Hockey Night In New York - A New York Islanders Podcast · Hockey Night In New York

1/4/26 - Schaef N' Bake! Guest: Jonny Lazarus, Daily Faceoff

January 5, 2026·1 hr 27 min·5 clips

Matthew Barzal took a baseball-swing style retaliation for Mason Marchment targeting Matthew Schaefer.

Sean Cuthbert opens the show on Sunday, January 4, 2026. He and Arthur Staple welcome listeners into Hockey Night in New York, greet the new year, and set up a guest appearance from Johnny Lazarus of Daily Faceoff. The room stays loose. Before the hockey talk settles in, the hosts work through sponsor reads and keep the show in its familiar live-radio rhythm, with the kind of back-and-forth that comes with a long Islanders night. Johnny Lazarus gets his introduction. The hosts point out his work with Daily Faceoff, Morning Cup of Hockey, and the Tri-State Hockey Podcast, and they speak about him like someone the audience already knows. Then the Leafs game takes over. The conversation circles back to the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win over Toronto, a game they call a classic seesaw battle and one that felt big enough to resemble an old Coliseum night even though it happened at UBS Arena. Barzal comes up again. The hosts admit they got pulled away from the main recap while talking about Barzal and Marchment, but they pull the focus back to the result and the feel of the game. That delay fits the show. Hockey Night in New York likes to let a game breathe, and here that means revisiting the win before it slips into the broader season conversation. The pace stays brisk. Even with the tangents, the episode keeps handoff energy from one speaker to the next, and the hosts lean on the same mix of fan memory, hockey shorthand, and straight talk that gives the show its local edge. No one is pretending otherwise. The tone is openly Islanders-first, and the show keeps speaking to listeners who already know the names, the matchups, and why a January win like this one can carry weight. The ending stays upbeat. The hosts close by pointing listeners to their social accounts, the show site, and Johnny's other work, then leave the audience with a simple hope for another strong year for the Islanders in 2026. That is the lane. The episode is part postgame, part hangout, and part fan-table argument, with the Isles' latest overtime win as the anchor.

As heard by us

A lively Islanders postgame that feels like the building is still buzzing.

Hockey Night in New York spends its Sunday on the Islanders-Leafs overtime win, and that is enough to carry the episode. Johnny Lazarus and Arthur Staple keep the discussion anchored to the 4-3 finish at UBS Arena, so the score, the mood, and the postgame back-and-forth stay…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a live Islanders-Leafs breakdown with Jonny Lazarus and Arthur Staple in the room.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Hockey Night In New York - A New York Islanders Podcast