Real Kyper & Bourne - Guide to Game Seven

Episode Date: June 24, 2024

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee are all geared up for tonight's Game 7 as the Oilers look to complete their 3-0 series comeback against the Panthers. They discuss the national excitement heading into the do-or-die contest, the legacies on the line and the historical significance of the game. Hall of Fame goalie Grant Fuhr (6:48) shares his thoughts on the Oilers' resilience this season, Skinner's mentality and the pressure on Bobrovsky. Later, they listen to game-day availabilities and break down the keys to the game for each team.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

one game winner take all doesn't get any better than that for the national hockey leaguer for us here at real kipper and born nick kiprios justin born sammy mckee derrick brandeo, and Jake the Snake Schultz. Did you get everybody in the right place? Oh, yeah. They're really actually upstairs? Yeah. Oh, are we off to a good start today?

It's going to be a good day. It's going to be a great one. Wherever you're watching and listening, Sportsnet 590, The Fan, Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, Sportsnet 960 in Calgary, or watching on 360 and Sportsnet Plus. We're glad you are aboard and remember download us if you can't catch us right here right now this hour real kipper and born is brought to you by bet 365 okay guys often in the last few years it it seemed every once in a while

when when there was a big game seven, it brought people back to when was the last time they were this excited. For me, people always brought back 94 with us in Vancouver. I know Vancouver has since had a game seven against Boston, but for whatever reason, maybe it was being shut out in game seven that kind of put the air out of their tires. But this one tonight, to me, has got that similar same feeling for me. And I got to participate in 94. But this one for me is as exciting as it can get since I left playing hockey and into broadcasting.

Yeah. It's funny. I said to Sammy earlier today, the worst part about tonight as someone watching this is watching it. You know, it's so much better when you get that outlet, you get to play, you have a chance to get through those moments and relax by having a way somewhere to aim your energy and just as a fan tonight i know i see the oilers jerseys in my neighborhood walking around uh in the street you just gotta wait like let me my only thought was you know and maybe this is just the alcoholic in me talking is it too early for people to be pre-drinking it's 3 p.m or is it

noon there yeah do you think they're at it yet? Oh, yeah. Yeah. You think already? I don't think you could be expected to work today. If I'm the Edmonton mayor. No, it's a day off. Oh, it's national. It's a national holiday. Provincial holiday. It should be national.

We have not had a championship. So we shouldn't be working today is what you're saying. No championships since 93. That's a long time for Canada, let alone, you you know the oilers going back to their last one yeah it's a long time coming here and i'll be honest you know for a long time i was on team i don't see this whole canadian team thing you know like everyone's local tribal you want your team to win it it's getting to the point as a canadian where it's like it's getting a little embarrassing can we get a cup up here i know you don't love that part of as much, Sammy, but like.

No, I've said it multiple times. Let's get her back here. It really has not, you know, turned into the juggernaut. I think that you would have hoped for me personally. I think the ratings were under 5 million on game six, which to me that number should be closer to nine or 10. And I do believe that i don't know where it starts for the viewership but if it's close then this number can get to a a very high number when

it comes to yeah the number of people in canada that would tune in at some point 40 million canadians kip if five of them five million watch last game was an eighth of the country not bad well then i imagine yeah i think that number should be higher but that's just tonight i promise you tonight it will which would be which would be great and in a few minutes we're extra lucky here today on game seven we're going to welcome in grant fear all the fame goalie of course four times stanley cup champion if he knows something a little bit about maybe what skinner's going through uh it would be grand fear so that's hard as a goalie too because you can't go out and do something right you kind of have to let it come to you to prevent the bad things that's hard that's scary not to you know it's forward you just go for check go bang someone where is this in terms

of what this we we know what this would mean to canada we know what it would mean to oiler fans and fairweather fans if they want to jump on board tonight but what does this mean for paul maurice and the florida panthers because i believe this is one of those where if you find a way to lose you this will haunt you the rest of your life. This is life altering. It is. It is because it's either this redemption arc of a 30-year career that culminates in this championship, a guy who left Winnipeg recently and was proven correct,

