Hour One- How far can the Sabres go?

0:00Testing season is right around the corner. And this is when confidence really matters. When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments, it can make all the difference. IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now. So they walk into every test feeling prepared, capable and confident. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts. Designed for students from pre-K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized interactive practice that adapts to your child's level and pace. It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch. Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests, proven in all 50 states. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now.

1:00And listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXLlearning.com slash audio. Visit IXLlearning.com slash audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. It's Charles Barkley here with Wayfair. Let me tell you, game day is serious business at my house. If I'm grilling, chilling and watching hoops, my outdoor setup, that'll be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas to grills and grill accessories, Wayfair's got it all and it shows up fast. I'm talking fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game and head to Wayfair.com to get your outdoor space ready for the season. Wayfair every style, every home. Get more out of every mile when you share the ride to work. With carpooling, you'll have time to relax, save money, and pick up new friends. Commuter connections can help you find carpool partners who live and work near you. Even if you're commuting just a few days a week, it's a free service.

2:01Carpooling, every dollar saved, every friend made. Register for free carpool partner ride matching at commuterconnections.org or call 800-745-RIDE. That's commuterconnections.org. It's Mike Shope and the Bulldog. Uh-oh, guess what day it is. Guess what day it is, huh? Anybody? On that Tuesday hump day is halfway. It's Mike Shope. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. What day is it, Mike? And the Bulldog. Hey, guess what day it is. Oh, come on, I know you can hear me. It's Mike Shope and the Bulldog. Guess what today is. It's hump day. Woo-hoo! Non-WGR. Pump day! Sports radio 550. Gonna be there in an hour, but with a fair chance.

3:03Hi there, I'm working out something not very important. One to 10, six, three. Well, that's a... Somewhere, I haven't decided yet. Somewhere in the three to six range. Important, that's a... Okay. With my cousin. My cousin Julie cuts my hair. And I was on my way out the door this morning for a haircut, which, you know, perfect. I'm here at Roswell with you. Everybody's gonna be staring at us the whole time, not caring about anything else, but to look at us. Then the hockey game tonight, maybe I can get in there, not have that embarrassing moment where I have to sort of to sneak my hat off for the anthems, and then put it back on quickly. Because my hair is, you know, it's unkempt. Get a nice freshening up. You've trimmed the beard, though, since we last talked about it. Yeah, while you're grooming. Yes. But as I was walking out the door this morning, and I had a leak in my basement. I had water. One of the worst things you could, you know, first world. But one of the worst things you could see is like,

4:05you're leaving for the day, no one else is home. This is mine for the few hours here. And I have a problem now. So I canceled on her. And, you know, do you have anything soon, next week's like I'm going to Florida. Oh boy. So I have to decide between finding someone else to cut my hair. A lot of people do it. It's probably not the worst choice ever to, like you have oral habits. I got a guy. I used to have Brigham Young, I went back to Brigham Young. I mean, you have, there are lots of people in the world who could cut your hair. They would do it for money. Or just put it off until Julie gets back from Florida. How long is that going to be? At least two weeks. I feel like one week is like, eh, two. But that's a lot. Especially if you feel like you really need the haircut. Well, look at me. I mean, I do. I'm curling and flowing and sideways and backways and frontways and it's, I mean, you can see it. Those of you who are watching, it's time.

5:06It's just bad as maybe it's ever been right now. Wow. Well, for you to say it. Yeah. So I have to maybe go elsewhere this for once. You think? I have an appointment to see my man, oral Roberts, on Monday. That I don't feel like I'm like the opposite of you. Like it's just sort of snuck up on me and I feel like maybe he went shorter this last time than normal. You don't think you need a haircut? I don't feel like the beard is going to need attention. So I'm going to keep the appointment. But the hair is already a short, it's shorter than it often is when I go get a cut. Well, when I walk out of there. So maybe I'll take your appointment. So I'm suggesting maybe, you know, but. I'd like to meet this oral. I'm just going to give it to you, though. I might have to extract some kind of a payment. I don't know. Well, you've been to a dentist in 30 years, right? Swap me a dentist's appointment. So we could trade. I had a, as it happens, I had a cleaning in January.

6:07It should have been that I checked my voicemail and knew this already, but I never do. So I went there for my cleaning appointment in January and found out when I arrived that my hygienist was homesick and not there. Like, all right, well, we'll figure something out. I leave. I get a couple of texts, you know, here and there. We, you're late for your appointment. Like, I know. But, you know, usually when you leave your appointment, haircut, dentist, anything, you make the next one. Right. So, if I wasn't there to do that, we'll just put it off and figure it out. So today, same thing, today I called. I'm sitting there watching the water come out of my basement ceiling. I'm just taking care of everything. Yeah, right. Right. So I call the dentist and like, you know, I'd like to get in with Emily. And she's like, all right, we, great. We've got July 21st. July 21st, four months, almost to the day, is the best I could do. So I can't really help you too much there. Unless you want four months to prepare for a cleaning.

