WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 Hello, hello. Welcome to Hockey on the Beach. 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.599 Welcome to Florida. Daria and Kim, we're right 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:10.000 here for you. And we have to congratulate Team 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:13.339 USA, men and women, so we don't get any weird 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.219 stuff going on around us. Yeah, congrats, guys 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:20.000 and girls, everyone. We're so happy. And so let's 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:24.100 start with that. Ken, how was your Olympic day, 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:28.239 the gold Olympic day, the final? It was fantastic. 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:32.469 And the game, I think, was everything that people 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:35.950 had anticipated, minus the fighting, of course. 00:00:36.250 --> 00:00:39.170 Everybody kind of thought back to the U .S.-Canada 00:00:39.170 --> 00:00:41.549 Four Nations Cup games, where there was a lot 00:00:41.549 --> 00:00:44.409 of fighting, a lot of physical stuff in there. 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:46.770 We didn't see a lot of that in the gold medal 00:00:46.770 --> 00:00:49.189 game. Of course, the big reason is it's not allowed. 00:00:49.390 --> 00:00:51.570 If you're fighting, you're automatically thrown 00:00:51.570 --> 00:00:54.549 out, and that's the end of it. But very entertaining 00:00:54.549 --> 00:00:57.649 game. It was also the most watched sporting event 00:00:57.649 --> 00:01:02.359 ever. in the United States before 9 a .m. because 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:06.180 it had the 8 o 'clock face -off. It was fantastic. 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.280 Kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I did 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.040 get a little worried at times because Canada, 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:19.159 I felt, had the upper hand. They kind of... dictated 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.599 the pace of play. They had 42 shots on goal. 00:01:21.739 --> 00:01:24.819 U .S. only had 28. And I was disappointed that 00:01:24.819 --> 00:01:27.299 Hellebuck didn't win the most valuable player 00:01:27.299 --> 00:01:28.939 in the tournament, and they gave it to McDavid. 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:32.239 I thought Hellebuck should have won that because 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:34.739 he had an outstanding tournament. But the game 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:39.599 was great. Lots of drama, lots of up -and -down 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:43.780 play, which is what us hockey fans like to see. 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:46.900 in championship game sorry about the noises i 00:01:46.900 --> 00:01:49.040 am right now at the hockey rink because we have 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.299 hey hockey youth hockey player and you have to 00:01:52.299 --> 00:01:55.540 understand that when i say canon daria i immediately 00:01:55.540 --> 00:01:59.200 think barbie can and all the stuff going on so 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:01.840 i might say weird stuff don't get offended i 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.700 know you won't be i will talk about that good 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:08.439 i will talk about 7 45 a .m on sunday i'm sorry 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:11.960 that was horrible but i felt so good And I was 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:14.599 ready emotionally and physically because I also 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.960 exercise. A lot of people thought that Canada 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.780 is going to make it. It's going to make it to 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:24.639 the gold. But because I'm doing my other sports 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.259 job, I'm doing a lot of game previews. When you 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:32.139 look at the detail, it really showed that as 00:02:32.139 --> 00:02:37.159 a team, USA had lots of advantages. I know that 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:39.800 you probably paid attention to the game, and 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:42.719 the last three games for the Canadiens, don't 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.919 look too close to trying to show that you rely 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:51.419 only on three players. David, Pellegrini, and 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:54.080 McKinnon. Because they will play every other 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:57.580 shift. So, I don't think that's a really good 00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:00.240 situation when it comes to such important games, 00:03:00.419 --> 00:03:02.819 because you really show that, yeah, I have those 00:03:02.819 --> 00:03:05.569 three players. they're going to get us through. 