Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - The Penguins find themselves in the thick of the playoff race!

Episode Date: April 8, 2024

The Pittsburgh Penguins were in a playoff spot for a day before falling out of one on Sunday afternoon. Still, they're in a playoff race and that's where they start the episode with recapping their crazy win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. They discuss how the core still showed that they have some left in the tank and analyze how they carried them to this win before looking at the continued excellence of Alex Nedeljkovic. They discuss how he continues to give them a spark and why he's the No. 1 right now before praising Michael Bunting for scoring the biggest goal of the Penguins season yet. They look at how he's been a seamless fit for the Penguins since the Jake Guentzel trade, then analyze Erik Karlsson's performance. After that, they look at where the playoff race is and what the Penguins need to do in order to get a spot. Finally, they preview Monday's matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs and whether Nedeljkovic could get a night off. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Factor MealsGet started on your resolutions with Factor, so you’re ready for the new year. Head to factormeals.com/lockedonnhl50 and use code lockedonnhl50 to get 50% off plus 20% off your next box. eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.IndeedIndeed knows when you’re growing your own business, you have to make every dollar count. Visit Indeed.com/LOCKEDON to start hiring now. PolicygeniusCheck life insurance off your to do list in no time with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/lockedonnhl to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.  SleeperDownload the Sleeper App and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper’s Terms of Use for details.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARENTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Keep your babies buckled up and in the upright position because we have a bumpy ride coming up over the next nine days. You're locked on penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day. Hello, welcome back to another episode of the Locks on Penguins podcast. I am one of your hosts, Hunter Hodes. You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

Join by my co-host Patrick Damp. You can follow him on Twitter at Cynum for Wet, and you can follow the shows, Twitter at L.O on the sore penguins. Of course, thank you all so much for making this your first lesson slash watch of the day. We are freeing available on all platforms.

And finally, today's episode is brought to you by Sleeper, download the Sleeper app and use promo code locked on NHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply sleepers' terms of use for details. So the Pittsburgh Penguins woke up on Sunday in a playoff spot for the first. first time in quite a while, but they wake up on Monday just one point out of that final

playoff spot because the Detroit Red Rings beat the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. But the Penguins were still in the playoff spot, Pat, for about 24 hours after their insane 5 to 4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. And let's get right into that game to kick off this show. The first two periods against the lightning were two of the best periods of hockey. I think I've seen the Penguins play all year. They were engaged in all three zones. the core was carrying them from start to finish. They were also getting contributions from some of their other players. They were getting great goal tending from Alex Deltkovich,

but also in typical Penguins fashion, they blew the lead pretty quickly in the third just because the third period has been a struggle bus for the Penguins drop the season. And half a period, that lead gone, 4-4, 10 minutes into the third. But what happened after that surprised me. They didn't just go quietly into the night. They didn't, you know, succumb to pressure. Michael Bunting becomes the hero in scores with less than six minutes to play to give the

Penguins their biggest two points yet. And that was, I think, one of the best games of the year overall. You could tell it was a playoff-like crowd at PBG-Paints Arena for this game. You could honestly just feel the tension overall at that building. And for as bad as they played in the third, they were still able to win that game. game and show that this team is a completely different team over the last couple of weeks, because I think if they weren't playing like this over the last two weeks, they lose that game with how they played for a good chunk of this season.

No doubt. I mean, that was, you know, to use all the buzzwords, they're grittiest, their most heartfelt win, they dug deep and were able to get back on track after blowing a three goal lead. I will say this. and I'm glad to see that the official who got hit blindsided during the game is okay. He's awake alert and moving. It doesn't seem like there's going to be any sort of long-term effect because that collision was very ugly and it was very scary when you saw the replay and the way he went down and the way he was taken out of the game.

But I will say this, that took the life out of the game. It took it completely turned the game on its head. And the broadcast even acknowledged it on ABC. They said as much, it's really hard after a moment like that to re-engage and get your emotions back to where they were and up the intensity to where it was because it no longer becomes about hockey in that moment. It becomes about the human being. And you want to make sure that that person is okay and is going to be okay. And by all reporting, it sounds like he will be, which is great, great news. But at that point, you could kind of feel that Tampa was able to reset in that moment.

