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00:00But because of some of that buy-in, now a lot of these guys are trying to get ready for the stretch run of this NHL regular season.
00:07We're well past the midway point, just like in the NBA, the focus on trying to position yourself for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
00:14Joe, we're back in action with NHL regular season games tomorrow on a Saturday.
00:20As we look at the Stanley Cup odds, how do you expect the NHL to carry the momentum over into the stretch run of this NHL regular season?
00:28Well, firstly, you've got to be careful with a couple of these players if you're looking at their player props getting back out on the ice Saturday.
00:34Team Canada definitely will be celebrating, and a couple of injuries out there.
00:38We know that Shea Theodore-Vegas was injured, and Matthew Kuchak, not 100%, didn't finish the game up for Team USA.
00:45So, watch for those players. I think Connor McDavid probably weakened his first game.
00:49But looking at the rest of the season, you guys, I do think the Carolina Hurricanes are a team that you need to watch here.
00:55Two take the Stanley Cup, great odds on them at plus 700.
00:58Adding Miko Rantanen, we saw how impactful he was in the tournament for his team, and I do think he's such a difference maker.
01:05But Colorado, don't sleep on this team. I think some big moves are coming before the trade deadline.
01:10We know we've got Nathan McKinnon here and Martin Neches coming in on this team from Carolina.
01:17The speed of those two out there on the ice is going to be unstoppable.
01:21So, those are my two picks for the Stanley Cup.
01:25We'll go conference by conference, and we'll talk the individuals for this stretch run of the NHL season.
01:31With Joe Maddon on the other side of the break, live right here on the Early Line on SportsGrid.
01:35Come back and join us.
01:37After the Four Nations faceoff, not a long break for hockey to return in the stretch run of this NHL regular season.
01:45Tomorrow, a slew of games around the National Hockey League, much like the NBA with the All-Star break.
01:51But now the Four Nations faceoff break, we're well past the midway point of this season.
01:56Stretch run, trying to get in those spots to reach the Stanley Cup postseason.
02:00Joe, we looked at the Stanley Cup odds on the other side of the break.
02:04Here, let's go conference by conference to break things down.
02:07In the Eastern Conference, you highlighted the Carolina Hurricanes.
02:11Why do the Canes present such a challenge for every other team out East?
02:16Yeah, you look at Mikko Rantanen added to this lineup from Colorado,
02:20and he is such a clutch player in the playoffs.
02:22I do think they're the most rounded team out there when you add him.
02:26They have the defense, they have the forwards, and they have the strength in net.
02:30Now, Carolina has had those struggles out there on the road this season,
02:34so they're going to have to start overcoming it as we go into the second half of this stretch.
02:38But we know Carolina has every ability to show up in those big moments,
02:42and I do think they will be able to do so as we go into the second or the end of this season.
02:48So I also look here at Mikko Rantanen with how strong he is.
02:53Top 10 forward out there.
02:55I'm still kind of shaking my head how Colorado traded him away,
02:59but I do think Carolina did win that trade.
03:02He has, he's on pace for what, 100 points again this season,
03:07which will be the third straight season.
03:09He's just clutch in those playoff moments.
03:11So I think Carolina will be able to get over the hump this season with him added to the roster.
03:16If we keep it in the Eastern Conference here, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Austin Matthews, Team USA,
03:20not able to get it done with a championship here in the Four Nations.
03:23Is there a chance that he can get a championship done finally for the Toronto Maple Leafs this year?
03:28You know, I would love to say it here for the Toronto Maple Leafs,
03:31but we know what happens as this team goes into the playoffs.
03:34We're seeing these struggles each and every year, and it's because of that.
03:38Just not a team I can buy in on.
03:40And I also think we're not getting the value on Toronto.
03:44I know they're plus 700 to take the Eastern Conference right now,
03:47but I think they're always a little bit overpriced.
03:50So if I was getting maybe plus 850, more like what we're getting for the Tampa Bay Lightning,
03:54especially with how we've seen some struggles out of them,
03:57that's where I would prefer to look at Toronto at this price at plus 700 right now,
04:02though I just don't think they can get it done.
04:04I do think there's a couple of weaknesses.
04:07Even the Wall has had some fantastic games.
04:10I think as we turn into this last stretch here, we're going to see some of these teams really hit them.
04:15The best record, the most points out in the Eastern Conference,
04:19a surprise this year in the NHL, the Washington Capitals.
