The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Shayna Goldman Recaps the First Weekend of NHL Playoffs

Episode Date: April 20, 2026

Jeff is joined by Shayna Goldman to break down an electrifying opening weekend of the NHL Playoffs. From the Carolina Hurricanes shutting out the Ottawa Senators to the Minnesota Wild’s dominant performance over the Dallas Stars, no series is left untouched. The duo unpacks the Philadelphia Flyers’ statement road win in Pittsburgh, the Montreal Canadiens’ thrilling Game 1 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning powered by Juraj Slafkovsky’s hat trick and OT heroics, and the Colorado Avalanche handling business versus the LA Kings. Plus, they discuss Vegas’ dramatic comeback against the Utah Mammoth and the Buffalo Sabres’ stunning late-game rally over the Boston Bruins—marking their first playoff win in 14 years.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼 Ninja: https://www.sharkninja.ca/ninja-crispi-pro-6-in-1-countertop-glass-air-fryer-rose-quartz/AS101CRS.html?utm_source=Meta&utm_medium=Paid+Social&utm_campaign=H1NinjaCrispi&utm_content=NinjaEN&dwvar_AS101CRS_color=cdb9b8Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@FNBarnBurner🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoffReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the meantime, I understand her tongue is sufficiently salted and she's ready for another appearance here on the program. She is Comodiale Franca, as we say in French, La Prémyre d'Iteau, the first star, Sheena Goldman from The Athletic and the Too Many Men podcast. Hello, Shana. Hello, Besty. Did I say that right? Hello, Besty. Are we doing that right?

Yes. Yes, you got it right. Okay. Very hip. No generation gap between us. No, no cool gap between us. No, not at all. wide brush thoughts here because there's so many different places we can begin

for me it was it was santra generet and the banging of the the drum at the key bank I'm getting older hey so I'm just getting all sentimental for this kind of stuff I just but I just loved it was there one moment for you that like that's it that was my moment that was it that's what made this weekend perfect when it come to hockey I would say the first stage Thompson goal last night because Because, you know, watching through all these games, I think we've seen a lot of really exciting first periods, which makes sense, right? Like, everyone's excited to be here. You're going to come out.

You're going to be physical. You're going to get things going. But it does feel like a lot of the games have fizzled out as time rolls on, which can happen. And it's not like in that game. Yeah, exactly. Game settled. Game settled. Yeah.

Yep. And we saw that a lot last night between the Sabres and Bruins. Right. Like they come out, the energy. Everyone's buzzing. And I think the Bruins did a great job quieting down the Sabers. But you get to a point where you were like, a goal. Something. Give me anything here, Buffalo, because, you know, we've heard the river hockey,

they're inexperienced or just getting, you know, to game one, isn't winning the Stanley Cup. We know all of that's true, but still this team earned their way, not just to the playoffs, but to first in the Atlantic. I think that goal changed everything. You saw a complete turnaround by the Sabres with one, one goal, right? One shot changed everything because you saw the way they were pouncing on pucks to stop the Bruins from exiting the zone or the way that they were clearing the puck out before the talk of the netter. I think you're seeing, it was a Jason Zucker back check. That was two shifts before that, if I remember correctly.

Like that was the moment that Tate Thompson goal got it all going. And then you go, okay, this is what this is, you know, the Stanley Cup playoffs, this is what we're excited for. And you kind of did have a feeling once one went in that a whole bunch was going to go in. Like there was only so, like, first of, territorially, like this was, this was Buffalo's game for all three periods. And the story of the game was Jeremy's. Swyman. That's how this thing is developing. Jeremy Swamon's going to just rob the Buffalo Sabres of all their joy in game one and take a

one-nothing series lead until he was a little bit slow getting to his left post. And Tage Thompson tucked it in. And the whole building exhaled and erupted in euphoria. And right away, you can see even just by like, you know, the following face off and the sabres win it and how they start zipping the puck around. Like what's the old saying? Goals go to your feet. And all of a sudden they're moving.

Buffalo Sabres are moving and they're moving the puck. And sure enough, they start to pour it on. And it's the emotion. And it's all those, it's all those fans. Oh, it's funny. Something that you'll appreciate. I got a text from someone at a, from another team who said, the key bank has the vibes of the old Nassau Coliseum.