Because even up to that moment, yeah, the lightning did start a push in the third period. And the Penguins actually did a fairly okay job of countering in that moment. Yeah, you know, I have to remind people here that we talked about this in the preview episode. Tampa's back to looking like Tampa. This wasn't just a team that is biting their time until the Stanley Cup playoffs come around because they're in. So they're a team that still is playing great hockey. They are a team that I said this to a friend of mine during the game because the Penguins dominated the first two periods. I was like, I'm still not comfortable because this is the Tampa Bay Lightning we're talking about.

They can turn it on and flip the game on its head in a matter of two to three minutes. So this is still a very good team. Yeah, the Penguins White knuckled it and kind of went into a little bit of a shell after everything happened with the official. But this is still the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are still very, very good. And just because I have to keep being honest on the show, I will say, for as great as Ndilkevich was at the end of the third period where the penguins were defending the six on five, and then the six on four.

And I still can't believe that Tampa did not score on that six on four with the amount of chances that they got. I do have to be honest with myself and say that the two, goals, the four two and the four three goals, Pat, you can't allow those. I'm sorry. The four two, one, 35 seconds into the third period, you need to save there. I know Ned has been tremendous throughout the last eight games, but I feel like if someone like Tristan Jari allows that goal, you're hearing it for a lot longer, in my opinion. I even think the fourth re-goal from Anthony Duclair as well, I don't think that puck should go in either. I think you need a couple saves there. The, the, the Nicholas Paul goal, definitely, it's an unscreen shot from the wing. You

definitely want to save there. I will give him a little bit of grace on the Anthony Duclair goal because Brian Russ did set a little bit of a screen when he attempted the blocked shot. So I doubt he had full vision of it. So I agree in principle. Yeah, you'd like two saves there, but I'd say the Nicholas Paul goal was more egregious than the new player goal. But overall, you look at the way Ned played. You mentioned the six on five. that was a 200 IQ by him with three seconds left to kind of cover the puck, move over a little bit and throw it into the corner. Right.

Because he knew not enough time left on the clock for them to go get possession, get set up and get a scoring chance. So rather than give them a face off where they could run a set play, he runs the clock out and gives the penguins the victory. I did love that he did that because you're right. If he does cover that, you probably still have two, 2.5, 3 full seconds left, they can run a play there and potentially score

with the amount of talent that Tampa Bay has overall. But even just outside of lightning, this game for the Penguins was carried by their big guns, saying we're still not done, and we want to have at least one more shot at making something happen in the playoffs. Sydney Crosby gets it started a little over five minutes in. Another 40-goal year for the captain.

Congratulations to Crosby overall. And then you have a Vigin-Malkin with another tremendous effort. has been on another level for the last few weeks. Michael Buncing, he had the game winner. We'll get to him in a second. And Chris Lentang, he also gets on the score sheet. And overall, it was them saying, we are still great players. And we're going to be better than your core players today, Tampa.

And that's exactly what happened. It was. It was strength versus strength. And the penguins came out on top, which is wild to say, because I feel fully confident in saying that outside of a guy like Stephen Stamco's who is still in, incredible. The Lightning have younger talent that still has a lot of great hockey ahead of them. While you look at Crosby, Malkin, Latang, Carlson, and think, okay, there's only a handful of years left. Then you look at Tampa when you've got a guy like Kucharov, a guy like Hedman, who still have a lot of hockey ahead of them.

But it was strength versus strength, and it was an incredible showing by the Penguins core players, especially even though he was not on the score sheet much, Eric Carlson. is playing a great, great brand of hockey these last few weeks. Did you see the pass that he had to spring? I believe it was Benstrom on like a mini breakaway. The Vasilevsky had to come up with a pretty big save. That was vintage stuff for Eric Carlson. And he was awesome throughout this game. He was great at breaking the puck out of his own zone.

He was great defending in his own zone. He was leading the charge with so much offense. I mean, he had the shot attempt, Pat, that led to the game winner for Michael Bunting. It all started because of Carlson at the point doing his thing. He has been awesome, as you said, over the last couple weeks. And this goes to show why so much I feel like of the Carlson hate was unjustified. Yeah, can we say that he hasn't lived up to some expectations that some fans have had? Sure, if you may be expecting him to have 95 to 100 points again or even 90 points,

but that was probably not going to happen. He was always going to score a bit less than that, which is fine, just because the penguins also have Chris LaTang. But I will keep saying it on the show until I'm blue in the face. He has been as advertised this season and he was great yet again in this game against the lightning, especially when the penguins needed him the most. It's completely fair to say that for the most part, like the rest of the team, he has been disappointing this year.