or, yeah, it's the guy who got so close and you're the guy who couldn't get over the hump, which the worst part about that is it's not necessarily true right like Bobrovsky you could just poop his pants tonight and ruin the whole thing for him you know where it's just out of his control as a coach but it doesn't matter it won't matter because nobody will remember that 20 years from now will be remembered as either the coach or the captain barkov is you guys blew it yep and you got to go back into i i don't know where the comparisons are in all of the sport jeff merrick called this the biggest game in nhl history tonight and it's like oh come on what about you sit there and think about it it's like

god it's right there i right there's some old oilers games i woke up this morning nervous like i've had a pit in my stomach the entire day and I really am not an oiler fan. I'm not a Panthers fan clearly, but I do get the feeling that we are about to witness one of the greatest spectacles that I can remember in my lifetime. Like I can't imagine higher stakes on both sides, right?

Like how many more, you never know how careers go. This is Connor McDavid. This could be his only real shot. You don't know how things go. And then onor McDavid. This could be his only real shot. You don't know how things go. And then on the other side, facing an all-time blown lead, all-time choke job.

The stakes could not be higher. It just could not be higher, boys. It's unbelievable that we get to witness this tonight. Do we have Grant? I don't know. Do we? Did someone buzz in our ear? I thought I heard Derek.

No? No. All right, then. Let's carry on. For all the reasons to set the stakes for tonight paul maurice is certainly a big one the blown lead is a big one i just think the context of the oiler season starting the way they did you know were they 3 and 15 or something at one point 3 and 12 maybe it was firing the coach finding it going getting down to this series i mean the comeback story is going to be documentary worthy one way or the other here well all right now we do have

a hall of famer grant furor let's welcome him in four-time stanley cup champion 12th all-time winning goalie and a guy that would know a little bit about not only skinner maybe borovsky the rest of them what they're going through. First of all, Fierzy, thanks for joining us, man. Where are you catching game seven? I'm actually in Hershey working our game. Oh, really? Oh, yes.

I'm going to be multitasking. You will be for sure. Well, listen, we so appreciate you joining us on a day like today. And just your thoughts about the Oilers coming back from 3-0, putting themselves in a position like this as a fan, as an Oiler. Where's your energy and thoughts going into tonight? I'm just thrilled that they've got themselves in this position. I mean, they've been resilient all year long,

where when everybody's counted them out, they found a way to battle back. And to see them in this position, they've earned it. They've done it the hard way, and you know what? All you have to do is get there. It gives you a chance. Yeah, no doubt. And we are holding our breath going into this game.

One of the things that I was saying before we had you on was like, as a player in these big games, you can go out there and run into someone and take your energy, your nervous energy, out there to chase the hockey puck. How hard is it as a goalie to keep your composure kind of having to let the game come to you? A little bit more difficult, but at the same time,

you can't get too overenthusiastic. You have to try and stay reasonably calm, and I'm sure both teams are going to be a little nervous for the first 10 minutes or so, and it might get a little scrambly. If you can survive that, then everybody settles into just playing. Grant, as a goalie, we often say that, well, he's never done it, he's never been there before. But, you know, the one thing that you have in common with every other goalie

is that, you know, you have to start somewhere, right, without experience and without people believing in you. So where is Skinner now coming into that environment for the first time now where they had the doubters even in the first three games and to the point where people were still questioning, well, they have to get a goalie next year to try to win it. And now he's in a position where the series is tied. Is there more pressure on him to close this thing out?

Would his mindset be altered a little bit in a one-game winner-take-all? You hope he keeps the same mindset, because he's played extremely well in the last couple of games. But it's also easy to get caught up in it, and you never know until you're there the first time. So the fact that they've gone through some adversity in some of the different playoff series and such, and they went through it with Vegas last year,

probably helped a little bit. But again, he's going to have some nerves to start the game. I mean, anytime you get into a game seven, even if you've been in the league for a long time, you always have nerves going into a game seven. So it's just going to be a matter of him getting through that. Yeah, he'll have to work through that, Grant. One of the things I wonder is,

is there comfort in having the best player in the game on your team? You know, you're looking around the room, you're like, like all right we got wayne we got a pretty good chance here you know or is it does it not matter when you have two teams and it's it's about more than one person you know what it's not a bad security blanket to have yeah i can solely vouch for that one it's nice to have that security blanket there so you do know if you do make a mistake that they've got the talent to make up for it. So it's a good security blanket, but at the same time,