00:03:05.750 --> 00:03:08.110 What about the rest of the team? Maybe they were 00:03:08.110 --> 00:03:11.090 not making, maybe they were not showing up, but 00:03:11.090 --> 00:03:13.710 because they didn't have as much eye time. Also, 00:03:13.830 --> 00:03:15.849 it's still teamwork. And that's what USA showed, 00:03:15.990 --> 00:03:19.090 teamwork. And when we paid attention to them, 00:03:19.750 --> 00:03:24.250 USA was better. So basically, Canada had only 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:26.810 one advantage, power play. But in the championship 00:03:26.810 --> 00:03:29.669 game, no teams connected on the power play. They 00:03:29.669 --> 00:03:32.870 were both, I forget, 0 for 2 or 0 for 3 on the 00:03:32.870 --> 00:03:37.060 power play. So that was nullified in the gold 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:40.699 medal game. But you were just talking about Cooper 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:44.520 kind of maybe relying on just a few core players. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:50.340 You build a roster of 25 that you take to the 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:54.560 Olympics, and they're there for a reason. They 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.240 are there because you thought that they're key 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.759 players and will step up for you in... competition 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:06.620 in important moments. And as a coach, maybe for 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:10.159 you not to have trust and confidence in those 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:14.580 players in a big spot, that says something maybe 00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:18.000 about your selections for the Olympic team. I 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:21.220 know Breeze Boy was the general manager, so him 00:04:21.220 --> 00:04:23.819 and Cooper kind of tag -teamed the selections 00:04:23.819 --> 00:04:29.500 for the Canadian team. But, you know, you can't... 00:04:29.870 --> 00:04:35.930 You can't play those guys 25, 30 minutes in a 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:38.050 championship game like that, especially when 00:04:38.050 --> 00:04:41.529 you've been riding them the way you have in the 00:04:41.529 --> 00:04:44.449 other games in the tournament. Because they had 00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:49.430 some tough games down the stretch. It was not 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:50.829 even a given they were going to make the gold 00:04:50.829 --> 00:04:53.329 medal game. Their semifinal game went into overtime, 00:04:53.589 --> 00:04:57.750 and then they finally won it. But another thing 00:04:57.750 --> 00:05:02.410 to your point, you talked about defensemen and 00:05:02.410 --> 00:05:07.089 the defensive player of the U .S., and it's always 00:05:07.089 --> 00:05:12.610 those guys you don't think of that come up big 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:15.670 and make those big plays in big spots. Same thing 00:05:15.670 --> 00:05:18.449 happens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A guy that 00:05:18.449 --> 00:05:22.970 maybe was third on the depth chart line all of 00:05:22.970 --> 00:05:26.939 a sudden will... come up big in a big spot, and 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:29.300 he'll have a great game or a couple of great 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:31.660 games and a great series, and then he's someone 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:34.360 that the team can feed off of for energy as they 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:37.500 make their championship run. But I was thinking 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:40.620 watching the game, I wonder how many people put 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:44.579 money on Matt Boldy to have the first goal for 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:48.199 the U .S. in a championship game. Who, I mean, 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:50.959 you talk about guys that... you would have never 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:52.720 thought of that maybe would come up in a big 00:05:52.720 --> 00:05:55.740 spot. Matt Boldy is a perfect example. He's a 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:59.139 grown American boy. That's right. You and I know 00:05:59.139 --> 00:06:01.839 about internal and state competition, right? 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:04.660 At the end of the day, it's all the Panthers 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:08.420 want because they got all the podiums. They have 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:11.199 one gold method, touch up, obviously. They have 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:14.819 three silvers, Reinhardt, Marchand, and Bennett. 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:17.660 And they have three bronze medals, which is one 00:06:17.660 --> 00:06:21.720 medal. Nikola and Rittering. And Tampa Bay only 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:26.259 has two. Because when initial Olympics talk started, 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:29.379 everyone was like, ooh, Tampa's going to send 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:32.839 like 11 players to the Olympics. But it's all 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:36.639 about the results. So the results, for the Panthers, 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:40.480 success. Tampa Bay Lightning, something. to consider. 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:44.100 We have zero Finnish players, and obviously they 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:46.500 got three bronze medals for the Florida Panthers. 