7:07I can't. Listen, you're right to point out that, you know, it's not something I'm bragging about, but I have not. I've not gone to the dentist in a very, as long as you've said, 30 years. I feel like if I go now, it's going to be like, if you have an old house and you go to replace like a, a light bulb and a socket and a closet and you're like, all right, well, I just got to take this light bulb out. You're going to turn the light bulb out of the socket. And the ceiling. The whole socket falls out. And then there's a whole bunch of stuff. There's a bunch of rot and a bunch of other stuff. That's what I feel like might happen to my mouth if someone went in there with those tools. And I'd just be like, oh, just give you a clue. Oh, my God. What happened in there? Why haven't you been to the dentist in so long? I don't want that. So I was going to keep going without going to the dentist. There's something in there that people stopped making 30 years ago. Nothing has stopped me so far. I mean, so far so good. Pez, what's in there that's like, that's a tell that you

8:09have not had your teeth cleaned and forever is that something's in there that they don't even make anymore. I don't take sugar in my coffee. I mean, but I mean, a lot of people don't have. Jarks, you have a jart in your mouth. I'm just imagining a family guy up to the mouth. Mouth jars. I just point what helps us in there. Oh, wait, wait, wait, what is here between these two moles? Oh, it's the ABA. What is that to me, your mouth? What are these candy cigarettes? What is the American basketball association? Candy cigarettes. What is that? Candy cigarettes. What are those? Oh, boy. All right. Oh, there's a little bit of a razor blade in there. That must be from Halloween, 1982. Is that a penny? They don't make pennies anymore. Why do you have a penny in your mouth? Why did you eat a penny? What does Bulldog have in his mouth? From 30 years ago, 803, 05, 50, what's in there?

9:11What is that? Oh, my God. Oh, I thought of a word that I will not say, but it's hilarious. I'm laughing, so I'm sorry. If I was really good at this, I would say the word I thought of. I'll tell you off the air. I will not say it. All right, thank you for your discretion. I will not say it. Everyone here at Roswell Park, it's a thing that's not a thing anymore that is not in your mouth anyway, so that's the point. So how did you consume last night, hockey? I last night, I said 15 before I sat down, and I'm still laughing at the other thing. It's some rubber duck you had. No, it's way worse. That it would say. 715, go to the ESPN plus app. Oh, OK, well, here we are. I've got multi-cast. That's there, usually, they even only have two games up, but there were so many games last night. And I never, I'll look at it, but I don't choose to watch.

10:11It's just too much. There's four games that fills the screen. There's no dead space, but four games on the screen. You can choose which one you want the audio for. And I had that on for 25 minutes or so waiting for the Tampa game to start, thinking probably wouldn't start to close to 745, which was about right. So I just did that. I saw a couple of goals, one in the Pittsburgh Colorado game, one in one of the other games that I don't remember. And then I just flipped over to ADP chasing. I flipped over to, yeah. Can you believe I can't get a word in with those guys? I'm in Minnesota. And that was, you know, for some reason, Boston's here tonight. Intermission, first intermission of the Tampa game, I went to Toronto, Boston. And I ended up watching that almost to the end. What did that look like? I never got there. That looked like Boston was not there. It was a very sleepy game, I would say. Although, I mean, there was a, there was a, I saw a Zedora off cheap shot on John Travars.

11:13He got a five minute penalty, not a game is conduct. And it's a day with a D in it. One of the littlest, youngest guys on the Leafs, Eastern Cowan, went chasing after Giants Zedora off, gloves off and everything. It just like jumped at him. And thankfully, the rest of his teammates arrived because that would have been pretty ghastly. But I'm sure he's getting a lot of credit in Toronto. Yes. So despite that little, that little dust up, it was a pretty sleepy game. That meaningless. Toronto, you know, Toronto won the game. And it was a pretty, it seemed like a pretty dull effort from Boston. Okay. So I got, you didn't have to ask me yet. I got done with ADP chasing like a few minutes after nine because those guys love to talk. And that's how long it takes. So at nine o'clock or nine, 15 maybe, my choices were the Fubo. The choices were the Penguin Blowout or NHL Network.

12:14And I went there. And that's the kind of show. They just go around the league kind of kind of that. So it's three guys. Jason Demers, Devon Dubnick, someone else. It's the show I recommended we do 20 years ago during Bill's games when we didn't have the rights. Okay. And I'm gonna, I'm about to call a meeting again. Yeah. Because maybe we, who knows? So it would be, wait, I don't know. I'm probably biased because I would have a voice in it. But better than actually listening to the game would be like your friends talking about the game when it's on the manning cast basically. Right. So NHL Network had a version of that. And I got the last minute and a half in Detroit, Ottawa. Then the last minute in Philadelphia, Columbus. And the last, this is not in the right order. The last minute on the island with Chicago. That's a pretty solid job there. And all of them were like one goal games. The goal is pulled.

