NHL @TheRink

Dan and Shawn are joined by Nic Dowd of the Vegas Golden Knights and Sean Walker of the Carolina Hurricanes to talk about the Stanley Cup Final, their journeys to get to this point and the coaching matchup between John Tortorella and Rod Brind'Amour. The guys start the episode looking back at an exciting Game 1 and look ahead to the rest of the series for each team. They wrap up the episode with a quick look at Gary Bettman's most recent press conference, the All Star Game festivities at UBS Arena in 2027 and the upcoming NHL Draft in Buffalo.

Dan and Shawn are joined by NHL.com columnist Nick Cotsonika for his perspective on the postseason dominance by the Vegas Golden Knights, as Vegas stuns the NHL with a sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado to reach their third Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s nine-year history, and the influence of VGK’s late-season hiring of head coach John Tortorella on the team’s current run. The guys open the show with reaction to Wednesday’s dominant 4-0 win by the Carolina Hurricanes, as the Canes take a 3-1 lead on the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final, and wrap the show with discussion about Colorado’s future after their postseason exit.

Dan and Shawn are joined by TNT lead analyst Eddie Olczyk (17:15) to preview the upcoming conference finals between Montreal and Carolina in the east and Colorado and Vegas in the west. The guys open the show with reaction to Monday night’s game seven in Buffalo, as Alex Newhook’s second game seven winner of the playoffs propelled Montreal through to the conference final, and debate whether nearly two weeks of rest will help or hurt the Hurricanes versus the Canadiens. The crew wraps the show with debate about Edmonton's decision to dismiss head coach Kris Knoblauch after a pair of Stanley Cup Final appearances and discuss options for his replacement.

Dan and Shawn are joined by Montreal Canadiens broadcaster Renaud Lavoie (12:52) who gives an update after his recent health scare and discusses the growth of the Montreal Canadiens under the leadership of head coach Martin St. Louis. The crew opens the show with reaction to breaking news, as the Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Craig Berube a little more than a week after hiring a new front office staff. The guys also react to Carolina’s 8-0 start to the postseason, Tuesday night’s games as Buffalo ties the series with Montreal 2-2 and Vegas takes a 3-2 edge over Anaheim on Pavel Dorofeyev’s overtime winner, and Colorado’s dominance as the Avs look to close out the Wild in five games. Dan and Shawn close the show with major trophy picks after the announcement of finalists.

Dan and Shawn are joined by Carolina Hurricanes TV and radio analyst Tripp Tracy (19:11), to discuss the team’s 6-0 start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and what sets this year’s Carolina team apart from recent Canes teams that came up short in their quest for the Cup. The crew opens the show with reaction to a roller coaster week in Toronto as the Leafs introduce John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as senior adviser, hours before landing the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery. The guys also discuss the high-scoring start to the Minnesota-Colorado series, leading to a goalie change by the Wild, and preview the Montreal-Buffalo series, after the Canadiens edged the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games, recording just nine shots on goal in the series clincher.