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PREGAME: Head Coach Lane Lambert with Everett Fitzhugh ahead of the Kraken/Canucks matchup (12/29) · Seattle Kraken Audio Network

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Thanks Mike Lane knows showing of Russ last night after
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: that layover with a four to one went over Philadelphia.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: What went right for your group yesterday?
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: I thought we played pretty connected and I thought for
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: the most part, I thought we managed the puck very well.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: You know, our goaltender played really good when he had to.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: It's always a real bonus, right and you know, I
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: thought he was good. Grooby's been playing really well for us.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Both goalies have right now, so we have to have
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: that again tonight here against Vancouver. But I thought we
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: just played connected and we were pretty solid structure.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: We've talked a lot lately about Chandler Stevenson, Ellie to
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Hoven and with both of them we've seen the physical aspect,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: the defensive aspect as well. But now with hoved and
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: finding points in nine of his last eleven games, five straight,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Chandler Stevenson after an eight game point streak, what have
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: you noticed about them is complete players in the last
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: month for this team.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: Well, I think they've been a really good job of
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: doing that. Two hundred feet I think told him it's
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: been you know, his legs have been good. He's been
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: in on the forour check he hunts, he hounds, as
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: was witness last night on the Stevenson goal where he
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: created separation on the four check. I think Chandler's been
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: pushing the pace a little more and owning pucks a
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: little bit more, understanding that, you know, that's one of
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: his strengths. So he's been really good at that. And
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: then let's be honest. The resurgent or whatever you want
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: to call it, or you know how, they're playing Freddy
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Goodros on their wing and Freddy's a smart player. Freddy
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: makes plays. Freddy makes little plays that maybe don't end
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: up on the score sheet that people maybe don't see,
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: but I do.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Whether it's that line, the Ben Myers line, your fourth
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: line on this group. But what have you liked about
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: your groupings? We've seen some of the same personnel stay together.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Even when the Kraken weren't having success in the wing column,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: they were still playing. Well. What do you like about
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: the combinations that you've been able to find recently?
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Well, there's continuity there, you know, Like you say, we
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: you know it's tough when you are trying to switch
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: things around because you're maybe not winning, but you're playing well.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: We decided not to do that. We wanted to keep
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: some continuity for them. And you know, really we have
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: four lines, and we have identity on every line, and
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: you know we've struggled with that a little bit at
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: times this year. You know, our fourth line has given
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: us an identity. Melanson has an identity. You know, people
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: know when he's on the ice. Benny Myers has done
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: a really good job, you know, taking face offs, penalty killing,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: and you know, being able to play against any line.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: And that's extremely important, you know, as a as a
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: team and as a coach, to be able to throw
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: your fourth line out there, whether it be with Karchaea
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: on the wing or Winterdson on the wing, being able
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: to throw them out there into situations to play against
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: any line. You know, we're trying to establish a little
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: bit of an identity with a third line. An offensive
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: situation here. McCann is there with right and Caton right now.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: We think that can be a good line here as
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: we move forward. And then you've got Vin Ears and
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Cauco's done a really good job coming in there with
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: him in the release. So I just feel like, you know,
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: we have some identity to our team right now. The
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: identity that.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: I like, you mentioned a lot of those younger players
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: who spend time in Coachella Valley, and when you got here,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: a lot was made of you in terms of needing
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: to trust players. I have to be able to trust
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: you defensively to put you in these situations when you
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: see a guy like Mallonson coming up in Winterton and
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Berkeley Catton. How have those younger players, guys that you
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: may not be that familiar with, how have they gone
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: about earning that trust from you.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: They've done the right things for the most part, you know.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: And of course they have to have a little bit
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: of leeway to make mistakes, and I understand that. Just
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: don't make the same mistake like three times, you know.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: And they've done a really good job of gaining that
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: trust by taking to heart the understanding of what we
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: need to do as a hockey team. Defensively.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: You were able to get the win in game two
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: of a back to back against the La King. So
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: much has been made about this team's performance, and you
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: came in you're introductory press conference saying this team has
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: to be better in back to backs, even though you
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: weren't here for those first few games. Did you feel
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: some type of way getting the monkey off your back
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: winning that game in LA And what do you need
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: to do here tonight to keep that going well?
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: I think from an organizational standpoint, I guess so. But
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: like you say, I wasn't here, so I'm just focused
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: on what we have, you know, here and now and
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: what's happened since the beginning of the season. Lots of
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: things have changed from the previous years for sure, So
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: you know, for us, we have to be good tonight.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: We have to have a mental mindset to be ready.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: I said it earlier today, I said, if you think
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: you're tired, you are if you know you're not. So,
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: you know, I think our minutes were pretty good last
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: night in our game. I don't think we overextended too
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: many players forwards wise, and we need all our entire
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: team tonight and we need to divide those minutes up
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: because we need to have energy. Vancouver's playing well and
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: they're a good hockey team.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: I was gonna say the Connects come in recently having
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: made a big trade, the Quinny Hughes trade, everyone in
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: the hockey world talking about it. Four and two in
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: their last six games, so they've been playing a little
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: better than their record by indicate what challenges they present
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: to this cracking team, especially for Seattle on the back
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: end of that back to back.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: Well, I think they're a connected hockey team right now too,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: and they play fast, you know, so we have to
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: be prepared for their speed, you know. Sometimes, you know,
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: Vancouver is a pretty good example of a situation where yes,
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: that was a world class player that they traded, but
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: it was you know, as Adam Foot said, it was
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: becoming a distraction. So the distraction's gone. They're playing better now.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: You know. Sometimes it's like you say, it's additioned through
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: subtraction in that way. And they got some good players
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: back for them that have made their team deeper.