Guest: Steven Stamkos; Opening night, Trophy Tracker, ESPN debut, mailbag, Barkov & Suzuki

Oct 13, 2021, 05:30 PM

Dan Rosen was in Tampa Bay this week and sat down with Steven Stamkos (19:44). Stamkos was asked about the possibility of a three-peat for the Lightning and he discusses the challenge of losing key players from their Stanley Cup team, explains why the Florida Panthers are now a legitimate rival and chats about some of the reasons why Jon Cooper is a perfect fit to lead this team. Dan and Shawn start the episode discussing the NHL's opening night, the guts displayed by the Seattle Kraken, ESPN's debut and why Vegas has the best atmosphere in the NHL. They wonder if the Pittsburgh Penguins can sustain what they did against the LIghtning and talk about how Jon Cooper will use the Lightning's poor performance to motivate and re-focus his team. They shared some thoughts on their interpretation of what is and what isn't a "distinct kicking motion" as Chandler Stephenson's controversial goal led to the Golden Knights victory over the Kraken. They close out the episode (35:57) discussing the Tampa Bay/Florida rivalry, looking at NHL.com's first Trophy Tracker of the season (they have a hearty debate on the criteria for the Jack Adams Award) and answering some questions surrounding the playoff chances of the New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. Follow @TheRink on Twitter.