There's no argument there between the power play, between where the team is in the standings and how they're going into the last week and a half of the year, fighting for their playoff lives rather than preparing for the playoffs. It's totally fair. I don't think it's wrong to say that he has disappointed. But just like the team as a whole, he is playing his best hockey of the season as this team fights for a playoff spot. And that's exactly what they need.

Yes, would have been nice for the whole season. But at this point, we are in full better late than never mode. And he is delivering. You know, a player is also playing the best hockey of his season. so far, Michael Bunting. We got a shot him out. Five goals, 13 points since joining the Penguins. His biggest goal yet for the Penguins is the game winner with less than six minutes to go against Tampa. And that celebration, I mean, that blew the arena's roof off overall. Not for nothing, but Jake Gensel and Michael Bunting have the same amount of goals since they've gone to their respective teams.

Now, yes, no, Michael Bunting is not Jake Gensel. You can read that. Get out of here. Listen, he never has been, he never will be. But at this moment, this appears to be a win-win trade for both teams because Michael Bunting, as I've been saying, is everything this team has missed for the last few years. And Jake Gensel is everything Carolina has missed for the last couple of years. So at this point, this was a mutually beneficial trade for both franchises. Agreed. And if he continues to play like this throughout the rest of his Penguins tenure, I do think we could

look back on this deal as very much a nil for Hornquist type swap because that's what it's looking like at least right now. How long it stays that way, well, we're going to have to see. But that was an awesome goal. Evgeny Malkin, by the way, another amazing game from him. That's the last point I want to make. I thought he was washed though, Pat. The sources were telling me that Evgeny Malkin was washed, but no, he is not. If you just give

him good competent linemates and give him good offensive zone starts and let him cook, he still has quite a bit left in the tank. And you saw the emotion that his parents had of being in the building. Yet again, it's galvanized Gino throughout the last week, week and a half. And he had one of his best games of the year when the Penguins needed it the most. Just a tremendous game from 71 overall. You love to see it.

He feels like he's all the way back. And that's only good news for this team's hopes to get into the postseason. 100%. But I think that would do it for this game against Tampa Bay overall. coming up in the second segment, Pat and I are going to look at the playoff race overall and how it's going to get pretty crazy over the next nine days. We're going to get into the schedules for all the teams and what the penguins need to do to guarantee their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs that's coming up right after this.

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You can follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can follow my host Patrick Damp on Twitter at Senator for Wet. So let's take a look at this wild playoff race right now because I thought last year's race was really close. And then this season was like, oh, wait, hold my beer. It's going to get even closer overall. And the Penguins did get a little bit of help on Sunday. The Ottawa Senators took a point from the Washington Capitol. So you look at the standings right now.

the Islanders are in third in the Metro with 85 points. The Red Wings have the final playoff spot, the second Wildcars spot with 84 points, and then you have a three-way tie for ninth with the Penguins, the Capitals, and the Flyers. One big thing heading into these final four to five games for each team, the Penguins only have to tie all of these teams. They have the tiebreaker, which is regulation wins,

and they will keep that tiebreaker as long as they continue to win at least a game or two, or hopefully all these games in regulation. But at the end of the season, they will have the tiebreaker. They don't have to really pass any of these teams. They just have to tie them. But you look at these schedules, the Islanders, it's a bit tough. They have the Rangers twice.

They have the Devils. Obviously, the game against the Penguins, they have the Canadians. The Red Wings, this is kind of a make or break week for them. They have the Capitals, and then the Penguins on the road, and then they go to Toronto. Then they end the season with the home and home against a really bad Canadians team. Penguins will get into just a second. the Capitals, Red Wings, Sabres, Lightning, Bruins, and Flyers, and then the Flyers will play the Canadians, Rangers, Devils, and the Capitals.

For the Penguins to make the playoffs, my friends, it's pretty straightforward. You win out, you're in. It doesn't matter what the other teams do. If the Penguins went out and get 10 points fat, they are in the playoffs, especially if you take two points in regulation away from the Red Wings, and you take two points in regulation away from the Islander, this team gets in. Now that said, we have to see if they are able to win out because this is a very tough schedule. They have the toughest schedule of all the remaining teams in the chase for a playoff spot.