It's real hockey fans. A lot of them still smoke. And they're there to watch the Buffalo freaking sabers. There was like nothing corporate hockey about it. Those were real fans. And this person said it kind of reminds me of the old NASA Coliseum. But you're right. Like it seemed like the minute that Tate Thompson scored that one goal,

they were going to get a handful and the Boston Bruins were sunk. I think that's the way we all saw this thing. Yeah, well, a couple notes there. First of all, the Sabers fans that were smoking darts in the upper deck. We had that earlier in the regular season. Tadena 10, love them. Great work. Lasacostia.

I'm high bar to clear because the vibes there, especially when they came back for, you know, after being at Barclays and they went back there. I think that brought the energy even more. So great comparison. But no, like you were saying, it got everyone's feet moving that third period. I think that was so important because before, like I'm looking at my notes. And earlier in the game, you know, I'm looking at that McLeod line thinking I've seen them way too much.

I have seen Ryan McLeod out there far too much. And he was playing with Quinn and Jason Zucker, who I think, Quinn had some really good passes last night. Zucker obviously had that back check I mentioned before, but at the end of the day, they had a 37% expected goal rate. They were outscored 2 to 1. And I watched them going, I don't need to see that much of that line out there. I'd rather see the Norris line out there with more Benson and Don't

because I thought they were very noticeable and more of that Thompson line. Also not a great night for Zadorf and Peak. I mean, they broke even in shots. They were two one in goals in their minutes, but I still didn't love what I saw. there from them. So I think there's a lot you can build off of just from those last few minutes alone, right? Because it's that you can't count the sabers out. And I think that's really important here for a team that when the win streak started in December, one of the biggest trends was that they were scoring first and figuring out how to defend leads, which you need to know how to do.

But I think at some points, they were going a little bit too defensive shell. And they got better as the year went on with that. But it was a theme throughout the rest of the season. Their best games were when they scored first. But as they kept growing and, and advancing, and I think they got better after the Olympic break at five on five. You saw them starting to win games in different ways. So here's one to take because going into the series, if you had to predict an outcome like this, right? Like here it is, one team's leading and in the last few minutes,

flips the game on its head, takes over and crushes the other team. I think you would have predicted it the other way around, right? You would have expected the Bruins, a more experienced team. Yep. Would be the one to do this to the sabers. Just like they did. At the end of the regular season, there was that Wednesday night game where they wanted an overtime.

They kind of just flipped the game late, and there they go, they took over. So the fact that it was a Sabres doing it too, I think is a really interesting point for them to build off of. All right, bouncing around here. What the hell happened between Minnesota and Dallas? Like everything clicked from Minnesota. Brock Faber, outstanding.

Joel Eris Erickson Eck, outstanding. To me, the moment where I said, man, this is a different Minnesota wild team, was watching Vlad Tarasenko get out to the point to block a shot. It didn't look pretty. It was a really. really ugly block. But nonetheless, that's not Teresenko's game,

but watching him sell out like that to try to protect the lead, that's when I looked at this game and said, man, this is a different Minnesota wild team. And Jason Robertson scores and nothing. Like Dallas came out with nothing. And here's my question for you. Because this is the way it felt to me. And even Gulletson shook it off at the end in the post-game presser.

if what happened with Peter DeBore and Jake Ottinger didn't happen, would Glenn Gullison have pulled Jake Ottinger? It almost seemed as if that last game, Ottinger, was protected because there was no, it didn't matter what was happening with Ottinger. The only way, maybe if he pulled himself. But given the way things were going and the way a couple of those goals went in, I kept thinking to myself,

there's no way Gulletson just wants to light a six-to-one game on fire even more than it already is and throw the Ottinger question on the table. Did it not feel like Ottinger had Yank protection because of DeBoer last year? It felt like that to mention. A little bit. A little bit. I don't think it was fully on him either, though. I think the stars only generated like a 37% expected goal rate.

