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Chapter 1: What were the initial expectations for the Penguins this season?
Limits, remember the beginning of the hockey season when you actively were rooting against the Penguins?
Yes, I wanted them to get Gavin McKenna. And I thought that the wins that they were going to accumulate was going to prevent them from doing so because it would give them worse lottery odds.
I thought that the Penguins were going to end up being, when they started winning, a middling team that was a fringe playoff contender, kind of like Columbus, where the Blue Jackets are now falling out and their odds of getting a high draft pick are not great. I would have rather them have been at the bottom the whole time to be able to find Gavin McKenna. potentially win the lottery.
I didn't see Ben Kendall having this big of an impact or Parker Wotherspoon being this great of a player or Anthony Mantha scoring 30 goals.
My question is, how do you feel now in terms of what they, do they need now to, like the bar's clearly been raised. Do they now need to get out of the first round to satisfy limits?
No. No, I think getting to the playoffs is just good enough. And I know we have this conversation all the time about the Steelers and just getting to the playoffs now is not nearly enough. You have to win a playoff game. They haven't done it in nine years. The Penguins hadn't been there in now four years. First time they're back in four. And I thought they were going to be.
The expectations were on the floor for me. I thought they were talking about the number one pick. Now they're in the playoffs, I think, with a roster that has a good chance with home ice already to win a first-round playoff series. If they don't, it wouldn't crush me. They've got to be competitive, though.
Yeah, they can't get swept. It has to be a good series because that's the whole problem with the Steelers. I've heard people say, Oh, when the Steelers get to the playoffs, it's a bad thing. But when the Penguins do, it's a good thing. Getting to the playoffs is not the bad part for the Steelers, obviously. It's getting blown out every time they go there.
They have not come close to winning a playoff game in nine, going on 10 years, going on a decade, which is a lifetime and then some in the NFL, in pro sports.
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Chapter 2: How do recent Penguins performances affect their playoff chances?
I truly believe that at this point. And I'll tell you who's still kicking is the Crapitals are still kicking. Yeah. Yeah. They have a lot of teams to jump up. I mean, they're one point behind Columbus, two behind the Islanders, and three behind the Flyers.
Right, but with just three games left, that's going to be hard to make up those points with the Flyers. They're still alive, but that means they would have to sweep the Penguins.
They need six points, and they need the Flyers to lose. Right. But I don't think they're going to sweep the Penguins. The Penguins are going to take one of those two games. Would you agree with that? Maybe. Now the Penguins, the hard work is done. I think Sid will sit out one of those games maybe, don't you?
I would think he'd sit out the game against St. Louis. When they play the Blues, you sit that one out last game. Sid's not going to want to sit out what could be the last chance to play Ovechkin.
Well, he's definitely not going to sit out the home game. No. For sure. The Flyers are in Winnipeg. Home against Carolina and home against Montreal. I'll tell you this much, oh limitless wonder. They lose tomorrow in Winnipeg and everybody else wins and all bets are off here. You could be looking at the Capitals. Where's Winnipeg right now in the standings?
Are they still alive to where they're even interested in playing? Of course they are. They have 82 points, and they're three points back of a playoff spot. And they've won three in a row. They're going to be highly motivated for that game. And they still have four games left. Can you imagine if we get Ovechkin and Crosby in a first round?
Who would you rather have, the Penguins or the Flyers or the Capitals? I wasn't even thinking about the Capitals. I'd still rather have Flyers myself.
I would want to play the Capitals for just old school nostalgia. You know, like when 16, 17, 18, they all played in the second round. That team went on to win the Stanley Cup. No, I don't think that that would happen this year. Let me tell you a little something else.
Yeah, please.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of reaching the playoffs for the Penguins?
Washington has the tiebreaker by a million miles on everybody, which is regulation wins. They have 34, same as the Penguins. Washington has 34 regulation wins. They're a point behind Columbus, who only has 27. They're two behind the Islanders, who have 29, and they're three behind the Flyers. If the Flyers lose in Winnipeg, let me see who, well, Washington plays the Penguins twice, right? Yes.
They play Penguins, Penguins, and then at Columbus. Holy ostrich follicles.
