Panthers Dominate Rangers in Eastern Finals Opener
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Puck Talk on this Thursday morning with Ben and Donnie,
00:09 recapping game number one of the Eastern Conference
00:12 Finals last night inside the world's most famous arena.
00:15 That's Madison Square Garden, the place the New York
00:18 Rangers call home, but not so much home cooking inside MSG
00:22 last night.
00:23 Donnie, for game number one of a conference finals,
00:26 we saw an even pick 'em on the money line.
00:28 Minus 110 for the Panthers, minus 110 for the Rangers.
00:32 A total at 5 and 1/2.
00:34 That stays under, and the Panthers
00:37 pounce and cash that slight money line price
00:40 with a 3-0 victory in New York, planking the Rangers
00:44 and taking a 1-0 series advantage to begin
00:48 the Eastern Conference Finals.
00:50 And I can't say it was a surprise,
00:53 but the surprise was the way the final score ended up
00:55 3-0 here, because the New York Rangers,
00:58 watching some of these highlights going through
01:00 and how long ago it's been since the New York Rangers got shut
01:02 out, particularly in the playoffs, that was eye opening.
01:05 Because we know how good a goalie Shesterkin is,
01:07 and that's not really his fault. You're
01:08 playing a good Florida Panthers team.
01:10 But the question was, hey, look at this.
01:12 Second straight series, we take a look at the New York Rangers
01:15 being the underdog here.
01:16 And you saw the last series, they
01:17 handled their business right out of the gate.
01:19 So you probably expected Madison Square Garden
01:21 to be rocking in the same type of thing.
01:23 Hey, Rangers get out of town, maybe a 2-0 series lead
01:25 before you even get back to Florida.
01:27 But Florida goes in there, and that wasn't a fluke performance
01:29 either, Ben.
01:30 That wasn't like, hey, bad call late in the game, 1-0,
01:33 and the Florida Panthers escape.
01:35 That was a dominant performance by the Panthers, who again,
01:38 not unexpected to win a game, but coming into Madison Square
01:41 Garden, game number one, and really taking down the Rangers,
01:44 that was surprising to me.
01:47 The first four games of the Rangers' second round
01:50 set against the Hurricanes decided by just a single goal,
01:53 two of them going 2-0-T. The final three
01:56 for Florida against Boston decided by just a single goal.
02:00 Maybe we expected a little bit more competitive,
02:03 as we saw with those money line prices,
02:05 not the case in the opening game of the Eastern Conference
02:08 Finals in the Stanley Cup postseason.
02:10 Matthew Kachuk and Carter Verhege each a goal
02:13 and an assist last night to lead the way for Florida.
02:16 You want your Superstars stepping up
02:18 on the most significant of stages.
02:20 That's what happened for the Panthers last night inside MSG.
02:24 And the man known as Bob, Sergei Bobrovsky,
02:26 was fantastic last night in net, faced 23 shots,
02:30 made 23 saves, a complete clean sheet for Florida.
02:35 The Panthers were about a dollar and a half favorite,
02:37 minus 146 in the series outright price
02:40 to win the East in advance of their second consecutive Cup
02:43 Final.
02:44 And now with taking game number one inside the Garden,
02:47 that number has ballooned.
02:49 Greater than a $3 price, minus 310 DRS, for the Panthers
02:54 to win the Eastern Conference crown.
02:56 Yeah, that's crazy.
02:57 Granted, we know how good Florida is, I understand.
02:59 To go on the road and take home ice, that is a big deal.
03:02 But we're getting priced out of the market
03:04 like the Rangers have no chance to get up on the carpet,
03:07 as if they snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed,
03:09 and nobody thought they would get there.
03:11 It's the President's trophy winning team.
03:13 Most points in the regular season
03:15 here have played fantastic hockey
03:17 through the first couple rounds of the playoffs.
03:19 They lose one game at home, and we're writing them off.
03:21 And sometimes it is the optics.
03:23 Hey, look at that.
03:23 The Florida Panthers easily handled their business
03:25 against the Rangers.
03:26 We're not counting them out.
03:27 The same way you take a look at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
03:29 Nobody's counting them out.
03:30 You even this series up at one before you go to Florida.
03:33 You're right back in this.
03:34 I expect that's what's going to happen with the Rangers.
03:36 But that price point, that's a little crazy for me
03:38 to take a favorite at minus $3 or higher.
03:42 Yeah, it does seem like a very drastic swing
03:44 in those series odds.
03:46 Being the President's trophy winner
03:48 has not exactly boated well for a team to get to the Cup Final.
03:52 But still, the Rangers have the opportunity to do just that.
03:55 Even if they don't end up winning the Eastern Conference,
03:58 they still are not going to get swept,
04:00 at least in my estimation.
04:01 Florida tomorrow night, once again in MSG.
04:04 A slight favorite now, minus $111 on the money line,
04:07 minus $108 on the other side for the Blue Shirts.
04:11 You saw the games that we expect.
04:13 Six games would be back in sunrise.
04:15 That's a two to one price for the Panthers
04:18 as we show those odds right there.
04:21 Game number one of the Western Conference Finals
04:24 tonight in Dallas.
04:26 It's the Stars and the Oilers,
04:28 where Dallas is a home ice favorite at minus $128.
04:33 What do you expect in the Western Conference Finals?
04:36 Goals, goals, goals, people.
04:39 Take a look at that.
04:39 Like last night, you saw three to nothing here.
04:41 We're expecting a defensive series
04:42 between the Rangers and Florida.
04:43 We're not expecting that with Edmonton and Dallas.
04:46 A clash of styles.
04:47 The East, more defensive.
04:48 The West, more open here.
04:50 And I love this.
04:51 The Edmonton Oilers as a dog price on the ice tonight.
04:54 Come on now, Edmonton, don't let us down.
04:56 Don't let us down.
04:57 - Listen, that is Donnie's team.
04:59 Connor McDavid to record a point.
05:02 Just a point, that's a goal or an assist
05:04 in every game in this series.
05:06 Plus 235.
05:07 - Yeah, change my name at the bottom of the screen.
05:10 Yeah, change my name at the bottom of the screen.
05:11 Donnie Drysital should come up next here.
05:13 Like we should let this run out.
05:14 Like the playoff beard, I'm not gonna grow a beard
05:16 'cause it's too itchy.
05:17 Just change my name to Drysital
05:18 until the Edmonton Oilers are knocked out.
05:20 How about that?
05:21 (upbeat music)
05:23 [Music]