I thought Thomas Harley had a really rough game out there. And I think his first half of the year was tough. But he rebounded enough post-Olympics that I wasn't concerned about him going into this. And I think, too, the lineup looked really top-heavy, which, you know, the star is best. strength is their deep forward group and without hints it puts du shane on the second line you have no play drivers for the bottom six and i think the bottom six look pretty exposed pretty one dimensional and it's not what you want to see and it's not what we've seen from them a lot of the year so it's not fully on jay gottinger and i think that helps too right why pull him if he's not the problem but i think

here the important part of it was let him try to problem solve it and get all of the the potential playoff demons out of his system and look it was a rough game for him he was not as sharp as he should have been even when you consider what his workload was. But I don't think, I think when you combine the divorce situation of last year, which rightfully should be talked about and you combine what the team did in front of him, you don't just put it on your shoulders in game one, right? You wait and see what happens in game two. But I do think you have to be smart about it moving forward from here because

obviously, Gulletton has learned a lot about Jake Gott and Jigott and Jerm during the last year and his mentality. And then you have the wholly coaches to factor into. So it's something I'm sure. sure will be discussed between, you know, that game and the next one of how do you handle this situation with him? What things can you do? Will this hurt him help him? And how do you figure it out from here? Because if he has another poor start, what do you do? You obviously can't wait forever. But I would imagine he comes in a lot better, a lot sharper. And if he doesn't, and you just see the confidence isn't there and you know what you have to do.

Go to the bullpen. You go to the bullpen. And that's the moment that Minnesota probably says now we got them. Which is the opposite of the last time they matched up, right? 100%. That's exactly what Minnesota did. They went, we're going to go with Flurry after Gustafson was a better goalie and it destroyed their series. No surprise that just for Walsstadt gets the start in that one.

Like there were some, like I think the Colorado, L.A. game one, there are some people with the sort of raised eyebrow with the starting goaltenders. I had no problem with either of it. They both made sense to me. But Jesper Welsstadt's been the better goaltender down the stretch. He's the guy, grab him and ride him. Yeah. Did I think he was going to get game one? Honestly, no. But when I saw it, I'm like, I think it's the right call because Gustafson, his season-wide numbers look pretty good. And if you look at the two of them together, it's, you know, the best combined percentage in the league. But when you split the season and go through the ebbs and flows, you see where the issues were with Gustafin, right? He had a really poor time in January going into the Olympic break. He comes back. He's better. But then down the stretch, he's not playing at the level that they need. And they had some big-time games there. So Walsstead was a lot more solid.

for them. And I think he came up with some really big saves that you go, yes, this is exactly why he's the guy in game one. And you don't change it unless you have to, right? Because some teams might want to keep their goalies fresh. If anyone's going to do that, it's going to be Rod Brindamore. I don't think Heinz needs to join that, right? You're leading in a series. Rest Anderson for a game, go with someone else. You don't need to do that with Wallstead here. I don't think it's going to be an issue unless he looks fatigued to a point that, you know, you're seeing something in practice that's off. But to me, he earned the starters net until he doesn't. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh.

I want to frame one thing one very specific way. When we look at all the free agents from last summer, there's two that jump out as the best value signing. Dan Vladar, Anthony Mantha. First of all, do you think I'm missing anyone in the top two? And second of all, I mean, my vote here goes to Dan Vlodar. Would your vote go to Dan Vlodar as well as far as best value, free agent, signing? in the off season.

People are putting his name. People are putting his name on the heart ballot. He ain't going to win. You ain't going to be top three. But his name is on heart ballots. Dan Fladar. And there he was again. I can't go with that.

Come on, let's go. Snuggle up. Let's go. Come on. You can do this. Come on. I'm sorry. Tug a war you into this.

Come on. Let's go. Dan Fladar. He was. No, no, he was. He was. But is it MVP caliber? No.

