It's time to place your bets. Let's talk to the pros. Welcome in everybody to betting pros. It's me Joey p Joe pis Apia, and today we're taking you through some NHL talk with one of my favorite people. He's one of my co hosts over at Sports Grid for the last few years.
And you may know.
Him possibly, oh, I don't know, maybe from his many years of wrestling on your television, whether it in WWE, NXT or of course Impact Wrestling, where he is now violent by design.
He's a fantasy maniac. He's also my good friend. He's the Eric young e Y.
It is so good to see your beautiful bald face and get two handsome bald guys here in the program today and talk a little NHL with you.
Man.
And I know you're dealing with that knee injury, so you had some extra time and we're grateful that you could share it with us today.
Yeah.
Absolutely, man, good to see you. Good to be talking sports and even better to be talking hockey. I mean, seasons wind down, playoffs are coming. I'm I'm basically a one legged man and can't do a whole lot, so I will not miss a game.
I wouldn't. Let's be honest, Joe, I wasn't gonna miss a game anyways, But yeah I will. I will not miss a game in the playoffs. It looks like my Preds could even sneak into the playoffs. So I'll be I'll be heading down to Bridgetone.
I think we're gonna raise it to fifty per capacity and I'll get my hit, my tickets all set up and check out some live playoff action.
Nothing's better than the edge on playoffs.
Nothing beautiful, baby. And you know it's funny.
I remember doing the props in the beginning of the year and some of the futures in the beginning of the season with you over on sports Grid and we talked about it. I can't believe now we are already at the end of the season. It seems like just yesterday, right, I was around the holidays. I feel like you and I were doing that and here we are and it's
at the tail end. And yeah, I guess one of the bonuses if you're gonna be hurt during this time, at least during playoff hockey time where you get to sit around and you know, EYU and I do a lot of football together most of the time. So I got to ask you your Tennessee Titans real quick, would you think of their draft? Would you think of their offseason? And Johnny Smith's gone, Gory Davis is gone. It's a lot of open targets. It didn't feel like they really
addressed some of those needs on offense. I love the bud Dupree. It's a great signing, great bringing him in, but it kind of feels like the offense is kind of missing some pieces, doesn't it.
Yeah, I mean the bud dupre signing, the cornerback they took in the first round, I think those are going to.
Help bull through their defense. I mean that's what they needed.
They needed to be able to stop people on third down and get some takeaways, which they lacked heavily in last year. The offense is obviously still going to run through my man Mike King, Derrick Henry. I mean, as long as you got a running back that's running like that, you know who's on the field that much, I don't think.
It really matters. I think A. J.
Brown is going to take a big step this year, and Tannehill is playing with supreme confidence, and you know, running this system to prefestion. So this is is going to be a dangerous team again this year. I think the surprise of people last year me but I think this year. I mean, obviously, you mean, you know that you've got to stop Derrick Henry, but good luck, no one's been able to do that yet.
And I don't think it's going to happen this year either.
And anybody who's talking about the demise of Derrick Henry is a couple of years ahead. I'm telling you right now, it ain't coming this.
It's coming this year. This year.
It's a stat last year, and you know, anything you hear from people that are around the team, if you follow him on Instagram or anything like that. He's one of the most talented athletically players on the team. And he's the hardest worker. I mean, he works out like a savage. Uh he's massive, you know.
Man, His workout video is unbelievable, unbelievable, And uh, it's gonna be more Derrick Henry, for sure.
I would think for the Titans this year. But I love aj.
Brown, I loved Henry, but I don't know, man, I'm a little worried about the rest of the pieces. I hope they all come together for your sake and for mine. Hopefully we'll be back again talking football, have you I on our football shows as well, But today m BP,
we're talking about hockey. So let's start with the President's Trophy, and let's start with the odds there, because we got the consensus betting pros tell us the Hurricanes are at minus two fifty for that, the Avalanche at four to fifty and the Golden Knights at plus four fifty as well, So you got the minus the Hurricanes there is the big favorite. Is this kind of locked up in your opinion?
Yeah? I don't know about locked up.
There's you know, there's you know, five to eight games depending on what team you're talking about. I'll say that the Hurricanes play in the Central Division where my hometown Nashville Predators play, and they are a juggernaut right now.
They're so deep, the team speed is off the charts.