13:14And it's a scrum around the net. And it's Old Mark saves the day for Ottawa. And Philadelphia blows it. And Islanders can't score. They have a thing. They lose a draw or something. And like, so in five minutes, I got the end of three games. All right. Which is all you need. Yeah, it's a good job. Never got to Boston. And then it was Tampa. And as soon as I turned on Tampa, it goes to 3-3. And I have an announcement. And I might change my mind tomorrow. I'm changing it from yesterday right now. That whole thing about not caring about first place, I'm out. I'm done. I now care about it. I've decided to care about it. I hate them. Welcome. Welcome. I hate them. They overrule a Minnesota goal that could have been, and you see the play? Yeah, I never did. I left that game to watch Boston, Toronto. I got back when it was already 3-3. And they thought it was McCarran, I think. They thought scored a goal to give them a one goal lead early

14:15in the third. Late second. Oh, late second. OK, thank you. Final seconds. I missed all that. I didn't see what happened. What happened was, well, the first thing, of course, I'm going to say is Minnesota goes in like 3-on-1. And there's a pass to somebody's feet. And testing season is right around the corner. And this is when confidence really matters. When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments, it can make all the difference. IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now, so they walk into every test feeling prepared, capable, and confident. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts. Designed for students from pre-K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized interactive practice that adapts to your child's level and pace. It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch.

15:17Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests, proven in all 50 states. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXLLearning.com slash audio. Visit IXLLearning.com slash audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Hey y'all, it's Kelly Clarkson with WayFair. Ever order furniture online and wonder, what if? Like, what if it is a fit? Uh, little to the left, the width. Yep, should've gone with WayFair. Or what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. Should've ordered from WayFair. Or what if it's that material that makes that noise? It was a sofa, I swear. With WayFair, there's no what it. Just style you love, quality you can trust, and furniture that actually fits your life. Visit WayFair.com or download the WayFair app. WayFair every style, every home. Get more out of every mile when you share the ride to work.

16:19With carpooling, you'll have time to relax, save money, and pick up new friends. Commuter connections can help you find carpool partners who live and work near you. Even if you're commuting just a few days a week, it's a free service. Carpooling, every dollar saved, every friend made. Register for free carpool partner ride matching at commuterconnections.org, or call 800-745-RIDE. That's commuterconnections.org. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. What if comparing car insurance rates was as easy as putting on your favorite podcast? With Progressive, it is. Just visit the Progressive website to quote with all the coverages you want. You'll see Progressive's direct rate, then their tool will provide options from other companies so you can compare. All you need to do is choose the rate and coverage you like. Quote today at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates. Comparison rates not available in all states or situations.

17:19Price is very based on how you buy. After before the goal is even scored, at all check is there to tell you that you should have shot it, even though it's in his feet, because the net was open, which, you know, thanks. How much do you make? So they pass it around and score anyway. I'm like, oh, great, well, he's not going to, he's not going to apologize. Right, no, that's not how that works. So the goal goes in, and what happened was, I mean, it was, here we are again on a scale of one to 10. Six and a half out of 10, cross check of radish. In front of the net, I'm sitting there hating Tampa. I'm like, oh, he totally fell on Vasiletsky on purpose. He landed the way he did on purpose. And then he stayed there. So we got a goal interference call. We got a goal interference call. An offensive player cross checking a defender into his own goal. Right. Yeah. And a challenge. Almost like you, it's almost like I, you know, I didn't see it, but, you know, I can imagine on a challenge. Yeah, right.

18:20So the goal counts. There is Cooper, you know, coach of the year, yeah. And he challenges that play. And he gets away with it. Which, you know, okay, it might be right. The announcers, the lightning announcers, old check, Boucher, Bouch, sorry. Not nobody says Boucher. That's not the lightning announcers. Well, they are. Actually, if you listen to them, they are. Oh, I see. I see. And so they are all like, oh, if the horse is interference, they wanted, with, you know, no explanation, I guess it's needed, because it's hockey. They wanted a penalty on the cross check and the goal disallowed. Oh, boy. Like, well, why not? Well, that says good question. That's a terrible question. So it, yes, you can't do that. It never happens. No, it never happens, but I think it's a good question why it doesn't happen. If you commit a foul that causes another foul, why isn't that the original foul will foul? Anyway, all right, go ahead. I mean, we're, what was the football term that you told me they were gonna review or say there's something zone, the style zone or whatever, like everything is now on the table.