You know the weirdest stat of the whole entire NHL playoff picture? LA Kings final wild card. 20 regular season wins. Or regulation wins. 20. That's it. The Jets, who are chasing them, 28. The Preds, who are chasing them, 27. The Kings have won 20 games.
That's why it's a point system and not a one-loss system. They've lost 19 games in overtime. That's your fault, not theirs. It's insane. Nine shootouts. What about the Capitals? And what about the Penguins? Do you sit Sid in Washington Sunday on a back-to-back? No. Really? No, I wouldn't.
I don't think Sid would want to.
I'm not playing. Man, that's a tough one to want to throw them out there in what is going to be. I mean, Washington has to win. They have to win. If they win in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Sunday's game is like one of the biggest games in Capitals regular season history.
And that's exactly why Sidney Crosby wants to play. Now, as they've gotten older, I feel like the rivalry between Sid and OV has gradually... Mellowed. Yeah, mellow is the right word. Thank you. There's not the hatred that there once used to be for each other and for those organizations. Probably for the players and the fan bases.
But if you give Sidney Crosby one more chance to keep Alex Ovechkin out of the playoffs, he's going to want to take it. He's not going to want to sit.
If you're Dan Mews, you're not telling Sid. No, Sid.
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Chapter 4: How does the rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin influence team dynamics?
I don't know if I want Malkin and Sid and Carlson and Letang playing back-to-back games. I realize you've got to have replacements, but I'm certainly cutting some ice time. I would do that.
I would cut ice time. I would sit Letang. I would sit Malkin. I feel like they're more of an injury risk. Now, sure, Sid has been injured twice this year. But I would... I don't know, man. I would trust Sid to go out there and he'd be the one to tap himself out if he feels like it.
The game's on HBO Max, too, and TNT, so that's a big game for the league as well. Would you sit him in the finale in St.
Louis? Yes, I would sit him in the finale. Now, you're talking about a longer... range of time where he would be sitting would Sid and Geno and Letang and let's say maybe you sit Carlson or any of your older players. Maybe Bereshov plays in that game.
Holy bird follicles. Tampa Bay's fallen to third in the Atlantic. Were you aware of that?
Yeah, well, think about how strong Buffalo's been this year. And the run that Montreal's on right now, they've won nine of their last ten. You knew Tampa Bay had fallen to third. I had. Well, maybe because I'm looking at it right now, but Montreal. You made it sound like you knew anyway, Malsy. You should not diminish my confidence level on the air, Joe.
No, I should. What's the word? Rise it up. No, there's a word that we're supposed to do with each other on the air. Elevate. Elevate each other. No, it's a different word. Elevate counts too.
We can't put each other down on the air. It's not good for the show. It's not good for broadcasting.
I can't help it. Tampa Bay's lost three in a row. Limits. We can joke, but what? They might be on the road to start the playoffs here. Buffalo's going to win that division, it looks like.
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Chapter 5: What are the current standings and playoff scenarios for the Capitals?
Well, wait. Montreal still could. Yeah, Tampa Bay's 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. So it could be Buffalo. Right now, if the playoffs start, it would be Buffalo-Ottawa. And no, I'm sorry. It would be Carolina, Ottawa, and Buffalo, Boston. Cole Caulfield's your MVP. You like that take? No, it's a horrible take.
First Canadians player to score 50 goals in a season since 89-90.
It's very impressive, but when you're 50 points off the scoring lead, you ain't the MVP. Come on.
Ovechkin can't win every single one. It's like LeBron in the NBA. LeBron could have been MVP. You mean McDavid. Or McDavid. LeBron could have won MVP in the NBA like nine years in a row.
So could Jokic.
But he never did. So could Jokic.
I don't know. Sean Gentile said, don't overthink it. I don't think I am overthinking it. Nathan McKinnon is the MVP. He leads the league in goals and plus minus. He's got 52 goals, and he's plus 56 for the best team. And he's only seven points off the scoring lead. Like, if you're within the range, come on. He's the MVP. I would give it to McKinnon over McDavid.