They're so aggressive on the fore check, so aggressive in their structure and their system.
It often feels like there's six.
Guys on the ice when you know, if you follow hockey, if there's only supposed to be fine, So it does feel like when you're watching it that they have an extra guy because they're so aggressive, and it's because of their team speed. They're not afraid to be out of position because they know they can get back, and that is in today's hockey where skating is everything. I'm not betting against the Carolina Hurricanes. I think they win the President's Trophy. I think Colorado could be rated in there
as well. They're another really really deep team that I really like. But I think Caroline is gonna pull it off. Now.
Look, eventually we'll get to all the Stanley Cup picks and everything like that with Ey, but we're gonna go through some other things too. So Hurricanes do look like the favorite. Seems like it now. I'm gonna ask you a question about this. Is the minus two fifty a good wager in your opinion because it feels like, I mean, that's a lot. You're laying two fifty to one one hundred there the avalanche of the gold Knights, like you said, you know, still kicking around there. Vegas is telling you
one thing. Do you think you just stay away from this or is this a wager where you feel confident enough in the Hurricanes locking this up?
Yeah?
For me, and I understand not a lot of people are like this, but I'm an aggressive better and I mean there's just there's not you know, the odds aren't enough there where if they win where it's worthwhile, you know, Like I think you would be better off to take a team like Colorado or Vegas or you know, or Toronto, a team like that that could, you know, rip off five or six wins here at the end of the year and overtake Carolina.
I don't see that happening, But for me, I would avoid.
I would avoid batting on this because I think at this point, like we're so late in the year, it's pretty set. All right.
Let's move on to the Calder Trophy odds a career Kaprosov for the Wild is minus two thirty Jason Robertson the Stars plus one fifty. Caprosov obviously had a great season there, but the odds here, you know, the plus one fifty is not bet On Robertson. Do you want to make a case for him? Is this a stay away?
What do you think about the Calder Trophy?
I mean, look at Robertson has had a great season, and I can say as a guy that knows every single player in the NHL. I'm a complete psycho when it comes to this. I watched two hundred to three hundred games a year. I'm in twelve fantasy hockey pools. I'm sick. I can tell you that I was unaware of who really Jason Robertson was. I know Nick Robertson plays for the Toronto main PLEAEFS and he was going to be an up and coming star, but I hadn't
heard of Jason. He's having an unbelievable year and there's no doubt that he should be in the Rookie of the Year talk. But from last night, I think Carill Coprosov's set another two goals one to send them to overtime and salvage a point for Minnesota.
As a person that watches a.
Ton of games, Minnesota has been a team that has been basically unwatchable for five or six years. I barely have missed a game of Theirs this year, and it's because of him. He is such a dynamic player, plays so loose plays, He's physical, can hold the puck, has crazy vision. This guy is going to be a star. For years and years, Minnesota has been waiting for him to come over from the KHL. And the argument with
him is he's twenty four. But I mean, it doesn't specify on the trophy that you have to be under a certain age.
It just says rookie. And this is rookie season playing in the KHL.
He's playing against mad and he's playing a professional hockey for sure, but it is not the same. You know, do not kid yourself. There is nothing like the speed of the NHL, the competitiveness of the NHL as far as ice hockey goes. And Kaprosov has been dominant all year and he's been doing it, you know, week in and week out.
The trophy is his.
Yeah, it's funny.
I remember it tro Suzuki coming over and I want to say he was like twenty eight or something like that.
Doesn't matter however old you are. You're a rookie. Year a rookie, you win the award.
Now, speaking of the young teams and stuff, before we get to the Vesnat Trophy, I was having a hockey conversation yesterday with my cousin, long suffering Ranger fan, and she was very.
Excited about this team and the youth on this team.
And she thought, although this was not their year, clearly, but there was a lot of good things going forward. And since we're talking about young players, I kind of wanted to get somebody who watches as much hockey as you your input on this team because they've had a lot of hot draft picks lately. And do you think that this is a team that's starting to emerge maybe the next couple of years with some of this young talent they have.
Yeah, I mean I thought in that division, I picked them to be fourth, and I thought that they would make it into the playoffs this year. They started really well and surprised a bunch of people. They're loaded with young players, they have some good veteran players. Their goaltending was supposed to be better than it is, and I think will right it, will right the ship. They had a problem with one of their star players being a bit of a knucklehead.