you're also of the thought that you don't want to make a mistake. So, yeah, you're putting pressure on yourself, but then again, you have to try and relax and breathe a little and actually enjoy the moment. And, Fierzy, as much as we put so much stock in our star players here uh you know with your championships you can always look back and and look at the guys that didn't get as much notoriety on on the third or fourth line but there's a real pull right now on the oilers

team for for players like mcleod and fogogle and Henrik off a trade in March who are weighing in heavily on this series? Yeah, most definitely. You can throw Connor Brown in there as well. It's your unsung guys that are going to be the big stars in this. Everybody knows your stars, but it's the guys that do, I call it the grunt work, where they're grinding, they're killing penalties, the hard minutes.

And I could see one of those guys being a hero in this game tonight. Yeah, you know, Connor Brown, the difference he's made, the speed difference from the regular season, he's like a totally different player, and those depth guys often come through in the big moments. When you guys were winning your cups which depth players to you were able to find different levels uh tell us about some experiences of guys finding a way to contribute when they weren't your most important players well we you look at go back to 84 the one nothing game kevin mcclellan scores the goal yeah i mean that's not somebody you're going to pick to score a goal.

So he contributes. And then you look at our guys like Davey Hunter, Patty Hughes, Patty Conacher, Billy Carroll, guys that do the penalty killing. And the guys that are trying to shut down the opposition's best forwards. They don't get a lot of credit, but you don't win championships without them we're talking a four-time stanley cup champion edmonton euler great grant fear as we get ready for game seven tonight we mentioned skinner but brodsky now came into this series and and

those first couple of games arguably stole one or two of them, Fierzy, but what would he be going through right now? I kind of watching him the other day talking to the guys on the show, I said he's just, it seems like he's a split second off. Where he was getting, where he was on top of his game on certain breakaways from forehand to backhand and getting over and cutting the post off he is now allowing that that extra split second now to to be scored upon where where is his head now coming into to game seven what would he be going through coming into tonight well i think you have to forget everything that's happened i mean that's the biggest key is you got to start

fresh and yeah they've lost three in a row, but he also has to remember that he stole a couple of games. So you start fresh and you just battle. And his side-to-side maybe looks like it changed a little, whether he's a little banged up or something maybe. But the movement hasn't been as smooth in the last couple of games. But I'm going to guess you get to a game seven and there's all sorts of adrenaline,

not a whole lot's going to hurt until the game's over. So, Fierce, as a player, I can tell you at times the physical challenges as a skater, but would there be one for Bobrovsky physically at all, or do you not buy into that so much? There can be. It depends if you're banged up or not. Yeah.

I mean, you saw him the last series. You saw him at the beginning of this series. And all his movements were really fluid. The last couple of games, not as fluid. So it makes you wonder a little bit. But at the same time, I'm sure we're going to see his best tonight. I mean, when you get everything on the line, that's when you want to show up.

So I think both goalies are going to be good tonight, and it's going to be a low-scoring game. Do you believe in momentum from game to game, or do you think it's purely a single game sort of thing? I think it goes through ebbs and flows through the whole game. I mean, you're going to see Florida have a little bit of momentum at the start,

because home game, you're going to have the emotion of the fans, and something you have to temper down a little bit, because you can get caught up in it as well. And if they get through that, then you look at a game seven in little 10-minute segments, and if you can win every 10-minute segment, you're going to be successful by the end of the game.

One more for me, Fierce, and we'll let you go, because we know you've got a really busy night, but just in terms of this new generation and all the championships came from your era, led by Wayne Gretzky and then Mark Messier as well, what would a championship now with this new generation mean to the city of Edmonton? It would mean the world to the city of Edmonton. I think everybody realizes that hockey's first and foremost, and everything else in the city of Edmonton? It would mean the world to the city of Edmonton. I think everybody realizes that hockey's first and foremost and everything else in the city comes afterwards.

So it's been a drought for a little while. I think the last one was 90. You know the fans are excited. You've got fans chartering a plane to come down. So that pretty much tells you how excited they are. So it's going to be huge for the city. Well, listen, enjoy your game tonight and enjoy taking those sneak peeks at the scoreboard

or a quick video highlight. It's going to be a fantastic name. We might have a couple of monitors going. There might be two games I'm watching. Good luck to you guys too, Fierzy. Yep. Thanks, guys. Okay.

