The Hockey PDOcast

Ryan Lambert joins the show to help kick off our playoff previews by deep diving the round one matchups in the East and Central divisions. The topics include: Carolina's nearly flawless statistical resume What the Predators need to do to make a series of it The Hurricanes forecheck vs. Predators skilled defensemen The impact of seeing fans at the rink for a playoff game again Why Lightning vs. Pan...

Dom Luszczyszyn joins the show to discuss how we're filling out our awards ballots for the 2020-2021 NHL regular season. The topics include: The last finalist in the Calder voting Kirill Kaprizov vs. Jason Robertson Andrei Vasilevskiy fading down the stretch Juuse Saros' herculean effort getting Nashville in What defense looks like as part of a two-way effort Sasha Barkov's monster season Why Jacc...

Sean Shapiro joins the show to help deep dive the ups and downs this season for the Dallas Stars, the excitement behind Jason Robertson's special rookie year, and the future of NHL broadcasts in the States. Topics include: The battle between Dallas and Nashville for 4th in Central Underlying numbers vs. results for the Stars 1-goal games, and waiting for regression in short season Impact of COVID...

Chris Johnston joins the show to discuss the moves we saw made at the NHL trade deadline, the behind the scenes of how they came together, and why teams made the decisions that they ultimately did. Topics include: What the market was actually like for Taylor Hall How much the Bruins improved at the deadline Steve Yzerman accumulating assets How Mantha-for-Vrana came together The Leafs motivation f...

Rob Pizzola joins the show to discuss what we can learn from this weird season, how external factors like schedule and officiating can impact team performance, and the NHL's foray into the sports betting world. Topics include: Learning from this weird season What we can glean from matchup data  Gap in talent between top teams and the rest Quantifying the effect of fatigue on teams Transparency and...

Thomas Drance and Ryan Lambert join the show to help get ready for the upcoming deadline by pitching trades we'd like to see. Topics include: Obstacles standing in the way of meaningful trades this deadline The small list of teams that are true buyers vs. the many sellers The impact players realistically available Trades we'd really like to see Ridiculous three-team trades that'll never happen but...

Dom Luszczyszyn joins the show to discuss six big questions we have for the remainder of the season. The topics include: Does anyone have a higher ceiling than the Avalanche? Are the Islanders the team you're most confident in from the East? Can the Panthers or Hurricanes challenge the Lightning? Team(s) we've been most surprised by / wrong about Team(s) we're most disappointed in / had higher hop...

Jack Han joins the show to discuss adjustments the Leafs are trying to make this season to finally get over the hump, getting the most out of your players with your team's tactics,  how to use video and analytics together to paint a more complete picture, and a variety of other topics. Other things we talk about in this episode include: Changes Leafs have been trying to implement Neutral zone sche...

Emily Kaplan and Chris Johnston join the show to help fill out midseason awards ballots. We discuss what we're looking for when making our choices in each category, the best candidates at this point, and storylines to watch for in the second half. Topics include: The Calder Trophy The Norris Trophy The Selke Trophy The Vezina Trophy The Jack Adams The Hart Trophy The best comeback performance The...

Chad DeDominicis joins the show to discuss the Buffalo Sabres, the cursed start to the season, and what to make of their strange underlying numbers. Topics include: All of the bad luck they've suffered through Their historically bad 5v5 offense How shooting % fluctuations can mess with you Do they have the right system for their personnel? Pros and cons of low event hockey Is Ralph Krueger best su...

Jesse Marshall joins the show to help deep dive the Pittsburgh Penguins and their eventful start to the season. Topics include: Surviving a bumpy first month Why they're fortunate to be where they are Making sense of a strange underlying shot profile The funk Evgeni Malkin has been in What's wrong with him, and how they can fix him Mixing and matching in the top 6 Bryan Rust proving he's totally l...

Harman Dayal and Satiar Shah join the show to discuss where things have went wrong for the Vancouver Canucks this season, how to divvy up the blame for it, and what they need to do to fix it moving forward. Topics include: The bad optics of their offseason Deeper rooted issues dating back years Paying for past mistakes Intentionally rebuilding vs. being bad by accident Having plan and executing it...

