like young NHL guy. That's going to be an impact player for you. Some like top prospect, you're not
31:11 going to get a first round pick. Like you're not going to get any of that stuff. If you're trading,
31:15 uh, Lena sell Mark, even if he does agree to wave is no trade and go somewhere else. But I,
31:20 there were two things going on in that game against Pittsburgh. You're absolutely right.
31:24 There was, um, Lena saw Mark, uh, Jake DeBrusque, like a number of Bruins players playing extremely
31:32 well. I think what the weight of the tread trade deadline off of that, when they were,
31:38 they were sticking around just playing free, uh, almost celebratory the way they were playing
31:44 that they didn't get traded. And that, you know, the anxiety was over and you could tell just by
31:48 the way that they were playing now, on the other hand, Pittsburgh, I think that was like a one game
31:54 protest for them trading Jake Gunsel. I, I, you, I'd never seen bigger no-shows from Evgeny Malkin
32:00 and Sidney Crosby in my life than that game where I don't think either one of them had a shot on net.
32:04 Like how often does that happen in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins where both of them
32:08 are just ghosts in the same game. Uh, and I think that was because they were upset that
32:13 their sellers now and their, their situation. And, you know, uh, I think coop wants to get into this,
32:18 but them being off at Kyle Dubas, uh, for trading, uh, one of their guys and for sort of waving the
32:24 white flag, which is something Pittsburgh is not used to, uh, come trade deadline time. So let's,
32:29 let's wing around the league a little bit and coop, uh, hit us on Dubas and Pittsburgh and
32:34 anything else you want to talk about league-wide. Oh, yeah, well, it does. It's crazy to see
32:40 Pittsburgh being sellers. Sidney Crosby is one of my favorite players to have covered in my entire
32:46 life. Um, it's like that generation of Canadian guys that won the gold medal in 2010, which I
32:52 know that part of that too. Yeah. And Bergeron Shay Weber, like all those guys and you just sort
32:59 of move onwards. Chris Prater, um, you know, the 2016 world cup, also those guys watching them play
33:06 the way they played the professionalism with, with which they acted was second to none. Um, so,
33:12 and I love Sidney Crosby and I love watching him play to see the Penguins be sellers and not just
33:17 that they traded one of his guys. Like Jake Gensel is a Crosby guy. We know Crosby can't play with,
33:25 I don't want to say can't play, but he does. He seems to mesh better with grinder type guys
33:32 than sort of these kind of fluff goalscoring is right. And Jake Gensel was one of Sidney
33:37 Crosby's guys. And so him to get traded and you have a new GM in there, you had high expectations
33:43 coming into the season with Eric Carlson coming in and it didn't work. I mean, what's, but also
33:48 we have to look at the fact that Kyle Dubas wasn't left with a lot either in regards to Ron Hex,
33:54 it's all kind of destroyed a lot of what had been built up before. Yeah. It's an aging,
34:00 it's an aging that needs to be like the Bruins are doing that. They're sort of facing,
34:06 they're about a year or two behind the Bruins. As far as that like transition goes, you can see it
34:11 coming where they're aging guys are going to be phased out eventually. And they've got to like
34:15 pivot to some younger players. And well, but you still have got, I mean, with the exception of
34:20 Carlson, you still have Malkin and Crosby under contract at good rates, right. Who were performing
34:26 above their contract level. And to me, that's the biggest thing is how did this happen? And I could
34:32 see the protest, you know, I'm at the point now where I'm just like trades, get him someplace
34:39 where he can win one more cup. I mean, I, I mean, I, there was always the joke that one of the
34:46 Bruins players, I think it was Marshawn was going to Pittsburgh. Well, it's like, well, maybe Sid
34:50 goes to Boston. I, I, I have Nova Scotia, buddy, Brad that he works. I know, I know. Maybe they
34:57 send to Colorado to play with Nathan McKinnon, one of his friends. Well, here's two guys. Here's
35:03 two things I would add to that conversation. One, and to Josh's point about Malkin, should they have
35:10 traded him or Lateng maybe a year earlier? And two, let's not forget, they got a new ownership
35:17 group now, Benway group, Agnews, obviously from time in Boston. I start to wonder too,
35:24 where are the priorities with them? Because you've got the red socks, they own soccer teams.