That is the great Grant Fuer. Thanks, guys. Okay. That is the great Grant Fuhrer. That was awesome. Yeah. The, you know, the amount of big games that guy played in, I'm sure he can relate to what these guys are going through. But he's got the, like, if you were to have a manual, right, for goalies, like he would have written it with with his demeanor his attitude his short-term memory much like a golfer putting yeah just forget about it and move on that's

the biggest thing i was thinking for bobrovsky you know and i actually used the golf analogy to someone earlier today where it's like when the game is just getting away from you and you're starting to play badly it's really tough to say to just getting away from you and you're starting to play badly, it's really tough to say, to forget about what just happened and go back to the player you know you can be. And that's Bobrovsky in this series, where that's going to be the massive challenge. Can he find the guy he's been this postseason? I don't know.

I don't know if he can solve that. It just feels like Edmonton is coming downhill right now, and the Panthers are at the bottom just waiting to get smoked. It's tough to reverse that flow. Game seven into 10-minute sequences, like you said. Just very interesting to me. The first 10 minutes, I think, was obviously incredibly important to how this game is going to look.

To me, there's no more more different looking thing than a game seven in the semi-finals or the finals like i think in the first round the second round it's a little bit different when you get to the big big series game seven yeah it's a completely different animal as someone who's participated in one once upon a time little squirrely it is the most surreal feeling you can get and i know ultimately when the puck drops it's no different than any other game any regular season game any pre-season game in theory they're all played in theory the same but there is something very different knowing that you are playing in your last game of the season regardless whether whether you win or lose, and everything is on the line. So there has to be some sort of new mental, I don't know,

itinerary for you to follow that you've never experienced before. This is the first time for pretty much anybody to experience someone's going home very happy and someone's going to go home feeling like their lives will never be the same ever again, knowing that that's what's on the line. Like that made you more defensive-minded? Because to me, the thought, and I expect a low-scoring game tonight and maybe a tentative start compared to everyone expecting a lot of fireworks and flashbang.

You don't want to be the guy who's not in position and blows the system for everyone else. Yeah, and again, I want to make it clear. I played in the first round. I never played again i i sat for like six weeks not playing a game and then being told you're playing game seven right yeah so i was surprisingly not nervous or or feeling like my energy was don't be the guy that blows this. I mean, it crossed my mind.

But I also had, I don't know if it was a cockiness, an arrogance that I only kept to myself. But the moment I knew I was going in, I said, we're going to win because I am going to bring energy, whatever that energy means, either in the dressing room, during warmup, on the bench, I'm going to be a different voice. I'm going to be different. I'm going to go out there

and I'm going to hurry Babich and Brown and all the rest of them on that blue line. Anytime I'm on the ice, I'm going to make them move the puck faster and that's going to do a domino effect that could lead to great things. That's the mindset of a pro athlete i never had i never felt like like we weren't gonna win yeah and i'm glad it turned out and i'm sure there's a few vancouver canuck players at the time I'm going to be that difference too as we all want to do that.

But, you know, Florida still has players that feel that way. And the Oilers coming off of three wins in a row all feel like they're destined right now. You can't go and do what we just did for three games and not close it out. We're destined. You can't even entertain the opposite. It's almost like a looney tunes cartoon

where you run out over the cliff and if you look down you might that's when you'll fall you just can't look down you just have to believe you're gonna do it and it's gonna be fine yeah and just play that's that's i think how everybody needs to feel tonight and you don't have to say it you don't have to tell your but you just have to to go in there and feel like like furzi said you're you're gonna you're gonna be the difference maker here and it could be a third or fourth liner and in all probability you know let's not forget connor didn't have a point in which was the least likely outcome right mcdavid gets no points and they still have no shots do you remember obviously who scored the three goals for you guys in game seven? I just remember Brian Leach scoring one on a power play

and then Mess got the winner. And in between that... Great buddy we've had on the show a few times. Still works for the Rangers. Adam Graves. That's right. Power play goal. Yeah, two points.

So him and... I think Leach was a power play goal too, if I'm not mistaken. Two power play goals. Well, I'll tell you, a power play goal. Some special teams movement for Florida would be good if you're trying to get the Panthers going, but the Oilers, they can keep this special team going.

