January 8, 2026 • 4 mins
Mike Benton's conversation with Kraken head coach Lane Lambert ahead of the January 8th matchup between the Seattle Kraken and Minnesota Wild at Climate Pledge Arena.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, Crack and getting set here for a while
back now with Crack and head coach Lane Lambert and
Lane just touching back here on Tuesday. One effect we
saw in that seven goal outburst the power play they
went three or four and they're continuing to produce right now.
So what kind of work have Chris Taylor and the
two units been doing to get this far now?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, I think it starts with, you know, just the
structure and the understanding. Certainly pre scouts are important to
know exactly what the other team's doing on the penalty kill.
I think he's done an outstanding job of providing the
players with the knowledge they need heading into the games.
And what he's done a really good job of, in
my opinion, is he lets the players use their instincts.
(00:40):
These are guys that are on the power play for
a reason, and you know, if you become too robotic,
that's when things start to slow down. So there's a
structure there, there's a plan, and then the players are
going out and executing the plan. So it's worked out
pretty well so far.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
One of the players has scored those goals, Berkeley Cat.
He'd gotten not just one but two, and it was
a thing of beauty back in period three, and he
said that first goal was a big weight off his shoulders,
and perhaps maybe it was a long time coming for him.
But what can you take away about that night as
far as the kind of game that he wants to
bring here a game after.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Game, Well, he's just been working and doing the right things.
And I've talked all year long about him getting better
in certain areas that he needs to improve, you know,
and defensively or whatever you have. You know, he wants
the puck, He's not afraid to make plays. He through
this stretch hasn't lost confidence at least not to the
(01:36):
you know, not to the eye. Maybe inside he was
a little fight in it, but certainly this goal for
him and then the second one will be a weight
off his shoulders, and we look forward to seeing him
continue from there.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
At the halfway point of the season, we talk about
what matters mean most as far as getting in the
playoff door, and it's still very much a fluid picture
as far as this entire Western Conference. But what are
you see just from the core values principles as far
as accountability, discipline, structure that have really you know, helped
this team pick itself up, as compared to the saying,
you know the first you know, three months ago when
they were just learning here about this whole thing.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, well, it's been a process, you know, it will
continue to be a process. I mean, we had a
meeting this morning and giving some reminders and some of
the things that we learned rate from day one, because
we don't feel like maybe we're quite as good in
that area in the last couple of games as we
had been, and potentially we've been outscoring our problems and
that's not a formula for success. So we love to
(02:32):
continue scoring. We've got to make sure that we take
care of our own zone. But certainly, I think you know,
right now, each and every individual knows, exceptable what's expected
of them, and now it's just about them taking ownership
of that and accountability to each other to get that
job done.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We have talked a lot about Matt eveniers in the
recent weeks and the points are certainly coming, especially ever
since around Christmas time here. But of course, this game
we all know, it's basically it's I'm going to give
you a full two hundred feet each here, But where
have you seen the biggest growth from him this season.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think, you know what, I think there's been a
growth in every area, to be honest, and his defensive
game has improved. His his you know, understanding of where
to be. He's quick on pucks defensively. But one thing
I would say for me anyway, and I think that
Chris Taylor and Justin Ry have done a great job
(03:24):
with him from an offensive standpoint through the neutral zone
on the rush. He has a direct and clear understanding
now of who to attack to put not only himself
in a better position on the rush, but also his teammates.
So there's been some real improvement there from my standpoint,
when he gets the puck, say inside our blue line,
(03:45):
and transports it through to the other teams far and
or the other team's blue line, and the decisions that
he's making in those situations I think have been outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
How different does this wild team look now with Quinn
he was on the back and what do you make
out of what they can bring here for tonight?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Well, they're the same hockey team that they've got an
extremely dynamic defenseman who's one of the top five defensemen
in the world. So you know, I mean their expected
goals has gone from nineteenth to fifth now since he's
been there, he creates and certainly generates. We're gonna have
(04:22):
to obviously pay special attention to him. I don't think
you can completely stop this guy in terms of him
getting opportunities. We just have to try and limit those,
and try and limit the percentages of the opportunities that
he creates.