04:23A 7-1 price tie for that fourth-best number to win the Eastern Conference crown.
04:27Now let's head out west.
04:29You mentioned the Colorado Avalanche, who won a Stanley Cup very recently.
04:34What is it going to take, Joe, for the Avs to win the West once again?
04:38Yeah, the Avs have every ability to come out here and win the West.
04:42I love what we're seeing out of them.
04:44We know Nathan McKinnon did so strong in the Four Nations,
04:48and he's going to bring that right back to Colorado.
04:50I love who they picked up with Neches here,
04:53and I do think this team is going to make another big trade before the trade deadline.
04:58I really do think they could be after Sidney Crosby.
05:01They're after a huge superstar now.
05:03Pittsburgh won't like to hear that,
05:05but I do think Sid deserves to be on a team that has every ability to get the win.
05:09The Pittsburgh Penguins we know aren't going anywhere this season.
05:13If somehow Colorado can get Sidney Crosby,
05:16we saw the connection between Nathan McKinnon and him at the Four Nations,
05:20I think this team would be absolutely unstoppable, you guys.
05:23Joe, talk to me about the Winnipeg Jets,
05:25because it's been a long time since Canada has won a Stanley Cup.
05:28The most points in the NHL right now, it is the Winnipeg Jets,
05:31with 81 points and a win streak of eight straight games
05:34before heading into the short all-star slash break here for the competition in the Four Nations.
05:38How about the Jets in the second half and the chances they can win a cup?
05:42Well, let's just hope the Winnipeg Jets don't fizzle out here,
05:45because we saw that last season where this team was playing so incredibly hot,
05:50and then we saw that fizzle out, and then they weren't able to get it done.
05:54So, all hopes here, Connor Halliburton, we know how strong he is in net.
05:58We know this power play is absolutely electric out there on the ice.
06:02If they can go into the playoffs continuing to play this strong,
06:06let's just keep our fingers crossed for the Winnipeg Jets.
06:09But plus 600 to take the Western Conference, there is value there, you guys.
06:13Quickly, Joe, final minute of this segment.
06:15Can Nathan McKinnon carry over the MVP performance in the Four Nations
06:19face-off to the tail end of this regular season?
06:22Yeah, he absolutely can.
06:23Nathan McKinnon is such a superstar out there on the ice,
06:26and I do think with Neches out there, we're going to see a ton of goals
06:31out of Nathan McKinnon in the second part of this season here.
06:35Look for him to be just on fire out there on the ice,
06:38and you're looking at their schedule.
06:39He has a lot of opportunities to pull off some hot tricks out there.
06:44The odds-on favorite right now, Leon Dreisaitl for the Oilers.
06:47Didn't see him in the Four Nations. He is German.
06:49Joe Maddon, thank you so much.
06:50Enjoy the celebrations today in Canada.
06:53Hour number three comes your way next.
07:00Welcome to hour number three, our third and final.
07:02Live right here on this Friday morning on the Early Line on Sports Grid,
07:06he is Donny Redside, I am Ben Stevens.
07:08A ton to get to here in this third and final hour.
07:12We will look at a monumental college basketball slate on this Friday
07:16that continues into Saturday.
07:18That continues into Sunday.
07:20In three weeks from Sunday is Selection Sunday
07:24for the NCAA Men's Tournament in 2025.
07:28All of these games take on an added bit of significance
07:31by the time you reach this stage of the conference season.
07:35And a lot of NBA action as well.
07:37Returning from the All-Star break, another nine-game slate
07:40around the association on this Friday as well.
07:44DRS, before we get to all of that, our final takeaways
07:47from the Four Nations face-off.
07:49And will the NHL be able to convert all of those new hockey fans
07:53into long-standing hockey fans?
07:56We'll hear from the people and how juiced up they are
07:59to keep watching some hockey.
08:01A big third hour here to end out the week on TEL.
08:05By the way, great move by the NHL.
08:07Do away with the All-Star game, which nobody cares about likes or wants anymore.
08:10You have the Four Nations Tournament, which is great, but hear me out on this.
08:13The Four Nations Tournament should just be really
08:16the Two Nations Tournament at this point.
08:18We used to have back in the day when I was growing up in the 80s and early 90s,
08:21like the Summit Series, like a seven-game series between Canada and Russia.
08:25And then we'd just go toe-to-toe like it's the Stanley Cup final.
