DK's Live of of Penguins: Postgame vs. Bruins

0:00The Maps app that came with your phone, it's fine if you enjoy waiting and guessing and inefficient routes or you could use MapQuest. MapQuest is back with live directions, real-time traffic and faster routes. It moves when you move. Best of all, no prints are needed, no paper, no more misterns, just you and the app. Get there fast with MapQuest. Download the MapQuest app on the app store or visit MapQuest.com. MapQuest, still getting you there. Hey guys, I'm Dan Kovacovitch of DK Pittsburgh Sports. Soon to be joined by Taylor Haas, she's working her way up here from the Dan Muse press conference. I was in the locker room and this is a really relief group. That's the best way to word this. There's joy, there's exuberance, there's surprise, there's all kinds of different emotions that you can feel after an event like this.

1:02Relief. This number one on the list to take my word for it. The final score, come on, come back here, she's here now. The final score was five to four and the penguins favor and it was in overtime and it was on a goal by Tommy Novak. That doesn't begin to tell you how crazy this was. You're going to have to come a little, there you go, like that. How crazy all this was you guys. This was absolutely nuts and we're trying to get a grip on how I use the word relief. What do you have? I mean, that was the vibe of the locker room relief. I mean, two tying goals from Anthony Manta. I said that second one felt a little better. Yeah, no, I mean, a lot of guys rollercoaster of emotions was the term already she loves used.

2:06For him, I'm sure. Yeah, he called himself out for that third goal all on his own, the flood behind the net. So yeah, for him, for sure, because when it didn't go into a shootout that I think was a little bit of the relief too. You know, you have any of this. You know, the way that went especially with she loves just handing. They would post her knock that fuck of all people by the way. You know, and then posture not coming around and putting it in and. I'm looking around this building and it was dead silent. Nobody left was still weird to me out. There were a couple of power plays handed. I thought one of them was handed to the penguins and Gina Cove scores on the wrist shot. And the first thing I'm thinking of is. I need to just get another one see what happens. But then when you see the way Connor do or scored that second goal, that's a ridiculous shot.

3:08Like it's almost like a trick shot. You know those ones you see on the videos. You know, the viral ones are those guys who only do the trick shots. That's what that looked like. Yeah, I feel like he's had a fair amount of those this year. He's got to be the next one to do for an extension. You would think so. I'd give him an extension just for that shot. And then you look at the rest of this and the way this went. Anthony Mantha comes in as you mentioned with the two goals. And the way he was. It is even so much as finished. It's just the way he was flying the way he was moving through the third period. He's a big guy. You don't necessarily think of his skating first. But he made a lot of stuff happen. And it was sprung beautifully by Tommy Novak there as well. Yeah, this is this was his best game. And while he had gone cold a little bit before this. I don't know if those nerves around like the trade deadline or anything like that. But yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I mean, because I mean, he was a guy who. I'm not that there were ever any actual like reports on there.

4:10But like he just kind of would have made sense being that he's a UFA is a little bit older. I can't imagine he wanted to leave his wife as extremely pregnant. Just personally, I'm sure this was a stressful like past few weeks for him. But he he talked about how just how thrilled he is to still be here. Now that's. And then there's the post deadline relief factor as well for a lot of these guys because you never know who's going to go in these situations. I think we had a pretty good handle on it that they weren't about to be selling pieces off while they're in this kind of run. But let's call this for what it is everybody. And that's all of you people too over there on that chat. I think they needed this. I don't want to get over dramatic. But that road trip that this young lady and I are about to cover all across the continent is against a bunch of first place teams or top pedigree teams, even if they aren't the first in their division. And it's going to be tough no matter what it's going to be tough if Sid does come back.

5:15It's going to be tough once Geno returns from his suspension. The last thing you needed was to pack in the luggage of four game losing streak. And they came out and they you want to talk about want to. They came out hard. I mean, every game is like the biggest game of the season at this point. I saw a list was coming out of the Olympic break and the Olympic break on the penguins have the third hardest schedule in the league. So it's not good enough to just be this playing as good as they were earlier this season because now they're playing all like the top opponents out west. And a lot of those opponents have now gotten stronger after the trade line. So yeah, no, this is a it's not going to be easy. So yeah, they they needed the two points from this. I think she's just think they needed to feel good. Yeah, I mean, that's the you know, it's at this game when it was three. Was it three nothing or three one? Yeah, when it's three nothing in this place is borderline funeral.

