Stay ConnectedEvery Wednesday, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside bring you Two-Man Advantage, featuring insight from both, interviews, and insider information from two of the most connected people in the hockey universe.
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Joe Smith from the Athletic TB joins Scott to discuss the Bolts series win vs Columbus, as the Lightning exact revenge on the Blue jackets after the sweep in the first round last playoff. Plus Joe provides an update on Steve Stamkos, and pays tribute to broadcaster Rick Peckham, who called it a career after the OT win in game 5.
Joe also offers analysis on the Habs/Flyers series, which saw the Habs win game 5 to trail Philadelphia 3 games to 2.
Jeremy Rutherford from the Athletic St. Louis stops by to discuss the exciting game 5 between Vancouver and St. Louis which saw the Canucks almost come out of nowhere to beat the Cup champs to take a 3-2 series lead. J.R. applauds the job Canucks coach Travis Green did in game 5, to avoid the O'Reilly/Pettersson matchup, and surmises that Craig Berube will go back to Jordan Binnington in the pivotal game 6.
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Scott and Pierre pay tribute to the great Dale Hawerchuk, the Hockey Hall of Famer who passed away after a battle with cancer yesterday at the age of 57. The boys marvel at the former Jet, Sabre, Flyer and Blues center, who was a fantastic two way player, and a better person.
NHL Head Coach Gerard Gallant joins Scott and Pierre from his summer home on Prince Edward Island. 'Turk' tells the guys what it was like to play against Dale Hawerchuk in the 80's and 90's.
Gerard also discusses what he's been up to since he lost his job as the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, including getting away from the game for a bit and spending time with his family and perfecting his golf game too.
With that rest, Gerard is now ready to get back behind an NHL bench, as he's been keeping up to speed, and doing his homework watching as many games of the Stanley Cup playoffs as possible. The guys also ask Gerard about the possibility of coaching in Seattle, given his successful history in coaching an expansion team.
Scott and Pierre discuss possible landing spots for Gerard Gallant. The guys also talk about the resurgent St. Louis Blues, led by Ryan O'Reilly.
The guys also discuss the changing of the guard for goaltenders with possible changes in DC with Braden Holtby, Corey Crawford in Chicago and Henrik Lundqvist in New York. As well, pending UFA's Robin Lehner, Jacob Markstrom and Cam Talbot look to ring the bell in free agency this fall, and how that will possibly effect goalie assignments in Carolina, Edmonton, Vancouver and Buffalo.
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Arthur Staple from the Athletic NYC joins Scott to discuss the dominant performance by the Islanders, who are poised to sweep the Washington Capitals, Tuesday afternoon.
Stape discusses how the Islanders, a team without any superstars, has been able to play complete hockey throughout their roster, to get past Florida and be up 3 games to none vs the Caps.
Ryan Clark from the Athletic Denver joins Scott to discuss the juggernaut that is the Colorado Avalanche. The guys look back on the impressive 7-1 win over Arizona in game 4 last night which saw Colorado to take a 3-1 series lead. The guys talk about Nazem Kadri's progression as one of the Avs go to players, and Joe Sakic as one of the top managers in the NHL.
Scott and Ryan look ahead to a possible Western Conference final matchup involving the Avalanche vs the Vegas Golden Knights, but there is still a lot of hockey to play, to get to that point.
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Fluto Shinzawa of the Athletic Boston joins Scott to discuss the surprising news that Tuukka Rask has opted out of the NHL playoffs, and the gutsy performance from Jaroslav Halak in game 3 of their round vs the Carolina Hurricanes. Boston looks to take a stranglehold over the Canes in game 4 tonight.
The guys also discuss how the Islanders have put the Capitals on the brink after a 2-1 OT win.
We head off too Edmonton to discuss the Western bubble with The Athletic's Thomas Drance. Drancer recaps the thrilling overtime win by the Cup Champs, and the Ryan O'Reilly factor, which gets St. Louis back in their series with Vancouver.
Plus Thomas and Scott also discuss the Dallas Stars/Calgary Flames series, a series that is tied after 4 games, that easily could be a 3-1 series lead for the Flames.
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Sara Civian, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Athletic Carolina joins Scott to discuss the shocking news surrounding Montreal head coach Claude Julien.
Plus, Sara discusses the Bruins/Hurricanes series, which is tied at 1 after Carolina's big win over Boston on Thursday night. Sara discusses the Canes goaltending dynamic and Rod Brind'Amour, the ultimate players coach.
We head west to speak with Scott Cruickshank who is covering the Stars/Flames series for the Athletic Calgary. The Flames battled back in the third period vs the Stars, after surviving some shaky goaltending from Cam Talbot, only to see the Stars score the winning goal with less than 40 seconds left in the third.