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:50.259 Yeah, well, look at Victor Hedman, defenseman 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:53.980 for Team Sweden. He had a couple of assists in 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:56.000 the tournament, but they were early on in the 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.339 tournament, and I mean, if you're asking me, 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:03.779 he'd be a non -factor. Pontus Holmberg was also 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:06.980 on the Swedish team. I think he had a goal. Maybe 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:11.610 he finished with I couldn't find a statistical 00:07:11.610 --> 00:07:14.709 breakdown for all the players team by team as 00:07:14.709 --> 00:07:17.569 far as their goals and assists go. But Holmberg 00:07:17.569 --> 00:07:20.329 is another one that has played very well for 00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:24.170 Tampa, but yet you put him into a lineup with 00:07:24.170 --> 00:07:27.189 a lot of folks that he hasn't played with. And 00:07:27.189 --> 00:07:30.850 the chemistry is just not there. A lot of guys 00:07:30.850 --> 00:07:33.069 on the U .S. and Canada team, they have played 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:34.850 together before. They played in the Four Nations 00:07:34.850 --> 00:07:37.290 Cup, so they had a little bit of chemistry to 00:07:37.290 --> 00:07:40.600 start with. But to take basically a brand new 00:07:40.600 --> 00:07:45.379 team, maybe like Sweden or Slovakia, Czechia, 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:50.439 guys that have not played together in a couple 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:53.839 of years, it's hard to develop that magic and 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:57.019 that chemistry in such a short tournament to 00:07:57.019 --> 00:07:59.660 propel you to a win. Unfortunately, I had some 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:02.790 issues. internally between the coaches and the 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:04.589 players they will get better because they're 00:08:04.589 --> 00:08:07.089 awesome guy coach i don't even know why he left 00:08:07.089 --> 00:08:10.589 before he's gonna be back finally so we are expecting 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:13.310 sweden to get better on the international stage 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:16.850 so in actual hockey is back nikita kucherov is 00:08:16.850 --> 00:08:19.790 awesome of course he's well rested he's hungry 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:24.129 he already has 95 points as we speak The Tampa 00:08:24.129 --> 00:08:27.329 Bay Lightning lost two games, defeated the Maple 00:08:27.329 --> 00:08:30.470 Leafs, right? It was a weird game. Yes, 4 -2. 00:08:30.990 --> 00:08:34.149 But then they went to the Carolina Hurricanes 00:08:34.149 --> 00:08:38.870 home and they lost 4 -5. How were those games 00:08:38.870 --> 00:08:41.669 for you? I know you probably didn't expect much 00:08:41.669 --> 00:08:43.429 when it comes to the Maple Leafs because it was 00:08:43.429 --> 00:08:45.149 like the first game after everyone returned. 00:08:45.370 --> 00:08:47.929 But still, it was pretty crazy too. Disallowed 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:51.409 goals in the first period. Yeah, and the Toronto 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:55.059 game. I expected a little bit of sluggishness 00:08:55.059 --> 00:08:58.919 and expected a slow start because of the 25 -day 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:04.639 layoff. I kind of expected that, but I thought 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:08.399 that the rest would get shaken off a little bit 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:11.980 quicker than what happened. The only person that 00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:14.019 really came to play much in that first period 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:17.080 was Nikita Kucherov. I mean, his engine was going, 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:20.779 and it was going so fast he was offside. on two 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:23.820 goals that were disallowed by the toronto coaches 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:26.299 you know they challenged the two goals and and 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:28.820 they took them off the board but he finished 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:31.659 uh with i think a goal and a couple assists in 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:35.799 that game and that gives him 701 career assists 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:40.799 now and he's i think the um the second russian 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:44.419 player to have 700 assists in his career and 00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:47.899 he's now in the top 10. in the NHL for career 00:09:47.899 --> 00:09:52.320 assists. So he's only going to add to those totals, 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.419 you know, throughout the rest of this season 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:58.500 and then the next season. As far as the Carolina 00:09:58.500 --> 00:10:00.799 game goes, it was kind of like the Boston game. 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:05.259 I mean, if you turned the game on and you said, 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:07.600 oh, I got to go get an adult beverage. I think 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:09.840 maybe I'll get a snack before the game really 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:12.580 gets going. You sat back down, it was 3 -0 already. 00:10:13.629 --> 00:10:17.590 So the Lightning did come back. That was great. 