Do I think he's the best value signing in the league? No. I think the Flyers defensive structure down this stretch is the key to their success. Has he been really great behind them? Yeah, absolutely. But it's not him alone. I think it's the way the entire team defends, right? And it starts right up front. You see guys like Forcer and Noah Kates and like their commitment to defense and it trickles down the entire lineup. Their pairs were both really good. The top four pairs. I thought York and Drysdale were doing what they knew do. They generated a ton of offense and they looked pretty good defensively too. And obviously the stander. and he and pair looked good as well. So I don't put it fully on Vodar. Does he have to be good here? Yes, but do I think the Flyers need someone to be outstanding? No. I think with Manta, what he did, especially when you look at his history leading up to this point,

I think he's like the bigger win here because we all saw a lot that we liked from him earlier in his career. And it just kind of fell apart. And then every time he moved, you were like, maybe this will work. Maybe this is the fit that will get him going. And it just wasn't. And this year, yes, he had a poor game one, I would say. But I think generally speaking, this season, he stepped up in a big way and has really raised his value up more. Okay.

So what was the story then in game one? And was it Travis Sandheim? Or was it, because I don't want to say the first two periods of Porter Martone, but the third period of Porter Martone. And not just the goal either, but the screen on the Sanheim. After Sanheim dangles and Elmer Soder Blom and gets that shot in past Skinner. To me, that goal is all about the screen in front from a kid that looks like he, he's been playing in the in the NHL for five years already. And he's been fantastic.

Like he has been going up in tough minutes. I think he got five minutes of Sydney Crosby last game. So you're going heads ahead with the best of the best and you look calm, cool, collected and better than that. Like you're just purely effective. That's so impressive. He is one of the stories of the playoffs so far. I'm working on something about playoff breakouts.

He's going to obviously be at the top of the list. Martin. Okay. I mean, he's been fantastic. Yeah. I think though the biggest thing for me, like you look at it and you go, he is one of the stories, but it's also like this team writing the momentum that they built themselves down the stretch, right? You look at this impressive run to the playoffs.

I don't know. Did some of us think it was just going to drive game one? I don't really know what to say. Like, yes, I picked the penguins in the series, but you knew it was going to be a battle. And I think game one, you see it of if any team can frustrate them, this team has those two-way chops to do it. So it'll come down to, you know, can the penguins re-center themselves and play back to their strengths? the flyers are going to make life difficult in every which way, and they did on both ends of the ice last game.

The Montreal Canadians go into Tampa, or should I say, Yuri Slavkovsky, goes into Tampa and the hat trick, including the overtime winner, on a really bold shot. Like, players generally don't take that. I know it's power play, but at the same time, like it's a risky shot because it could end up going back the other way down the ice, but when you're feeling it like Slavkovsky was on Sunday, you ripped that shot.

Now, was it Andre Baskolowski's best performance that we've seen? No. As anyone really worried about the Tampa Bay Lightning? Based on history, no. Although, let me pause on that. So Montreal goes in here and throws a scare into the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like, they've done their job. They got their split. Now it's back to the Bell Center. One more game and back to the Bell Center. I don't want to get too ahead of myself here, but I'm about to. If the Montreal Canadiens can do this, that's four first round exits in a row for the Tampa Bay Lightning and four first round exits in a row for John Cooper. At what point do you start to ask questions about Tampa and about John Cooper?

Like we just assume like death taxes and John Cooper is a coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Again, I know it's game one. I know it's game one. You're going to get dragged for this one. Oh, I'm totally getting dragged for this one. Look at Merrick. He's firing John Cooper, you idiot, best coach in the NHL. And I think I would, I would, yeah, thanks, Zach.

Yeah, thanks. Appreciate that. The MVP we need, Zach. That's my pal. Like, he was looking out for his host here. Had a boy, fired me under the bus fast. I don't know. Like how are we feeling about Tampa right now?

Normally we say, oh, they'll be fine. But they've been out in the first round. Twice against Florida, once against Toronto Maple Leafs. And right now the Montreal Canaan just went in there. And I don't want to say handed it to them. But they tried to out physical the Tampa. Like you could tell, first of all, Josh Anderson's hitting everything. And you could tell that Arbor Jackye is dying to fight Cory Perry.

He's just dying to fight Cory Perry. And like, that's Tampa's game. How are you feeling about this series now? How are you feeling about this? Okay. I'm not on the fire John Cooper train just getting at the seat. I'm not saying they're firing junk. I know you're dying to fire John Cooper.

