The Bruins battle for 1st place, the Flyers fight for the playoffs & Connor Bedard Keeps Improving
The Boston Bruins are fighting for first place the Philadelphia Flyers are battling for a playoff spot and the Chicago Blackhawks are high on the progress of Connor Bard we’ve got all that and more on today’s locked on NHL podcast you’re locked on NHL your daily podcast on the National Hockey League
Part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and welcome everybody to the MonDay edition of the locked on NHL podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day I want to thank everyone who makes locked on NHL your first listen of the day don’t forget to
Subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so you can get new episodes as soon as they drop today’s episode is brought to you by sleeper download the sleeper app and use promo code locked on in h l to get up to a $100 match on your
First deposit terms and conditions apply see sleepers terms of use for details it is great to welcome back to the show the host of locked on Boston Bruins Ian McLaren and Ian uh really intense time for the Bruins right now fighting for first place in the division fighting for
The president’s trophy uh but yet they’re struggling a little bit as of late with consistency what’s been different recently than what’s been going on most of the season oh I think you know the Bruins got off to a fantastic start to the season and that really uh propelled them
Into first place I think they started like 141 and three or something like that prior to Thanksgiving and they had a a fairly easy schedule to begin the year which really uh set them up for Success so they have been you know sitting at or near the top of the
Atlantic division for most of the season but now we’re seeing them play against teams that are fighting for their playoff lives or fighting for playoff positioning and uh we’re seeing the Bruins have to uh step up and match that level of intensity and that’s you know a little bit what they’ve been struggling
With they’re also you know first in the NHL in terms of shootout and overtime losses uh so really closing games out has been a struggle for them all season long uh they’ve done a good job of that recently and most recently on on Saturday when they played the capitals
And had a four-minute power play that they successfully killed off in overtime before winning in the shootout uh so those are the kinds of things that head coach Jim Montgomery and the team have been working on kind of finishing games ramping up that playoff intensity and and trying to avoid what happened last
Year which was being caught by a hot team at at the wrong time in the first round of the playoffs how important is it for this Bruins team to win the division and or win the president’s trophy I mean it would be nice especially in a centennial
Season to win uh the president’s trophy just to have that kind of uh Hardware to go along with this historic season um but I would think if you would ask most fans and most players they would say it’s not incredibly important because of what happened last year you know they
Had the most points in NHL history they ran away with the president’s Trophy and within a couple weeks their season was done because they weren’t able to finish out the Florida Panthers in the first round uh so I would think um it would be
Nice um but at the end of the day you want to head into the playoffs play play the right way that’s that’s what’s most important we’ve seen time and time again no matter who you’re matched up against it could be the most favorable matchup in the playoffs anything can happen once
Those 16 teams uh started it’s just completely different hockey a completely different season and uh for me what’s most important is that they’re playing the right way and that they’re set up to succeed uh not to diminish from the president trophy it’s a significant award it’s you know it it’s kept on the
Record books and things like that uh but we saw what happened last year uh it would be a nice bonus but most fans are more concerned about what happens Beyond uh Beyond game 82 that’s just the reality of of pro sports that’s what means most is playoff success and uh so
Winning the Atlantic probably means the difference between playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one but you could still end up playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one as well as a wild card team so um first overall would be nice to play say those Washington Capitals if they’re able to
Squeak in but again it doesn’t guarantee anything so um not I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly important to to finish first overall or first in the division at least how much is the Spectre of that early playoff exit from a year ago hanging over this team right now I
Mean for me personally it wasn’t as devastating or disappointing as losing game seven in the staning Cup Final on home ice back in in 2019 that you know even if you get beyond the first round there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get past the second or even even to
The Stanley Cup Final to be that close five years ago and to not have that Stanley upup that that really stung but it has hung over this team all year long in the sense uh what I was discussing earlier that that failure to close out they were you know Brad Marshon could
Have won game five against the Panthers with a breakaway uh they had uh overtime losses in games five and seven they had lead in game seven against the Panthers um and still couldn’t finish it out so that really has hung over this team every time they