00:10:17.769 --> 00:10:21.029 They showed the ability to come back. I think 00:10:21.029 --> 00:10:25.629 the back -to -backs right after the 25 -day layoff 00:10:25.629 --> 00:10:30.549 and playing Johansson instead of Vazzy hurt them 00:10:30.549 --> 00:10:32.129 a little bit and kind of caught up with them 00:10:32.129 --> 00:10:35.490 in that game. Now, Carolina's a good team. They're 00:10:35.490 --> 00:10:38.649 right up there with the Lightning for top spot, 00:10:38.789 --> 00:10:41.809 you know, the Eastern Conference. I think Colorado, 00:10:41.929 --> 00:10:43.970 Tampa, and Carolina are the top three in the 00:10:43.970 --> 00:10:48.009 NHL in point total. So the Hurricanes are no 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:51.490 slouch, and Brindamore does a great job during 00:10:51.490 --> 00:10:54.629 the regular season. The playoffs are a totally 00:10:54.629 --> 00:10:57.230 different matter. I can't put my finger on it, 00:10:57.269 --> 00:11:00.129 but that's a conversation for another time. But 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:02.490 the Lightning have another game tonight. Buffalo 00:11:02.490 --> 00:11:04.889 is in town, and that's a very important game 00:11:04.889 --> 00:11:08.409 because the Sabres are right on the Lightning's 00:11:08.409 --> 00:11:11.330 heels. as they try to climb up in the division. 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:15.870 I think there's a six or eight -point gap between 00:11:15.870 --> 00:11:19.830 Buffalo and Tampa, and the Sabres are going to 00:11:19.830 --> 00:11:24.649 be looking to get a win tonight and close that 00:11:24.649 --> 00:11:28.250 gap. The only good thing favoring the Lightning 00:11:28.250 --> 00:11:32.149 tonight, Vazzy will be back in goal, and Buffalo 00:11:32.149 --> 00:11:34.970 played last night, and they lost to the Panthers. 00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:38.039 So they're going to come in here. A little bit 00:11:38.039 --> 00:11:40.779 more tired than what the Lightning will be after 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:45.600 a day off. Hopefully, it's another win for the 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:47.799 Lightning in the win column. Yeah, that's going 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.299 to be the last game of February. As you said, 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.059 the Lightning is number one in the Eastern Conference. 00:11:53.320 --> 00:11:57.000 But what concerns me is the schedule. Because 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.879 in March, the Lightning is going to have 16 games. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:02.740 Eight at home, eight on the road. And in April, 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.009 they're going to get... eight more games. So 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:06.629 they're going to be really busy. They're going 00:12:06.629 --> 00:12:08.809 to be out a lot, like in and out of the town 00:12:08.809 --> 00:12:11.429 all the time. And that's concerning because, 00:12:11.529 --> 00:12:13.809 yes, they're doing great right now, but before 00:12:13.809 --> 00:12:17.629 the playoffs, it's really crucial to stay healthy 00:12:17.629 --> 00:12:22.269 and to stay up fit. Yes, I looked at the schedule. 00:12:22.809 --> 00:12:26.389 They're basically playing every other day. Every 00:12:26.389 --> 00:12:28.029 other day they're playing until the end of the 00:12:28.029 --> 00:12:30.950 season now. The saving grace for the Lightning, 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:33.639 they only have two back -to -backs. from now 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.500 till the end of the season. So that will work 00:12:36.500 --> 00:12:41.000 in their favor. There won't be a lot of practice 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.779 time. Usually you get to this time of year where 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:46.940 you don't have a lot of time off and the schedule 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:49.000 gets compressed a little bit. You're playing 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.620 every other day. There won't be a lot of practice 00:12:51.620 --> 00:12:55.639 time. A lot of video work, but not a lot of practice 00:12:55.639 --> 00:13:01.299 time. I look for Vazzy to probably take a few 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:04.879 more games off. down the stretch as the Lightning 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:08.440 can win some games and build the lead in the 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:10.460 division over the second and third place teams. 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:13.980 Cooper will probably rest him more. He'll go 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:18.200 with Johansson. The other thing I think that 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:20.559 will come into the Lightning's favor as they 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:23.299 go down the stretch, they had a lot of guys that 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:25.480 were injured, as you know, early in the season, 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:29.320 and they don't have... All that wear and tear 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:31.559 on their body and on their legs that some of 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.600 the other team members have. Braden Point, Victor 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:38.379 Hedman, Nick Paul. Those guys all miss substantial 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:42.259 amounts of time. And they're integral parts of 00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:45.360 the Lightning team. And we need them to be healthy 