Okay. I'm not dying to fire a joke. We're spreading right now. Okay. John Cooper to Toronto. There we go. John could get Nick Alberger on this one. Get Nick and Rosie on this one.

Yeah, we're going to see it now. Like I can already picture like the Gossip Girl, you know, Do the lightning need a spark and go from there? I think it's going to depend how the rest of the series goes and how much it's do the Tampa Bay Lightning adjust? How do they handle things on defense? Because Dasu, obviously, is doubtful for game too. We don't know what's going on with Victor Headman.

It puts more on Mozer and Radish's play. And while they were so good in the regular season, I don't think they had a perfect game one here. But it also depends on what happens in Net. I think the Vaselowski conversation is going to be the most interesting one. Because when you go back to what he did to earn the reputation of playoff vassie right he had incredible play through three straight stanley cup runs uh trips to the final i should say he was unbelievable in series clinching games i think it was

eight straight games he allowed to combine two goals against and saved like 17 goals above expected like something absolutely ridiculous um i wonder how much he's a slow starter in the playoffs and hasn't had the chance to it's something i've been like looking at this a lot because i was very curious about what he did in those three straight years that he went to the cup final how much he got better as the series went on and i think that was the case right he comes up in those big game five sixes and sevens and as the playoffs roll on and you also have to think about his workload he played a lot this year his defense wasn't perfect it wasn't as bad as it was i think it was in 23 i want to say was the worst defensive performance in front of him and i think all that turnover in tampa over the

years like really bit them and really weighed heavily on vasselofsky specifically but i I wonder if he can heat up. And we look at the last few years and all these first round exits, he doesn't have the chance to do it. So if he's not at his sharpest and the team isn't, and both have been true the last few years, they're completely screwed. So what's going to happen this year?

How does the team center themselves and not just say, well, they made the mistakes that put them in this position? No, no, no. Montreal forced them into the mistakes. This goes both ways, right? The Canadians came into it. And even though all that momentum swung away from them when that Josh Anderson goal was not allowed,

was overturned and then you have the penalty that follows you look at it and go that game could have spiraled for Montreal right there and for a young team you would expect it to in that moment and it didn't so it can't just be oh well Tampa's battle tested and they let this one slip away Montreal was that aggressive in this game to force Montreal to force Tampa Bay to let this slip away and I think recognizing the difference is going to be important here because it's not just on the lightning to be the best version of themselves they have to stop the Canadians from being the best version of themselves and this is two teams that are very similar stylistically. So all of that's a conversation in front of the blue paint.

And then you're going to have to have that talk about Vasilevsky and whether he can re-center himself and be the playoff vastly we know sooner than game six or seven, right? Like he has to be sharper in game two and in game three for this series to have some life because the lightning are a great team in front of him, but he is one of their most valuable players, right? You could probably say this year it'd be Kutrov and he's right there behind him. I want to share something with you. So one of my favorite things, well, first of all, I'm pretty done with like microphones on players. Here we go, boys, let's go, boys, here we go. Bucks in you. Yeah, I don't give a shit. But Mike's on referees. Ah, now you got me. Or mics on coaches. Now

you got me. And let me take that one. How about a referee made available at the end of the game to talk about what happened in said game. Now you really got me. Now we have Dave Jackson on social media explaining everything on behalf of all of the officials. But yes, I would like that too. Now, you know what I really love? It's one of my favorite sort of game inside the game things.

And I just wish that we could hear more of it. I love hearing French Canadian coaches yelling and arguing with French Canadian referees. Marty Saint-Louis and Francois Saint-Laure and swearing at each other. or arguing with each other in French yesterday was outside of Sandra Generate with the drum. Outside of that, those were my favorite moments.

Watching Marty go Adam en Francaise. And watching Fresco Sileron spin back and give it to, give me this one, Shane. Like, I know you're looking at me like, Jeff, no, I like this. An interesting conversation here. I don't care if I don't understand it. French guys swearing at each other.