Starting tonight against the Maple Leafs, we'll preview that game in the next segment. They have the Red Wings, which we're going to discuss later on this week. Then it's the Bruins, then it's the Predators, and then it's that game on the island against the Islanders. I said it last night. I'll say it here on the show. If the Penguins go four and one over their last five games, that should be good. good enough to get in, especially if two of your wins are regulation wins against the Red Wings and the Islanders.

Absolutely. And we'll get into a full preview in the final segment of the Toronto game tonight, but this game actually does loom very, very large in this playoff race because you brought up the regulation wins. The Penguins currently have the most of the teams chasing this playoff spot at 31. Every team in this race right now, including the penguins, have five games remaining on their schedule. If the penguins are able to beat Toronto tonight in regulation, that will give them 32. And there is not a team in this race that can catch 32 regulation wins like the penguins.

So if the penguins get a clean two points tonight, they will guarantee that tiebreaker should it come to that point. that doesn't mean they win tonight and they're in and everything's good to go. Points are still very much at a premium. But if you get a regulation win tonight against Toronto, you give yourself that insurance card if, say, you stumble against Detroit or you stumble against Boston or Nashville. But you're right. I think I'm with you.

Four wins, eight points, I think is more than enough to get them into the postseason. then if you get six or less, I've got to give a shout out to Matt at Ginzer on Twitter. He brought this up and said this correctly. If they only get six or less, it might be time to go back to church and do a little bit of praying because then it's not going to be in their hands anymore.

It's going to be the kind of race that you need a lot of help to get in. So get a win tonight. Guarantee that tiebreaker, which gives you a tad little bit of breathing room. but overall, four to five wins, eight to ten points, I think pretty much put them in the postseason. It's been fun seeing this team get quite a bit of help over the last few days, but you can't rely on that for the next nine days. You have to take care of your own business if you want to get into the playoffs.

And I'm going to quote the Beastie Boys here. Great song. You got to fight for your right to party. You have the toughest schedule. Okay, go out there and beat all those teams. in a way, I'm actually kind of glad. This may sound insane to you, but I'm actually kind of glad that the Penguins have these tough games to end the season

because we all saw what happened at the end of last year, right, Pat? They had to just be the Chicago Blackhawks who were tanking for Connor Bedard and a terrible Columbus Woojackets team, and they couldn't even do either of them. Now you're playing five bona fide playoff teams, excuse me, to end your season. You're on a four-game winning streak after beating one of them, the New York Rangers, one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team in the league overall. And you just beat a red-hot Tampa Bay team.

Carry that momentum over into this game against the Leafs and into your other games after against Nashville, Boston, et cetera, where you are playing really good teams to try and get in. So again, in a way, I'm actually kind of happy about that, even though I feel like I would want an easier schedule, but I'm fine with it being a bit tougher because you're going to have to play potentially one or more of these teams in the playoffs if you do go on a deep run, for example. Well, I agree to an extent because you're playing three bona fide playoff teams this last week

and a half in Toronto, Boston, and Nashville. Nashville's been one of the hottest second half teams. We all know how apparently canceling a concert at the sphere in Vegas was the rally around the flag moment that the Preds needed. and then you have the Toronto Maple Leafs who I keep beating the drum. Like I think this might be the year they, I don't know if they win the cup because the East is at the top very, very tough, but this is a very different Leafs team than years past.

I think they have a real shot at making a run here. And then you have Boston who, as always, is near the top of the standings. But then you're playing two of the teams you're chasing. You know, we talk about momentum. We talk about statistics. We talk about all of it. Throw it all out the window. because last year,

really easy to go into games against Chicago and Columbus and think, these teams suck. We're going to walk in, get two points and call it a day, and you don't bring your best, but you play a playoff team in Toronto. You play Detroit, who you have a chance to bury.

You play Boston, who's a bona fide Stanley Cup contender. You play Nashville, who's arrived as a maybe a contender in the West. I'm skeptical, but they're a team that could make some noise in the postseason. And then the Islanders, another team in your division,

that you have locked horns with for the last five years. So this is a great schedule to end them because there's not a night off. There's no way your mind can float into the area of, ah, it's just this team. We'll be all right. No, you got to bring it every single night. Oh, that's what I was going to end the segment with. Like, there are no days off with these final five games.