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:47.480 and at their best coming down the stretch and 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.940 into the playoffs. And I'm hoping that that layoff 00:13:50.940 --> 00:13:53.139 they had earlier in the season, recouping from 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:55.200 their injuries, the Lightning will see the benefit 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:58.139 of that as we go down the stretch run. Yeah, 00:13:58.179 --> 00:13:59.820 today is important because we're just trying 00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:02.120 to welcome everyone and remind that we're going 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:04.720 to be here for the rest of the season. So the 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:09.100 last question that I have, March 6th is the NHL 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:12.720 3 -7. I know we talked about it before, but once 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:15.659 again, we have a few days. Do you think we should 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:18.980 get anyone? They might like and probably can 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:22.179 use some, like, minor, little, little help with 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:27.100 the skilled offensive forward or maybe skilled... 00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:29.559 Well, I can't say defense because defense guys 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:32.240 really stepped up. They're doing great. The only 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:36.419 trades that I would see the Lightning possibly 00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:41.000 making, another right -handed defenseman, although 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.220 the defense has played pretty good, this time 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:45.340 of year when you're coming down the stretch, 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:49.779 I just hate to add folks into the mix because 00:14:49.779 --> 00:14:52.379 they're playing so well. They have that chemistry, 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:54.870 and now you're bringing in, you know. Another 00:14:54.870 --> 00:14:59.129 one or two guys to try to, you know, get into 00:14:59.129 --> 00:15:02.870 that rotation. So I'm a little concerned about 00:15:02.870 --> 00:15:05.990 that. Steven Stamkin. I know there's a lot of 00:15:05.990 --> 00:15:09.529 media that says, oh, he's available. At the same 00:15:09.529 --> 00:15:12.129 time, Steven said that he's committed to the 00:15:12.129 --> 00:15:15.309 Nationals right now. And he wants to try his 00:15:15.309 --> 00:15:17.490 best with the team until the rest of the season. 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:21.190 But once again, we have like five, six days before 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:25.690 all decisions are final. So, you know, I'm just 00:15:25.690 --> 00:15:28.210 still hoping that Stephen Stamkos will get a 00:15:28.210 --> 00:15:32.730 chance to say goodbye to hockey in Tampa Bay 00:15:32.730 --> 00:15:35.769 in the Lightning uniform as it was meant to be. 00:15:35.870 --> 00:15:40.730 Yes, that would be most appropriate. The fans 00:15:40.730 --> 00:15:43.669 would love it. But from a hockey standpoint, 00:15:44.149 --> 00:15:47.169 I don't think it makes a lot of sense to bring 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:50.629 Stamkos in for the stretch run. Number one, the 00:15:50.629 --> 00:15:52.940 Lightning couldn't afford him. He's got a big 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:56.039 contract and the Lightning. All you men start 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:59.720 with the budget. Yes. Yeah. You have to talk 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:02.840 about dreams. And you talk about money, Ken. 00:16:04.460 --> 00:16:08.460 Well, unfortunately, that comes into play. Unfortunately, 00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:12.299 that's the overriding factor with a lot of these 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:16.399 players and a lot of these deals that are on 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.220 the table for the Lightning. They just cannot, 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.480 from a mathematical standpoint and a cap standpoint, 00:16:22.059 --> 00:16:25.720 Get that player in. Unless, you know, Julian 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:28.919 Breezeball has some crystal ball he can say and 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:31.899 make Nikita Kucherov restructure his contract. 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.919 Braden Point restructure his contract. Vazzy 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.559 restructure his contract. But then you're hurting 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:41.200 yourself five, ten years down the road because 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:43.019 your cap is still going to be high because you're 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:47.120 paying that money out. So I don't look for a 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:50.669 big deal. I've heard some talk. about getting 00:16:50.669 --> 00:16:54.629 maybe an upgrade at the backup goalie position, 00:16:54.830 --> 00:16:57.289 but I'm happy with Johansson. He wasn't at his 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:01.429 best, you know, Thursday night in Carolina. You're 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:04.069 going to have that. We've seen games this season 00:17:04.069 --> 00:17:11.029 where