NHL Playoff Predictions and Insights with Danny Bernstein

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00:00Elvis is in the building.

00:01Denny Bernstein in the fourth period in NHL radio on Sirius XM

00:05joined us to talk Stanley Cup playoffs.

00:09Thank God the regular season finally ended, Denny.

00:13And it's all upon us, and it starts tomorrow.

00:16And I couldn't think of a better way to start it off

00:18than basically a rematch of the Four Nations

00:21with Hellebuck and Bennington.

00:23My God, Blues, Jets, and Pharrellapag.

00:27Yeah, but the American goalie's playing for the Canadian team,

00:29and the Canadian goalie's playing for the American team.

00:32So that's a little flip of the switch.

00:34Tough series coming out of the box for the Jets.

00:36I know a lot of people are picking them and like them to win it all.

00:39This is a really, really good test, and it's just that

00:41they can get through this team that's playing really well.

00:43I know Robert Thomas has been banged up,

00:44the number one center for the St. Louis Blues.

00:46But this is going to be a tough out.

00:48They've got a great coach, great goaltender who's been there before.

00:51I think this is a seven-game series now that will help them

00:53when they go into the next round against Dallas and Colorado.

00:56But this is going to be harder for the Jets

00:58than I think a lot of people think.

01:00So do you put any stock in that President's Trophy jinx?

01:06Yep.

01:08Because the President's Trophy winner never wins.

01:10So, yeah, I got to put stock in it.

01:12It doesn't mean anything.

01:13It's meaningless.

01:14Coming down the – plus, Scotty,

01:16you had teams like within striking distance that, you know,

01:19didn't want to press all the players down the stretch,

01:21and you wouldn't play them.

01:22Like there are other teams that might have wanted to do that,

01:24like Washington.

01:25They – you know, once Ovi set the record, they haven't played well.

01:29There's definitely an Ovi hangover from 895.

01:31So, no, I don't play a lot of – because it all goes to zero, Scotty.

01:34And now you got to – it's the best team to win 16 games.

01:37So, while those teams could be favored, are the Winnipeg Jets a lock?

01:42No, because I could probably give you seven teams that could win the Cup this year.

01:45Let's talk about the other game on Saturday.

01:49It's in Dallas at the American Airlines, and no Robertson.

01:52They were favored to win the West.

01:54When he went down, they dropped precipitously down the odds.

02:01You know, I mean, they tumbled after his injury.

02:04Yeah.

02:04Are they still a good buy-it plus money against the Avs?

02:10No, because I wouldn't bet on them if they had Robertson,

02:12because they don't have high skin in either.

02:13So, they have a top – they have a 30-goal score coming off the top line

02:18and your best defenseman out of the series against a team that rolls McKinnon,

02:22Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle, and Jack Drury down the middle.

02:25No, no, I wouldn't play them.

02:26It's too dangerous.

02:27Plus, I don't trust Ottinger.

02:29Like, they should have beat Edmonton last year.

02:30They should have been in the Cup final.

02:32That's a huge injury, Scotty.

02:34The injury on the blue line, I just don't trust that goalie.

02:36I don't think it's a good bet.

02:38I'd lay serious money on Colorado.

02:40I think they – they won't breeze here, but they're the better team,

02:42and they'll merge to play the winner of Winnipeg-St. Louis.

02:45Let's go to Saturday.

02:49On Saturday, we have three games, and it's the Devils-Canes, right?

02:56Am I crazy?

02:58It's Sunday, those games.

02:59Devils and Canes in Raleigh, Senators and Leafs at Scotiabank in Toronto,

03:05and the Wild and Vegas in Sin City at the T-Mobile on the Strip.

03:10Let's start with the Devils and Canes in Raleigh.

03:13No one at all on the face of the earth is giving the Devils any chance at all,

03:19and that started when Hughes went down.

03:22Not now.

03:23It was a month ago when they said, oh, they're finished.

03:27Do I have to watch this series?

03:29Do I have to?

03:30I guess I have to.

03:31Well, I'm going to watch it.

03:32You know, we've got to have somebody around here to root for.

03:36That's true.

03:37No, Carolina's going to win.

03:39Just Jack Hughes being out, that's a huge thing for them.

03:42And, yeah, I just don't like the way they're playing down the stretch.

03:44Now, to get back Dougie Hamilton, I just think that's too massive of a loss,

03:49and Carolina is playing better down the stretch.