19:23But we don't, I don't want to live in that world. We get balls and strikes being challenged tonight. Literally tonight, the ABS, what do you want to know? You get two per game and I'll wait on this, because it's too good. No, I'll tell you right now. You don't know anything about how this is gonna work, right? The ABS. I have almost with intent avoided. Right, I don't, I don't want to know. I'll tell you two things right now about it. I just want to get out. So I don't forget all day to mention it. One is, so when you watch the, so much happening, we're at Roswell Park and we're in a hallway and everything is happening out here. If you're wondering why it's, why it sounds like this. There are two things about ABS. One is when you watch a game and they show you the replay of like, whether it's a ball or a strike, did you know the moment when they show it is the ball over the midpoint of the plate, not the front or the back.

20:25Okay. So they, I read the great Ben Lindberg today explaining all of this, which I needed. And he's like, it's basically like, if they did the front of the plate, there'd be all these breaking balls that look, that they're in the dirt, but they'd be strikes and we would hate life. So it's the midpoint of the plate. One, two, they very carefully measure the height of the batter. So every batter is very, like, I don't know if he has shoes on or not, but his height is very carefully measured. And so with that, the, can I just say something real quick? Sure. That's what I'm doing. I'm just really worried about anyone in our audience that's driving a car that cares about baseball and the chances that I'm just driving intentionally into a bridge apartment while you're laying this all out. I'm not even in the rest of the lightning game yet. I can't even, I just, it's already, it's my point of the plate. Oh my God, measuring, okay. Well, how are they gonna know with strikes on? Okay, yeah. What's the point?

21:26Yeah. The point is we need computers to know the strikes on now because people aren't too bad at it. Yeah. So we have to measure, and you know, it's from here to here, whatever it is. Knees to chest or whatever it is. But if you, your stance, this I love, this is great. Your stance is not considered. So like, as the show ever sounded a Pete Rose. Right, right, that's spotty, that's spotty stance. Take somebody and put them in the, the strike zone is the same by the computer, no matter how they stand. So if you get into the lowest crouch, you can get into and the ball is over your head, or it wouldn't be that. But at your head, almost at your head, that could be possible. That's a strike. You can stand any way you want, but your strike zone does not change. It changes depending on the size of the person. So we're back to like, is it Eddie Gidell, the white side? Eddie Gidell?

22:26It's a legend. It was, it was Kamiski, though, right? I think so. Put a little, a little person in to bat because they're not gonna be able to throw a strike to this guy. Right. We're gonna get back to that now, maybe. Maybe that'll become a tag. Everybody's gonna have a smaller player on there, just to, I don't know, strikes on. Oh, wow. Okay. I don't know, but that's a thing. Okay. Was that too loud? So Tampa, we're gonna finish the Tampa thought out. Oh, well, now it's three, three. The Minnesota goal doesn't count. Then you get that winner, which is not even, was that a shot on goal? I can't believe it was this. Well, no, yeah, sure, because the puck came out, a Tampa player shot it in off the camera. Oh, right. And the goalie misplayed it, but he didn't knock it in his own net. That's right. He let it, he let it through him into the slide and what you couldn't tell in live action was that it hit the camera and came out so fast. So they let play continue and then eventually realized,

23:27hey, actually that, that was in the net. And then they, yeah, they scored an empty netter and then the dreaded post empty net goal with the goalie back in. So it was a six three final. And there was a play at four three with the net empty, maybe, where Minnesota is going in and there's a cross check and then there's another one and the guy grabs his head. The referee got hit with an Aaron Heist. The referee gets hit with us with, it's same reddish. That's where I checked out. I went like, no penalty for that. Like four three, all right, I'm done. You can hit the ref with a high stick. Right, no problem. If you're Tampa at home, it's fine. Yeah. After, while you're grabbing a Minnesota guy's head, he gets the penalty. I hate them. I have changed my, all right, good. Position on this 100%. I want them to be second. So they can play Canadians. And I'd watch that. You mean Tampa? Yes. Sorry. I got confused. We were talking about first place. You don't care about first place.

24:28I want them. I thought you were talking about the same thing. Tampa. I want to win now. I want to win first place. I want to win. Oh, good. I'll take any of these other teams. Sure. Even senators, whatever. If I get them, I get them. Islanders, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston. I want to avoid Montreal, and I want to beat Tampa. I'm totally here for it. I'm happy to hear this. Because I also, I mean, I want first mostly because they're there, and I want them to hold onto it. They've got the lead, and I don't want them to blow something, you know, and, you know, not and feel like they missed out on something. But, you know, it's so wild because there's so much flux. You don't know, like today, today was my, you know, maybe every day, maybe fans are doing this team of the day, not that we have a team of the day. But like today was a day for me to think about Columbus. Like, you know, what is going on there? They hardly ever have lost since bonus took over. I saw that their goals against since he took over is under

