00:00Blackhawks 6 no 7 30 pregame 8 30 game I knew that Brian Kozio will have pre and post tonight
00:08and joins us now to talk about the second to last game of the regular season the playoff
00:13possibilities and the master assuming we have time to do all this and Brian's schedule is tight
00:18Brian how'd you do today good we uh we faced St. Joe's they're a very good team we had
00:24we had a scrimmage format but for the for the guys that would be in the starting lineup they
00:29they beat beat us three to two but very close so we were happy because they're they're one of the
00:33better programs in the area so I was happy with the outcome this is boys tennis sweet home tennis
00:38boys boys tennis yes sweet home versus St. Joe's today yes throw out those record books good deal
00:43yes in in in what started early on as hurricane force winds for those that don't know not very
00:50pleasant high school tennis conditions with those wins but it's dialed down a little as the day as
00:55the afternoon went on good so let's start with the hockey game tonight Brian the weekend played out
01:00uh no Sabres game you know since when Thursday yep so a few days off here uh it could have
01:07been worse
01:08right Tampa gets the win in Boston after having lost late last week and then Montreal loses last night
01:15to the Islanders or wins last night before after losing to a Columbus right I meant to say so um
01:21it's in
01:21the Sabres hands Brian yeah and I guess that's really all they could ask for I mean we have been
01:28obviously for months talking about how everybody in the Atlantic just continues to win and you'd like
01:34to think that the Sabres maybe could have had it wrapped up already but hey I mean you know maybe
01:39it'll keep them quote focused I guess I don't know down the stretch here in these this final week but
01:45um yeah I mean for as historical as they had put on since that December 9th date that we keep
01:51referring
01:52to it feels like it's been it feels like it's been hard work and then you look back and you're
01:57like
01:58man they have had such a good record you feel like that they should have had this division clinched for
02:03like two weeks already by now um and we're here we are still thinking they could start on the road
02:09like really like that's a possibility still with two games left and officially it is I mean
02:14it's trending very well for them to have home ice and I think with the two opponents they're playing
02:19with Dallas essentially also having nothing to play for that it you know it looks good for them to
02:25maybe get this Atlantic division title and you know for whatever it's worth to hanging a banner
02:29telling the story of this season that was going down the path of nowhere again and you know maybe we'll
02:36look up at it years from now and say that was the year they were in dead last in the
02:40east and they
02:40ended up winning the division and it was maybe because of a GM change and the team was the same
02:45like it'll be a good story I feel like for years to come if we can get that banner up
02:49there yeah the
02:49banner the banner makes that conversation more likely yeah that's right like years can sort of get lost
02:54you know which year was that what yeah not that this year will be confused with anything because
02:59they're ending a 14 season playoff drought so I mean everyone's going to know that part of it but
03:03yeah I think it's funny like I feel like maybe it's not doesn't make sense to separate the two
03:13things but I want first place and that makes me not care who they play and then if you tell
03:19me well
03:20getting first place means that that brings Ottawa into the possible scenario and that's the team I'm the
03:26most worried about I'm still going to tell you I want first place even though Ottawa like my desire to
03:31avoid Ottawa is trumped by having home ice at least through the first two rounds of the playoffs
03:38I agree I think to me by winning the division I'm taking away the possibility of playing Tampa
03:45which is to me I think if you said avoiding Tampa more important than not wanting to play Ottawa like
03:54I think I'll still take that if it means it comes with a division title and you're right
03:57this team also is not in my opinion like oh they just got in how great they broke the drought
04:04like it wasn't like the Tyrod Taylor Bills team going to Jacksonville well you were we kind of knew
04:10like they're not winning the Super Bowl but how great was it that they got in the Cincinnati miracle
04:15play to get them in you know you felt good for all these players now the fact I'm like this
04:20team
04:21can beat anybody in the Eastern Conference like not only did they break the drought which is great but
04:25the storyline should now shift to how really far can they go so winning the division getting home
04:30ice as much as possible for whatever value that is I think there's some value in that and maybe
04:36I if you want me to say it's a teeny bit more valuable for a team that has a lot
04:41of players that
04:42have never played in the postseason before that I'll listen to that even a little more I don't know
04:46how much truly value there is but for a team that has less playoff experience than others having them
04:52start in as a better if it's a better comfort zone for them a better supportive atmosphere
04:57then fine then go for it and win that division I know you would have been working obviously but the
05:02game the last game TNT had was the was the last game right it was the Columbus game yeah um
05:07Brian
05:08Boucher made the case for the opposite saying basically like home there'll be pressure it's going to be
05:17intense no matter where you're playing but if you're home the younger players might feel more
05:22pressure and therefore I might like to open on the road with a team that's never been there
05:27whereas I'm more with you Brian I'm thinking about like I don't know Noah Osland or really any of
05:33these guys Tate Thompson's I mean he's been on the world stage now with the Olympics so bad example
05:38same with Darlene um but you know younger guys I'm thinking like Montreal game one oh my god
05:44like they're to be like their legs would be shaking literally standing there on the blue line with the
05:49anthem playing just because of the intensity of the crowd that might happen at home anyway you know
05:55like it's gonna be the adrenaline is gonna be something I think these guys everyone can tell them to be
06:02ready for it but until you're feeling it and you know when you're feeling your adrenaline getting the
06:08best of you it can be very hard to corral they have said numerous times during this good stretch
06:16here how much energy they get off of the home crowd being back engaged in the games again and you
06:24know
06:24I've told you that like obviously throughout this whole drought there's not many times where the crowd
06:30you feel like can will the puck out on a penalty kill and or you know give them that standing
06:37ovation
06:37after they have puck possession for like two minutes straight and the other team can't change or what
06:42or now in this you know kind of change now where they are literally dropping the gloves at any moment
06:48if any teammate gets sort of taken advantage of like and the crowd responding to that they have all talked
06:53about that the players of how they feed off of that energy how that has helped them on the bench
06:58and keep that intensity up so I want to take it for that they they would value that even though
07:04it maybe I
07:05guess it could add more home pressure than it would be if they did start on the road where I
07:09guess you
07:10say you have less to lose kind of thing so I this team vocally has said they they value that
07:15support
07:15from the crowd so I think I'm still I understand what Brian Boucher is saying that I still think I'm
07:19still I have a stronger argument to say give me the home building for that opening night I think just
07:25to
07:26weigh in it's more about the end of the series I don't need to be at home for game one
07:30but I want to be at
07:31home for game seven I think if it goes that far home teams win 54 percent of games don't worry
07:38about
07:38the crowd it's it's still you know you're a little bit better than a coin flip but not but not
07:43much
07:43with Brian Kozio all right much more on the Sabres of course by the pregame show which Brian will be
07:48hosting at 7 30 and we'll have our conversation coming up here later this hour with Paul Hamilton
07:54who's in Chicago that was earlier today
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