Brad Marchand's impact on the Florida Panthers and the reasons why they are one win from dispatching the Tampa Bay Lightning and advancing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are among the list of topics discussed on this week's episode of the "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP.
NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin joins co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke from Florida, where she is covering the Panthers and Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Benjamin, who is based in Boston and covered Marchand's entire career with the Boston Bruins, offers a unique perspective on why the 36-year-old forward has been so good for Florida, especially in the first round against Tampa Bay.
She also dives into the struggles of the Lightning's top players, specifically the lack of offense they have gotten from forward Nikita Kucherov except for his three assists in Game 3, the only game Tampa Bay has won in the series.
The Panthers' belief, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy's struggles and the obvious frustration shown by Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper are also topics Benjamin, Rosen and Roarke touch on during the interview.
In addition, Benjamin talks about the surprising failures of the Bruins this season and if Mike Sullivan, newly a free-agent coach after mutually parting ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, would be a good fit in Boston.
Prior to the interview with Benjamin, Rosen and Roarke keep their conversation more focused on the Western Conference side of the playoffs, talking about forward Kirill Kaprizov's impact on the Minnesota Wild, center Jack Eichel's struggles with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the wild swings in the series between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers.
Coming out of the conversation with Benjamin, the co-hosts give their opinions on where might be the best fit for Sullivan if he chooses to coach in the NHL next season before going back to playoff talk, touching on Connor Hellebuyck's struggles in goal for the Winnipeg Jets and the return of Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast presented by SKIP is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