25:30two a game. Like, like 1.7 something, or maybe 1.85 or something, which is nuts. So they might be a handful. Like, we're, you know, we're, I'm inclined to go, yeah, it's Columbus. You know, how good can they be? But I don't know, wouldn't there be a lot of teams, fans that are in the playoff pool right now going, that's Buffalo. I mean, come on, right? That's interesting. Because I'm doing that with Columbus, but I think maybe I'm making a mistake. Because they're on a heater that's not run as long as Buffalo's, but it's comparable. Like, they are winning all the time. I think that's one difference. And I think there are, there are two. That's one of them that the Sabers have basically almost doubled. Yep. Columbus's role. Yep. And I think the other one is they're just not, I mean, of course, I'm going to not have an objective position on this, but they're not like a sympathetic figure. Oh, no, they're, I mean, they're not,

26:31they're not the opposite of that. No, they're not a fool. But they're just a team. And I think the Sabers with their history and the longest drought ever, you know, I read Mac and do on the Sabers being like the number one bandwagon team, maybe ever. Like, people are going to gravitate to them. On ADP chasing, Jacob Sanderson is a Leafs fan. He lives in Vancouver. He flies to Toronto for big games. And he's like, go Buffalo. Like, at this point, I'd love to see them win. I think that happened in 06. I think this was already pretty well established then Hockey took a year off. And then the Sabers came out of the lockout and were good eventually. And I remember Bill Simmons being one to like, I'll root for the Sabers school. Yeah, you know, they deserve it. They were basically coming out of bankruptcy out of the lockout. That too, right? That too. So I think, I mean, Columbus is not a blue blood at all.

27:32And they have fans, and they haven't had much success. So OK. But I think the Sabers are different. But I would say that. I think objectively, it is true that they are. What Columbus isn't is just Columbus is just sort of not. They're more of a non-entity, I think, really. They claim to fame entirely for their existence is beating Tampa once in a playoff series. That's the first round. Right, that's all they've got. So I don't think anybody who hates them or is mad at them, but I also don't know anybody who would go like, yeah, I think I'm going to take the Columbus story this year. It's only even Buffalo. Just OK. The lightning announced a few minutes ago that Victor Hedman is leaving the team. A temporary leave of absence for personal reasons. So that's new in the OK while we've been talking.

28:33It's probably right when I was railing on them that they announced that Victor Hedman is, his primacy is not to be disrespected. Sorry, if I got the timing wrong on that, but that's how it goes. I mean, we're at, we're on the air. You're on when you're on. They're moving tables around all around us and moving bags and stuff, lots of stuff happening around us. So we are here for it. First place. How much do you care? The Bruins tonight. I'll be there. Look for me. Good deal. Are you on the glass tonight, too? Roe 10. OK. So no. No. Sorry. Sorry, you could be. To not be more specific. No, I'm not. Same section, but Roe 10. It'll do. 803-0550. Today, Christopher Paso joins us talking NFL draft. Couple new names that I saw, new to me, in the mocked draft sphere for the bills at pick 26.

29:36Then we'll go all the way to 630, 730 game. Paul Hamilton in the pre-game show at 630 tonight. How are you feeling? What do you want? Sabers, matchups, the lightning. I mean, if you watch last night, they were pretty easy to hate. I think they're the, they're the number one with a bullet right now for the Sabers, but I mean, probably not a first round opponent. Let's hope. Mike Schoep and the Bulldog here at Roswell Park. This is WGR. Testing season is right around the corner. And this is when confidence really matters. When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments, it can make all the difference. IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now. So they walk into every test feeling prepared, capable and confident. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and writing skills, or reviewing science concepts.

30:38Designed for students from pre-K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized interactive practice that adapts to your child's level and pace. It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch. Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests, proven in all 50 states. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXLlearning.com slash audio. Visit IXLlearning.com slash audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. It's Charles Barkley here with Wayfair. Let me tell you, game day is serious business at my house. If I'm grilling, chilling, and watching hoops, my outdoor setup, better be ready to play. That's where Wayfair wins. From patio seating and umbrellas to grills and grill accessories, Wayfair's got it all and it shows up fast.