I love it. I just love the sound of the energy. It totally is. You know, and part of it is, just like the whole Montreal thing. Like, I'm not sure, like, you probably weren't watching the hockey night feed yesterday, but they were like cutaways to churches in,

Montreal, you know, filled with people like watching the game in church. Like, dude, that's Montreal, man. Like, that's it. Like, there are so many different layers to the fandom for the, for this hockey team. And they do travel well. And when they do travel,

yes, they can be annoying. I get it. It is a very, very passionate fan base. But nonetheless, I just want to throw that in there. Marty San Luis and France. No, I like this. That was mint chip ice cream. That was awesome. Yep. Passes vibe check. 10 out of 10. Love it for St. Louis too because I think last year his playoff appearance was obviously very short, but this is your like, welcome to the postseason more than last year. Right? Because for the Canadians, it felt like last season was like, well, they're just happy to be here. They worked so hard post four nations to make the playoffs. You see

the potential, but really no one had them advancing. And this year, you look at it and go, okay, you can actually see the future, right? The core is elite. The supporting cast is young, but you see the building blocks that if it doesn't work this year, there's still a lot to be happy about and a lot to plan for for the future. But also, there's your future self on the other side of the ice that adds another fun element. It's St. Louis versus his former team. And I know he doesn't, you know, put much stock in it. We've seen him say it already because his time in Tampa is so far removed, but it's another interesting element of it. But to see him on the bench, fired up and going at it is is exactly what you want because this team, like, you look at some teams and, like,

the teams take on such an identity that you can just link it to their coach, right? And you would think the Carolina Hurricanes is number one of the hurricanes are Rod Brindamore across four lines, three defense pairs, and they're perfect, right? Like, everybody, everything that he could be a more. Everyone's got to be. The thing about Carolina, too, is you have to be an athlete. The only way you can survive with Rod Brindamore because he works you so hard and expects a high work rate is to be an athlete. If you're someone that's just going to cross-check someone to hell in front of the net,

there's no spot for you on the Carolina Hurricanes. But if you're an athlete, there's a spot. Anyway, I just want to interject that. That's one thing about. No, that's, it's so true. You have to be an athlete. And it totally works for them. And with the Canadians, there's so much of St. Louis, I think, that you can see in there.

And it's more than just you see him teaching Cole Caulfield, how to take his hands in one-timer and things like that, which is a fun, vibey element of it. But it's the idea. I always go back to that instincts over systems and how he encourages players to play to play to their strengths and tries to put them in a position to succeed that you can see Lane Hudson play as a rover, right, and just go. So I think it just starts with him and trickles down the entire lineup. So if he's energized on the bench, I'm sure the rest of the team is too, because they all, you know, they all have that synergy. My friend Nancy in Arizona is a long time, actually even

before a Montreal Canaan, a Quebec Nordiques fan. And so we were texting yesterday and she's doing some of the loose lip translation of what was happening between Paris Seloides. and Francois Saint Laurent. Anyhow, I just thought I'd throw that in as a little flavor puck for you. Before we hustle here, and Jeff Patterson's on the other side, I'm going to talk about the Vancouver Canucks situation. I just want to get your thoughts on New Jersey with Sunny Meda. And what it feels like to me, because, you know,

Dubus, Tulski, meta, like at some point there's going to be a tipping point for all of this. Like, the way that I've looked at it is kind of like baseball did 30 years ago. And we've moved from Can You Play to K. can you think? And does it feel like the New Jersey hire is a tipping point or we're still not there for you? I don't think we're there yet. But I think it just shows how we're getting there more and more because, okay, everyone knows I have this analytics list. I tweeted out all the time.

And it started because I did a story about the Rangers way back when and how they used data and how they should more. And I got to talk to a lot of people who worked for teams. And I kept asking the same question of like, what do you need to make it work? and they kept saying it has to go through the organization. It can't just be that you have this analytics department that you build, and they're off to the side, and that's great and wonderful. Yes, that's important to put the resources in, to hire the right people, to build that foundation.

But it has to go through the top of the organization, whether it's someone at an AGM level, someone at the GM level, right, or a GM just being as open and embracing it. So people will look at this list and go, look, the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have the biggest staff around. And yes, there's does on paper look like one of the most robust staffs. But it's absolutely useless if you don't fully integrate it into your organization, right? And it's not saying you need a nerd to run the ship and only think like a nerd.