Uh. They basically sat him.
He's still under contract and they're paying him a ton of money for the rest of the year, and so they're at a deficit of defense, you know, and that that's reality. Adam Fox will get nods for the Noris Trophy. I don't think he's going to win it. But that's a guy that came out of nowhere. He's been a good player for a couple of years, but he's having an unbelievable season. He's going to be, you know, a star for them on their blue line for years. Uh
La Furnier is coming into his own. I don't think he's Uh, he's not giving the impact that people thought he was going to be. He's a big guy that can really skate and shoot the puck. I think he's got I think he's got nine goals or ten goals. Uh, they need more out of him for them to be ultra competitive. But pederin Is is a star, Sabinajad is the star.
Crider is the star.
That they are set for success for sure, and I think it could happen as soon as next year.
I can't wait to talk about that. Next season with you is gonna be some exciting stuff. Let's do the Vesna Trophy here. Obviously no surprise, andre Vassilevski at the top there minus one fifty consensus number, Grubauer of Colorado plus two to fifty, and Mark Andrew Fleury of the Las Vegas Knights at plus three fifty, So your take here. Once again, these are some better odds.
Actually.
You know, when it comes to awards, it's media driven and we all know that. So is it Vasilevski at the end of the day, or do you want to make a case for somebody else because you are an aggressive wager. You're aggressive guys why I love you, It's why we get along so well. So give me your take here on the Vesna Trophy.
Yeah, and I think this is set.
I think vashi Leski because of the amount of games played, his backup goalie barely plays. He plays almost every night. His numbers are out of this world. Grubauer has had definitely his best season to date. The big thing out of him was could he play more than twenty or twenty five games. I think he's proven that he can. He has been banged up a couple times this year, but when he's played, he's given Colorado a chance every.
Night to win. My heart wants Andre Marc Andre Fleury to win.
This, you know, I mean, just the reality is this is one of the good guys in the league, a guy that everybody loves, has been an unbelievable player for so long, and people thought that he was done going to Vegas that he was going to be a backup, and Robin Leonard gets hurt, he steps in and he's having one of his best statistical seasons to date. I think a lot of that has to do with the team in front of him, but this guy has been
playing unbelievable. I think he's thirty eight years old and people were writing him off last year and I don't think anybody thought he would be in the Vesta Trophy. And I do want to give a shout out to my man, UC Sorrows. If we're looking from March first on, nobody has a better goals against average than UC Sorrows. He's actually, statistically off the charts the best goalie in the NHL.
From March on.
They had a poor start, the team was off in front of him and he was not good.
He got hurt, was out for a couple of weeks.
Pecarine stepped in, the team started the gay momentum, and then you see Staro step back in and took the start increase over and he has not looked back. This guy is a god of goaltending this year. Like his numbers are unprecedent. I think he has a nine to forty eight save percentage, which.
Is is insane. I mean, it's absolutely insane.
He will not win the Norris, but I think he should get nods, and that's important for player, and especially a player of his age and where he's coming up with contract stuff and being the print starting goalie. But this is vache Leski's trophy, There's no doubt in my mind. The NHL is a wild place, so it is a crazy place, true, and Vacheleski should win it, and I think he will.
Well, I'll tell you, ay Man, that's something keep in mind for next year with him, because obviously you're talking about finishing strong in contract years coming up. That's something to keep in mind for the player when you're looking at twenty twenty two and going forward there. All right, let's shift gears a little bit to some division winners right now. Let's start with the East, where the Caps are minus one three on the betting consensus pros and
the Penguins are plus two thirty. So the Caps right now. Look again, different teams have different games left here. So how do you see the Caps and Penguins here in the East. Do you think the Caps are just going to win out here as we get down these last few games of the season, or do you think the Penguins can catch them here late there's only a game or so separating them.
Yeah, I think the Capitals hold on. And I think a week ago, if you would ask me that, I would have doubted it. Pittsburgh was coming on. They've got Crosby, they were getting Malcolm back, krit Tristan Jarry was playing unbelievable.
The Penguins were on a real role.
