This is Neil Smith, former president and GM of the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders, join me and my co host Vic Morn for our podcast NHL Wrap Around for all the important news and views around the NHL.
How about a.
Little Utah Hockey Club as the Utah Hockey Club is in Saint Louis to take on the Blues, which is just hilarious for so many different reasons.
Been a rough stretch for the guys.
Our next guest joins us on a weekly basis, the great Neil Smith, former GM of the Rangers the Islanders. He's a hockey lifer.
Neil.
First of all, Happy Thursday. Second of all, how are you feeling.
I'm feeling a little bit better, but my voice doesn't sound like it. But yesterday I got to tell you, Spence, was an amazing awakening when I was sitting in my computer, looking at stats, looking at things, ready for your call, and then realized I can't talk. I have no voice, so we had to delay this. But I'm feeling good. How about you.
I'm well and I feel that because being in this business, like the voice is the moneymaker. So if I run into some allergies, or a cold, it changes the entire thing. You've only been in this business for a little while, Neil. Back in the day, you could lose your voice and still go build a hockey club.
It's a different thing when you're talking to a mike.
Yeah, Yo, for sure it's and when you're on TV it's it's even more complicated. But radio, you're only a voice, that's all you are. So if you've got no voice or a Larnux trouble, stay off the radio.
Yes sir, all right.
After a red hot start, things have crashed pretty mightily for the Utah Hockey Club. They're two and eight in their last ten games and Connor Ingram and I'm gonna need you to help me understand this because I don't want to put it all. I understand in hockey you can't put it all on the goaltender. And Connor is a quality goalie, He's gonna be fine. But five to two and three with an eight eight one say percentage and a three point five to seven goals against average.
According to stat Elites, he has a minus set having goals saved above expected, after finishing with a plus three point four goals saved above expected last year. How much of the leaky defense is on the goalie and how much of it's on the group.
They just can't stop teams right now?
Well, I thought, I think that there's enough to go around. I think there's some on Connor Ingram. He's not playing up to the level that he can play at in the NHL. To be a starting goaltender, you've got to be at nine hundred save percentage, which means an easy math that you're allowing one goal on every ten shots. You can't be letting more than that, and you can't
have a goals against some three point five seven. Now, having said that, with Dursey out and Marino out and them trying to fill that void with other guys, you know, they're trying to get better defensively with their defenseman, but it's going to have to be a team effort. It's going to have to be everybody locking down the opposition, because when you're missing two key defensemen like that, the forwards can't take the chances that they would normally take.
So they've got to be a little bit more conservative and help out.
So the offense continues to be fine.
It was never going to be what it was to start the year, because what it was to start the year was historic, but you know, more often than not they did get shut out.
And I will get to Winnipeg in a moment.
I don't know what's going on with Winnipeg, but you know the Utackey Club was able to get three against the gold Knights, four against the Sharks.
Yeah, but it hasn't been what it was.
So if we moved to the other side of the equation and leave the defense behind, and I'm sure they're all intertwined, why do you think the offense has not been able to keep up with the pace it's set to start the year, which again was very very good.
Well, remember who you're playing too. I mean you got to give those teams credit. I mean they're playing against two really good teams. For playing Winnipeg, they're playing Vegas. I mean, those are good teams. But the other thing is, I think Spence, I'll go back to what I said before, and that is when you're back on your heels because you're not sure if you make a mistake. You don't have the defenders back there that you used to have, and you also your goalies a little bit leaky, like
the Milka and Ingram have binn. Then you're not taking those offensive chances to score goals the way you do when you're very confident and when the group is confident, so it you know, it all goes hand in hand. And especially if you think when you're out on the ice, if you turn the puck over it could very easily be in our net. You're going to be very conservative with what you do.
So tonight it is the Saint Louis Blues and ultimately they've lost Robert Thomas to a fractured ankle. But two point sixty nine goals per game in the blues first thirteen games, twenty fourth in the NHL. But they're really stout when it comes to their goalies, and they've got too. It's Jordan Bennington and Joel Hoffer, so very good defensive team, but they don't score a lot of goals. Prieve you, the game for us tonight is the Blues take on the Utah Hockey Club.
Well, they're playing Joel hofferin net tonight according to the sources that I have, but his save percentage is three point thirty nine, so there's some holes there. They allow a lot of shots, but so does you. Ta Utah allows almost thirty just under thirty shots a game, so they're going to have to tighten that up. But interesting guys to look for tonight. Cairo is their best offensive player.
He's got eleven points in thirteen games. Broberg that they signed from the Edmonton Oilers on an off for sheets, having a good start to his season. And he's a defenseman. And Pareko is also a defenseman. Two out of their three top scorers on their team or defenseman. But they'll they'll, they'll play hard for sure, and they all they always do, the Blues always do. But Hofer will be in that tonight.
All right, Let's get back to a couple of the teams that I referenced, and you know, we we were discussed seeing the hot start for Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago. But it's one thing to have a hot start, but eight straight wins to start the season that side for the third longest streak in NHL history through twelve games, fifty nine goals. That's the highest total in their first twelve games since the nineteen ninety five ninety six Penguins
scored sixty three times. That's Mario Lemieux, Jarmar Yager, Ron Francis, Sergey Zubov, a phenomenal team to play NHL on the PlayStation.
With which I did back in the day.
So what what stands out most about what really is a historic start from Winnipeg.
Well, Kyle Connor stands out to me as playing out of his mind this year. Is as a forward, as an offensive player, and Connor Hellibuck, who won the Visita last year, is playing Don't Atrophy hockey again. So you know, those are the two guys that are really standing out and above everybody. But to have a record like they have at twelve and one on you've got to have everybody you know on all play on all cylinders. And everything for them is going good. I mean, their their
power play is at forty four percent. Their penalty killing has been you know, middle of the pack, but it's that's still pretty good. So they're you know, they're goals for or four point seven, they lead the league with that. They've just had a terrific start. But if you want me to pick out a couple of players that also on Morrissey on defense has been great for them. But Kyle Connor and Hellibuck and Morrissey. They've all been really good.
Let me ask you about a story before I set you loose. Egork In the goalie for the Rangers. We've been waiting for news on this potential extension. It sounds you're teasing it, Neil, Do you have any any meat on the bone you can share?
Not really, I mean, other than I'm just you know, you hear things, and you hear that things are you know, heating up. What that means who knows. But you would think that the Rangers would be anxious to get them signed and not let them get near free agency. So I would imagine that there's something going on in the background between the agent, Krshcha Stirkin and Chris Drury.
All Right, Neil, got a lot of new hockey fans in the market.
Where can they go find your podcast that you that you guys release often during the week.
Yeah. We had Bill Darn the GM of Minnesota on this week and it's on every platform, NHL wrap Around, you can find it on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, anywhere that you can find podcasts, you'll find it. And it's been a lot of fun and we're doing it three times a week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and give it a listen.
Neil, thank you, sir. I always appreciate the time. Get that voice ready to roll and we'll get you back on next week. All right, week, there you go, There you go. The great Neil Smith built a juggernaut of a New York Ranger hockey team that want a Stanley Cup in the nineties. Also general manager of the Islanders. He was the head scout for the Red Wings when they were kind of at their heyday.
He's on Twitter.
You can find the links to his work at NYC. Neil Smith is where you find him. You can follow the podcast at NHL wrap Around is where you get that. All right, I want to tell you about my friends at Overtime Cards and Collectibles. It's the best spot for all your football, basketball, hockey, MMA and even Pokemon card collecting. Buy all your favorites there and even take your cards in. Maybe you have some rare cards in your collection you do not even know about. So that's what I did.
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