And then Linden. Linden just made us all choke, like can't breathe right now as he brought it closer. He had two goals. And then Nathan Lafayette hit a post with about four minutes to go. That game is going into overtime. You might still be playing. On post in.

Maybe you would be even more famous for scoring the winner, Kip. I still have dreams about that. Oh, yeah. I'm sure. I'm sure. But, like, what are the odds of tonight going in overtime let me ask you guys that i think extremely high and not great sam's gonna tell us the opposite but i think it's gonna be an extremely close game it's been 70 years since game seven of the stanley cup final required

overtime and only one team has ever won in that scenario red wings both times uh tony leswick scored the last one you all remember tony yeah and pete uh babando pete babando in 1950 so there you go but this is the thing how many game sevens have there been in the stanley cup final maybe i don't know what it is a half dozen i don't know what the exact number is there haven't been many and let alone to go to overtime i mean that's they could be tonight boy okay but that's i mean this is where you say that you're not nervous you say that you don't think about the mistake and that's what separates i mean professional athlete mindset from a normal person but if a game seven goes into overtime you know you one stick bobble one skate one toe pick like and then you and then your name is in a talking point for decades,

especially if it's on the Edmonton side. The one thing I tell players this too, if they ask me for my opinion, is that our game is really of the subconscious, and there is a flow and an energy that is repetitive, and we tend to go to muscle memory a lot. So there is no time to think about like, sometimes when you have too much time,

that's when it could seep in. But if you go to your muscle memory and the way that you break out of your zone a thousand times during the season or the half a million times you've done it since you were like 12, then there's no reason why you should screw it up or be the bad guy. To your point, it's probably easier in a game like tonight to score off a broken play or a reaction of some kind than a full ice breakaway it would be harder to have that time and process anything you want to

just have your muscle memory your hockey brain do the hockey then rather than go oh god if i score this we win the stanley cup so they're they. So they're going to have their nerves going in. But once that puck drops, it's the same game. And who has quicker muscle memory and reaction and skill set than Connor McDavid off a broken play? I go down that lineup right now. Okay, let's get into it. What do we expect tonight? I love that question. Quickly before we, okay, let's get into it. What do we expect tonight?

I love that question. Quickly before we move on, there's been 18 game sevens in overtime. Sorry, not 18 overtime. In Stanley Cup final history, the last one was Blues beating the Bruins at TD Garden, and the one before that was the Bruins beating the Canucks in 2011 at Rogers Arena. So there's been 18.

And those were 4-0 and and five one one like pretty good runaways for one side five one it was a there was a pretty big yeah bad yeah remember petrangelo's going to sweep back angle on the end of this the first period that kind of put it away anyways go ahead all right what do you expect what do we expect tonight you want to go first i i went with tight right i i don't think i don't think it's going to be a scoring chance fest out of the gates is my expectation um you know a lot of guys scoring chance fest out of the gates is my expectation. You know, a lot of guys on the right side of the puck, tough to create. I probably think special teams will matter.

Can the Oilers convert on a power play? Can they keep the Panthers' power play down? I think that's going to make a big difference. I think Edmonton is going to win because in both situations, I favor the Oil or specialty. I really feel that you get to certain points of seasons and certain points of different guys, careers where some things become undeniable and some things where one team has Connor McDavid and one team doesn't,

and it's his time, but hockey doesn't always work like that. And I feel like everyone is saying the momentum is on Edmonton's side. Everything's moving towards Edmonton. They're a runaway train. But they still got to win a hockey game tonight. And a very good team on their home ice. I really am rooting for Edmonton now.

But I think this is going to be a lot tighter than a lot of other fans want this to be. Is what I'm thinking. I called the Florida Panthers in seven games. And it was based on that Florida Panthers look that we've pretty much seen all season long and marveled at. But what I've seen in the last three games, that look is gone.