Blow a lead or or lose in overtime it’s you know this what has this team learned from that experience you want to see some growth Evolution obviously it’s a completely different team without Patrice berson and David cree and this was meant to be kind of a bridge year a
Transition year where they’ll they’ll have a lot of money to spend this summer uh but the expectations are always very high with this franchise and um yeah that loss certainly still hangs over the guy that remain and I know Brad Marshon specifically as Captain would love to
See uh you know Make Your Mark as team captain uh by winning by winning in the playoffs so uh I know that he would like to really erase what what happened last season so here we are in the home stretch of the regular season what are
Some of the things the Bruins need to work on to get to playing the right way as you described earlier yeah I mean it’s it all comes back to closing out games they’ve had uh very poor results playing uh late in the game when the other team has the goalie pulled they’ve
Given up a lot of late uh late game goals for the tie probably not as physical as some fans would like them to be hopefully Pat maroon can get into the lineup at some point and and add that element um and just really having that uh that Killer Instinct and not Coast at
All but just keeping the foot on the gas um until until the final final buzzer goes it’s really cliche but that’s really what this team needs just uh to erase that kind of you know everything’s good we can just Coast until uh until the playoffs really no the playoff
Mentality in the NHL begins it’s already begun you can see it night in and night out around the NHL right now and uh you can’t afford to wait until game 2 is done to get into playoff mode you have to get there like now or a
Couple weeks ago even to to to succeed in the postseason David Pastak having such a great year close to 50 goals but not quite there do you think he makes it and what will it take yeah I mean on any given night he’s a guy that could score
One two three goals so uh I think he’s on Pace right now for 49 goals if he’s able to play uh but what’s impressed me with him is that he’s already set a career-high in assists which it might be more important for the Bruins again having lost those top two centers he’s
Developed into uh not just an elite goal scorer but an elite play driver and he can facilitate scoring for some other guys as well um so that you know the fact that he his goal total is a bit down from last season but he’s still
Over a 100 points on track for almost a career year because of uh the helpers that have have risen that has been a huge benefit uh to the Bruins as a whole it’d be great to get to 50 um he’s you know on track to become one of if not
The top goal score in Boston Bruins history If he if he remains with the team for his whole career so every every one of those Milestones just uh cements his his claim as one of the the best scorers in team history for sure Ian why don’t you tell our viewers and our
Listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you on social media locked on Boston Bruins available on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube you can find it on social media at locked NHL Bruins and you can find me ATC McLaren all right Ian thanks
So much always a pleasure yeah thanks go today’s episode is brought to you by sleeper regardless of where your favorite team is in the standings I want to remind you that you could win big playing daily fantasy hockey on sleeper the official daily fantasy app of the
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Co-host and of course a co-host of locked on Flyers Rachel Donner and uh Rachel good to have you here on a Monday for a change and uh yep Flyers struggling as of late four losses in a row it seems like they’re one of several teams in the East who are stumbling
While trying to get one of these last playoff spots nailed down what what has been missing in the Flyers play Lately That was there earlier in the season well I think that the issue is that they’re tired and uh John torella said as much postgame uh after that awful
Loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday and this is something that Russ and I over at locked on Flyers have talked about all season long that what John torella has accomplished here is very very good in terms of this team overachieving um and you know they’re a good structured team and
Generally even when they lose they play well and I would say that’s that’s been the case for most of the season they haven’t had nearly as many Clunkers as they’ve had all you know since last year and this was definitely a clunker and this is the consequence of what John
Torella system does right so they get big results um tremendous you know pressure on the PK uh offense L with that power kill but it takes a lot out of you and blocking a lot of shots takes a lot out of you and so now we’re just
Dealing with the tail end of the season consequences for choosing that way to achieve your ends and I don’t think it was a bad thing what he did I I think it was good and it was like the the way to get the most out of this team but you
Have to recognize that this is going to be the end result at a certain point so how how does the team address that how do you fix being tired that is the the question of the day because uh torella has said that he can’t have the team practice as much as
