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Episode 37: Pressure is a Privilege · Brothers In The Box

• Brothers in the Box: Welcome back to another episode of the Brothers in the Box. I'm Ishan here with Ilias. What an exciting week. For you. For me for everyone. I feel like for hockey. For hockey. For me specifically. Yes. ⁓ a lot of big things happened in your life this week. A lot of big things. don't know if you guys ⁓ remember, but ⁓ week I was complaining about, you know, going through exams. ⁓ And No. Last week exams were done. Okay. Last week exams were done, but like obviously still complaining about how many exams I had. And then this week was graduation. So I'm fully graduated high school, no more school events. feels kinda crazy. Plus the birthday. Plus my eighteenth birthday. Yeah. Yeah. You're just giving the viewers a free information about yourself. Yeah, go ahead. Take what you want with that information. Crazy, stuff. No, very exciting stuff. ⁓ convocation yesterday. Little prom action in the evening. Yeah, very fun. ⁓ Yeah. all I'm very I'm very looking forward to lunch today. Yes. ⁓ like a little ⁓ get together with some family. it's gonna be fun. ⁓ Yeah. How's your week though? Thank you for asking. I know you don't really care. That's true. I ⁓ know about that one. probably hit the sauna four times this week. Guys, let put you on game right now. The sauna is the thing that will change your life the most. Just instantly increases your mood. It's in there for twenty minutes. Yeah. It's a mental battle. The sauna is probably the thing that will change your life the most. Just instantly your mood. ⁓ when I first started I couldn't do twenty minutes. But now it's just like you just gotta push through those mental blockades and just sit there and you just think and you just meditate in pure silence in the sauna. And then when you come out you feel refreshed, like you've been born again. Okay, bro, like you're you're doing too much, bro. Like but this is genuinely how I feel and the recovery rates after hitting the sauna are just so much higher. you just gotta push through those mental blockades and just sit there and you just think and you just meditate in pure silence in the sauna. And then when you come out you feel refreshed, Okay, bro, like you're you're doing too much, bro. ⁓ and I I think I've I've seen a lot more gym progress after hitting the sauna. ⁓ Or you're just going consistently? That I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what you're talking about. No, yesterday I hit the full stack of of plates assisted pull ups. No, just playing. I'm just playing. ⁓ I the whole stack of plates on ⁓ the the horizontal leg press. okay. Yeah, three ninety. That's insane. Six reps, yeah. Yeah, that's good. Yeah. It's look easy. Yeah. Why'd you only do six reps? ⁓ because it was hard at the Okay, well. ⁓ don't make the rules. No, NHL was really ⁓ has been really good. ⁓ we got treated to our second game seven of playoffs. And that on Monday, which feels like an eternity ago. Yeah, 'cause so much has happened. ⁓ But Ishan, you didn't Buffalo did not give you your birthday present. No. And we we gotta talk about this. Yeah. It was Dalin's fault. it's simple as that. horrible gold lead in as well. I said it once, I'll say it again. Alex Newhook is the savior of Montreal. Yeah. Okay. I told you before the game he was gonna score the OT winner. Yeah. Yeah, no, you did. You did. I'll I'll admit it you did call it. I did not think I did not think Montreal had it in them to win two rounds. And you know, they dominated in their first game against the Canes as well. They had them their first loss. So I mean they're looking scary. Nicola Ehlers put them to rest though in game two. ⁓ Yeah, it was a well and we we'll we'll dive into this later, but it was a tough game for them yesterday. Yeah. This Buffalo team should be extremely proud of what they did. I'm I'm very yes, considering the drought that they've had. Considering the fact that even we wrote them off at the beginning of the year and said that they wouldn't even sniff the playoffs. To make it to game seven of the second round I I think is incredible. Yeah. And should be celebrated by that that organization, by their team. And I and I hope that they build on that because this team and these fans deserve to be in the playoffs. And it's it's good to see that ⁓ the longest drought in the NHL is now broken. Yeah. Vancouver Canucks, you're next. You're gonna be the next longest drought. No no I'm saying like the next team to have the longest drought. Probably. Yeah. Probably. But you know, if if they retool correctly, sneaky card two. They're a young team. Sneaky wildcard two next year. No. Sneaky. How sneaky are we gonna get? Like extremely sneaky. Extremely sneaky. think they're their their main goal of this offseason to just be they're actually