6:21And you're thinking they're about to pack their equipment bags and go into what with no certainty, no, no vibe, no nothing in a sense. Realistically that if we don't have the two living legends scoring for us, we can't it's not just that you can't win, you can't score. So I think back to China Cove's goal. And I think of his emotional reaction when he scored it. Did you catch that? He turned around the glass down there by the Zamboni entrance right after he scored. I said down to microphone for a second. And you want to you raised both arms like this. Now, I think we can agree that China Cove has not shown the most visible emotion since he's been here. I mean, he said he's had a bunch of he said a couple like jump into the glass. Yeah, he did that the one time right when the Geno sprung on for the breakaway. But this was different. This was this was just him coasting down the slot and saying, I got this. And then putting the pain was in a position where they could start coming back.

7:24Yeah, I mean, he's I just I don't know what he dealt with in Columbus, but he's just so happy to be here. So he dealt with being in Columbus. Yeah, he's he's not one to talk about. He's not like ripping Columbus. He's not going to do that, but he'll make it known that he was not happy there. So he's I mean, he's just living on a high just being here, being out of Columbus. Let's get into some different stuff from this game today. Some some specific facets. One, and while I was up here setting this up, you were down there with Dan Muse and he talked about changing the defense pairings. To me, even though the defense pairings hadn't been together very long, that was overdue. I don't know how much more evidence they needed to see that let's hang in Gerard wasn't going to be a thing. But he saw it and he changed it to Gerard. And Ilya Syloviev on the right side. Now I spoke to Syloviev in the room. And I asked him just about his general comfort in the right side.

8:24He said he grew up playing that way. That was basically the old, you know, the old Soviet system. He's Belarusian, but he grew up playing on that side. He said other than breakouts, I actually prefer it. Yeah. What did what what did you find out about why this pairing was put together? They played together in Colorado, which I hadn't even thought about it. No, because yeah, it didn't seem like Syloviev got a ton of, you know, games that we have. No, they played together. That was what Muse said. He just wanted to go back to what was familiar. You're like, Shay and LeTang obviously have, you know, they are familiar with each other. And then yeah, I mean, because that seemed pretty random to me at first, just Gerard and Syloviev. But yeah, no, they played together in Colorado. So they liked that familiarity. So like Clifton coming out was less about what Clifton did. I look as like last, even more so that they, I think it's. Clifton came out because other guys struggled. Yeah, but also, yeah, but also like I think setting.

9:24Right now, like I just found out that Gerard and Syloviev played together. So I don't know like how well they played together, how long. But if they have any kind of success at all, then I mean, it's worth a shot. You know. That was part of, that was part of the, the ability to bounce back is you stopped seeing some of the uglier. Mishaps defensively. One concern that I have and it's going to be a lingering concern until it really starts getting addressed is that the kids, particularly Ben Kindle, really not doing well in front of his own net. And I don't have an answer for that. It's a snap of a finger, but I do think the part of that answer is not necessarily having him out there with other kids. The maps app that came with your phone, it's fine. If you enjoy waiting and guessing and inefficient routes, or you could use map quest. Map quest is back with live directions, real-time traffic and faster routes.

10:24It moves when you move. Best of all, no prints are needed, no paper, no more misturns. Just you and the app. Get there fast with map quest. Download the map quest app on the app store or visit mapquest.com. Map quest, still getting you there. Yeah, I mean, he's, he has been making mistakes all year and that's fine. He's an 18 year old playing at the NHL. I think he's like number two in a rate of giveaways on the team behind Malkin, the two of them. That's just, that's just growing pains, adjusting to the league. He distributes the post. Sure, yeah. Yeah, it's part of his job. He, he, he makes up for it. And when you're making those kind of plays, that's just what happens. But he's had a couple rough moments like that. And I've been in a couple games now. It's not at the point where I think you take him out just because he is doing it. Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, because I see some people, I've seen some people advocating that on like comments or birds and stuff like that. Saying like is the time to give them like another game off.