31:38I'm talking fast and easy delivery. So level up your grill game and your outdoor chill game. And head to Wayfair.com to get your outdoor space ready for the season. Wayfair every style, every home. Get more out of every mile when you share the ride to work. With carpooling, you'll have time to relax, save money, and pick up new friends. Commuter connections can help you find carpool partners who live and work near you. Even if you're commuting just a few days a week, it's a free service. Carpooling, every dollar saved, every friend made. Register for free carpool partner ride matching at commuterconnections.org or call 800-745-RIDE. That's commuterconnections.org. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Whether you love true crime or comedy, celebrity interviews or news, you call the shots on what's in your podcast queue. And guess what? Now you can call them on your auto insurance too with the name your price tool from Progressive. It works just the way it sounds. You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance

32:40and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. Get your quote today at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, price and coverage match limited by state law. This is attorney Amida Zari from Zari Law. If you've been injured in an accident and feel like no one is fighting for you, it's time to fight back. Call Zari Law at 888-828-Hurt. That's what one call you can put a proven legal team on your side. Zari Law has been serving the DMV for over 15 years, proudly fighting for our local community. I was born and raised right here in the DMV and my team is made up of experienced, reputable local attorneys dedicated to fighting for injury victims just like you. Follow us on all social platforms at azari.law. That's a-z-a-r-i-dot-l-a-w. Don't wait, don't settle. Fight back with Azari Law. The office is in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia,

33:41like team and I are ready to stand up for you. Call 888-828-Hurt. That's 888-828-HURT. And let us fight back for you. The goal 10 is the biggest thing. That's always going to be a huge thing. You know, you talk about my business. Like there's not anything I can really point to and be like, oh, this is now the major, major factor. I don't want to say that there's regression coming where it's been over half a season. They're a very good team. I've watched them a bunch. Like they are really good. They're deep. They get contributions up and down the lineup. Everybody scores. Everybody plays. I don't think you can put a value on the fact that there's not guys at the forward group that play 24 minutes a night. There's not guys that play five minutes a night. They all play between 10 and 20. Everybody's got a role. Everybody's valued. Everybody feels that. And what that does to a player's psyche. That's how you build a team. Okay, that's really interesting and good. Of course, from Mike Kelly, it would be NHL Network. I thought he was going to squeeze in and everybody eats there.

34:43Just so you mix the teams up anyway. Let's go. There's a lot of everybody's there. Everybody. Right? Yeah. The Sabers could use that. Well, they don't really need anything right now. Right. Everybody eats. The point is they kind of are that. Like that's another way. That's a very short way of saying what he just said, which is like that everyone's contributing. And it's not like you're just leaning on stuff on digs. It's lines one through four. It's four words one through 12. Like everyone, you know, to varying degrees. Obviously, you know, Beck Mellon sign does not score like Alex Tuck scores. But they have their moments and they play their role and they are not just playing. Like he says a few minutes a night. Like you sometimes used to see with, you know, tough guys on the fourth line and they, you know, play a shift of period or whatever. And like that would be it. That's another issue that itself is an interesting question about what the playoffs will look like. Is does that change? Yeah. I know.

35:43Do you get into the third period and just lean on your top two lines? I mean, I feel like to backtrack a step. The first thing he said there, I mean, here's Mike Kelly, who he's numbers. He knows a lot. I only mean this is a compliment. He says up front. Like, well, they're goal tending. Man, it's been half a season. He sort of stops himself from questioning it. Right. And then he says, I don't really have any data for this. I can't tell you what's going to happen with the goalies. And damn right. I mean, that's how goalies goes. I mean, that's, you know, he's right to be humble enough to not try to like some people tell you how it's going to go with goalies because nobody knows that answer. So good for him. But that's a my goalie is microcosm of the other point, which is, all right. Well, I've gotten here how with two guys going back and forth, almost literally exactly for weeks.

36:44And maybe that continues all the way to the end. Maybe what's tonight, 73, whatever out of even, whatever tonight is, whoever plays tonight, maybe doesn't play the last game, whatever, however it lands, guy plays the last game, the other guy plays game one. Right. And I kind of want the sabers to keep rolling like that. But, you know, in terms of their forward, their lines, and just their skaters, they probably will get into games and rain in certain players and lean on others. So I don't know. It's one of the goalies themselves, and then just sort of a team, macro, it's one of the more, maybe the most interesting thing to talk about with them and how this is going to evolve. There are, I don't have exactly the number of games left sitting right in front of me. But, you know, if they, 11, OK, if they intend on choosing

37:46a guy, maybe they'll announce that, maybe they won't. My sense is they probably won't, right? We'll just, we'll be waiting before game two at the game they skate for clues as to what's going to happen following game one. And I get, you know, maybe winner lose, they got lost. It'd be easier to just stay with the rotation. If they win, then I think there's a lot more, maybe, edging this to the whole scene, right? But if they want to, if they think, if Lindy or the coaching staff thinks, and I have no idea what they think about this, but traditional hockey, like we talked with Flutus and Zali yesterday, he wanted the broons when they had all market swam in to keep going with a rotation, but they didn't, right? Traditional hockey is, he's my number one, that's it. You're playing, right? If they want to do that, they probably should at some point here with 11 games left. Try that out with games every other day, right?