35:30 If I'm a penguins fan or a red socks fan, I'm starting to wonder, yeah, did he, do these guys
35:36 have my, are they going to be competitive? Cause they got too many irons in the fire.
35:41 Yeah, no, the portfolio is the priority. Right. And my sports group, it's not any of those teams.
35:47 It's, it's the, you know, collection of, uh, the, the business and the portfolio and how it performs
35:54 like I, I, I knew it was going to take a few years for them to really sort of, um,
36:01 flex their muscle ownership wise and do what they want to do. Uh, but it's going to turn
36:07 into what the red socks are, which is they don't spend money. They're not competitive,
36:10 right. You know, and, and red socks are the best now they really are. And rightfully so with the
36:19 team, especially the prices that they pay to go to Fenway park and the payroll that they should
36:24 have and have had in the past. So I think that's starting to happen with Pittsburgh too. But like
36:34 to Zig's point, I mean, I, when they locked all these aging players up to extensions and didn't
36:39 trade any of them, I was like, this is not going to end well. Um, it's not going to end well for
36:43 Mike Sullivan either. Um, yeah, a very good coach. He's an excellent coach, but like, he's in a tough
36:50 spot right now where he's got aging players with egos that are locked into that have contract
36:56 security. And, you know, there's not much he can do except keep playing and keep rolling them out
37:00 there and playing them and hope that, you know, that the results are different. Um,
37:05 last couple of years where they're a borderline playoff team or not in at all.
37:12 It, it seeing Sid play for nothing. It's it sucks. Like it really is because when he's playing for
37:19 something, I remember my favorite NBA player was Dirk Novitskiy. And when he had something to play
37:25 for the playoffs, watching him just like go from regular season, Dirk, who was a good player
37:31 to post season Dirk, who just like, but the exception of a couple of series that I recall,
37:36 just completely dominated and become a different player. And you see that with NBA players all the
37:41 time because their regular season is so long. I mean, that's just what Sid is like the beautiful
37:47 backhand, like the way he just is the first guy in the corner getting hit, making the play.
37:52 It mean that's him in the playoffs and well, it's going to be a very fascinating summer for him.
38:00 There, there was one thing I didn't want to talk about hags and you know, this very well.
38:04 Yes. Talk about it, Josh. Yeah. So I see the Bruins have the two spot right now,
38:10 the Maple Leafs have the three. So at least we know the Bruins will get to the second round of
38:14 the playoffs. Oh, here we go. There it is hurting feelings up in Toronto. I mean,
38:21 at least you don't have to, when they make a trade, at least we're not like, what does Kyle
38:25 Dubas know that we don't know now? What does he think he knows that we do? Joel Edmondson. Whoa.
38:32 It's like, we're not thinking that with Brad for living. And I'm happy about that.
38:39 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, another team that the team that the, a long time Bruins antagonist,
38:47 actually wait, if you have to be an antagonist, you have to actually beat the team. Right.