they said to move to Brusque is their main goal, and then also try and get rid of PD. Like I understand, like, you know, giving it give him to Carolina. I know that's what I've been saying. He's a good player. I understand that. But he's getting paid way too much for your organization. He does not fit the timeline at all. And he would he would do well with the change of senior. I think I think He has that ability to go back to similar to where he was before. I don't know if he can go back to a hundred point seasons, but if he's playing with high level players, he he he'll definitely elevate his game. I think the problem, and you can correct me if you you think differently, but it's similar to the Mitch Martner problem. Yeah. I think Where he he can't burden the spotlight. Yeah. I think he can he's ⁓ a great talent. You know? But mentally, he's not all there. Yeah. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm just saying his play it gets heavily affected by where his mental not health, that's not the right word, but you know what I mean. Like his mentality is. And because and because the fact that there's no Quinn Hughes and ⁓ JT Miller was bullying him for two years straight You know, I'm sure that that doesn't play great into the hands of his his mentality going into the season. So I agree with you. I think that he can go back to something similar, maybe not the same, but something similar to where he was. And I think Carolina, after losing to Montreal, will really need that. not losing to Montreal. Like it was a one flu game and it's ⁓ straps. No. ⁓ I didn't get the opportunity to watch the game yesterday because I had ⁓ a grad event, but please enlighten me, how is the game? Well, how about let's do the Habs, the Buffalo series and wrap that up. Okay. And then we'll we'll talk about the game. our most impactful player, once again earning for the second straight series, Alexander Newhook. Yeah. Scored the scored the O T Game seven winner. Probably the series of his life. I mean, he didn't have a he didn't have a great, great series. He scored the most important goal of the whole series. Like that's true though. A hundred percent. Yeah, I mean I could make a c I could make definitely make a case for ⁓ Dobesh. Dobesh as well, yeah. He he played lights out. Another another win in a game seven. That's insane. They've been back to back game seven. Back to back game seven. Dobesh has been ⁓ amazing. Yeah. If there's a rookie of the year for just the playoffs, you definitely win. ⁓ percent. Our impactful player on the winning team was Noah Dobson. It's just it kinda feels like he's not needed. Yeah, I I don't like you know, he's a star level defenseman. He was the main defenseman on the Islanders and you know, he got moved out. A smart decision by them. Mm-hmm. but I thought Montreal bringing him in, they they look like a scary like they look very scary. They still are. Yep. But yeah, like there's there's defensemen on that team that are just playing with More I I don't know, like more grit and like just like they're more needed, I feel like. Like you look at Lane Hutchinson, you can't play without him. You can't win those games without him. No. Like even even someone like Mike Matheson for his like leadership and stuff like that, like he's he's a crucial player in in those series. But you know, with Noah Dobson being injured, it's like it's difficult to like just place him right back into the team. And especially because they've built so much momentum with the lines that they were running. And I I honestly think and That Arbor Zekaj is a necessary piece on this lineup. And I would rather have Zekaj playing compared to Matheson. And I might I know that might sound crazy. I know that might sound crazy. Yeah. But I I really like him as a player. I think he brings a level of physicality and a level of grit that you don't get from Yeah, I feel like I feel like there's a lot of talent on this team and it this team doesn't really need more talent. It needs it's the same thing with the Oilers. Yeah. There's a lot of talent on that team, but there need there needs to be some players that are willing to just drop the gloves, lay the body, and not be scared of anyone. Exactly. Exactly. our ⁓ our most impactful player on the losing team was Rasmus Stalin. He you know, other than that botched play at the end That led to series with the series winner. Dalin was ⁓ solid. He was very good. He kept his composure the whole series. He scored a few ⁓ crucial goals, including the one that tied up the game. Yeah. In that game seven, which it was a nasty snipe. It was. and I think he just steered the ship and this This goes for the whole playoffs well for this team. He he really came into his own as a captain and kind showed me why he deserves to be the captain of the Buffalo Sabres. Like ⁓ he showed me why he's a true NHL captain. Yeah. This