08:28How about next time around, Ben?
08:30You removed it because quite frankly, hey, Sweden, fantastic.
08:33You know, Finland, fantastic.
08:35The side pieces of this tournament, if you will.
08:37You have Team USA, Team Canada in a seven-game series
08:41where it rotates like two games in Canada, two in the U.S.,
08:44one back in Canada, one in the U.S., one back in Canada for game number seven.
08:48That's the next level thing we need here
08:50because we didn't need the fodder of the other teams.
08:52We just want to get right down to the main event.
08:54That would be an unbelievable thing to bring back those huge Summit Series,
08:57which we used to have back in the day.
08:59I wonder what the plan is moving forward, right?
09:02I don't exactly know the schedule around the NHL next year,
09:05but I do know that for the first time in a long time, since 2010,
09:09we are going to have NHL superstars back in the Olympics
09:13representing their countries in the Winter Olympics
09:15next February of 2026 in Milan.
09:19We are hoping that we get the enthusiasm
09:21and the excitement that we saw in the Four Nations face-off
09:24or we saw in Vancouver in 2010,
09:27the golden goal for Sidney Crosby to beat the Americans in OT.
09:32We're hoping we see that in 2026.
09:35Are they going to do the Four Nations face-off like every year
09:38instead of the All-Star break?
09:40Then does it lose some of its luster?
09:43Well, yeah, I figure, because the Olympics, but like 2027,
09:46are we going to continue to do the same thing?
09:48Thanks for your stuff.
09:49Four Nations, Four Nations, then the Olympics.
09:52Same time, food says no, man.
09:54Let's go.
09:55Like really double down on it.
09:56Yep.
09:57In an entire season of just Canada versus the U.S.,
10:00versus Sweden, versus Germany, all in, always.
10:05We'll see.
10:06We'll see how it goes.
10:07It will be interesting, Donnie, to build on this momentum,
10:10not just for future years of potential Four Nation face-offs,
10:13but also what we are going to see during the tail end
10:16of this NHL regular season.
10:18A lot of people tuned in last night.
10:20Can't wait to see what the numbers are.
10:224.4 million viewers on Saturday up in Montreal
10:26to see the United States beat Canada,
10:29the highest-rated TV product for hockey
10:32outside of a Stanley Cup final in five years.
10:36I bet you the numbers were even higher last night.
10:39But is that going to continue for the National Hockey League
10:42down the stretch run of this season
10:45into the Stanley Cup postseason?
10:47Let's hear from the people.
10:49Will you watch more hockey?
10:51Basically the question to the public.
11:01At SportsGrid on Twitter, after the Four Nations face-off,
11:04do you now plan to watch more hockey than you previously did?
11:08We gave you three choices.
11:10More than before, less than before, same as before.
11:14And, Donnie, the runaway winner,
11:16with nearly 69% of the vote, says same as before.
11:21That's how I voted.
11:23I wonder how you voted.
11:25More than before, though, about 26%.
11:28So at least a little bit of growth we can expect
11:30for some hockey fans out there.
11:32DRS, how did you vote in this faith of public poll?
11:35Yeah, the people that voted more than before,
11:37it means they've never probably watched the game this year.
11:39They'll watch one, so that qualifies for a 30% or 25% of the vote at this point.
11:43Less than before is funny because most people will tune in and say,
11:46hey, I'm going to get back to my team.
11:47But for me, same as before.
11:48Why? Because my Flyers stink.
11:49They've stunk for like a decade now.
11:51There's no reason for me to get excited about Flyers hockey
11:53except for who they might be able to draft and get in free agency
11:56with Danny Brayers, the GM, and so forth here.
11:58But also, equated to any other sport here,
12:00specifically the niche sports.
12:01And yes, I'm sorry, NHL backers.
12:03It is a niche sport here.
12:04If you look at the four major sports, it's four, and it's a long way
12:07to even get to that number three spot.
12:09But also, understand this with, like, golf.
12:11You take a look at the Masters.
12:13I love the Masters.
12:14I am enthralled.
12:15The week of the Masters, you know, the Wednesday,
12:17we have the hole-in-one competition, the tournament from Thursday
12:20through Sunday.
12:21Then I go back to watching absolutely no golf until we get
12:24to the next major at that point.
12:26So a lot of people are the same.
12:27You bring in the big events, we'll watch.