Alison Lukan and Murat Ates join the show to discuss the blockbuster trade between the Blue Jackets and Jets, how Pierre-Luc Dubois and Patrik Laine will fit with their new teams, and how they can get the most out of them moving forward. Topics include: The timeline leading up to the trade What the market was actually like for Dubois Why Jarmo Kekalainen made the move Why the Jets were the perfect...

Arpon Basu joins the show to help discuss the strong start to the season for the Montreal Canadiens, how their playing style and depth has helped them take advantage of a wide open North Division, and what we can learn from their early results. Topics include: Their hot start offensively How much stock to put into early season data The competition in the North Division How they're taking advantage...

Michael Russo joins the show to help deep dive Kirill Kaprizov's immediate impact, why the wait appears to have been worth it, and how he's helping the Minnesota Wild change the public perception of their franchise. Topics include: Why Kirill Kaprizov has captured everyone's attention Why the Wild desperately needed a talent like him What he does well, why he can succeed in the NHL What we can lea...

Dom Luszczyszyn and Rob Pizzola join the show to discuss what we can learn from this unique season, the complicating factors to consider when picking winners, and some of the best bets on the board. Topics include: Weird results in shortened seasons The importance of home ice advantage and travel Balancing human element and statistical modeling Range of outcomes in 1st half vs. 2nd half Matchup tr...

Andrew Berkshire joins the show to discuss potential breakout candidates for the coming season. Topics include: What we're looking for when identifying potential breakouts Jack Hughes coming back stronger for Year 2 Andrew Mangiapane in Calgary's Top 6 Nick Suzuki building off bubble performance Matt Grzelcyk taking advantage of opportunity Brady Tkachuk's underlying dominance Rasmus Dahlin remind...

Jeff Marek joins the show for this year's version of what's become an annual preseason tradition for the show - the Watchability Rankings. We discuss what we're looking forward to watching, and rank all 31 teams based on the entertainment value we think they'll provide in the 2021 season. Topics include: How we put together our lists and tiered teams What we find entertaining and worth watching Th...

Hailey Salvian joins the show to deep dive the Ottawa Senators rebuild. We discuss the issues that have plagued them in the past, what they've been up to this offseason, and the questions that need to be answered before they really turn things around. Topics include: The fanbase's Melnyk Fatigue Whether they made the most of their offseason The financial motives for their moves Creating environmen...

Chris Johnston joins the show to discuss the players, teams, and stories we're most interested in heading into the 2021 season. The topics include: Did Vegas get better after all of their moves? Colorado's new status as favourites Nathan MacKinnon's evolution in the bubble Connor McDavid with a chip on his shoulder The final chapters of Alex Ovechkin's story The unique nature of the Canadian Divis...

Cam Robinson joins the show to help rewatch the Gold Medal Game from the 2011 World Juniors. We discuss Canada's epic collapse, Russia's thrilling comeback, everything that played into it, and what we've learned from it ten years later. Topics include: The legacy of this game What aged the best What aged the worst The TSN turning point The biggest heat check performance The questions that still re...

Corey Masisak joins the show to deep dive the New Jersey Devils rebuild. We discuss where things went wrong last season, the questions that need to be answered, and how they can fix things moving forward. Topics include: Where things went wrong in 2019 for the Devils Why winning the offseason didn't translate into actual wins How invested the organization is in analytics The pros and cons of Lindy...

Sheng Peng joins the show to discuss why the San Jose Sharks suddenly find themselves in uncharted waters, what caused their nightmarish 2019-20 season and where the issues started, plus how they can ultimately get things back on track to prevent this from becoming the new normal for the organization. Topics include: 2:00 The price of being good for a long time 12:00 Death by 1000 cuts in summer o...

Darryl Belfry joins the show to discuss his experiences working with the best players in the NHL, how stars use the offseason to work on their game and acquire new skills, and all of the different things that go into skills training at the highest level. Topics include: 2:00 Process of adding tools during the offseason 8:00 Crosby's endless pursuit of getting better 14:00 How MacKinnon fixed his s...

Jordan Samuels Thomas joins the show to help us rewatch the classic West Final in 2014 between the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks. We discuss what made it arguably the best and most important series of the 2010s, what aged the best and worst with the benefit of hindsight, and the individual performances that really stood out above the rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...