Bizarre scenes in Chicago saw Jordan Binnington being told to leave the crease after giving up his 7th goal, but he stayed put as backup Joel Hofer was nowhere to be found. New Jersey’s 9–0 loss to the Islanders came despite dominating shots on goal, with Jacob Markstrom left in for all nine goals. There are bigger problems for the Devils than just this one terrible outcome. Winnipeg’s stunning 11-game skid has last season’s Presidents’ Trophy champs sitting dead last at the halfway mark, with Ray noting the roster aged into one of the league’s oldest and visibly slower teams, exposing depth issues beyond their top line. In Toronto, Auston Matthews has rediscovered his superstar form since Christmas, inspiring the room after a baffling 35-game slump and underscoring how much influence elite players quietly carry. Finally, the Islanders’ resurgence has put 19-year-old Matthew Schaefer in the spotlight; while one player rarely flips a team, this kid’s infectious energy has clearly lifted teammates even at 22 minutes a night, injecting a new, faster identity into the club.

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Former NHL coach Dallas Eakins steps in for Ray, as he and Dregs tip their caps to the David Branch & Bob Pulford who both passed away over the weekend. Pulford, the Hall-of-Famer who was a four-time Cup champ with Toronto and veteran of 800-plus NHL games behind the bench, and Branch, the OHL Commissioner who genuinely cared about shaping players into better young men. Then, we discuss Sweden's huge gold medal win at the World Juniors and support for Team Canada despite their much-discussed semifinal loss to Czechia. Eakins feeling that Canada always gets every opponent’s best, so no Hockey Canada summit needed. Discussion on how the NHL's current parity keeps fans invested, practice versus visualization, and how MacKinnon, McDavid, and Celebrini's elite seasons have the game is in great hands with stars who make everyone around them better.

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Brandon Hagel returns to the Lightning lineup. Mat Barzal gets 5 + a game for his slash on Marchment in defence of Schaefer. Canada captain Porter Martone earns unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after scoring an empty netter against Czechia. We're two days away from the Olympic Roster announcement. NHL standing parity. Sharks' Celebrini continues to produce. Oilers' Connor Ingram earns 3-straight starts. Leafs PP finds success - How much is credit to Steve Sullivan? Plus, Tim's Hockey Challenge updates and much more.

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