You're going to give it to a guy who's 14th in the league in scoring limits? Yes. Who's 50 points off the scoring lead.
Who's taken the Montreal Canadiens, who have been irrelevant for the last five years, back to the playoffs.
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Chapter 6: How does team performance impact MVP discussions in hockey?
He's done an unbelievable job. Give him their team MVP. You can't be MVP with 87 points when another guy has 133.
Andrew McCutcheon won MVP without 100 RBIs and 30 home runs for the Pirates in 2013. Here we go with the rhetorical pony arguments again. What year was that again, Limits? Rhetorical pony arguments? Yeah. 2013.
Okay.
I'm just throwing out other examples. You might not have the highest stats, but your value for your team is so large for a team that hasn't been there in a while and is now new to the fold. Welcome to the party. Who was your leader of the party? Who got you the invitation? Who put you on the guest list? I get it.
He's the Canadiens MVP. There's absolutely no way he's the league MVP.
Yeah.
You've gone nuts. Let me see something here. Where are the National League leaders from that year? You can't even divide this into National League and American League? What are we doing? Nah, it wasn't McCutcheon. He didn't lead the league in homers, but he also didn't have 30 home runs less than the next guy. Did he?
The leader in home runs that year was... Joe, if you get the leader in home runs that year... Donnie and you are going to a very nice pizza dinner. Michael Kodair. No. Who? Pedro Alvarez. Oh, I knew that. Tied with Paul Goldschmidt. I'm sorry. I always have known that. There was a huge argument, remember, that year that Paul Goldschmidt should have won MVP over McCutcheon.
Goldschmidt had the most extra base hits in baseball that year. He drove in 125 runs. Andrew McCutcheon was not even in the top 10. In RBIs that year. And still won MVP 2013. All right.
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Chapter 7: What are the arguments for and against Cole Caulfield as MVP?
Not in the top 10 in home runs that year. But he was number one in war. 7.8. First of all. Carlos Gomez was second in war that year. 7.6 for the Brewers. Carlos Gomez.
McCutcheon hit 317 that year. And his OPS was... Six in the league. He had a 9-11 OPS. Goldschmidt had a pretty good case for MVP, didn't he? He did. Very good case. Except that Arizona didn't go to the playoffs. That's a problem, too.
McCutcheon had a 4-0-4 on base. He had a 4-10 on base the next year.
So that's also arguing against what you're arguing because the guy who was ahead of him statistically in that case, his team wasn't very good. Whereas the guy who's... All the guys, and there's many of them, who are ahead of Cole Caulfield are in the playoffs.
No, my point was... Points do matter, but how do you elevate your team to get to the playoffs and how valuable are you to your individual franchise? That's what I think is very, very important. Of course it is. McDavid has Dreisaitl. He didn't have him for all this year. McKinnon has McCarr. Suzuki's very good for Montreal.
Yeah, and Suzuki's their leading scorer in Montreal. He's got 11 points more than your MVP.
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Chapter 8: What predictions are made for the upcoming Pirates-Cubs series?
Well, I think Cole Caulfield is very important. You remember Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye? No. Did you have to read that? We might have, but that tells you my recollection is of if I actually did. Now, here's what argues against you, O Limitless Wonder. What's that? Do you believe in the war stat? Your all-around contributions to your team? In baseball? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Okay.
It's not my end-all be-all, but it matters. McCutcheon was second in the NL to Carlos Gomez that year with an 8.2 war, a full point ahead of... Andrew McCutcheon was the leader in war that year.
Carlos Gomez was second.
Not according to this stat I'm looking at from 2013.
No, I'm looking at baseball reference. Baseball reference said McCutcheon won. At what number? 7.8, and Gomez at 7.6.
Dave McCutcheon at 8.2 here, and Gomez at 8.4.
Do you know who was fourth that year in war for the St. Louis Cardinals? No, and I don't care. Wrong, Matt Carpenter.
So... McCutcheon led, okay, then even worse for you, McCutcheon led the league. Even worse for me. McCutcheon led the league in a huge stat.
No, you're ponying me into a different box. You've gone completely nuts here. You have ponied me into a different box that I wasn't even partaking in.
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