The debut episode of the Tri-State Hockey Podcast is here! 🏒

Jonny Lazarus, Mike Rupp, and Arthur Staple sit down for the very first time to introduce the show, share how it came together, and set the tone for everything the Tri-State hockey world can expect from this new series. The guys dive right into the early-season storylines across the Metro Division — from Matthew Schaefer’s breakout on Long Island, to the Devils’ injury concerns and Simon Nemec’s progress, to the Rangers’ uneven start under Mike Sullivan.

Then it’s on to the fan-driven portion of the show, as Jonny, Mike, and Arthur react to listener voicemails, debate hot takes, and build the foundation for the community that will define this show moving forward.

Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday on the Daily Faceoff Network, and join the conversation by sending in your own voicemails for next week’s show!

#TriStateHockeyPodcast #NHL #Rangers #Islanders #Devils #JonnyLazarus #MikeRupp #ArthurStaple #DailyFaceoff #NHLPodcast #MetroDivision #HockeyPodcast

00:00 Welcome to Episode 1 – How the show came together

01:10 Rupp’s “minus-1 shift” & technical chaos

02:00 Arthur shares how he first met Rupp

03:10 Jonny’s story joining the crew

04:15 Islanders spotlight – Matthew Schaefer is the real deal

06:20 Schaefer’s maturity and leadership at 18

07:25 Personality vs. swagger – veterans’ view in the room

08:10 Protecting the rookie – Isles’ response after Zadorov hit

09:20 How Schaefer has galvanized the Islanders’ room

11:00 Do the Isles need an enforcer? Rupp explains why not

14:15 Devils talk – OT loss to Isles & hot start

15:10 Arthur on New Jersey’s balanced roster & depth

18:00 Simon Nemec’s growth under pressure

20:00 Could Isles & Devils link up on a Nemec–Pageau trade?

24:10 Is Dougie Hamilton expendable?

24:50 Debate – Who has more to prove: Barzal or Hughes?

27:00 Rupp agrees – and breaks down the difference

30:40 Jonny’s Barzal story & Hughes playoff comparison

33:10 Bo Horvat’s scoring heater

34:00 Transition to Rangers segment

35:00 Rangers finally get a 6-3 win over Nashville

36:00 Are they really struggling or just unlucky?

39:00 Panarin contract dilemma

40:00 Arthur’s analytics breakdown of Rangers defense

43:20 Protecting Shesterkin – “your best asset”

46:40 Stamkos quote & Trocheck’s leadership value

47:30 Trouba’s struggles & captaincy pressure

48:10 Lafrenière’s improvement and confidence

50:30 Rupp on Lafrenière rounding out his game

52:00 Blake Wheeler and bottom-six depth talk

54:00 Setting up the voicemail segment

55:00 Listener Voicemails – full fan reactio

early-season storylines

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