this playoffs. And That's fair. In addition to having a great season like he did, mm-hmm, he had a great playoffs. And I that he'll play a huge part in In trying to build on to what they have done this season. Yeah. No, I completely agree. Yeah. And then ⁓ Ishan wanted to give us our least impactful player. Yeah. Our least impactful player, Slash Ghost Award. Yeah, one of my favorite players, he wasn't my favorite player in this series, Alex Tuck. I don't think you recorded a point. This series? I d I do not believe so. I do not believe so. Which is which is insane. In comparison to ⁓ what he had done in that last series extremely disappointing. Yes, very. ⁓ because I think he was a crucial driving force of this team. Yeah, like he had he I mean, like, it's not without like trying, you know, like he obviously had multiple shots every single game. He was trying to get the fuck in the back of the net, but he just couldn't do it. And like yes, yes, you know, like you commend him for trying, but you know As a star player on that team that's also looking for a new contract next year, you have to put the puck in the back of the net. Or you have to find other ways to get points on the board. Like i getting like a plus one or being on yeah, being on the ice for a goal or like just shooting the puck is not good enough. And that's just that's just it's as simple as that. It is a hundred percent as it's simple as that. Let's get into ⁓ the Habs game last night though. Yes. Carolina came out and they they exchanged goals pretty early. And then from ⁓ I Carolina just dominated possession and puck control, and through two periods, the Canadians only had five shots on goal. And unfortunately this has been the story in some of their games, this playoffs, because they're not driving pressure they do, and in the overtime it really felt to me like they were playing scared, they were playing behind, and you could just feel it coming, and then Nicola Eloh just pushes the puck up the ice and rips a nasty shot on ⁓ Dobesh. Yeah. After he made a few nice saves in overtime. I feel like you can tell me like I think you would agree with this, but these teams are very fast paced teams and team has played eight games. Mm-hmm. One team has played fourteen games. Yep. So I feel like having that speed on your side like the driving factor for your scoring ability and all that, I feel like it's very important with playing a lot of games. It is much it is hugely important. I would counter and say that sometimes playing more hockey is better. Yes. ⁓ you saw that in the first game. Yeah. Because ⁓ Carolina came out a little rusty. I know they scored the first goal, ⁓ but they still came out a little rusty and Canadians were kinda able to execute their game even they were away. So I think the I think the rustiest person in that game was probably Freddie Anderson. Yeah. I think he he showed that he can play really well. Mm-hmm. but he was definitely did not match his ability. Yeah, and I mean we'll ⁓ see what happens Monday when they go ⁓ ⁓ back to the Bell Center because I I'm definitely interested to see what happens. Yeah, I think honestly as much as I want to say that the Canadians are gonna win in the Bell Center and it's gonna be all like happy, I could very well see Carolina going in and doing what they do. Like honestly Carolina has had that issue in the Eastern Conference Final ⁓ they've lost a bunch of games ⁓ though they make it very quickly to that to that ⁓ Eastern Conference final. but I think they're a different team this year. And to to be completely honest, Montreal played the greatest at home. No, they have not. Throughout the playoffs. And part of it I think is is a mental thing. Again, I know I'm I'm talking a lot of mental things today. Yeah. But I feel like they get flustered. Yeah, I and that building is loud, yeah, for sure. And they're loud for them and they want to see them win, but they And I'm not saying that Montreal fans should be quiet, but it's just they get a little bit flustered. Yeah. I feel like ⁓ that happens to the Oilers sometimes. Yeah, it's more it's more pressure, right? Yeah, I feel like a lot of teams, you know, like some some teams thrive at home, you know, like that's just how it is and feed off of the crowd like the energy of the crowd. some teams like, you know, especially like individual players when you're playing at home, it's very scary, you know? Like you want like every single person that stands except for like opposing fans, like which is very few, they want you to do well. Yep. And they're expecting you to do well. And I feel like that's the biggest thing. The expectation where if you don't perform, they're gonna get mad. Yeah. And you know, there's that there's the possibility that you will get booed. Like all of those like factor into like how teams play at home and it's very important. 