- 6/17/2025
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We are coming down to the Stanley Cup could be given out.
00:03The NBA championship is ready to end at this point, and we need some help.
00:06I'm Donnie Wrightside, along with Joe Ranieri.
00:08Let's welcome in Pete Jensen of the NHL Network.
00:11This is what I love about this, Pete.
00:12Here's what I love.
00:13A tweet by the official Stanley Cup account that says,
00:17I'll be in the building tonight, Pete.
00:21How are we feeling?
00:23Feeling good.
00:24I think the Edmonton Oilers are facing another uphill battle, right?
00:28They've had eight different come-from-behind victories,
00:32and they have a good record, I believe, 4-2 following a loss this postseason.
00:37So it's going to be tough, though.
00:39The Panthers are the deeper team, the more consistent team with the better goaltending.
00:45So definitely a heavier-than-usual lean on the Panthers.
00:50But this has been a tight series.
00:52I wouldn't be surprised if this game went to overtime.
00:54We've already seen three overtime games through five.
00:58Which is pretty crazy.
00:59I would absolutely love that.
01:01You take a look, Pete, at the first five games of this series.
01:04The Oilers won game number one on their home ice in overtime.
01:07The Panthers countered away in Edmonton, winning game number two in overtime 5-4.
01:12The Panthers came home and stomped the Edmonton Oilers 6-1.
01:16And then the Oilers fought all the way back in game number four from a three-goal deficit to win in overtime.
01:21And then the Panthers showed up big time in Edmonton with a 5-2 victory there to take that series lead with the chance to clinch the cup.
01:30So the evolution of this series for you, Pete, what has it been?
01:34What have you seen?
01:34Yeah, I think that some of those games up in Edmonton, especially the last one.
01:40I mean, the game two that Edmonton lost at home was in double overtime.
01:47Brad Marchand, you can't really blame him for that one.
01:50Brad Marchand, by the way, six goals in the series.
01:53I mean, he skyrocketed up the Consmite Trophy odds board.
01:58I'm sure we'll get to that later.
01:59But, yeah, I've seen kind of the goaltending of Edmonton.
02:04They have a good tandem, but they've just had a shaky series.
02:08Calvin Pickard's been a little bit better than Skinner facing high-danger shot attempts from the other side from Edmonton, from Florida.
02:17But I think that overall, Sergey Bobrovsky, that steady hand and the ability of the Florida Panthers to win so many road games,
02:25an NHL record of road victories in a single postseason, this team might just be that good and unstoppable in these type of situations as the series goes on.
02:36Yeah, a lot was made, Pete, about in the offseason.
02:40Edmonton kind of built this team around beating the Panthers, and yet the Panthers made a few moves.
02:47And all of a sudden, you know, and here we go.
02:50But it's the steady hand, you mentioned Bobrovsky, I think the coaching, and I think in a game six situation at home,
02:58it feels like when Edmonton loses, the Panthers just have their number here.
03:05Is it important that the Edmonton get out early, or do you think it doesn't matter in this spot here tonight?
03:11I don't think it matters if Florida scores first, but it just can't snowball, you know?
03:20Like, they would have to answer quickly.
03:22And they've been good on the live line this postseason.
03:25Remember, they have the eight come from behind victories, but six of them came in a row going from the start of that L.A. Kings series,
03:34when they were down two games to none, they won four straight, and then they won games one and two against Vegas in, you know, similar situation, comeback fashion.
03:44So, I think that overall, you know, you look at this series from Edmonton, game six is attainable.
03:51There's no question about it.
03:53It's just going to be, I think, is Connor McDavid going to take over here?
03:57We saw signs of it in game five.
03:59I thought for most of that game, nobody else on the team really stepped up.
04:03Connor McDavid was electric in that game.
04:06He scored one goal.
04:07He hit the post early in the game, kind of bobbled a play on the doorstep where he also could have scored.
04:14But the problem was, even if those two other shots fall and he had a hat trick, they might have still lost that game 4-3.
04:20So, I think the biggest storyline here is McDavid going to take over, contrary to what happened last year.
04:27Remember, games six and seven, even though he won the Conn Smythe for the losing team last year, he was held without a point in game six and seven.