11:24But again, like he's playing with other kids. That's kind of tough. That's that that's the part that I wonder about now. Not having Justin Prozo obviously slotted Elmer Soder Blum in for his first game with the penguins. Yeah, I saw some hit and I saw some miss. I can see what they like. I can see what intrigues them. I can also see why he doesn't have much in the way of production. He had some really good chances that he did just nothing with. Yeah. Now in fairness, first game, first everything for him. And he probably didn't even think he was going to play today. No, I don't think he would have had Brazo not been hurt. Just because if you look at every other acquisition that they've made in the season and every guy who's come in, they've let him get at least one practice first. And just the timing of when they got Soder Blum, there wasn't time for that. So I don't think he would have played in that. I mean, they just had a need with Brazo being hurt. What are they doing? Brazo comes back.

12:24That's kind of tough. But no, yeah, Soder Blum. So I'm going to the net decent amount. He's six foot eight. He's not uncomfortable there. He planted himself too. Yeah. But yeah, like you said, there's not much production there. I mean, he had three points in 39 games before. I know. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not overreaching expectations. If anything, you're looking for somebody who's a bottom six contributor or four checker and so forth. Yeah. I feel like it's worth taking a pause in this program for a couple of things. One is that I'm going to play for you a video here of a question that I asked Eric Carlson. And that's I see if I can find it. Yeah, it's right here. I think you'll appreciate that. If you can't hear my question, all I ask was just how badly did you guys need this car? How much did this mean? A lot, I think. I think, like I said, yeah, I think, you know, right from the start, I feel like we played. We played a solid game all the way through today. We gave ourselves a chance, you know, all the way from the start.

13:26They obviously go up three nothing on us. I think we do a good push and they get an unfortunate goal to make it three nothing. And GC for us to bury our heads and, you know, start pointing fingers and can I give up? But I think we rallied already, really rallied. You know, that's not an easy one to come back from. I can only assume a goal tender, but, you know, he's been so good for us all year that, you know, we kind of owed him that one. So it was nice to be able to come away with two points today. And like I said, you know, it felt like we played a good game today against an opponent that's been giving us a lot of troubles in the past. You know, it's a tough team for us to beat somehow. They're a good team, obviously, but, you know, overall, I think that, you know, 61 minutes, 62 minutes, whatever. I think that we were good enough and we deserve to win today. I mean, listen, in addition to everything else that he brings and has brought all season long, I feel like there's, there's an element of leadership to what he's doing right now.

14:30There are times on the hockey ring where it feels like he's willing this team to the next level. So let's not forget that the overtime goal began with a Carlson rush. And then the gig or chinocoff made a lot of things happen. And then it brought the puck down with his hand turned around spun. He gets it to no back. No back just takes out the trash. I am. Okay, surprise would be a stupid word. Carlson is a three time Norse trophy winner. I'm going to call a favor. The level at which he has performed this season, if you can overcome your own. Prejudice, I guess, as it relates to how he looked last year, or even the year before that. That's a world class player right now leading the way for this team from the back end. Yeah, I mean, he didn't like playing for myself. He's, if he listened to him, I know, I know, but he's been on the record. He's been even more.

15:36I know. I also know this was an Olympic year. It was. And he's not going to say that. Yeah, no, he was not, you know, one of the first guys, but like he's, he's talked about how. Sullivan wanted him to play one way or do certain things that just not suited for him. Um, he's not right. I said, but like a couple of times now, then like views comes in and it's just totally different for him. Um, so I think part of that is I don't even think that's like a like a system thing. Like I just think he did not like playing for myself and then damn use comes in and it just gives them new life in a whole bunch of different ways. Carlson trusts himself. He will trust himself to make a mistake, but also to be able physically able. To recover from it mentally able to recover from it. And to see him in that environment. And there's no question he's benefited from being around this coaching staff and from being around Dan Muse. I also happen to believe that he put a lot into this off season and everything else because he was not about to be snubbed from team Sweden because the Olympics meant a lot to him.