He would like uh to fix some of the things because they’re too tired and he doesn’t want to take it out of them um I think other teams are you know trying to combat it with being a little bit more physical with the Flyers than they have
Been just to you know because they know the wear and tear is there and I think the the the solution is to play fresh legs like play some of the younger guys on the team now you know they just got Nick seeler back into the lineup so one
Of those younger guys had to sit on the blue line side of things they made the choice to sit one of the younger guys in Ali lixel and put uh Dennis ganof Who is younger but nowhere near as talented as lixel so you know some choices are being
Made in what I think is an effort to get some people with more experience in the lineup to get those wins but they’re tired so I think that’s part of the solution here is just consistently playing all the younger guys goal tending has been an issue for the Flyers especially since the
Suspension of Carter Hart and yet on Friday uh a big move uh literally and figuratively Ivan fedotov 6 fo8 uh gender signed coming over from Russia what impact do you think he may have and uh you know talk to me a little bit about the timing of this because you
Know is he ready to step in during the stretch run here well those are all excellent questions because I think you know we talked about who Ivan fedotov is and what he brings a little bit on the Friday show of lock on NHL if you haven’t um heard that yet but we all
Know he’s a talented season you just bring him over because he’s available they were going to let him out like just do it right so I don’t really question that the question is why make him the official backup goalie in the Flyers organization with zero games of NHL experience under his belt having
To make an adjustment and I said this on the Monday show for locked on Flyers with him as the backup there’s no way you’re pulling Sam ersen from that to get a momentum shift right so you have him in the backup position but unless there was an injury there was no
Way he was going in that game and I would surmise that that is going to be the case against the Islanders on today and that he won’t get a game in until next weekend so to get enough practice sessions in with these guys and to learn
How to play and and communicate with the with the blue Liners in front of them so so I it’s it is a huge risk but I I on the other side of things as I’ve said this is a season that the Flyers are playing with house money on so if you’re
Gonna take risks do it this season that that does make sense as far as ersen goes how tired is he at this point yeah I think he’s a little tired uh I think that you know this is a lot of pressure too where he was expected to
Be the backup this season and has had to take on the number one um since Carter Hart left the organization and it’s not that he isn’t ready for it as a goenda tremendously skilled goenda him take on last season with the Phantoms where he was pushed too hard
And played too many games and we saw his game diminish and that could be happening a little bit but honestly it’s been more the team in front of him than anything so I I’m not going to be critical of Sam erson because of all of those circumstances put together um I
Think he’s had a couple of bad games but for the most part has played really well in net and deserves the number one position so we’re under 10 games left to the Flyers are in the middle of this race to make the playoffs where most of the teams are faltering what are
The keys for the Flyers to finish strong and get into the postseason well these are all like Do or Die games this upcoming week there’s three games this week for the Flyers they’re going to do a lot of scoreboard watching for a few days off in between tonight’s matchup
Against the Islanders all the way until next weekend where they have a backtack against the Sabers and blue jacket so not you know overall like hugely intimidating opponents no offense but I think that um you know the Islanders game is gon to be tough but in theory
They should be able to battle through those other two games especially having a few days off in between they got to rack up those points because scoreboard watching in the days in between is gonna have a huge impact and as far as on the ice what are
Some of the things they need to to improve upon in these games well we’ve known all season their power play is absolutely Dreadful it’s like the worst in the league but um the penalty kill which has been really good for them all season is starting to falter a little B
Again because of the exhaustion the tired legs the wear and tear um and I think that’s something they’re going to have to focus on and being a little bit more structured defensively on that and focus on that rather than the power kill aspect of things all right Rachel why don’t you
Tell our viewers and our listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you and your co-host on social media yeah I co-host locked on Flyers each and every weekday on uh on the lock on podcast Network Don it’s FanDuel America’s number one sports
Book it is my pleasure to welcome back to the show the host of locked on Blackhawks Jack Bushman and uh Jack a year ago all the talk around the NHL was tanking for Bard here we are a year later Connor Bard getting to the close of his rookie
Season how would you describe his productivity and his ability so far in the NHL yeah he really has lived up to the hype Gill and it’s been tough for him because there hasn’t been a ton of offensive weapons alongside him all year long the Blackhawks brought in Taylor
