John Matisz

the key bank center in Buffalo is just going to be absolutely bonkers for their first game, whether it's Saturday or Sunday coming up here.

And so I think that given what that team's gone through, given how many young pieces are –

um very I guess attractive appealing as players you know Zach Benson or Josh Stone or you know even their guys that really lead the charge and Darlene and Thompson like these are guys of high approval rating across the league in terms of you know other fan bases thinking that they're excellent players um you know even likable goalies like Alex Lyon's a character and Luca Pappalucan and

is a guy that people have their eye on.

So there's so many, I guess, pieces there with Buffalo, and they play, again, kind of similar to Utah, play a very compelling style, up-tempo style.

They're certainly not going to try to grind things down.

So Buffalo comes at the top of the list, and, of course, we can't forget the Canadians in terms of, you know, just how the bell center is during the playoffs.

And just, again, you know, not to repeat myself too much, but I think people from other markets like to get behind cores that are ascendant and cores that are super exciting.

I mean, that Caulfield, Suzuki, Sotkovsky line, like it doesn't get much better than that.

So, I mean, there's actually a lot of options.

And I mean, you could even go the route of the Penguins where it's like, you know, all of Canada wants Crosby to even just win a series, like beat the Flyers.

and see him sort of not reach the mountaintop because I don't imagine them going very deep, but him to take that playoff success again.

I think them getting in is one of the most surprising developments of the second half.

I just really did not see it coming as far as, even as recently as two weeks, they were

very much on the outside looking in.

And I wouldn't say they went on like some insane streak where they kind of caught everyone's attention.

It was just kind of slowly but surely they picked away at the lead.

And next thing you know, they secure a playoff spot.

I mean, I look at Rick Dawkins as honestly a guy that is probably comparable to Travis Green in terms of these

I'm putting young in quotes because they haven't, you know, coached five teams like a Pete DeBoer or something, but relatively new to the NHL coach that clearly has a way with systems, a way with tactics where the floor gets raised almost immediately after his arrival.