The Scott's also look at the Canucks and Blues series, where Cruickshank surmises that the Stanley Cup Champion Blues are ripe for the picking, as the upstart Canucks are poised for an upset.
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Tarik El-Bashir, the Capitals beat writer at the Athletic DC joins Scott to look back at the Caps game one loss to Barry Trotz and the NY Islanders. The Islanders score 4 unanswered goals against a Caps team that lost Nicklas Bäckström to injury and that features possibly the last hurrah for goalie Braden Holtby.
Tarik and Scott also discuss game one of the series between the Flyers and Habs , featuring an exciting duel between two of the top goalies in the NHL, Carey Price and Carter Hart. Plus, Tarik marvels at the effort of the Bolts and Blue Jackets in game one, with Tampa Bay poised for revenge and a long playoff run this playoff season.
We head west to Dallas, as Sean Shapiro, the Stars beat Writer for the Athletic DFW joins Scott to discuss the shift in power in the West, as Colorado, Vancouver and Calgary look to join Vegas and St. Louis as powerhouses in the West.
Scott and Sean also discuss what is up in Dallas? The Stars seemed to be outmatched in game one, and seem to have a goaltending controversy , with Anton Khubodin getting the nod in game one over Ben Bishop. Plus the Stars offensive fire power, which is supposed to be led by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, continues to sputter.
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John Davidson, the President of the New York Rangers joins Scott and Pierre to discuss the Rangers, winning phase two of the NHL's Draft Lottery, and what it will mean to the Blueshirts to add a player like Alexis LaFreniere to the Rangers already impressive list of prospects. JD also addresses the three headed goalie monster in Manhattan, and what the team's plan is for legend Henrik Lundqvist, with Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev waiting in the wings.
Plus, Scott and Pierre discuss the marathon game one between the Blue Jackets and Lightning, the changes in Florida with Dale Tallon on the way out and who might replace him, with Scott Mellanby and Ron Hextall the front runners,
The guys also discuss the inevitable changes coming to the rosters of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers as their off-season is now in full swing. Scott and Pierre also discuss the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens, and how valuable the experience is for those two young teams being involved in the expanded playoffs.
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Scott Wheeler, the National Reporter, covering the NHL Draft and Prospects for the Athletic joins Scott to discuss the Rangers winning the lottery Monday night. The Rangers picked Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick in 2019 and are set to take QMJHL phenom Alexis Lafreniere with the top pick at the draft in October.
Jeremy Rutherford from the Athletic St. Louis joins Scott ahead of the first round of the playoffs beginning tonight in Edmonton and Toronto. The Stanley Cup Champs have struggled with return to play, going winless in round robin action. The Blues face the Vancouver Canucks in game one of their series, beginning Wednesday night from the Edmonton bubble.
J.R. also talks with Scott about some of the other series that intrigue him, including Arizona vs Colorado, Vegas and Chicago and Columbus and Tampa Bay.
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Charlie O'Connor of the Athletic Philadelphia joins Scott to discuss the game 5 outcome between Columbus and Toronto, which sets up the NHL's Round of 16, first round of the playoffs.
Charlie talks about the Philadelphia Flyers who finished first in the Eastern Conference, and their matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.
Plus Charlie offers his opinion as to what team, in the 2nd phase of the NHL Draft lottery, would best benefit from winning the first pick, tonight.
Jesse Granger from the Athletic LV stops by to talk about the Panthers decision to move on from General Manager Dale Tallon after 10 years with the franchise, and the connection that the Golden Knights have with the Panthers.
Plus Jesse tells Scott about how ready the Golden Knights are, as the top team in the Western Conference gets set to face the upstart Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Arpon Basu from the Athletic Montreal joins Scott on Elimination Friday to discuss a wild Thursday evening in NHL Play in action which sets up potentially a historic day today in the league.
The guys discuss the exciting overtime win for the Blue Jackets in Toronto, and the fallout which will happen if Columbus eliminates them tonight.
The guys turn to the Penguins/ Canadiens series in which Carey Price and the Habs can eliminate Sid Crosby and Pittsburgh, with one more win tonight.
We move to the West and welcome Daniel Nugent-Bowman, who covers the Oilers for the Athletic Edmonton. The guys recap the Winnipeg/Calgary series where the Flames eliminated the injury depleted Jets. The guys then turn to Minnesota / Vancouver and Chicago / Edmonton, where the Blackhawks and Canucks, can shock the Oilers and Wild, and end those two teams play in seasons.
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