NHL-podden med Bjurman och Ekeliw · Aftonbladet Sportbladet

Avsnitt 539 – Chockdraget av Islanders i sista stund

·56 min·4 clips

The New York Islanders shockingly fire Patrick Roy and hire Pete DeBoer with only four games left in the season.

1. NHL-podden avsnitt 539 is the final regular-season episode, recorded the same day Per Bjurman heads to Madison Square Garden for Rangers' last home game of the year. 2. Hosts are Per Bjurman in New York and Jonathan Ekeliw in Örby, Sweden; both note how differently this season's stretch run feels compared to last year's early-settled standings. 3. The episode's organizing theme is an unprecedented wave of late-season coaching and GM changes, with Bjurman calling New Jersey 'Drama Queen of the League' for following the trend. 4. Islanders fired Patrick Roy after going 10-10 post-Olympic break with four straight losses; DeBoer was hired with just four games remaining in the regular season. 5. Bjurman notes that Patrick Roy had 'few like him for being so invested in his players,' but the defensive structure under him left Islanders 28th in the NHL in defensive expected goals. 6. Pete DeBoer signed a three-year contract to continue beyond this season; Bjurman lists his record of reaching the conference finals or Final in his debut season at four consecutive jobs: New Jersey 2012 Final, San Jose Final, Vegas conference finals, Dallas conference finals. 7. DeBoer's usual assistant Steve Spott, who historically ran the power play while DeBoer handled defense, moved to Boston this season — DeBoer will have to solve the offensive end without his longtime partner. 8. New Jersey fired GM Tom Fitzgerald effective immediately despite four games remaining; Bjurman finds the timing 'strange' but notes Brendan Shanahan could be a candidate to replace him given his history with the franchise as a player. 9. Bjurman argues the incoming NJ GM inherits a strong foundation: five players under 30 on long contracts below $10M cap hit — Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Luke Hughes — into a rising salary cap environment. 10. Tortorella's impact in Vegas is immediate: four consecutive wins after taking over, mirroring Rick Bowness's effect in Columbus. 11. Porter Martone arrived from college hockey and in his first three Philadelphia Flyers appearances scored an overtime winner, logged 14 shots across two games, and set up Trevor Zegras with a decisive pass against New Jersey — described as a 'modern power forward' weighing nearly 100 kg. 12. Rick Tocchet has already elevated Martone to critical situations: he played the 5-on-3 overtime power play against Boston in a playoff race game and converted. 13. Ottawa Senators rank third in the NHL in full-season expected goals percentage and are strongest in the league for forecheck goals; Taylor Hall of Carolina said Ottawa 'plays playoff hockey right now' after losing to them. 14. Columbus Blue Jackets rank eighth in expected goals since Bowness took over; Detroit ranks 16th in that metric and Islanders 28th — Bjurman argues underlying numbers explain who will survive the final push. 15. Detroit held a 3-2 lead with 17 seconds remaining in a four-point game against Columbus before allowing a tying goal and losing the shootout, leaving them with no control over their own playoff fate. 16. Washington's 8-1 loss to Rangers — a team that hadn't won a home game in weeks — is called 'inexplicable' and 'scandalous'; Bjurman notes the Capitals seem more focused on developing young players like Cole Hudson and debutant Ilya Protas than on the current standings race. 17. Florida Panthers are set to miss the playoffs — the third time since 2000 that a defending champion failed to reach the postseason, after LA Kings in 2014-15 and an earlier instance. 18. Per Bjurman spoke with Erik Karlsson after Pittsburgh's recent wins; Karlsson said Florida 'will benefit enormously from a long summer' and will be 'extremely dangerous next year.' 19. Nashville's surge is mentioned briefly as already secure in the West, while Colorado has clinched the Presidents' Trophy with a 'Z' in the standings; Dallas versus Minnesota in the Central is the only unresolved first-round matchup. 20. Deep NHL statistical analysts who track underlying metrics and roster construction across the full league will find the most value; viewers wanting only a single-team focus may find the breadth disorienting.

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