100%. Yeah. that, we have a game tonight. We do. Something very surprising has happened in this n ⁓ this new series, in this West Western Conference series. Something ⁓ something ⁓ Eric did not think was gonna happen. Mitch and the ⁓ Vegas Knights have gone up two Against the Colorado Avalanche. First game, first game, I'm not gonna lie. I thought, ⁓ okay, you know, they're settling in, they don't have Macar. Yep. I understand. The second game, they're up one ⁓ and Vegas scored two straight. I don't know if you saw this stat, but with like tr like with fifteen minutes or something in the third, ⁓ the are like forty five and ⁓ Forty five and ⁓ Yeah. Wow. And like the playoffs, like it was some it was some crazy stat like that. I don't know. I don't know exactly, but they're forty five and ⁓ And then ⁓ after two they're forty five and one. Wow. That is ⁓ that is crazy. Yeah. I think this sh shows you how valuable Makar is to this team and how I don't say horrible because he's not horrible by any means, but how much less of an impact McKinnon has. Comparatively with Makar versus without McCar. Yeah, I'm I'm also curious to see like not that not happen, but I'm curious to see if Makar came back and then got injured. What would be the dynamic there? Like it who I wanna see who plays a more influential role on that team. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's similar to like ⁓ McDavid and Dry title. Yeah. Where it's like You know, if you ha if you have McDavid out, Dry Siddle obviously steps up, but there's not as much, you know, of passing that like everything kind of decreases a little bit. But then when you take out Dry Sidal, the whole power play is shot. Yeah. And like there's so much less scoring on the like the lines below 'cause there's so much less depth. Yeah. So like I it's it's interesting to see like on top level teams which have like two or three star players, mm-hmm. you take on one of them who who steps up and who doesn't. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I think that the Colorado Avalanche, McCar is cleared for this game, have a chance of of tying the series up. definitely trying to win in seven at this point. Yeah. I mean the goal. I mean, if you can go in six, then you have to do go in six, but I think like honestly like it's ⁓ It's not even fully on McKinnon. Yes, he's the best player on that team. Mm-hmm. But, you know, there's other guys on that team that haven't been performed. Like you look at like I don't wanna like, you know, diss anybody, but the d the depth has been doing everything. Like you look at like a guy like Marty Natchez. Yeah, like like ⁓ I I don't wanna call him my boy 'cause, you know, I love him. But like you know, he's he's a guy that He's kinda he's kinda been a ghost. You should be doing you should be doing exactly what you were doing in the regular season. Yeah, but you're not. And that's not good enough. I mean, like people like Nazim Kadri who got brought in, like, yes, you have an assist every now and then, yes, you have a goal every now and then, but you're a top line center on Calgary and I understand that's a very different in Colorado, but you're still a a player that that should ha that has that a scoring ability and shown that in the past. So I feel like if this team wants to step up and, you know, somehow win four straight or, you know, drop one and take this to game seven. The depth. Yeah, no, absolutely. ⁓ I don't know. We we we will see what happens with Vegas. But ⁓ else with Vegas that's been happening, that's been getting a little bit of a little bit of more light is the Bruce Casty saga. Yes. when are they gonna allow us? The What Vegas has now said is their sole purpose is focusing on the playoffs. And until their playoffs are over, they will not be at Letting anybody talk to Bruce Cassidy. Yeah. It was so funny because I thought that was such a joke when they said that going into the Av series, another one too straight. So I don't Also, there is a possibility and there is a world where they just keep Bruce Cassidy out of work. Th they can do that. Because technically they have him under contract and they are paying him and could just pay him to sit at home. Yeah, like a realistic to be completely honest. It it's it's a management decision that you hate the Oilers and you don't want them to succeed that much. We are the Oilers are currently looking at Peter Laviolette. Mm-hmm. If you remember that's the old ⁓ New York Rangers coach. I think he would be a decent fit. We are also looking at Craig Barube, which ⁓ I would absolutely hate. And don't I would never forgive Stan Bowman for hiring him. Yeah. We are also looking at Manu Maholtra, w who will probably and I hope for his sake, stay with the Vancouver Canucks organization. But there there are a lot of pieces in the air and we'll see in the coming weeks what happens. I'm sure, you know, there'll be a lot of interviews, a lot of conversations to be had. And hopefully Stan Bowman makes the best decision possible. Obviously, you know, waiting longer and longer and you know, although it is the off season for the Oilers. You know, you wanna have a little bit of certainty going into next season and I'm sure they'll they'll find that soon. And I think you wanna have certainty before July first. Yeah. That's that's what I would say. Because everyone's gonna start coming back after their holidays and stuff like that. And and not only that though, I feel like w based on the head coach you have, you wanna find free agents. 