Vazzy wasn't at his best. My memory serves 00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:14.430 me correctly. Vazzy was even pulled, I think, 00:17:14.450 --> 00:17:16.690 one game early this season, very early in the 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:18.960 season. I think it was the first time. He'd never 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:23.200 been pulled in the game in his career. So I wouldn't 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:27.539 expect much. I know when the Lightning acquired 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:32.740 guys like Zemgus Gergensens, everybody said, 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:35.980 well, who's Zemgus Gergensens? He's played an 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:40.400 integral part and a very important part of the 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.940 Lightning's team this season. I would think... 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:47.119 Let me add that. He was awesome for Team Lightning. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.480 He was so much better than the players in other 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:55.059 teams, even in Canada. Yes. Yes, he did. I would 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:57.400 look for a move like that. Bring in somebody 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:03.819 that's not a big name. The people that just follow 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:06.079 the Lightning because they're the Lightning that 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:08.420 aren't really bought into the team and they don't 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:12.000 know the players that well. Who's this guy? I 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.039 never heard of him. You're going to find out 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.720 that those players, a lot of times, are the guys 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.519 that really are going to do the dirty work and 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:24.960 do the things that you need to do to win a championship. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:29.279 So I would expect maybe a small move like that. 00:18:29.900 --> 00:18:33.099 But other than that, I don't think it'll amount 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:34.799 to a whole lot of anything for the Lightning. 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:38.839 Lightning are doing great. The team is in a great 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:44.390 place. And let's stop at that. They are. They've 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:49.309 got a six -point lead in the division over, I 00:18:49.309 --> 00:18:52.450 think, Detroit and Montreal are right on their 00:18:52.450 --> 00:18:56.089 heels. This is the time of year you just have 00:18:56.089 --> 00:18:59.309 to string wins together. You talk about getting 00:18:59.309 --> 00:19:03.829 points in every game, getting a point or two. 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:06.269 This is the time of year you have to do that. 00:19:06.849 --> 00:19:11.869 I think these next six weeks... probably are 00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:15.849 the most exciting outside of the Stanley Cup 00:19:15.849 --> 00:19:19.109 playoffs for hockey because you're getting everybody's 00:19:19.109 --> 00:19:22.430 best effort. If you're a couple of points out 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:27.009 of a playoff spot, you're getting a best effort 00:19:27.009 --> 00:19:29.829 from some team every single night, either to 00:19:29.829 --> 00:19:33.049 move up in playoff positioning or to get enough 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:36.490 points to secure one of those playoff positions. 00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:40.839 Case in point would be The Columbus Blue Jackets. 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:46.460 They fired their coach. You in a high state. 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.079 What about Buffalo? But I'm just kidding. Go 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:54.000 on. Go on with Columbus. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:55.759 using them as an example. They fired their coach. 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:59.539 New coach. They won five in a row before the 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:01.420 Olympic break. Now, they did lose their first 00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:05.400 game back the other night to Boston. They're 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:07.599 like four points out of a playoff spot, out of 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:11.569 the last wild card spot. And I think they're 00:20:11.569 --> 00:20:14.730 a team, if you were a betting person and you 00:20:14.730 --> 00:20:16.789 wanted to put some cash on the Dark Horse to 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.150 make the playoffs, I would put some money on 00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:21.710 Columbus because he's got them playing the way 00:20:21.710 --> 00:20:24.250 they should have been playing all season, but 00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:27.309 for some reason they weren't. Let's go Vols. 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:29.150 I knew you were going to say that. Today I'm 00:20:29.150 --> 00:20:31.809 going to say that. And we'll see you guys later. 00:20:32.049 --> 00:20:35.490 Thank you, Ken. Always. Thanks for listening 00:20:35.490 --> 00:20:37.410 to the Hockey on the Beach podcast.