You have to show up because you don't, these bona fide playoff teams, that you're going to be playing will bury you. And I know I included Detroit and the Outer's in there, but they are in playoff spots right now. That's why I say that they are playoff teams. So this is going to be really fascinating over the next nine days to see if the Penguins can continue their winning ways,

eight-game points should be riding into this game against the Maple Leafs. And speaking of that game, we're going to preview it and discuss who should get the start for the Penguins right after this. But before we get to that, we got to tell you all about eBay Motors. Passion drive and patience. The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay motors is everything you need to maintain your vehicle and leveled up

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the Locktime Penguins podcast. I am one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my post, So Penn's Leafs comes your way Monday night from Toronto, another revenge game for Kyle Dubus, if that's what you want to call it the third and final meeting between the Penns and the Leafs this season. And another monstrous game for the Penguins. The Leafs, it still means, I guess, something to them. I guess if you want to say that they're playing for home ice, you can, though they are five points out of second place in the Atlantic.

They do have a couple games in hand on the Panthers, but I do think when it comes down to it, they're probably not going to get home ice for their playoff series. and I know that lightning are hot on their heels right now, but the Leafs have already clinched a playoff spot. It's not going to mean as much to them, but they're still going to be playing their butts off, especially in their own building. And it all starts, obviously,

with Austin Matthews, the best pure goal score in the NHL right now. 64 goals, 100 points in 75 games. There is a real shot that he hits 70 goals by the end of the season. That is how good Austin Matthews has been. You also have William Neelander, career year for him, 40 goals, 96 points in 76 games. he's probably going to hit 100 points by the end of the season. You have with Mitch Marner, who's had a really good year.

John Tavares is still kicking totally fine. Morgan Riley is a true bona fide number one defensive. They've also had good contributions from Tyler Bertuzi, who even though he started the year a bit slowly, he's really come on in the second half of the year. Matthew Nyes has been really solid. They've had Nick Robertson play really well. This is a team that they're fairly deep and they're potent offensively.

Like we saw several months ago in Toronto, Pat, this team can make you pay at any point in the game. And the Penguins, they're going to have to play the way they did against Tampa in their first two periods if they win this game. So yeah. And here's the biggest difference for me for the Leafs this year. You brought up both their names when you talked about the contributors. And that's Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzi. This team has sandpaper now.

I talk about this all the time on the pod. I don't think that you need quote unquote tough guys anymore, right? I don't think you need the goon, the big hitter, whatever. You need the guys who make it a long night. And Bertuzi and Domi have that in spades. They will play hard. They will get under your skin. They will throw big hits.

They will be disruptors of the game. But they also contribute because Domi's coming up on 10 goals. Bertuzi's almost got 20. And these are guys who will make your night long. They will throw hits. They will be like I said, disruptors. So for the penguins, you need to not get sucked into that. Or at the very least, unleash the bunting.

Let him be the guy who's going to come right back at that and get in the face of whether it's Ilya Samsonov or Joseph Wall, whoever gets the start tonight for the Toronto Maple Leafs. We saw it against Tampa Bay. When the penguins had success in those first two periods, the net front in Tampa zone was an absolute war zone. There was always somebody in front, maybe two guys in front. They were taking away the eyes of Vasilevsky, which made his night really challenging. And you have to do that tonight because as good as Samsonov has bounced back and as steady as Joseph Wohl has been for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they're not Andre Vazolevsky. So you have to make their night long. And this is a Leafs team that is very potent offensively, like you said.

And you cannot get into a track meet with them because here's the thing. And I don't mean this is a disrespect to Alex Ovechkin. He's the greatest goal score in the history of the game. Austin Matthews isn't just a guy who sets up shop in the circle and blasts away. Austin Matthews scores from everywhere, whether it's off the rush, whether it's a one-timer, whether it's a snipe from 50 feet out. This guy is the best goal score we have seen since Alex Ovechkin. and he's going to chase down Ovechkin for that record as his career continues.