38:51 So that means that they're not the antagonist. They're just, you know,
38:54 it's not a rivalry if it's one sided in the Bruins, just keep kicking the crap out of the
39:00 Toronto Maple Leafs when they play them in the playoffs. That's not a rivalry until the other
39:04 side actually wins a wins around. But I mean, look, they do have a guy who scores a lot of
39:10 goals in Austin Matthews. It's the hardest thing to do in the NHL is to score a goal. So maybe
39:15 that's the X factor in the playoffs, but I need to see it from him. I still think David Pasternak,
39:22 you know, like money down one game winner take all you have to pick one superstar between those
39:28 two. I'm taking pastor neck, even though he had a bit of a lackluster post-season last year, but
39:33 that's a write off for everyone. But I think right now, if the Bruins play the Maple Leafs in
39:39 the first round, I I'm at least taking the Bruins, which again, gives me hope because then for the
39:43 Bruins, because then you can go to the second round and who knows what happens. Yeah. So once
39:49 you get out of the wild west of the first round is as your namesake, the coach down there in Tampa
39:54 Bay, who was fond of saying like anything can happen, you know, it's about getting out of the
40:00 craziness of the first round and making sure that you can advance. And then once you get out of that
40:08 first round, things get a little sort of more normal by rhythmically in the playoffs and you
40:13 can get a little more of a pulse for it. But like there's so many crazy things that happen in the
40:17 first round of the playoffs. So many like teams that go into the playoffs, whether it's teams
40:24 that have like long, long since locked up their postseason bid or teams that were like playing
40:29 like it was the playoffs for the last six weeks of the season. When those two teams sort of meet
40:33 each other in the first round, I think a lot of insane, crazy things can happen because they're
40:38 at such different intensity levels to start things off. And it doesn't even even up usually in those
40:43 first round series until you get a few games into it. And then by that point, it can be too late.
40:48 If a really hungry team that's, you know, been playing for their lives for two months, all of
40:52 a sudden, you know, wins a couple of games right out of the bat and, and has the other team down,
40:57 you know, has a stranglehold on the other team, Zig, anything league wide that you have seen
41:03 that you're hot on or that you want to talk about or any observations you have that you want to
41:07 throw out there right now? Well, it's going to be interesting hags with the sea, the man mountain
41:14 Dean there, the new phenom for the Rangers, Rempe, I guess he's going to have a hearing today.
41:19 And you know, and I was going to talk about this too. I love it. Yeah. Cause let's face it. He is
41:26 not back down from any challenge and you got to like that about the young man. And he, if you stand
41:32 him in front of the net, the Rangers could score every time on the power play if they wanted, but
41:36 the elbowing incident last night against New Jersey, uh, you know, wound up being, I think it
41:42 was a five minute penalty and all that. So I'm going to be curious how much, um, how many games
41:49 he gets because he's not a prior, uh, offender. And I know, uh, McDermott, the tough guy that
41:54 the devil's just got said he lost respect for him. I mean, the guy's been in the league for what?
41:59 Five minutes. It's amazing that you got all this respect already, but maybe there's a team now
42:05 hags that's kind of short changed the last few years. The Rangers, uh, maybe getting with it
42:12 because I think they are dangerous coming out of the East. I believe that I, I agree with you.
42:17 I mean, they've got a ton of skill. They've got a lot of players that are in their like late twenties
42:22 that are very good, that are kind of in the prime of their career rider. Yep. The playoffs go like
42:27 you go down the list and they've got a lot of young talent on that team. They've got very good
42:30 goaltending. Um, you know, Rempe, I think adds an X factor too. And like, you know, I heard some of
42:38 the McDermott stuff. I heard Mike Johnson on NHL network on TV, uh, kind of ripping Rempe a little
42:44 bit, really like disparaging him for, for, you know, not only the hit, but also like waving
42:50 goodbye to everybody when he was leaving. And you know, the history on X, after he was out of the
42:55 game and like kind of saying like guys around the league are going to lose respect for him. Um,
43:00 but like, I don't think he cares. Like, I think he strikes me as a guy that approaches, like,
43:06 he's got a Tom Wilson kind of approach, uh, to the way he plays and he knows, and this was the way
43:13 Brad Martian was when he first came up with the Bruins is he had in his head that if he didn't
43:18 play that way, he wasn't going to stay in the league. Like that was the only way he was going
43:21 to be able to stick around. That's how he was going to carve out an identity. That's how he
43:25 was going to, you know, win his bones and carve out his niche in the NHL was to be a guy that was
43:31 playing on the edge that might throw a questionable hit, you know, every now and then that might get
43:35 suspended a few times that was going to like, keep stepping on the line and over the line to see how
43:40 many times he could do it. Um, versus how many times he was going to get in trouble for it. And
43:46 I think Renpe is that kind of guy. He's not going to dazzle you with the skill. He's not going to be
43:50 the kind of player that's going to be, you know, scoring Trevor Z grass goals and getting kids,
43:54 trying the Michigan and hockey practices everywhere, uh, from here to Peoria, uh,
43:59 at youth hockey practices, because they just look at his hands and they look what he does with the
44:03 puck. And they're amazed. This is a giant, massive piece of physicality that can be a factor with the
44:10 big body around the net. Certainly we'll score a share of goals and a show. And he can play a
44:14 little bit, no doubt, no doubt about it, but he's going to make it. And he's going to stay in the
44:19 league by being physical, by going after guys, by throwing big hits, by fighting when he's challenged,
44:24 especially early in his career, when he first comes up by making a name for himself,
44:28 where from now on, when somebody is looking for a big physical forward, they're going to say to
44:33 themselves, we need a Matt Renpe kind of player. Like he, he will turn into that because there's
44:37 so few guys that play like that in the league now. So like, do I, did I lose respect for Renpe
44:44 for any of the stuff that he did last night? No, I didn't. Because I think I've thought from the
44:48 time I watched him play, that's like a Tom Wilson. Like he's definitely trying to play that style.
