Rick Stephens

So that's I mean, we're talking strength of schedule against your opponents.

How about strength of schedule against the grind that they're going to go through with number of games, road trips and home games back to backs?

It's going to be we use the word intense already.

It is going to be intense.

It's going to be grueling mentally and physically.

trade deadline thrown in there, all of it, it's going to be nuts.

And that's not too bad because it's just from home, just up the road to Ottawa and back.

So that's not too bad.

But then at the end of the month, March 28, 29, they are in Nashville and the next night they're in Carolina.

They kick off things in April on the 4th and the 5th with a home-and-home against the New Jersey Devils, starting on the road and finishing at the Bell Center.

And then the 11th and 12th, they are home versus the Blue Jackets.

Then the next night, they travel to the New York Islanders.

Now, don't forget, last year there wasn't an Olympic break, but there was a Four Nations face-off break around the same-ish time last year.

And it was after that that the Canadians came back with a complete fire lit under them.

And over 26 games went 15-5-6.

They will be.

They headed into the, in their last five games before the Olympic break, they went 4-0-1.

And I think that's exactly what Brendan Gallagher means when he says, we have to pick, it's going to, he said, quote, it's going to be important for us to pick up where we left off.

And yeah, 4-0-1, that's where you want to, that's the moment you want to be carrying that momentum two weeks later.

I think it's important to disconnect a little bit, for sure, you know, and recharge and