00:00All right, welcome back. Great to have Dennis Bernstein back in the house talking some National Hockey League as, of
00:05course, the Olympics are over.
00:07And I guess, Dennis, before we get to what happened on the ice last night, I mean, you talk about
00:12a moment for the ages on the ice last Sunday morning.
00:16I mean, I guess that was the only thing that you poke a hole at and say it had to
00:19happen on Sunday morning, maybe so some people missed it.
00:22But look, I mean, the history of hockey was really, I think, put on display yesterday and I think, or
00:30last Sunday.
00:31And I think that that game in particular, the gold medal game, will be up there amongst the greatest games
00:36of all time.
00:36I don't know if it's number one, but it's got to be in that conversation.
00:39Yeah, well, we waited 12 years for international hockey to be played again by NHL players.
00:44And it's been 46 years since they won the gold medal to USA.
00:47So, of course, it's a defining moment here with respect to USA hockey and with respect to international competition.
00:53And whether the Canadians like it or not, Greg, we've caught up.
00:57So, going forward, the World Cup of Hockey in two years, the Olympics again in four years, it's a toss
01:01-up.
01:02We're as good as the Canadians right now.
01:04They proved it on Sunday in Milan.
01:07Definitely a moment that I have witnessed and historically watched in the Olympics, as I have.
01:13I've never seen anything like that.
01:14But in 1980, I was too young for that, seven years old.
01:17Okay, so, Dennis, let's get to the second half of the season.
01:20And let's get to some results from last night.
01:22The Sabres beat the Devils 2-1.
01:25Jack Hughes back on the ice.
01:28And it did not go as planned, I guess.
01:30Let's break it down.
01:31Yeah, well, you know, he had a world-winning celebration.
01:34Actually, him and all his teammates did.
01:36But it was ironic.
01:36He played 21 minutes.
01:38So, there was no hangover from partying in Miami with everybody and, you know, Pat McAfee.
01:43But ironically, he turned the puck over to a teammate from the Olympic team, Paige Thompson,
01:49which basically decided the game last night, the 2-1 game.
01:52So, Buffalo's on a really good run right now.
01:54They should make the playoffs after 15 years of not being in the playoffs last year.
01:58And New Jersey's up against it, Craig, right now.
02:00They're on the outside looking in.
02:02And we'll see what happens with New Jersey.
02:04But that was kind of a defining moment of two Olympic teammates, one victimizing the other last night in New
02:09Jersey.
02:10You know what's funny?
02:11And, Dennis, I do want to hit on this topic because Dennis and I were talking about it during the
02:15break.
02:15Is that from a sports handicapping perspective, like, you feel like maybe you're ahead of something going into this game
02:21last night with Vegas and then the L.A. Kings.
02:25It's like if you could have set up a scenario for yourself and said, you know what?
02:29I think that the Golden Knights are going to sit some players from the Olympics.
02:33And then when the puck drops, you're like, wow, all these guys are out.
02:36I'm going to win this bet.
02:38And then you'll see Vegas win 6-4.
02:40I mean, that is – it's not a bad beat, so to speak, but it just shows you in sports
02:45and in betting nothing is guaranteed.
02:48No question, Craig.
02:49And I know we do at the fourth pair, we do our picks daily.
02:51And I had the Kings on the money last night for that reason.
02:54And it's not like they had one or two players out, Craig.
02:56They had five guys out.
02:57Five guys that played in the Olympic gold medal game were out.
03:01So you've got to think, okay, this is – and the Kings added out to Tammy Panarin, who was just
03:05traded from the Rangers.
03:06So here's a great way to celebrate it against a team that's really shorthanded.
03:09And guess what?
03:10The Vegas Golden Knights scored five goals in the third period with a team that is most – more like
03:15their minor league team than their NHL team.
03:18So you're right, Craig.
03:19You never know, betting this sport, what's going to happen.
03:21And, yeah, absolutely.
03:22But tonight, the LA Kings play Edmonton.
03:25I've got to think that's going to be an over because neither one of these teams played well last night.
03:30What's the total of that game?
03:32Whatever it is played – it's probably six and a half, Craig.
03:35But Edmonton lost 6-5.
03:37They can't make a save.
03:38They've – you've got to play the overnight game tonight because I don't see you going any other way.
03:42Heard it from Dennis there.