'Cause July first is free agency. Mm-hmm. You wanna find free agents and you wanna make some trades that are gonna match. what that new team identity is gonna be. Yeah, I I I think like the trades that ⁓ that have been made in the past have been very tailored to Noblock's kind of style. Like you look at like two-way guys, like a lot of two way guys have been traded for. Yeah. ⁓ and like that's those are two like those guys are what Knobloch really likes. Like it one of his favorite players is probably like Nuge. Yeah. All those players that can on the offensive end and you know Great chances and also play defense. Exactly. Exactly. Let's ⁓ switch gears before we wrap this episode up. World championship is going on in Zurich and in Freeburg. We got Canada, we got Switzerland, we got the US. They lost to Switzerland nine nothing. Best player on that team right now is Isaac Howard. Yeah. so not not a lot of thought sent sent into that ⁓ team by ⁓ the US Hockey Federation. But I I think we're looking at a Canada ⁓ US That's what I would say. Yeah. Sorry, not Canada US. Canada Switzerland final. Yeah. I could also see like I don't know ⁓ exactly who's who Sweden sent but I know Ekcom is there. a bunch of different players that are I'll read out the the top ⁓ scores for Sweden. So they have Lucas Raymond who's at ten points, Oliver Ekman Larsen seven. Ivar Stenberg, is seven. ⁓ yeah, Stenberg's been cooking there. Yeah. Yeah. Simon Holmstrom five, Linus Carlson. So there's there's like these these some some guys that can perform. Obviously Canada's roster is absolutely stacked with celebrities, Ryan O'Reilly, Gabe Vellardi, Water Martone, Darnell Nurse. I don't know if that's stacked. But but Nurse has ⁓ five points, Evan Bouchard has four. Yeah, they have both been ⁓ playing well in Switzerland. Yeah. And then something interesting to me was ⁓ that Celebrini kept the C. Even though Crosby drew in the team, yeah. ⁓ they had an all players meeting and they decided that Celebrini would keep the C and Crosby would come on as an assistant. So I I feel like that's I mean, it's ⁓ definitely it's nice of Crosby. I'm sure if he said he wanted the C he was gonna get the C. ⁓ hundred percent. But ⁓ I think it's a it's a valid take though. It's it is. I think you know, like obviously Macklin wasn't in the in the playoffs. So and he was there the whole time. Crosby came in. And I I think that's fair. It's it's Macklin's tournament ⁓ to lead. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, well before we ⁓ head out because we got a party to set up, let's player of the week. Yes. ⁓ Ishan do wanna give our honorable mention? Yeah. Our honorable mention for this week ⁓ Suzuki. Obviously not the not the best few games, but you know, as a captain leading your team in two game sevens ⁓ bringing them both home is insane. Yep. He had ⁓ three assists in the first Carolina game, as well as ⁓ assist in that in that Buffalo game. So like a total of four assists, not the huge and most point heavy. ⁓ games, but ⁓ definitely a very impactful player. Absolutely. And then player of the week is going to be Philip Deneaux. Who would have thought? Who ⁓ have thought? But with four two goals, two assists, and just really crucial contributions on that Montreal third line. Second, second line or third line? Probably third. Maybe even fourth. Third line. really impactful with Josh Anderson yesterday scoring two goals and two beauty assists from Dano coming from him in and then a crucial goal to open the scoring in game seven. So ⁓ think he's just been he's firing on all cylinders. He fits team. You know, he is French. I mean at least his name sounds French, so I'm guessing he's Dano. Philippe He could be French Canadian. Yeah, so I mean he's he's with his people. Yeah. Exactly. ⁓ we wish you the best of weeks. ⁓ hope that you enjoy the Montreal series, the Avalanche series. Maybe the Avalanche will be eliminated by the time we make this ⁓ next episode next week. But ⁓ maybe the Canadians are gonna be eliminated by the time we make this next episode. I don't know if that's possible. I don't know if that's possible, but there hopefully everything's possible. Yeah, I'm gonna make it happen. Have great week, guys. We'll see you next week.