All right, Crack and getting set here for a while
back now with Crack and head coach Lane Lambert and
Lane just touching back here on Tuesday. One effect we
saw in that seven goal outburst the power play they
went three or four and they're continuing to produce right now.
So what kind of work have Chris Taylor and the
two units been doing to get this far now?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, I think it starts with, you know, just the
structure and the understanding. Certainly pre scouts are important to
know exactly what the other team's doing on the penalty kill.
I think he's done an outstanding job of providing the
players with the knowledge they need heading into the games.
And what he's done a really good job of, in
my opinion, is he lets the players use their instincts.
(00:40):
These are guys that are on the power play for
a reason, and you know, if you become too robotic,
that's when things start to slow down. So there's a
structure there, there's a plan, and then the players are
going out and executing the plan. So it's worked out
pretty well so far.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
One of the players has scored those goals, Berkeley Cat.
He'd gotten not just one but two, and it was
a thing of beauty back in period three, and he
said that first goal was a big weight off his shoulders,
and perhaps maybe it was a long time coming for him.
But what can you take away about that night as
far as the kind of game that he wants to
bring here a game after.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Game, Well, he's just been working and doing the right things.
And I've talked all year long about him getting better
in certain areas that he needs to improve, you know,
and defensively or whatever you have. You know, he wants
the puck, He's not afraid to make plays. He through
this stretch hasn't lost confidence at least not to the
(01:36):
you know, not to the eye. Maybe inside he was
a little fight in it, but certainly this goal for
him and then the second one will be a weight
off his shoulders, and we look forward to seeing him
continue from there.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
At the halfway point of the season, we talk about
what matters mean most as far as getting in the
playoff door, and it's still very much a fluid picture
as far as this entire Western Conference. But what are
you see just from the core values principles as far
as accountability, discipline, structure that have really you know, helped
this team pick itself up, as compared to the saying,
you know the first you know, three months ago when
they were just learning here about this whole thing.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, well, it's been a process, you know, it will
continue to be a process. I mean, we had a
meeting this morning and giving some reminders and some of
the things that we learned rate from day one, because
we don't feel like maybe we're quite as good in
that area in the last couple of games as we
had been, and potentially we've been outscoring our problems and
that's not a formula for success. So we love to
(02:32):
continue scoring. We've got to make sure that we take
care of our own zone. But certainly, I think you know,
right now, each and every individual knows, exceptable what's expected
of them, and now it's just about them taking ownership
of that and accountability to each other to get that
job done.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
We have talked a lot about Matt eveniers in the
recent weeks and the points are certainly coming, especially ever
since around Christmas time here. But of course, this game
we all know, it's basically it's I'm going to give
you a full two hundred feet each here, But where
have you seen the biggest growth from him this season.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I think, you know what, I think there's been a
growth in every area, to be honest, and his defensive
game has improved. His his you know, understanding of where
to be. He's quick on pucks defensively. But one thing
I would say for me anyway, and I think that
Chris Taylor and Justin Ry have done a great job
(03:24):
with him from an offensive standpoint through the neutral zone
on the rush. He has a direct and clear understanding
now of who to attack to put not only himself
in a better position on the rush, but also his teammates.
So there's been some real improvement there from my standpoint,
when he gets the puck, say inside our blue line,
(03:45):
and transports it through to the other teams far and
or the other team's blue line, and the decisions that
he's making in those situations I think have been outstanding.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
How different does this wild team look now with Quinn
he was on the back and what do you make
out of what they can bring here for tonight?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Well, they're the same hockey team that they've got an
extremely dynamic defenseman who's one of the top five defensemen
in the world. So you know, I mean their expected
goals has gone from nineteenth to fifth now since he's
been there, he creates and certainly generates. We're gonna have
(04:22):
to obviously pay special attention to him. I don't think
you can completely stop this guy in terms of him
getting opportunities. We just have to try and limit those,
and try and limit the percentages of the opportunities that
he creates.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!