16:45He is absolutely flying. He is a foot above the ice right now the way he is skating. It's been beautiful to watch. Similarly, beautiful is probably not the word, but proficient and productive for sure. This fourth line. This, this isn't some storyline that you know, sometimes you get like a line that gets hot and we'll write something about it and it's like, yeah, that line's really picking up the. It's been a whole time people. This hasn't gone away. If it wasn't for Blake Lazat in these first two periods, just him. This, this game is out of whack. It's out of hand. They've been tremendous. The only thing that would have been more. Rewarding. Then do we're getting the goal that he did is if a chari had actually. Which one because he had like the there was like his first shift in the game that one that hit the post.

17:46But then the one in the third though. Yeah, oh yeah, that was going to say that one where it was like five guys. Came like that close on on both. Like it was like a series of screw ups, but like the penguins or it's like guys just kept missing the net. Yeah, no, a chari was do. Yeah, but that for all the like. Switching they've done with their their line combinations that like partly had a necessity partly. You know when they're looking for spark that fourth line has been the one constant. And it's all of them. It's a chari. It's it's Lazat. It's do. So like. I think you have to extend do or just because he's younger. Yeah, Lazat already got his extension. A chari at his age. It's kind of it's kind of tough. But I take him back for one year just because why would you break this up? He's going to he's going to get paid the only reason that you would break up in a chari. Or if you would let a chari go his age is getting there he's 33. Yeah. The other thing would be if you had somebody in Wilkesbury who you would say, yeah, that guy is absolutely going to be the next fourth line.

18:51You don't have that. You don't have that you can pretend you have it interest in bros. You can wish you had it in him. You can pretend that you have it in soda bomb and wish it, but you don't know. You know what this is and you know what a chari brings you also. Little stuff to by the way that you guys don't necessarily see the charis really tight with some important guys on this team. He sits next to sit on the plan. And he walks out of road buildings with Gino and I'm not suggesting that he's doing that to up his street cred. Okay, they just value him that much. They believe in him. They see him as somebody who's kind of like a protector slash warrior type on this. He's like he dives in front of slap shots all the time. Yeah, he's like and when he does have injury problems. It's not even that he's injury prone. It's just like the way he plays. It's just an acumen like when he missed time early in the year. It wasn't even one thing or just like an accumulation of things was the way they described it.

19:51Just the way he plays. I mean, he if you like look at him walk around even during training camp like off the ice and looks like it hurts him. He's. He wears too many braces. Yeah, the way he plays it's hard on his body, but I mean, he's really not it's not like he's falling off. Mike's a member of our channel here and he asks in the live chat. How's a chari doing after that? I spoke with him briefly. He told me he's fine and it wasn't even just that his mannerisms and the fact that he was even in the room instead of getting medical attention. Was a thing now he did have to get seen afterward, but that's just standard protocol. He went in hard and he confirmed that there was a loud noise in this building that was reverberating off of all that stuff up there. But he came out fine, but Taylor, how hard he went in there and how hard he went in at other times. I don't mean to get repetitive here about the fourth line.

20:52There were some guys on this team who wanted this game a lot and I dare say that it might have been all of them. I mean, that was the way this came across. That third period was what you see from a playoff team when it's facing elimination. If that makes sense, you know, that's how hard they they were and that's how hard it was for Boston conversely to finish this game off. They didn't have an answer for how hard the penguins were coming. Yeah, and I mean, I think a lot of the energy just comes. We talked about it earlier, but like coming out of the trade line. So many of these guys are so happy just to even be here. I mean, Brian Russ, he was the one that like right before the break. He was like this time of a year as a whole of a hell lot more fun than it typically is because it really didn't seem like a ton of guys were that nervous. A couple of them would say like, you know, you never know what's going to happen. But I think just that relief that they they did not trade a single person away because this team is so tight.

21:53I think that just gives them a great point. Yeah, I hadn't even thought about that when I was downstairs. Nobody left. Like they, they just brought it all here. Like they always have the third impact. Right, right. Exactly. Guys, we're going to take a couple more today. And this one doesn't count. Elena just says she loves your hair. Automatic Curler. She says nothing about my hair. Look at that. Elena just leaving me hanging here. I actually got it at least a little bit wet today or something. Alex wants to know Alex. Dude, not a member. Come on, man. DKPS.net slash join penguins. It's a lowercase J and a lowercase P. You can see it hiding over there. It's sneaking out from behind the screen. Alex wants to know if we think that Sid is going to return Tuesday. Sid needs to practice. Well, the penguins don't practice tomorrow. They do have a full morning skate Tuesday morning in Raleigh. They don't practice at all on that road trip. But it will just be full morning skates presumably before every game.