12:29It was a sensational big event here.
12:31But for me, I'm going to watch the same as before, which is, oh,
12:34the Flyers are on?
12:35Yeah, who cares?
12:36Next.
12:37Yeah, I voted for same as before as well, right?
12:40We also work in sports media, so we have to be a little bit more tuned in.
12:44At least we try to be to everything that is happening
12:46around the National Hockey League.
12:48Am I going to change my sports consumption?
12:50Am I going to turn on all the NHL games tomorrow
12:52in lieu of college basketball?
12:54Sadly, no, I'm not going to do that.
12:57Am I going to be excited to watch a little bit of playoff hockey
13:00in the intensity of the Stanley Cup final as I do year in, year out?
13:04Yeah.
13:05That's basically my hockey knowledge.
13:07That is basically my hockey watching.
13:09And I'll be excited to do it once again.
13:12But there is something entirely different, DRS, for national pride, right,
13:17for pride of the letters across your chest, for wearing that flag
13:21that you represent.
13:22And I think that speaks even to the common fan, right?
13:26It's not just your geographic area, the team that you root for,
13:29your franchise.
13:30You don't really have to love hockey or whatever sport you watch,
13:34and you're like, oh, we got an international competition?
13:37Let's go the United States.
13:38Let's go Canada.
13:39Let's go Sweden, so on and so forth.
13:42It pulls at your heartstrings and your emotions a little bit more
13:46than just regular season or even playoff competition.
13:50It was great for the sport of hockey.
13:52There is no doubt about it.
13:5366% of our Faith in Public polls say they're going to watch more hockey
13:57than before.
13:58They enjoy the game.
13:59It is exciting.
14:00It is fast-paced.
14:01But most is the same as before, and that's okay, right,
14:04to appreciate these standalone events,
14:07to appreciate these premier events that we see.
14:12That's a really good thing as well.
14:13It doesn't have to be A led to B.
14:16It doesn't have to be four nations faceoff was awesome.
14:19Now the NHL is the biggest sport in this country.
14:22It can be the four nations faceoff was awesome.
14:24I'll keep watching some Stanley Cup final games,
14:27and I can't wait for the next time we see an international best on best
14:31competition.
14:32Yeah.
14:33And right.
14:34And also the funny part,
14:35the shrapnel gets kit with the NBA who they have their all-star weekend.
14:38They're probably some ridiculously.
14:39So there's no numbers and nobody cares.
14:41Like, hey, look what the NHL is doing at this point.
14:43What Adam Silver is going to turn around and try to make it more watchable
14:46as opposed to, I saw one of the tweets, which is great.
14:48It's like, we just got done the four nations tournament.
14:50The NBA was out here playing team A versus team B to play rising star team C
14:54and away you go.
14:55And then guys like LeBron James, we're like, you know what?
14:58This is such a bad effort.
14:59I don't even want to be remembered as I put on a Jersey for this thing.
15:02Let me wear my street clothes here,
15:04take a picture with the guys with jerseys and leave and get out of town
15:07before the all-star game even starts here.
15:09So long way to go there.
15:10But I did appreciate the energy because it's very rare where I got to be in
15:14front of my TV for a hockey game.
15:15Other than like the flyers used to be in the playoffs and try to make runs
15:18with Stanley cup when I was younger in my life.
15:20And that was great.
15:21But it's just nice to be able to, in the middle of the winter,
15:23be like, you know what?
15:24What's on tonight?
15:25Hockey's on.
15:26Absolutely.
15:27I got to watch this game to see how it plays out or at least how it starts
15:29and be sort of in that fandom here.
15:31And for a week and a half, the NHL slash four nations tournament,
15:34boy, they really did right by our society,
15:36picking us up and getting us something to really chew into after the Superbowl
15:39run.
15:40It feels significant.
15:42It feels special because it is significant and it is special.
15:47Can it be replicated?
15:48The NHL saying they don't really have any plans in place to do the four
15:52nations face off again in 2027 or 2029.
15:55That's fine.
15:56You don't want to mess with something that was so great and then not have it
16:00live up to expectation.
16:02Will the NBA follow suit?
16:03Will we see other all-star games trying to replicate this?
16:06Maybe I would just charge all sports leagues,
16:09even collegiately to know why this worked.
16:11It was the purity of the sport.
16:13It's putting the fans first.
16:15Keep that in mind.
16:16More on the early live next.