38:49Like if, if you think Luke and in is going to be the guy, you might want to plan three in a row to see or four in a row to see what happens and same with Lion. And maybe each guy should get a turn. If you want to do that, if I might suggest that if they don't do that between here and the end, then maybe that's a sign that the rotation is going to continue. Really interesting. Because these guys have not played. Luke and in one time had two starts in a row. I'm not sure if Lion has, he probably did well in his heart. Yeah. Luke and in, yeah, I mean, at least once the rotation was going, it's probably like with one guy was in or out, maybe they played more in a row. Like Lion, I think at one point while Luke and in was on the shelf the first time, not at the Olympic time, probably did. But I still think you'd want to make sure how they're going to handle it. How do they look in game three of three in a row versus game one? Like how are they fatigued? Are there signs of fatigue? Whatever. I don't think you'd want to just start out of nowhere

39:50on April 18th. Okay, you're going to play the next 30 games. That's insane, I think. So if they don't start giving someone a few in a row, maybe that's a clue that they're going to just stay with the rotation. No matter what. Yeah. Well, yeah, but that's again, that's where like I don't know if I got it. If they're flipping back and forth, it's so it's just so interesting. It's so hard to know that they win game one with Lion. Luke and in goes in game two, they lose. No, I forever. I want the opposite. I want Lion and game one, they lose. Luke and in goes in. He wins. Do you say with Luke and in that game three, right? That's almost always be a day off. Always goes, right? So that's the out the coach has is almost always there will be a day off. At least one. Absolutely. Yeah, they're never back to back games. I'm not saying they need like back to back nights. I'm just saying back to that starts. I know because they haven't done that at all. But if the coach went a coach, I mean, Lindy, if a coach went to

40:54the same goalie the next night, because they were back to back games, that would be easier to question. That would be under more scrutiny than if a day off and a lot of those days off will be travel days too. I'm not sure really how much that has to matter. But very interesting idea to test that now. And that is somewhat a question of how badly do they want first place? Yeah. I mean, first in the conferences in play, Carolina losers, they're a point out to Montreal. Hopefully, hopefully you had that bet by the way from us yesterday. Yeah. Plus money, Montreal at home against Carolina is a better team and black hogs on the money line last night too, by the way. That's go. Who's the better team? I'd rather play Carolina in round one than Montreal. I don't know. I can't play Carolina in round one. I know. No. Yeah, right. That was pretty scary. Montreal is a realistic conference.

41:56Montreal is really scary high end. I'm not sure how buttoned up they can be. I feel like I've seen evidence of the sabers locking games down plenty of times. I'm not watching Montreal necessarily do that. I think that's not saying they're not doing it, but I don't think they're as good at that. Their goal tending has been suspect at times. Yep. So three guys. Yeah. They've Carolina, maybe badly outshot them too last night. Carolina shoots everybody because they shoot from everywhere. That's their M.O. That's right. They just chuck pucks from whatever. It's getting to the net. Darlings. That's their plan. The darlings of the league. Right. Right. They're numbers always look good. And then the playoffs get here and they don't win. At least not. They don't go far. Well, I mean, opinions are welcome on this. Like how to play it. Well, if they keep rotating, it's easy.

42:57This is what has worked. Everybody's used to it. We trust both guys. And you know, okay, give me any playoff scenario from the beginning. They win the opener three to nothing who plays game two. The other guy plays game two. Then he loses. Then he's gone. He's dead. Or just then they win game three with the first guy and they go back to the other guy and game. No, no. I just don't. Right. That's not going to happen. Right. Eventually, they're going to break that. That's the point is in it. Eventually, they break the cycle. Yes. I think it's a question of when and on whose terms it would be way too easy way too much of a joy ride for them to get into the playoffs after having not been there for 14 years. And have it go smoothly enough that they can just keep rotating goal. He's every other game. I mean, it just never happens that way. So I'd be surprised. But again, like there might be a clue within these last 11 games about their intentions.

44:00You mentioned how bad do you want first place, right? We talked a lot in the last couple of days, couple of shows anyway, getting back even the last week about Metsa and Stanley. Like, okay, third pair is stabilized. This looks good. Right. So with authority, Metsa is their number five defenseman. Is he coming out? Yes. Who's coming out tonight? Right. Timins is healthy. What are they doing here? My guess is they know what Metsa is capable of now. They know if he, if they get an injury in the top four, I'm almost guaranteeing he's the guy that goes in any one of those four guys goes out. He goes in that spot. Metsa. Metsa. Maybe not darling, but Sam is in power or by room. I feel like unquestionably that's what's going to happen. So they know what they've got there. They tried him out with other guys. They've tried him against better competition so they know what they don't know, right? If there's an injury, what is Timins? And what is Timins with Stanley? So tonight is a little bit of a kind of like what you and Shen played with Stanley. You could be fearful of what those results would be and you were largely correct to be