And on the other side of that, Washington Lasso Vechkin, Kunetsov and Samsonov for goalie are both in COVID protocols, And you're thinking, Man, I don't know, but I think the Washington Capitals right now are maybe playing some of the best hockey that they've played all year, and I don't see them relent relinquishing the top spot, especially if they get O vech and those guys back to when I think they shortly.
If that's the case, that's not a bad line.
The minus one forty three especially, it seems pretty confident enough that if you're willing to lay a little bit more than you can actually win some money on that one. Let's go to the West too, because that one's the You know, most of these seem like they're kind of decided right now, especially when we look at the schedule and who's paring against you. But the West still slightly up for grabs too. The Avalanche minus one thirty the Golden Knights plus one ten, only a couple of games
separating these two. We've talked about the Golden Knights goaltending, how good it's been late. Do you think that the Knights can catch the Avalanche? And if so, at plus one ten is pretty good number.
Yeah, I mean, I think they can.
I don't think they will, but I think it is possible, and that is exciting for a guy that I mean, I definitely had these guys exactly where they were. I said at the start of the year in the West it was going to be Colorado and then Vegas just behind them, pressuring them all year. I think the same as the Washington Capitals. The Colorado Avalanche are playing their best hockey right now. Rantan And Andckinnon are just a
dynamic duo that are just shooting the lights out. Grubauer seems to be back in his groove, and I think they have the best the best current blue.
Line in the NHL.
They're a hard team to play against because they have they can play it any which way. Vegas is the same, but they do not have the star power that Colorado has. I think having McKinnon, having Branton, and having Landeskog, even Kaudre Brandon, sad guys like that is what's going to maintain them holding on to first place. I think Colorado if you wanted to get aggressive, I mean Vegas could do it.
I mean they could overtake them. I don't see it happening.
If I was to bet on a team to win the West, it's going to be Colorado. But I think a good aggressive bet would be Las Vegas.
All right, I want to talk to you about a team that could or could not make the playoffs. We've got a plus three fifty on betting pros and the consensus and the Dallas Stars. So do you think the Stars are going to find their way into the playoffs when all said and done.
I do not, And that could be my predator's bias.
Are looking pretty good right now.
They've been playing very good hockey.
They lost last night.
They if they would have won last night and Dallas lost last night, they would have clinched, so they really only need to win one other game.
The problem with that is Saturday they're playing Carolina.
So my hope is, and I think the Predator's hope is, is that Carolina has let their foot off the gas, knowing that they've clinched the playoffs, knowing that they're going to be in first. I don't think Dampa Bay is going to catch them, and I think they're going to think the same thing.
Come this Saturday and Predators get a.
Win and Dallas notches another loss, and then the Predators are in.
They've clinched that spot.
I think as of yesterday they were at seventy eight percent to make it. To me, I mean, Dallas is too much of a far shot, too much of a long shot to win and make the playoffs. And the truth is, if you look at the record they have, I think it's fifteen losses in overtime.
That's a team that does not have a k or instinct.
You know, that's they left you know, that's seven to ten points they've left on the table. And if they win those games, we're not even having this conversation. They're in the playoffs and the Preds are on the outside. Look again, which everyone thought, you know, and people are still saying it.
Those people are wrong. The Preds are going to make the playoffs. Dallas does not have.
A killer instinct, They do not have the firepower, They do not play a system that can win close games. So yeah, they're I mean, I get that they played in the Stanley Cup last year, but that was a bit of a miracle run. Who Dobin is not the same goalie. Jay Odinger is a rookie and he is not good enough to carry this team like who Dobin did last year. They are not making the playoffs all right.
Before we get into Stanley Cup odds, I want to ask you a couple of hockey related questions here. Oh, you think towards the end of this year is really played very well, because we all know when you get into this time of year and you're getting into the playoffs, sometimes it's those teams that are very hot or certain players that are really impressing you playing well. And conversely, too, who's kind of slowing down here at the wrong time? Who do you think is kind of maybe hitting a wall.
We'll get to the favors, we'll get to the numbers in a second. But you do watch so much hockey, you do play in all the leagues and do all the stuff, so I know you're turned into this better than anybody who's hitting this time of year in the right way and who's hitting this time of year in the wrong way.
I mean, he's been doing it all year, but right now he is just on this unbelievable miracle run. Connor McDavid. I know, you know it sounds obvious, but I don't think people are talking about enough that he's I believe, and I think most people believe he's going to end a fifty six game season with over one hundred points.
