Dave McCarthy does a hell of a job for NHL dot Com at NHL Network covering the fastest sport there is and the hardest trophy to win, and he joins us here on Exus and Broth. Dave, good to have you. How are you today?
Well? Better than I can ask for it, man, Thanks for having me excellent.
Well, it's an honor to have you on. What's We were having this conversation earlier. Home court, home field, home ice advantage. Who does it favor most? Which sport does it favor most? You know, hockey obviously get the last shift change, Baseball you get the last at bats. It sure doesn't look like it's favored anybody particularly. Why do you think that is? Why have the road teams been so good so far?
Yeah, I don't think there's much of a benefit to it in hockey as there used to be. You know, we were talking about that the other day in the morning to skate back twenty thirty years ago, there would be teams that would run shecking lines quote unquote kwai rigorous and really look to hard match against the other team's best players and put out a line of guys that would really try to grind the other team's best players into the ground all game long. That's not really
the case anymore. There really are not too many teams that look too hard match the way they used to, just simply because everybody's so good. It kind of gets you kind of get in your own way, but you get caught up in trying to hard match all game long. So getting the last change in hontey that used to be a bit of a benefit from coaches that I've talked to. It's not as much of a benefit anymore because they just don't try to They don't try to
navigate the game the same way as they did. So beyond that, I mean, that's the biggest tactical advantage there is. If you can't deal with the crowd. I mean, last time I checked, they weren't on the ice, So that does really coming to play on that much of the times the home crash and work against the home team by tensing them up a little bit, especially in the game seven, you want to come out, get out again, sorry of the crowd into it squeezer sticks a little bit.
Sometimes it's easier to play on the road when you're only worried about playing, you know, the most sound structure and if need be boring game that you can. So yeah, it's not as much of a thing. I'd say probably baseball would be the biggest advantis at the end of the day, I'd so like.
To have the last at bat man Well said, thanks, I appreciate that. Dave McCarthy joiners. You can call him on Twitter at Dave A McCarthy. We hear this every time the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. It's the hardest trophy to win. I don't disagree with that. Tell me why you think it is, though.
Well, because it's four rounds of generally speaking, an absolute battle. You looked at the way the game changes the gular season to the playoffs and Hotey, it's almost it almost looks like a different sport at times. The physicality, the intensity you fight for every inch of ice. Guys finish their checks harder, and then you got to do that. If you get past one round, you got to do
that three more times. The competition only gets tougher. So you know, you look at a game in in February on a Tuesday night, it just doesn't look the same. And people always tell me, all why don't they play the same way in the regular season as they do in the playoffs. You just physically could not do that game in, game out for six months straight with the crazy travel and the back to backs, and then follow that up into the playoffs and be at your vet.
You just simply physically couldn't do it. So yeah, I think that's the biggest reason.
Personally, I could not have been more wrong before the playoffs began. I picked Tampa and Colorado in the Stanley Cup finals. Again, could not have been more wrong both first round bounces. I'll be free to admit Nathan McKinnon one of my favorite players. I just love watching him play, so that had a lot to do with it. I thought Tampa's balance was outstanding and goaltending matters too. Who do you who do you think is playing the best
hockey right now? And how much different is it, if at all, from when they were playing in the regular season.
Well, I do like your point about Nathan McKinnon, and I don't think that was a terrible pick at all. That was a That was a Western Conference final level matchup Dallas, Colorado the first in the first round, and you know, unfortunately one team had to go home and You heard Colorado coming out of their locker clean out day and they were quite despoted that they that they lost, like it was hard to take, especially I played out they were up in game seven and and it couldn't
close it out. Playing the best hockey right now, that's a tough one to say. You know, I think Edmonton is starting to find their game. It looks like a mess in the first two and a half against LA, but it's been been They look much better. However, the time that they have to come from behind every game is also not entirely inspiring. Good on them for being able to do its five games in a row, first team in the history of the league to ever do that in the playoffs. But if you keep chasing the game,
eventually that luck is going to run out. So you know, there's a bit of a concern there. Vegas is still looks like they're trying to find their game. Winnipeg, I got to see more from Hellibuck before I buy into them. You know, I would probably go Dallas at this point just because I based in Toronto, and if I said the Leafs, everybody would call me a homer.
You talk about pressure, I mean there's no team and no player, specifically, their big name players, whether it be Matthews or Kneelander or Marner or Tavares with pressure like Toronto. I love the way they responded in Game six, I really do. And then I loved how they responded in the opening game against Florida. I think they're really although you know, they were up big four to one and then they let it slip a little bit away and made things a little nervous. Why haven't they been able
to get over the top? Do you think.