22:54And what you could see is game time decision. Yeah. Muse. Muse was asked this like before the game like is going to go on this trip. And Dan Muse said we're still having conversations. They're not having conversations like they know he does. Muse does this a lot when they have conversations. He just went when they know what they're going to do. Injury wise, but he doesn't want to be the one to put that out there. He says they're still having conversations. This was another one of those like conversations. What you think Sid is a pack for this road trip. It's cool. No, because even if it's just a teammate. See him up in the press box. He's over to our right over there with Kevin Hayes. Yeah. I looked over after the. The second man to go. I looked over him. He's going on the trip. You guys. Well, but that. Because he is at a point where he's skating with the group. He just joined the last optional practice before. This game. If he's going to keep taking that step and skate with a group.

23:54He has to come because the group is going to be out there. So even if he doesn't play. Astro Mikey gets our last word in here. He says Carlson has warned the sea before. He can be the leader with the big boys. When they're away, it's great to see his game elevate this year. Fastly different under muse. He's actually not wearing a letter at all right now. It's it's a rust and. Well, Tang. And then Geno technically still has the a on the sheet that's given to us before the game. Even though he is suspended. This is not international hockey. You have to stick a sea on somebody and you will not see a sea on somebody else. So I don't think that. Well, I'm going to be blunt here. I don't think it matters. Yeah, you've got a bunch of leaders in that room. And Carlson is one of the people who is leading the way right now for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yeah, I mean, they have no shortage of. Leaders in that locker room.

24:55Like you just said, I don't think you have enough aids to go around for the guys who are leaders in that locker room. I mean, Carlson's a big one. I mean, for the for the defense. But it's like the Europeans too. They've always gravitated towards him. Yeah, I just the new life he has this season is it's making an impact. Guys, we appreciate you being here with us. If you haven't done so already, please become a member of this program. The way to do that is to go to dkps.net slash join penguins. It's one word. And look at that. It's actually contrary to what you see there. It's all lowercase dkps.net slash join penguins. We'd love to have you along for the ride and all the various videos and program that we're doing. She and I again are doing. We're double teaming this entire trip. Five games, eight days. Start to stop in Raleigh for some ridiculous reason. Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, in Denver. In the middle and.

25:55You've got feel for this trip. I'm really. I'm really excited to go to Italy and Vegas. That's my gut feeling. No, I mean, yeah, I. It's it's going to be really tough. It's going to be really tough. I think I like there. I like. They've matched up well against Carolina this year. The Western teams would give me blogs. They've matched up well against the golden nights for quite some time now, which is also a strange thing. So I have a pretty good feeling about that one. But man, Denver. I don't know. I know they haven't been what they were in the first three months of a season, but they're still. They're still all that. Landis dogs hurt. McKin got hurt tonight. I did not see an update. McCart took out both of those guys hitting them with a puck. I know later scogs the week to week. I didn't see an update on McKin and I was keeping up with it. So. That would help. Appreciate you guys. We'll see you with our regular programming tomorrow. Daily shot of penguins, double shot of penguins, triple shots,

26:55live shots, all that other stuff we're doing. We'll see you then. Hey, it's howie Mandel and I am inviting you to witness history as me. And my howie do it gaming team. Take on Gilly DeKing and wallow 267's million dollars gaming in an epic global gaming league video game showdown. Four rounds, multiple games, one winner plus a halftime performance by multi platinum artist, Travis McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the championship match against Neo right now at global gaming league dot com. That's global gaming league dot com. Everybody games. The maps app that came with your phone. It's fine. If you enjoy waiting and guessing and inefficient routes or you could use map quest. Map quest is back with live directions real time traffic and faster routes.

27:57It moves when you move. Best of all, no prints are needed. No paper, no more misterns. Just you and the app. Get there fast with map quest. Download the map quest app on the app store or visit mapquest.com. Map quest still getting you there. Shop the Sherwin Williams Spring Sale and get 35% off paints and stains marked 13 through the 23rd. Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior, we've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only, some exclusions apply, see store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders. If you liked the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.