03:44By the way, Vegas still very heavy favorites to win their division.
03:47Yes.
03:48And could even win the West.
03:49The Stanley Cup maybe.
03:50Not the shortest odds of anybody in the National Hockey League, but they're still plus 850 there.
03:54Okay, so Dennis, here in South Florida, we have just been so fortunate to have the best hockey that we've
04:01ever seen played by our guys here,
04:03by the Florida Panthers, and I think – and I know a lot of people cover the team, and I
04:09remember being in spring training.
04:10I think it was last week that we were asking somebody who was covering the team.
04:13I'm like, so, you know, what's going on here?
04:15And it's like, you know, the light just never went on.
04:18Like, it just never happened for them.
04:20I mean, they're sitting on the outside looking in, and time is running out.
04:22They're plus 220 to get back into the playoffs, and I think that historically, if you look at it, Dennis,
04:29even if they were an 8 seed, you could see a path to be like, all right, they just slept
04:33well through the season.
04:34Now they're going to turn it on.
04:35But I don't know.
04:36Like, it feels like time is running out here.
04:38Is it done?
04:39Can the Panthers still get in?
04:41Yeah, I think that could, Craig.
04:42I just think – it's not even the 8-point gap or whatever it is to get to the second
04:46wild card.
04:47They have to climb over five teams.
04:49So, even if you win your games, there's going to be teams ahead of you that's going to win.
04:52It's as simple as that.
04:54So, I think that could – look, Bobrovsky, a Hall of Famer.
04:57He's won two Stanley Cups.
04:58He's won Vezina Trophies.
05:00He's had a bad season.
05:01His save percentage is 871, and the league that averages about 900.
05:05It just – look, Matthew Kachuk, I'm glad he celebrated winning the gold medal
05:09because he's not going to be celebrating another Stanley Cup championship this season.
05:12They've played too much hockey, Craig.
05:14They went to the finals three years ago, lost to Vegas.
05:16They've won two years in a row, back-to-back.
05:20Enjoy it.
05:20Enjoy it in South Florida.
05:22It's just not their year.
05:23Just too much hockey, too many teams to climb up.
05:25So, I would not make that plus 220 for them to make the postseason.
05:29Meanwhile, Team Canada loses.
05:31And so, Connor McDavid, man, he's been on the outside looking in at some really –
05:35speaking of which, some really tough losses in top finals and then on the ice in the Olympics.
05:40Here's a clip from McDavid on his team losing last night.
05:43This is a hard question, but, you know, Stanley Cup's found Gretzky and Crosby and those guys and gold medals,
05:50and you've been in – put yourself in position, and it's not finding you.
05:53Did you think it would be this hard?
05:55That's a nice question.
05:59Yeah, it's disappointing.
06:00I had no way – there's no way around it.
06:04We could be sitting here having a totally different conversation if things had gone a little bit differently.
06:09So, yeah, it's hard.
06:11It's hard to win.
06:13It's hard to win at any level, especially when we're talking about the best of the very, very best in
06:17the NHL and the Olympics.
06:18So, margins are very, very small, and we obviously saw that on Sunday, and we felt the effects of that
06:26here in Edmonton from time to time.
06:31Charles Barkley never won a championship.
06:33Dan Marino never won one.
06:34Josh Allen is having a hard time getting one.
06:37I would think eventually McDavid has a better shot than some of these other guys, Dennis, to get one, though.
06:41I feel like eventually Edmonton will overcome, and they realize that generational player,
06:46they've just got to get it more around him and get a championship.
06:49Yeah, they have to find a goaltender, number one.
06:51They haven't been able to find a goaltender since he's been there.
06:53But you're right.
06:54The narrative is starting to be Josh Allen, the NHL.
06:57And I'll say this.
06:58Conor McDavid did win Four Nations last year.
07:01So, he has won something.
07:02But, yeah, to win the Stanley Cup, Craig, that's why it's so difficult to win.
07:06Like, you have to get players around great players, and they haven't found that in Edmonton.
07:10So, until they do that, he's going to be struggling to win the Stanley Cup.
07:14Dennis, great stuff.
07:15We'll check in again soon.
07:16Thanks for coming on Newswire.
07:16I really appreciate it.
07:17It was a pleasure, Craig.
07:18Thanks for the time.
07:18Appreciate it.
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