That's absolutely instandity.
Well, there's not even odds anywhere they pulled out all the all the MVP odds are all down like.
Nobody without anyone's mind, he's definitely winning it. And not only is he winning it, he's doing stuff that we I don't think anyone thought we would see in hockey. Again, this is Gretzky kind of performance where he's so dominant every night.
It's just like he's going to have two points.
He's going to you know, every single night he's got he has two points. We haven't seen that since Wayne Gretzky because of the change of the game, because of the advancement and equipment, because the advancement and goaltending. You know, I don't know if Wayne Gretzky in today's game could could score like he did back then it was a different game. I think Gretzky is still the best player to ever play the game. But Connor McDavid is making a real case for himself, man, and it is it's
so cool to see. Is all the coverage on NBC about the Capitals and the Rangers, because all the fighting and stuff, it's like we're completely missing the boat on this star player that everyone should be talking about. You know, we might never see a dominant of the season like this ever again. And it's happening in a shortened season where they can't even practice. It's it's absolute miracle.
Actually, well it's kind of amazing.
It's cyclical too, because it felt like for a while Crosby was that guy and Avekin was that guy, and you know, is it just us being caught up in the moment of that dominating player, or is this guy even a tick above those in their best runs?
Yeah, he is a tick above them.
I mean, yes, they were, you know, Crosby and Ovechkin dominant players. Crosby a more all rounded player, right, Ovechkin more of a dominant scorer. But the reality is Connor McDavid is doing both. You know, his defensive numbers. I heard a thing on a podcast this morning that the Edmonton Oilers are like, are like plus thirty eight when he's on the on the ice, and they're like negative one oh two when he's not on the ice.
That's insane, Like it's it's just insane.
And by any metric, any measurement any way you want a word, the Heart Trophy, it's about the most valuable player to their team. There is no more valuable player than Connor McDavid. And he's having an absolutely historic year. And because of COVID, because fans aren't in the building, and you know, he's only playing in Canada and he's not playing at all in the United States. They're not
talking about it enough and they should be. And it's unfortunate for him, it's unfortunate for hockey, unfortunate for the NHL. And uh yeah, he is just rolling. As far as people that are sliding, you know, I think the Dallas Stars are a disappointment to most people as a team. You know, they played in the Stanley Cup finals. They were, you know, a few goals away from being the Stanley Cup champions. And this year they've been, like I said, just very inconsistent, no killer instinct.
They've been dealing with injuries, they were dealing with COVID.
They started the season ten or twelve days after everyone else started. Then the crazy ice storm in Texas put them out, so they they played a very condensed schedule. As a person that follows this and as a person that gambles on hockey as well, I could have told you that they weren't making the playoffs after the Christmas break because they were going to have to play like forty.
Games in sixty five days.
That is, it's insane, Like it's just insane, and there's nothing they can do about it. They can't complain because it's just the way the world is right now. But I think they are a massive disappointment to most people. And I think I had them in the playoffs in the Central so that would be a that's.
A big des moment for Dallas and Dallas Stars fans.
All right, well, let's talk about the end game here. Let's talk about Stanley Cuff playoffs.
The favorites are obviously plus four twenty five, the Colorado Avalanche, the Golden Knights at plus five to fifty. You've had a great couple of years here, and then the Lightning at plus six fifty. So those are kind of your major contenders and your Leaves at plus seven to fifty. I don't want to leave them out. They're still out there.
So taking everything into account hot streaks, players, the situations in terms of who's played who and who hasn't, we've got the Leaves at plus seven to fifty on betting pros and the consensus we've got the Lightning plus six fifty, the Golden Knights plus five to fifty, and the Avalanche plus four to twenty five. Where would you lay your money and how?
And I know this is going to sound like a Homer pick, but the Toronto odds and the fact that I think them playing in the North, which I think is it's not a weaker division, but I think the pass their path to the semifinals is the easiest out of those teams. They don't really have to eat any Juggernuts, and I'm going to go back to the Carolina Hurricane. I don't know what their odds are, but the fact that you didn't say them means that they're probably pretty good.