04:36So, maybe this is a night to just, you know, look at all those McDavid props and hope for better fortunes than what we've seen.
04:43Because this is everything on the line for this guy, and it's a legacy moment for him if they do win game six and seven.
04:50It'd be so much fun to watch a game number seven, unless you're holding a Florida Panthers ticker to just a Florida Panthers fan.
04:55But, Pete, answer me this question, because once you get into the Stanley Cup final, you're supposed to have everything ironed out, which includes your goalie situation.
05:03Bobowski on one side, there's no worries.
05:04He's going to be your goalie tonight.
05:06They expect a great performance.
05:07Who will be in net for the Edmonton Oilers?
05:09And also, the psychology here of those two goalies now.
05:12Oh, no.
05:13Am I in?
05:14Am I out?
05:14Am I going to get pulled quickly here?
05:15That's got to be damaging to them.
05:18It's tough.
05:19I mean, it's tough to leave Stuart Skinner on the bench.
05:22He has three shutouts this postseason.
05:25That's difficult to do.
05:27So, that type of ceiling, I feel like they're probably going to go back to him at some point.
05:32But the leash has got to be short.
05:34I mean, we've seen it in some of these other games where, you know, goalies get pulled.
05:39Skinner got pulled, and then Pickard came in, and they came back from down 3-0 in game four to win that game.
05:45You saw worse fortunes, of course, in the clinching game for Edmonton against Dallas.
05:51Remember, Dallas pulled their goalie, Jake Odinger, early, came back to bite.
05:56Coach Pete DeBoer, he got fired, you know, made some comments after, and it kind of spiraled out of control.
06:02So, the goalie situation is a delicate balance, but I will say Edmonton has a good tandem, and these guys pick each other up.
06:10That's why I feel like if it was me, I would probably go back to Stuart Skinner.
06:14But it's still to be determined a couple hours before puck drop.
06:18Series odds here, Pete, as we take a look right now, you know, the re-racking of the series.
06:23Obviously, the favorite is the Florida Panthers.
06:24They're one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup.
06:26But at the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Florida Panthers a minus 400 price to win that cup,
06:31which means if they lose six, there's still a chance in game number seven, and the Oilers at a plus 310 price.
06:36Are we giving up on the Oilers here?
06:37Because I thought in game number four, like the Oilers would be dead to rights.
06:42They fought hard.
06:42So, the expectations are the Panthers will win the cup, but life's still here quickly on the Oilers?
06:48Oh, absolutely.
06:50I mean, I know Florida clinched the cup at home last year, but, I mean, this is a situation where you can maybe buy low on the Edmonton Oilers,
06:59whether it's the McDavid-Consmith futures or the series price.
07:04I mean, people are losing faith in this team, but they've won in so many different ways all postseason long.
07:09If McDavid takes over, it's certainly a possibility.
07:13More from Pete Jensen next.
07:21The Stanley Cup is in the building tonight.
07:24Sunrise, Florida.
07:25Game number six between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers here.
07:29Pete Jensen on the talk.
07:30Even more hockey with us in this segment.
07:32The Consmith Trophy.
07:34Understand this.
07:34We always like to designate this.
07:36The NBA Finals MVP is the Finals MVP, not the culmination of the entire playoffs.
07:42The Consmith Trophy is not the Finals MVP.
07:45It's the culmination of the playoffs.
07:47Sam Bennett, currently a favorite here.
07:48Pete at a minus.
07:49160 price on the FanDuel Sportsbook.
07:51Followed by Brad Marchand, who's been fantastic in the Finals here at a plus 410 price.
07:56If you do see a game tonight that goes the direction of the Florida Panthers, who for you is going to be that Consmith winner?
08:06Right now, it's a toss-up between Bennett and Marchand.
08:09And those odds suggest that maybe Marchand is someone that could improve his narrative in this game.
08:15He's already had an electric series with six goals in the Stanley Cup Final, including two game winners and that one that came past regulation.
08:25So, it's one of those things where, you know, maybe Marchand scores the first goal.
08:30Maybe he scores the last goal to clinch it.