Hall this offseason to give him that true Top Line Winger that can kind of play the same style that he wants to play and then Taylor Hall gets injured early on in the season unfortunately tears his ACL and it’s kind of been a rotation of different guys along with
Conor Bard up on that Top Line but that has has stopped him from being productive he’s I’m just going to say it been the best rookie in the NHL this season the numbers back that up and on this putrid Blackhawks offensive team he’s still right around a point per game
Margin he’s been the guy who’s beat the drum all year long the Blackhawks kind of goes as he kind of go as he goes um it’s been a little tough for him here as of late the production is is kind of dipped down but he’s still making his
Impact felt on the game he’s still capable of taking it over at any point in time and what’s really impressed me gil is not only Conor Bard’s abilities but the Blackhawks ability as a whole to kind of get things going on the power play entering this year I really thought
With the weapons they had along with Taylor Hall Of course that this was going to be a power play that could finish inside the top 15 in the NHL that hasn’t been the case for a majority of the year but they’ve really started getting things going and Conor Bard just
Looks like he’s getting more comfortable being the head honcho on the man Advantage uh and also the progression has been clear all year long as well when he first bursted into the league and had that rugged road trip that the NHL put him on to kind of throw him into
All of the biggest markets you know he was kind of relying on his goal scoring ability I think to get most of uh his production but we’ve really seen the playmaking Step Up throughout the course of the season the recognition on the defensive side of things and also just
The hustle and the intensity that he plays with I mean this kid lives eats and breathes hockey and he’s a feisty little guy out there and I think he he’s figured out how to kind of make himself impactful in other areas not just only when he has the puck yeah that’s his
Bread and butter but I’ve been really happy to see all the areas that have clearly developed for Conor badar this season we knew he was going to come in and be a good goal scorer but the playmaking has really taken over he’s understanding how to run a power play
Now the defensive side of things is still going to be a little bit of a work in progress for him especially at the faceoff dot but still only 18 years old there’s a long way for him to go no no other way shape or form about it it’s
Been a smashing success of a rookie season for Conor Bard especially because the blackw walks have been so bad all year long he really has been their number one bright spot you mentioned obviously that the team has struggled all year but where would this team be without the goal tending of Peter moraza
Yeah I don’t even want to think about it Gil um I’ve been saying on my show all season long that yeah Conor Bard is the one who’s getting the spotlight and his name is uh on the front pages but Peter marzik has been the co-mvp of this Blackhawks team right alongside him I
Mean all you have to do is really go and look at the numbers that Arvid solder Bloom has put up this year the backup for the Blackhawks I do think it’s an unfortunate situation for him because the Hawks defense just isn’t really a strength of this team yet but it goes to
Show you what kind of goal tending is needed for this black clocks team to win and Peter morazzi has really been at that level consistently throughout the course of this season basically all the Hawks wins they have this year Peter morazzi has made like 35 to 40 saves in
All of them he has been magnificent so deserving of that two-year contract extension that he’s had and um I think has set him up nicely to be the starter again for Chicago next season I think the Blackhawks front office feels pretty good about that talk to me about some
Players who have been bright spots despite this team struggle this year yeah what’s really interesting Gil is it’s been a tough season to watch let me tell you we’re counting down the games here with nine left on the Blackhawk schedule but oddly enough that there have been right spots this year one of
Them is Philip cev who last year set a new career-high in points with 25 and there there were some flashes in his game but the inconsistency the inability to put it all together was really what was glaring about his game and this year he has just been excellent and some of
That is due to him being put up on the top line and playing with Conor badar but you also have to give him a of credit for bringing his aame night in and night out and finally showing that consistency and he’s 13 Point shy from 60 points this year Gil it has been
Amazing what Philip Kev has been able to do a very pleasant surprise in his offensive explosion this year I don’t know if that’s going to change the perception necessarily around Philip Kev I do think he’s probably more of a second to third liner for the Blackhawks
Here in this rebuild but he’s shown more offensive upside than I think anyone had anticipated this season his chemistry with Bard has been excellent but he’s also putting it all together a lot of speed through transition he’s looked like a more Dynamic offensive weapon he’s scoring more goals than ever he’s
Got 15 this year and he just seems to be more confident and believing in that ability within himself and feeling like he is a top liner around this Blackhawks team and should be playing with Conor Bard so Philip kerev has been excellent and then Alex vasic is the other one