That's a good question. Look, they ran into teams for a lot of years in Boston that we're just I think, quite simply a little bit better than them. And for whatever reason, the top players that you mentioned, their production has gone down in the postseason. At the end of the day, if you're going to go anywhere, it needs to come from your top guys. They need to be at their best. You look at other guys around the league.
Deandreiseidel's production actually goes up in the postseason, Nico Random's production actually goes up in the postseason, Nate McKinnon's. You know, he's I think he's got fifty goals, one hundred and nine points this last eighty two playoff games, you know, and these guys have all gone on deep runs. If not having won the Stanley Cup, you haven't been able to do that. Their top guys have have diminished in
the playoffs in years past, this year not yet. In fact, they've been quite good through this point, and that's I think why we're seeing the Leaves have a little bit of success right now. But it needs to continue. You know, you get contributions from your depth. You get Simon ben Watt stepping up with a key goal in overtime the Auto series, or Max Paccaretti, who's played quite well of late. Like it's great when you get your depth chipping in.
You need that, of course, but that only matters if it comes in conjunction with your best players being at the top of their game. That's what really pushes you through, and so far we're seeing that from the Leaves this spring.
We're in Detroit, so I have to ask you about the Wings. Maybe not as much about Steve Eisman and Dylan Larkins corresponding comments regarding the trade deadline, and they were different, but I did want to ask you the need for this team to reach the postseason and how they go about getting that player. We just brought the least. Mitch Martner's the biggest name in free agency. He's a
right winger. Detroit many people feel needs a center. What do you think this team needs and how do they go about getting it because they're probably not getting it with the thirteenth pick in the draft.
Well, I then they need to figure out their goaltending as well. That has been something that has continually been influxd Like how many goal is have they run through in Detroit over the last eight years. They haven't. They haven't sorted that out. And if you can't get a stop reliably and your team is already maybe just okay upfront,
and that's going to sue you. So they need to they need to sort out their goaltending, and then they're going to need to figure out I think they're a number of players away to be honest.
With you, or to be a serious threat.
To make the playoffs man, Because look, Dylan Larkin is a good player. I like him a lot. I do not consider him to be a number one center in this league. If you go up against Matthews, if you go up against Brayden point if you go up against Alex Barkov, if you go up against Nick Suzuki, I find Detroit coming out second in most of those, all of those matchups. Okay, So that means that all of those guys I mentioned are in Detroit's division. Means you
need to beat those teams in the regular year. How are you going to do that when your center, your top center, is beneath all of those guys I think Dylan are it's an outstanding second line center. Like man, he would I hate to say it. I know where I'm on right now, And man, would he look good in Colorado behind Nate McKinnon. And that's what Colorados? They need a second Detroit needs first line center. Then they
need a couple of more guys that can store. They need to figure out their d Why Detroit let Philip Veronic get away? Why they moved on him, why they moved on Jake Walman Like? Their ability to assess defensemen over the last three or four years has been enough to make me want to bang my head against the wall to sign Justin Hall to a three year deal at what three plus million? Like I wish Steve out have called me and asked me what do I think of Justin Hall? And I would have told him, don't
do it. I've watched the guy play more than enough in Toronto to know that nice guy, nice player, not worth that kind of money. Depth defenseman at best. So they've made mistakes there, which is to say, you know, and the drafts over the last number of years have
been really slow to bear fruits. Joe Blato has not really panned out to be an impact player, Marco Casper's starting the season, signs maybe starting to They've and Edvanson maybe starting the seasons, but not many guys from the drafts over the last number of years that are at the point where they're impact players. So I have not been high on this Detroit team for a long time, and for good reason, I think so. I think they
got a lot of work to do. I hate to say it, but they got a lot of work to do in the Trent.
No, it's great perspective. We greatly appreciate it. I bring up that they would have I mean, they tied for the final playoffs spot a year ago but lost on the tiebreaker with Washington. But I don't disagree with you. We've said that a long time about Dylan Larkin, who we like a lot, and you're right, but you're not going out and fixing that anytime soon because you're not spending over paying for a thirty four year old John Tavares. There's no number one center out there to acquire, Dave.
I appreciate the insight, love your knowledge, love what you do. Keep up the great work, and we appreciate the time. Have a great rest of the week, and keep up the great work.
Man. Thanks a lot, thank you, thanks for having me