And then that doesn't even get into the fact that, like you said, you have William Neelander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares is still a hell of a player. So this is going to be up to this point, like every other game, the biggest challenge the Penguins face as they fight towards the playoffs. Agreed. And I mean, I think Matthews has the best release in the entire league, in my opinion. And you can make an argument for some other players. but what he can do with a puck on his stick when he shoots it,

it's unrivaled, I think, in the NHL at this point. And you brought up a league's goaltending with Wall and Samsonov. We got to bring it to Pittsburgh now because I do think there is a legit debate about who starts tonight. And before everyone comes at me with pitchforks in the YouTube comments or in my DMs, just hear me out, people. I understand that Alex Andalkovich has been tremendous throughout the last eight games. That said, I think you're going to need Jari for at least one of these final five games.

I don't want him that cold heading into a potential playoff series against either the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, or potentially the Bruins if they're able to get the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. In my opinion, and I said this to our good friend Jesse Marshall on Twitter on Sunday, I think you start Trojan Jari in this game against the Leafs because in a way, I think you can argue that this game against the Leafs is the least important of the remaining five. Three of your next four are at home. And the Penguins, let's face it, they're better at home this year than they are on the road. And if you're able to win those three games at home before potentially beating the Islanders on the road,

that would be four and one. You say you lose this game against the Maple Leafs, you still should be guaranteed a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And by starting Jari tonight, you give them a chance to get out of that rut, he's been in for the last month and see if he can carry the penguins to a big win overall. And you also are giving Alex Delcovic some rest because, again, you need to start him on Thursday against the Red Wings because that game is a lot bigger. And then you can start him for the game against Boston if you want. And then maybe Nashville.

Then obviously you want to start him in the game on the island against the islanders. But overall, I do think this game against the Leafs may mean the least of the five. That makes sense. I know they're all massive games, people. I think if you want to give Jari a start, I think this one might make the most sense. Right after that one, I would say the Nashville game makes the most sense. But I think this one overall makes just a little more sense in my opinion. Overall, I agree.

I think that Jari has three opportunities to start down the stretch. And that's tonight. And then Saturday against Boston and then Monday against Nashville. Because they are the non-games that you're going up against the teams that you're chasing. They're outside of the division. They're one of them's outside of the conference. So the points are not as premium, even though they still matter tremendously. At the same time, I look at this as Jari needs to battle back.

Just like Alex Nadelcovic has kind of usurped him for the starters role. He can reassert himself with a huge game tonight. He can maybe put that seated doubt in Mike Sullivan's head of like, hey, maybe Jari's figuring it out. But at the same time, you're right. you have a bunch of you have a couple of games at home to wrap up the season and the penguins are well below 500 on the road they're 15 and 24 i'm counting overtime losses is losses on this and then you look at the you look at how they are at home they're 21 and 17 again i'm counting overtime losses is losses here so you're right i think you can give jari the shot tonight and then go back to ned against the red wings on

Thursday. So overall, I do think at this point, it remains Alex Nadelcovich's crease, but you do have to give him a rest because the penguins are playing so much hockey right now and they're playing in a million miles an hour. And you don't want to go into a potential first round matchup with Alex Nadelcovich completely gassed. That was the last point I was going to make if you didn't say it. You don't want him so tired heading into playoffs. Because right now, it should be Nadelcovich's net. If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, he would be my game one star. I think he would be everyone's game one star with the way he's played over the last couple of weeks. But you want him healthy and you want him fresh. And I do think overall, if the Penguins do get in the playoffs,

they're going to need both goals, especially after what happened a couple years ago, right? They're going to need both of them fully healthy, fully rested, and on top of their games. And that's why, again, I would lean towards starting Jari in this game, as I told Jesse on Sunday. but I think that I'll do it for this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I guess one more thing. I want to see that same level of desperation. The Penguins should be way more desperate in this one than Maple Leafs. The Leafs already have a playoff spot locked up.

Again, sure, they're playing for Hallmice, even though there are five points behind the Panthers, but the penguins need to come out there and assert their dominance early on and show that they are still very much in the race and that they really need those two points to get back into a playoff spot. So that's also something I'm looking for tonight. as a whole. But again, that'll do it for this one. Thank you all so much for taking the time to listen to slash watch this episode. Pat and I will be back with another show for you all on Tuesday

to recap this game against the Leafs and look at the playoff race overall and preview the big games for the other teams who the Penguins are chasing overall in the playoff race. But again, for Patrick Damp, I'm Hunter Hodes. Thank you all so much for tuning in. We'll talk with you all on Tuesday.