08:32I think that Sam Bennett, with his goal scoring, has been hands down the best goal scorer in the NHL this postseason.
08:39You can't take that away from him.
08:41Interesting wrinkle is that Bennett and Marchand are both in contract years.
08:45So, they're both improving their stock.
08:47Both, if they leave Florida, they're going to make a ton of money, even though Marchand's a veteran.
08:52But, I step back and look at big picture, like the Florida Panthers won the Cup last year.
08:58What did they need to do in order to repeat as champions if they are able to do so?
09:03And it looks like that's the route we're going.
09:06They won the NHL trade deadline by picking up Brad Marchand, a fierce rival from the Bruins.
09:13And they've kind of made him feel at home very quickly.
09:16And I also think that maybe other than Bobrovsky, if you look at all four rounds of the Panthers,
09:22I think that the most consistent player and consistent game breaker has been Brad Marchand.
09:28So, I think it's a really interesting storyline that just seems to keep getting better and better each game.
09:35So, who are some of the guys tonight we should be looking at scoring-wise on both sides?
09:41What are you thinking?
09:41Sure. So, those two guys I mentioned for Florida, I feel like some of the defensemen have been very productive this postseason,
09:51whether you look at Aaron Ekblad.
09:53He's also a contract-year guy, might be playing his last game with the Florida Panthers if they're not able to resign all these guys.
10:01So, look for a big effort from Ekblad.
10:03Matthias Ekholm had four shots on goal the last game.
10:07He has been a difference maker for the Oilers on the blue line.
10:10Remember, they're a leaky defensive team.
10:13Some nights they show maximum effort.
10:16Sometimes, you know, they're kind of like the Knicks, where they, like, some nights they play defense extremely well.
10:21Sometimes they are a bit leaky.
10:23But Matthias Ekholm is their best two-way defenseman, and I like what he's brought to the table offensively.
10:29And then a dark horse, Corey Perry, is leading the Cup Final Series in shots on goal from high-danger areas.
10:37So, Corey Perry, even though he's 40 years old, has scored a ton of high-danger goals this postseason.
10:43He is a way to find some value in the top line for Edmonton.
10:48You know, obviously, everyone knows McDavid and Drysaddle, how productive they are.
10:52But Corey Perry is getting kind of a share of those points by association and has had, you know, a bounce-back postseason.
11:00And we'll probably score a goal even if they lose the game.
11:04So, look out for those Corey Perry props out there.
11:07I'll tell you what's crazy is how talented some of those front-line Oilers are.
11:10You take a look at Drysaddle to get a point tonight, minus 390, only to be topped by Connor McDavid to get a point tonight.
11:16Minus 520 price, which is insanity.
11:20But we do have a game six tonight here, Pete.
11:22And if you look at the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Florida Panthers, a favorite at a minus 152 price live and a total of six and a half.
11:30What happens tonight?
11:31And do we see Lord Stanley's Cup get polished and handed out?
11:37I mean, I would look at the overtime play.
11:39That's my favorite for these high-stakes games.
11:42You see it sometimes in Game 7s.
11:45You see it in the Four Nations Championship game.
11:48I feel like when these games are so evenly matched and one team just doesn't want to go away,
11:54like, you know, the Oilers will probably have a better effort than they did in Game 5,
11:58facing elimination, facing their season, potentially ending, facing a lot of question marks with Connor McDavid,
12:05you know, with him entering his contract year coming up soon.
12:09Not this summer, but, you know, the clock's ticking a little bit on Edmonton's chances of winning the Cup in the McDavid era.
12:15So, a lot on the line here.
12:17Wouldn't be surprised if it went to overtime for the fourth time in six games.
12:21And if I had to make a pick, I mean, my pre-series pick was Edmonton.
12:26So, I still think there's a glimmer on this team.
12:28And they'll have to rip their hearts out in order to get back home for Game 7.
12:33So, it went 7 last year.
12:35Why not this year again?
12:37It's been so close.
12:37Love to see it.
12:39Love to see it.
12:39Thank you, Pete, for all that information on the NHL.
12:42Game 7, could it be?
12:44We'll find out.
12:44We'll find out.
Recommended
5:30
|
Up next