That I got a shout out uh in his rookie year in the NHL his first full-time NH HL campaign he’s been on the top pairing with Seth Jones all season long and he’s looked more than capable of doing that he’s facing some of the toughest minutes in the NHL and he’s already thriving
There and with that big body of his at six foot six six foot s he’s got a super long reach he’s not an overly physical player but he’s super smart he uses that Long Reach to his Advantage he breaks up a ton of plays with other teams trying
To enter the offensive zone and has actually kind of um made some strides in offensive game as well his passing and um his breakout passes have been really sharp and I even think the skating has taken an uptick this year so Alex vasic has been Dynamite already flashing top
Pairing upside at a very young age and looks like he could be paired with Seth Jones for a long long time based on what they’ve shown together this season so I would say Philip KV and Alex vasik are the two real pleasant surprises from this team this year so we know this
Blackhawks team is in the midst of a rebuild what does does the plan look like for the upcoming off season yeah this offseason’s going to be really interesting I I don’t think the Blackhawks are going to be making any BigTime splashes I don’t think they’re going to be going after the biggest fish
On the market I quite honestly think they’re going to be waiting until next summer December of 2025 when there are just a boatload of names that are uh projected to hit the market but I do think it’s time for this Blackhawks team to start making some improvements and I
I really think that was kind of the plan this season I still imagine them being a bottom 10 team in the NHL but I think they wanted to see some strides and some progression and unfortunately earlier on in the year things got um kind of set
Back due to a lot of injuries I mean there there was a time where the Blackhawks had like nine guys out and they literally had to go and get Anthony boiler and Jacob Magna because they couldn’t ice an NHL roster Luke Richardson Hawks head coach said he had
Never seen anything like it so that kind of derailed the plans but look I don’t think the Blackhawks can have another season like this and they don’t really need to they’ve got the draft picks they got a lot of prospects and I really think it’s time to start getting the
Fans interest again this year has really tested the fan base and I’m not going to say the Blackhawks are going to go and hover in playoff contention next year but I think it’s time to go and see some progression out of this group so I think they’re going to make some uh sharp
Veteran additions to kind of round out the group maybe another veteran defenseman maybe another veteran forward but uh I think the Blackhawks organization and the fans really want to see this team win some more games consistently next season well should be interesting I know you’ll have it
Covered every step of the way Jack why don’t you tell our viewers and are listeners where they could find the podcast and where they could find you on social media yeah absolutely you can check out locked on Blackhawks for free wherever you may be listening to your podcast Spotify Apple podcast whever it
May be also check out lockdown blackw on YouTube and if you want to follow me on my socials you can go and find me at Jack Bushman 2 on X all right jack thanks so much always a pleasure absolutely Gil enjoy always coming on the show lock on has launched the first ever
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On sports today now available on the free Fire TV channel app I want to thank my guests Ian McLaren of locked on Bruins Rachel Donner of locked on flyers and Jack Bushman of lockon Blackhawks for joining me today I’m Gil Martin I host the Monday edition of lockon NHL and I
Co-host the Friday edition along with Rachel Donner I want to thank everyone who makes lockd on NHL your first listen every day we are here every weekday Monday through Friday bringing you the biggest stories from around the league and right now as the season winds down and the playoffs are rapidly approaching
Lots happening around the league so join us every weekday to keep on top of all that have a great day everybody and thanks so much for listening to and watching the locked on NHL podcast
The Boston Bruins are battling for first place in the Atlantic Division and first place overall in the league.
Ian McLaren of Locked On Boston Bruins joins us to discuss the race, how important it is and what the team needs to do to finish strong and get ready for the playoffs. Plus, David Pastrnak and his chances of reaching 50 goals this season.
Can John Tortorella lead this Philadelphia Flyers team to a playoff berth or are their late season struggles too much to overcome?
Rachel Donner of Locked On Flyers joins us to discuss that plus how the addition of 6’8″ Russian goalie Ivan Fedotov will affect the team down the stretch.
The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling but Connor Bedard continues to impress and offer hope for the future.
Jack Bushman of Locked On Blackhawks joins us to discuss how Bedard is playing and some less well-known players that offer the team hope for the future. Plus the strong play of goalie Peter Mrazek.
All this and more on today’s Locked On NHL Podcast with Gil Martin.
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