03:51I just think they're the better team top to bottom,

03:53primarily because of Jack Hughes' injury.

03:54So, I'd say Carolina, what, in six games, I'll give Devils a couple of wins.

03:59Maybe Markstrom gets them one.

04:01Maybe their power play gets them one, but they can't be the favorite,

04:03and I don't see them emerging to the second round.

04:06So, Marenzi was on here today, and he literally said that the Toronto Maple Leafs

04:13are going to win the Stanley Cup,

04:15and they're playing the Senators Sunday at Scotiabank in Toronto.

04:19I won't deny they've been playing better.

04:22I won't deny they've been winning close games.

04:24I won't deny they've been winning overtime games.

04:26I won't deny they won the division.

04:28Will they lose again in the playoffs?

04:31Tell Gabe that it's Ottawa in six.

04:34Yeah, they're going to lose again.

04:35How can you trust that team, right?

04:37I don't know, but they're goaltending.

04:39You know, Wall and Stoller.

04:40Stoller's was backing up Bobrovsky in Florida last year.

04:43That's not why they won the Cup.

04:44No, there's something.

04:45And, Scotty, you know what the season series between these two teams were?

04:49Ottawa won 4-0.

04:50They're confident.

04:52I don't know about Brady, but it's funny.

04:54Those teams like Ottawa and Detroit and Buffalo,

04:56they're on the same grouping.

04:57One team made the playoffs.

04:59Guess why?

05:00They went and got a freaking goaltender.

05:02Linus Olmark.

05:03I like the upset here.

05:04I think it's the livest underdog of the four,

05:07or the lower seed of the four in the East.

05:09I don't like any other lower seeds to win.

05:12I'm going to pick Ottawa in this series.

05:14And that's that Olmark from Boston, right?

05:17Right.

05:17Exactly.

05:18Yep.

05:18And look what happened to Boston when he left.

05:20It's not so easy.

05:21For, you know, $8 million, one guy getting $8 million to carry a team,

05:25couldn't happen.

05:26Right.

05:26And now you got Wild and Knights on Sunday night in Sin City.

05:33Do the Wild have a shot against this team that's won five division titles

05:37in eight years in Vegas?

05:40No.

05:40The Knights are going to say an early goodnight to the Wild.

05:44It's a sweep.

05:44They're not going to win a game.

05:45And I know they got back Capri's off and Erickson X.

05:49No, no, that's, that's, Scotty, that's why you win the division.

05:52Like, if Vegas didn't win the division, they'd have to play Edmonton or L.A.

05:56Now they get the Wild, it's a breeze.

05:58If they had played St. Louis, that would be a tough one.

06:00They got the easiest draw on the East.

06:02I think it's a sweep.

06:03Maybe one game in Minnesota.

06:04But they don't play that game at home either.

06:06So, that's a breeze for Vegas.

06:07That's a big advantage going into the next round against the winner of Edmonton

06:09and L.A.

06:11All right.

06:11So, I want to, you already said the Capitals aren't playing well,

06:14but you're going to take them over the Canadians, aren't you?

06:17And then tell me what you think of the Kings finally after three straight,

06:22whatever it is, losses to the Oilers in the playoffs.

06:24They face them again.

06:25What's going to happen?

06:27Well, this is the year, Scotty.

06:28It's got to happen this year.

06:29They're better, they're bigger, and they're better.

06:32Because not only did they get their butts kicked by the Oilers last year in five games,

06:36they got bullied.

06:37Not this year.

06:38Last year, the fourth line center was 5'9 and 175.

06:41This year, Sammy Helaney, he's 6'6 and 205.

06:43The guy next to him is Jeff Ballott.

06:45He's 6'5, 200.

06:46And his brother's a UFC fighter.

06:49They're a better, deeper team.

06:50Quentin Byfield's now a center.

06:51He drives his own line.

06:52They have three deep.

06:53And the injury to Matthias Ekholm, that's the deciding factor for me.

06:57They don't play great defense this season.

06:58And without Ekholm and the Oilers,

07:00I don't know how they match up defensively against Kings that go now three lines deep.

07:05And the Caps win?

07:07Caps win, yeah.

07:07Five.

07:08Five games.

07:09I'm hearing the rumor is that the UFC brother is going to lace him up as well for the Kings.

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