45:02fearful because it didn't go well. We'll see what Timins gives them tonight with Stanley and how Stanley reacts to not being with Metsa. And all they're doing to me is trying to figure out what they got to do when and if someone gets hurt. I'm okay there. Yeah. I mean, I think they make sense to want to see it, but you know, just get to game three of the second round. They're like, oh, power is missing. What do we do? Like nobody in our bench has played in a month or two months. Right. So I think that's. Timins. There's been a very, very long time. I'm okay there. I mean, I think it's just not, it's still hockey. It's not Josh Allen. It's still not consequential enough for it to be a big scene. And there's also, I think, no reason to question Ruff on Metsa from how he's talked. Right. I don't think he's he's being punished or I mean, I mean, they know what he is and they know what he's capable of. Obviously, the big four are their meal ticket, but I think they trust that he could step

46:05in there. So let's give him a night off and let's see what. Let's see what Timins does with Stanley, maybe another game. I don't know if this will, you know, I don't think you want to necessarily sit Metsa for games in a row here, but at some point, they will probably do the same thing with Kesslering. They've already done it with Shen. I think they know what Shen is and, you know, it didn't go great. So hopefully they don't get to the point where they got to worry about using him. But Kesslering and Timins are both, you know, competent, easily, I mean, geez, Kesslering is supposed to be a top four guy. He was basically supposed to replace Samuelson before Samuelson showed up and just took the season by storm this year. So let's see what Timins and Stanley can do just in case we need again to get there if it happened. It's a long road here. Anything could happen, you know, your plans that are off tonight, I mean, he could need job somebody in the near stuck. So they're just trying, I think, to figure out who's who. I don't take tonight is a troubling sign at all for Matt.

47:08So in fact, I think it's a compliment. I don't know Tampa's depth well enough to know if there is a comp with them. They've won a lot more. They've been in the playoffs every year and gone far. Like, they're not a team where they'd have to sort of like think, all right, how are we going to react to the playoffs? And maybe the Sabers shouldn't think that way either. I feel like probably they shouldn't because games are games, but, you know, everybody talks like the playoffs are different. I wonder if Tampa has a little bit of an easier time navigating the end game than maybe the Sabers would, but so far, I'm fine with everything. Like if they want to mix up a cup, take in a couple of guys, they're going to play Wednesday, Friday, Saturday here. The schedule is still compacted like, you know, you, you want to try different things out like they have been doing, okay, I'm not going to complain. I'm not going to criticize them for it. Mike's open the bulldog at Roswell Park.

48:09The ride for Roswell officially opens, launches, this is a kickoff event. We're not riding today. Right. No, but it's a kickoff event. Three months from Friday is the ride, I think, right today is the 25th, 27th, yeah. So June 27th, three months from Friday, I won't even be to the dentist by then. No. Wow. Yeah. You know, I'll have two more haircuts, my man, at least unless I trade with you for an eye appointment or something, I'll throw in a fifth. I do need an eye appointment. I'll throw an eye appointment in a fifth for your haircut. Christopher Paso at four, Mike's open the bulldog WGR. Get more out of every mile when you share the ride to work. With car pulling, you'll have time to relax, save money, and pick up new friends. Your connections can help you find carpool partners who live and work near you. Even if you're commuting just a few days a week, it's a free service, carpooling, every dollar saved, every friend made.

49:12Register for free carpool partner ride matching at commuterconnections.org or call 800-745-RIDE. That's commuterconnections.org. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. What if comparing car insurance rates was as easy as putting on your favorite podcast? With Progressive, it is. Just visit the Progressive website to quote with all the coverages you want. You'll see Progressive's direct rate, then their tool will provide options from other companies so you can compare. All you need to do is choose the rate and coverage you like. Quote today at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, comparison rates not available in all states or situations, price is very based on how you buy. This is Attorney Amida Zari from Zari Law. If you've been injured in an accident and feel like no one is fighting for you, it's time to fight back. Call Zari Law at 888-828-Hurt. That's what one call you can put a proven legal team on your side.

50:13Zari Law has been serving the DMV for over 15 years, proudly fighting for our locals news. I was born and raised right here in the DMV and my team is made up of experienced, reputable local attorneys dedicated to fighting for injury victims just like you. Follow us on all social platforms at Zari.law. That's a-z-a-r-i dot L-A-W. Don't wait, don't settle. Buy back with Zari Law. With offices in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, my team and I are ready to stand up for you. Call 888-828-Hurt. That's 888-828-HURT. Let us fight back for you. I'm Brian. I work at U-N-A health care. So Brian, why do you care? I care because I don't want to leave anybody behind. I oversee one of the biggest resource center in U-N-A health care. I see people walked in in my office every day, just like my parents.

51:16They have no idea about the health care. I feel like they are my uncles, aunties. I treat these people like family. I'm Brian, and I'm committed to care.