I mean, look at this team is insane, in my opinion, one of the best coaches in the league, Rob Brindamore. And they are so deep, and they can play you any way you want. You want to play fast, they can play fast. You want to slow it down and play defense, they can do that too. They've got three unbelievable goalies, Yes, three unbelievable goalies, and the best of the three, I think is the rookie Netschevik, and he has just been absolutely unbelievable stopping everything this year. A
big reason why they're in that position. But I think just because of their style of play, how aggressive they are, and how they just are on you.
You mean it just they're going to wear people out. And I believe that.
Those two And I think I would give a nod towards Colorado as well.
It's going to be one of those you.
Would spread it around.
So in other words, you got the Cads at six fifty. So let's say I gave you I gave you a thousand dollars, how would you spread it out between those teams in your opinion in terms of how much equit do you want to where?
And I'll give you the odds one more time, just so you have them all.
So the Avalanche at four to fifty the favorites right now, but again not a heavy favorite. We're used to seeing favorites. Sometimes the are more like a plus two or something like that. This time of years plus four fifty, it's a very different year. It feels like five hundred for the Golden Knights, six fifty for the Hurricanes. This is
updated as of just a few minutes ago. And the Lightning at plus seven hundred, so that line's actually moved since before this morning when I actually put all the lines together, so it's actually a little different. So, Loon, you run that one more time. Lightning plus seven Hurricanes plus six fifty Golden Knights plus five hundred, Avalanche plus four to fifty.
How would you spread a grand over those?
Yeah?
I think right now my gut feeling is I would go probably five hundred on Carolina and then two fifty on Toronto and two fifty on Colorado.
That's how iways put one thousand dollars amongst those teams.
I think that is look at it's the NHL and it's seven game series and all kinds of wacky stuff happens. I don't think a President's Trophy winner has won the Stanley Cup in over twenty years.
Uh truly, really well, I think it might have.
It might be even longer than that. It is just so unpredictable. You know a lot of times. You know a term you hear in hockey all the time is they got golid. And this happened recently with the Toronto Maypleefs. They played Vancouver. Vancouver didn't know if they would even finish their season. They had all these guys sick with this new strand of COVID and they couldn't get out of bed, and their families are sick, and the coaches
are sick. They couldn't even ice a full team like that's how many guys were sick.
So they had two weeks off. They came back.
You know, the NHL pushed them. There was some pushback from the player saying we're not going to be ready, We're going to get hurt. Everyone was expecting Toronto may be leiefs a roll in there and roll over them, and branden Holby had one of the best goalie performances of his entire life, and and the Vancouver Canucks won that won the first game. So that happens in hockey. It's happened before, and it could happen again. I think
a perfect example was last year Dallas. No one thought they were going to play in the Stanley Cup, and Hudobin, who has been a career backup, just got on this role where.
He wrote it, scoring on them, And that happens all the time.
I think Carolina's advantage is they have three goalies that have played very good, and not only are they playing good right now, they've been doing it all year in this kind of a rotation that is unheard of in hockey.
Normally it's one guy and it's kind of his job.
But you know, they're going away from that with resting players more and guys, you know, load management and stuff that is pretty heavy in basketball and stuff right now. So it's happening in hockey now. And the truth is is with three goalies like that, I think you know, you ride the hot hand until he's not and then you switch out and now you've got another hot hand. So if I'm betting, I'm betting Carolina to win the Stanley Cup.
I can't wait for.
Yeah, have you only got one wager? That's the one for you. If you want to spurt it around. Ey helped you with that as well. You can follow on the Twitter machine at the Eric Young and of course check them out on Access TV on Impact.
He's hurt right now, but he's still a maniac.
He's still one of my favorite people, one of my favorite performers, and one of the best sports fans. And I'll tell you a lot, do you why you know? You know, I'm a football guy at heart. I do love the baseball, but there is nothing better than playoff hockey. Like that's sorry, there's just nothing better than it. And it's and if you don't watch, you should And hopefully we gave you some ways to watch with a little bit of wagering on the side for you here at Petting Pros today.
So that'll do it for you, know that, always, baby, always? Why I love you, man, It's so good to see you and talk to you a little hockey. Hopefully we'll get you on the summer for some football too. I want to thank you again for your time, and that'll do it for us today. But the story of the game goes on for the Eric Young. I'm Joe Pisapia. We'll see you next time. Kids,