Team USA came up short in the 4 Nations championship, but our own gold medalists, Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington, are here to discuss the runaway success of the new tournament. Rasmus Dahlin and many others had insisted that NHL players would take this moment seriously — and they did. This is just the beginning, too: The 2026 Winter Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey will be on deck.

Plus, the guys cover whether the NHL should adopt the 3-2-1 points format; how general manager Bill Guerin (and assistant GM Chris Drury, our old friend) fell short in selecting players for Team USA; and finally, that small matter of the final two months of the NHL season. 

Lindy Ruff's message to the Sabres for the final 28 games: This is your playoff push. Their goal, he said, should be to earn seven standings points in every five games. Can they do it? The odds are, shall we say, not on their side. But we're about to find out.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com