Dennis Bernstein reviews thrilling NHL games and pivotal Olympic hockey moments. Dennis and Craig Mish break down the latest Stanley Cup Playoff odds.
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Video Transcript
All right, welcome back.
Great to have Dennis Bernstein back in the house talking some National Hockey League, as of course, the Olympics are over.
And I, I guess, Dennis, before we get to what happened on the ice last night, I mean, you talk about a moment for the ages on the ice last- Sure Sunday morning.
I mean, I guess that was the only thing that poke a hole at and say it had to happen on Sunday morning, maybe so some people missed it.
But, look, I, I mean, the history of, of, of hockey was really, I think, put on display yesterday, and I think, or last Sunday, and I think that that game- Mm-hmm in particular, the gold medal game, will be up there amongst the greatest games of all time.
I don’t know if it’s number one, but it’s gotta be in that conversation.
Yeah.
Well, we waited 12 years for international hockey to be played again by NHL players, and it’s been 46 years since they won the gold medal, the USA.
So, of course, it’s a, it’s a defining moment here with respect to USA Hockey and with respect to international competition.
And, and whether the Canadians like it or not, Craig, we’ve caught up.
So going forward, the World Cup of Hockey in two years, the Olympics again in four years, it’s a toss-up.
We’re as good as the Canadians right now, and they proved it, on Sunday in Milan.
Definitely a moment that I have, witnessed and historically watching the Olympics as I have, I’ve never seen anything like that.
But, 1980, I was too young for that, seven years old.
Okay, so Dennis, let’s, let’s get to the second half of the season- Sure and let’s get to some results from last night.
The Sabres beat the Devils 2 to 1, with Jack Hughes back on the ice, and it did not go as planned, I guess.
Let’s break it down.
Yeah, well, you know, the guy, he had a whirlwind of celebration, actually, him and all his teammates did, but it was ironic.
He played 21 minutes, so there was no hangover from partying in Miami with everybody and, you know, Pat McAfee.
He played 20- but ironically, he turned the puck over to a teammate from the Olympic, team, Tage Thompson, which basically decided the game last night in a 2-1 game.
So, Buffalo’s on a really good run right now.
They should make the playoffs after 15 years of not being in the playoffs, last year.
And New Jersey’s up against it, Craig, right now.
they’re on the outside looking in.
we’ll see what happens with New Jersey, but that was kind of a defining moment of two Olympic teammates, one victimizing the other last night, New Jersey.
And you know what’s funny, and, and Dennis, I do wanna hit on this topic, because Dennis and I were talking about it during the break, is that from a sports handicapping perspective- Sure like you feel like maybe you’re ahead of something going into this game last night with Vegas and then the LA Kings.
Right.
It’s like if you could have set up a scenario for yourself and said, “You know what?
I think that the Golden Knights are gonna sit some players from the Olympics.”
And then when the puck drops, you’re like: “Wow, all these guys are out!
I’m gonna win this bet.”
Yeah.
And then Vegas wins six to four.
I mean, you- I mean, that is It’s not a bad beat, so to speak, but it just shows you in sports and in betting, nothing is guaranteed.
No question, Craig.
And I, and I know we do at the Fourth Period, we do our picks, daily, and I had the Kings on the money line last night for that reason.
And it’s not like they had one or two players out, Craig.
They had five guys out, five guys that played in the Olympic, f- gold medal game were out.
So you gotta think, “Okay, this is…” And the Kings added Artemi Panarin, who was just traded from the Rangers.
So here’s a great way to celebrate it against a team that’s really short-handed.
And guess what?
The Vegas Golden Knights scored five goals in the third period with a team that is most- more like their minor league team than their, than their NHL team.
So you’re right, Craig, you never know, but in this sport, what’s gonna happen?
And, yeah, absolutely.
But tonight, the LA Kings play Edmonton.
I gotta think that’s gonna be an over, because neither one of these teams played well last night.
What, what’s the total in that game, folks out there?
whatever it is, play it It’s probably six and a half, Craig, but- Six and a half Edmonton lost 6-5.
They can’t make a save.