No, it's an extra tool at your disposal. It's more resources and it's something to help you counteract your biases and inform your opinions more so. So I think the devil's taking that leap to have someone at the top of their organization. And they've had people high up in years past, you know, that have this data-driven approach. It's leaning into it a little bit further. And I feel like that's something that will help this team because they went so far the other way over the last couple years, right? Here they are, this great rush-based team

coming to the league with all of this speed. Look at the New Jersey Devils. You can't look away because they're going to score on you if you do. But then it all kind of falls apart and it felt like they tried to become something that they're not by getting tougher, by grinding it out more instead of playing to their strengths. So now you have someone who can come in and I think do a better job of identifying what this team actually needs, helping them play to their strengths a little bit more and adding more substance behind that while still working on the fringes around what is a very talented core.

And I wonder if this kind of perspective is exactly what they need to round it out a little bit more. The one thing that I've always sort of marveled at and sort of actually shaking my head at is everybody who owns an NHL team. Like you don't get rich by owning an NHL team. You get rich and then you buy an NHL team. This is the truth of sports. And in all of their other businesses, in all of their other businesses, the approach that they take is all data driven.

Yet when it comes to their sports team, it's magic. And get the guy that's got the feel or the pulse and all of it, which flies completely in the face of what made them beyond wealthy, to the point where they can afford NHL teams or teams in other leagues. It flies right in the face of what worked for them in their quote-unquote other primary business. You know what I mean? Yeah, absolutely. Like, do you still need the hockey sense in someone that could truly get a pulse of the organization?

and does it help to have people with experiences? Yes, you look at the Colorado Avalanche, like Joe Sackett, former player, there you go. But they also have, you know, the data-driven approach that helps them fuels things and helps them get everything going. It's just something to use and lean on. Why not? Because we watch games where emotional people, we're biased people, that if you see Evan Bouchard make a mistake, and it goes in the back on the net because they don't have stable goaltending, you are thinking about Evan Bouchard being bad defensively.

It does not matter how much he's improved since Paul Kuhshaar. coffee took over because you know in your heart of hearts that he is bad. And that bias is going to guide you. And it just, we're inherently biased for people. It happens. So if you can have something to help mitigate that or help count the things that you're not calculating in your mind, you're watching the Canadians game last night. You see them scoring multiple power play goals. In your brain, are you calculating where their zone entries are and what's most effective and how they're doing this? No. So if you can put a number to it and add some substance that you can go back later and really dive in, it obviously helps. And then there's the predictability factor

and everything that they build off of those basic things that they're calculating as games go on, it just helps you have a more complete picture. Nerd. Yep. Listen, I'm sitting here with a goddamn notebook of everything I've seen in these games, counting my tallies of penalties taken, when they're taken, who's scoring power play goals? I have tables drawn out. Yes, I'm a nerd.

I just want the Burnbook. I just want the Shannon Goldman Burnbook. That's all I really care about. Just give us the good Burnbook. and we'll all be happy. We have the Too Many Men Burnbook above my shoulder right here. It's there. I love it.

You are the premier at all. You are the best. My friend, enjoy the games. And we will be checking back and bothering you regularly. Take that one to the bag. Thanks for having me. Hey, by the way, any pickle updates really quick. Any Dill updates?

Where we got? Anything new? Come under your nose. I saw that. There is PBR. I haven't found it yet. It says it gets released early May. But I have seen on TikTok people are getting it early.

So I need to find that. You saw the tweet from Corey Lavalette, to send that, who sent that to us? Like, Corey, bless that. I had actually already saved it and was like, hey, this is something we have to leave an eye out for because, yeah, because anytime there's anything new or rare, like I'm very on top of that, as you know, I am sick. I have to try it all. But there's the bushlight apples coming back too. So that was already being talked about. And it's like, wait, wait, when you're looking for those, also look for these. So whoever finds it first wins and, you know, can get it so we can all taste it. It's a beautiful thing. Glad you're on it. Glad you have time. Of course. It's awesome. You're the best. Shana Goldman. from the Too Many Men podcast and The Athletic as well, joining us here on the sheet. Thank you, Shana.