44:54 And he wants to come in, you know, really be bold, like make people create a lot of anxiety on the
45:00 other team, stir the crap up and, you know, play physical and see what happens. And, you know,
45:05 I'm glad that you brought that up Zig, because I was, I was thinking the same thing. Like I wanted
45:09 to talk about it because I've really liked the way the guys played. I don't think there's enough
45:14 players in the league that play that way, to be honest with you. I think sometimes the NHL is way
45:19 too comfortable with the way that they play. Way too many guys are comfortable where there's not
45:23 enough guys like this that are like bringing that intensity during the regular season. And I think
45:29 there needs to be a little more of that. And certainly guys that would be willing to drop the
45:32 gloves when the, when the situation calls for it. And, and I think him getting the notoriety that
45:38 he's gotten him getting people talking like he has, I think the NHL should be paying attention
45:43 to that. And I think more players that are his size and strength level should be paying attention
45:47 to that. Oh, absolutely. And him being in New York to go ahead, Josh. No, I was going to say,
45:52 I'd like to see where he was on like prospect ratings. I haven't even honestly looked at it.
45:57 Yeah. This season just only cause you know, how do you whiff on like the number one and number
46:05 two pick essentially if you're the Rangers and then you get hit so like, well, that guy
46:11 it blows my mind. I'm sorry, Ziggy. I'll let you go. No, no, no. I was just going to, I was just
46:18 basically reinforcing what hag says too. And it gives the Rangers an element that quite frankly,
46:25 you know, they haven't had in a lot of years too. So that was to me, it makes them more dangerous
46:30 when the playoffs approach. Absolutely. Um, the Rangers are another team, the Rangers and the
46:37 Panthers. I look at as the teams that are the most dangerous going into the playoffs. No question.
46:41 And have kind of emerged as the teams that you don't want to play, uh, in the post season. Um,
46:47 they play the canes tonight, hags that ought to be pretty good. Should be, should be a very good.
46:52 Uh, and I think that's going to be, you know, the canes have been a little bit of a
46:56 disappointment I think this year, but like, I think that's also a team that's got a lot of
47:00 experience that, you know, come playoff time. That could be a little bit of a different story
47:03 too. If their goaltending is Anderson's back, that's good. Yeah. As long as their goaltending
47:09 is stable. I think that could be an interesting one to watch. Um, all right, Josh Cooper,
47:14 Zig for Cassie. Thank you very much for joining us. I appreciate it. Um, let's also thank prize
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48:02 deposit match of up to a hundred dollars. Uh, while listening to the pucks with hags, the podcast,
48:07 which is powered by prize picks, the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the CLNS network pick
48:13 more, pick less. It's that easy. Josh Cooper. Thank you very much for joining us. Thank you.
48:18 This was great. Zig. Thank you very much for joining us. I hope they turn the lights on
48:21 wherever you're at. Thanks. Hags Josh. Nice meeting you, man. Nice to meet you too. All right.
48:27 Thanks everybody for listening. We'll see you at the race.
48:36 [inaudible].
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