You gotta play the over in that game tonight, because I don’t see it going any other way.
Heard it from Dennis there.
By the way, Vegas still very heavy favorites to win their division, and- Yes could even win the West.
The Stanley Cup, maybe not the shortest odds of anybody in the National Hockey League, but they’re still plus 850 there.
Okay, so Dennis, here in South Florida, we have just been so fortunate to have the best hockey that we’ve ever seen played by our guys here- Right by the Florida Panthers.
And, and I, and I think, you know, and I, and I know a lot of people cover the team, and I remember being in spring training, I think it was last week, the week before, asking, somebody who’s covering the team.
I’m like: “So, you know, what’s going on here?”
And it’s like, you know, the- Yeah the light just never went on.
Like, it just never- Sure happened for them, and they’re sitting on the outside looking in, and time is running out.
They’re plus 220 to get back into the playoffs, and I, and I think that historically, if you look at it, Dennis, even if they were an eight seed, you could see a path to be like, “All right, they just slept-walked- Sure through the season.
Now they’re gonna turn it on.”
But I don’t know.
Like, it, it feels like time is running out here.
Is it done?
Can the Panthers still get in?
Yeah, I think they could, Craig.
I just think And it’s not even the, the eight-point gap or whatever it is to get to the, the second wild card.
They have to climb over five teams.
So even if you win your games, there’s gonna be teams ahead of you that’s gonna win.
it, it’s, it’s as simple as that.
So I think they could Look, Bobrovsky, a Hall of Famer.
He’s won two Stanley Cups.
He’s won Vezina trophies.
He’s had a bad season.
His save percentage is 871, in the league, that average is about 900.
The, the, it, it just Look, Matthew Tkachuk, I’m glad he celebrated winning the gold medal, ’cause he’s not gonna be celebrating another Stanley Cup Championship this season.
They’ve played too much hockey, Craig.
They went to the finals three years ago, lost to Vegas.
They’ve won two, two years in a row, back to back.
Enjoy it, enjoy it in South Florida.
It’s just not their year, just too much hockey, too many teams to climb up.
So I would not make that bet at two- at plus 220 for them to make the postseason.
Meanwhile, Team Canada loses, and so Connor McDavid, man, he’s been on the outside looking in at some really, speaking of which, some really tough losses in cup finals and then on the ice in the Olympics.
Here’s a clip from McDavid- Yeah on his team losing last night.
This is a hard question, but, you know, Stanley Cup’s found Gretzky and Crosby and those guys, and, and gold medals, and you’ve been in, put yourself in position, and it’s not finding you.
Did you think it would be this hard?
It’s a nice question, thank you.
it’s disappointing.
no way, there’s no way around it.
we could be sitting here having a totally different conversation, if things had gone a little bit differently.
So, yeah, it’s hard.
It’s hard to- it’s hard to win.
It’s hard to win at any level, especially when we’re talking about the best of the very, very best, in the NHL and the Olympics.
So, margins are very, very small, and, we obviously saw that on Sunday, and, and, we felt the effects of that, here in Edmonton from time to time.
You’re- Charles Barkley never won a championship.
Dan Marino never won one.
Mm-hmm.
Josh Allen is having a hard time getting one.
Yeah.
I would think eventually McDavid has a better shot than some of these other guys, Dennis, to get one, though.
I, I feel like eventually Edmonton will overcome, and they realize that generational player, they just gotta get it more around him- Yeah and get a, and get a championship.
They, they have to find a goaltender, number one.
They haven’t been able to find a goaltender since he’s been there.
But you’re right, the, the narrative’s starting to be Josh Allen, the NHL.
And I’ll say this, Connor McDavid did win Four Nations last year, so he has won something.
But yeah, to win the Stanley Cup, it- Craig, that’s why it’s so difficult to win.
Like, you have to get players around great players, and they haven’t found that in Edmonton.
So until they do that, he’s gonna be struggling to win the Stanley Cup.
Dennis, great stuff.
We’ll check in again soon.
Thanks for coming on Newsline.
I really appreciate it.
Always a pleasure, Craig.
Thanks for the time, appreciate it.