Gone. They look terrified now. I don't know if they look terrified, but whatever the it factor was for their success is no longer dependable. It could have flashes that we saw in game six. I thought their best hockey, the Florida Panthers, in this three-game skid,

was after they got denied the challenge where it was like they're kind of freeing up a little bit they had a little bit of a push but it's it's not it's not remotely enough well they've they've done it by being a grinding physical team a capital t unit that works together. Their four-check game has disappeared that made them dominant. And do you see it coming back tonight at home? I'm not saying that it won't because I don't want to disrespect what they've been able to do all season long. I just don't like their chances

of having that look back after what I've watched for three games. Yeah, it does feel like whether they're tired or they're hurt or Edmonton's figured something out that they have. Oilers are the better forechecking team. Yeah, the Oilers look faster right now. I think the line of Yanmark, Brown, and Henrik

are smart and skating well, and they've made a huge difference. They're winning more battles on the wall. Yeah. Yeah. They're getting better goal tending. They're actually, they got forward depth. It's incredible to watch.

You mentioned that offside, and I really do think there's an alternate universe where that goal counts, and the Panthers win that game, where they gave up that goal. They were like, everyone was like, oh my God, they're going to get starched here. They immediately score it.

And it's kind of like, oh, they're coming back in. And then they go down 2-0 and they can't get back into that game. Coach to the video coach, right? So you know what? That to me. You go to that goal. I go back to the 8-1 shellacking in game four. That broke them a bit?

That one may have bled them out okay that was just not a loss that was a beating and i just think i think for florida to have thrown that as a throwaway game was maybe also a mistake we'll see how it plays out tonight but that one that one was much different from any other team and there's only been four that have come back from 3-0 in any series but that 8-1 shellacking was more than just a loss it was a mindset game series changer i went to my computer the second that game was over and i wrote the path back for Edmonton this series because you could see it. You could see a variety of ways the scales were kind of tipping Edmonton's way,

and there was a way back in here. And, you know, the only thing right now, you know, is that they are still the Florida Panthers, and it is still hockey. You know, like everything is in Edmonton's favor, in my opinion. But the Panthers have been awesome at home they're the best home team in the NHL this regular season Oilers not the best road team I think Oilers are seven and five in the postseason on the road Oilers or Panthers very good at home so you know there's that there's the fact that Stu Skinner has been so flawless but do we think he's Shusterkin or Vasilevsky no you know so there are

a few looming things that's like it feels like edmonton but there's a couple of booby traps to get around and stewart skinner in games four through seven this postseason 10 and 0 150 940 with a shot do you think he's that guy or do you think that's due for regression maybe he is maybe he's fear who just has big games and big spots. I don't know. Yes, you're right. I'll tell you another thing, too, is if Florida finds a way to score a power play goal or two, which they've done all season

long, it's been momentum sapping for them. It's Leafs-esque right now. It is. It's another reason why they're sinking, is that not only are they not scoring on it, they got to defend it.

And think about the upcoming, think about, you've been on benches, think about what a great power play does for the next shift up. And if you're on the heel, if your best players are out there on their heels on their power play how does that make you feel on your next shift yeah it's it's killing florida right now oh it's salmon swimming upstream it just feels like you're going against the current for sure we should uh take a break and then we'll come back play we got some audio still from uh both coaches from

zach hyman at a good good uh clip today so a few kippers clippers making the rounds all right let's go that more when we return game seven after these words diving deep into leaps rafters jays and nfl the jd bunk is podcast subscribe and download the show on apple spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Still plenty to go here on the Real Kipper and Bourne Show. Got some Kippers Clippers. We've got some news and notes around the league. But first of all, Sammy, game time.

It's game time presented by bet 365 visit the app latest odds and find out why it's never ordinary at bet 365 it's 19 plus ontario only please play responsibly clearly there's a rather large hockey game to be played this evening uh if we're looking at the money line the edmonton oilers are minus 115 the florida panthers are minus 105 vegas has or bet 365 has no idea either so i mean so turn your mic on and say that again it is minus 115 for the edmonton oilers minus 105 favorite tonight in florida slight slight favorites so you know they they're not giving you a ton of value either side here they have no absolutely no idea but they're leaning edmonton i just think like kippers

mentioned they watched the last couple games here it just feels leaning Edmonton. I just think, like Kippers mentioned, they watched the last couple games here, and it just feels like Edmonton is doing everything that the Florida Panthers can. Are you surprised at that? Totally healthy Florida Panthers team at home. Yeah, I am surprised. Yeah.

I mean, they played in Florida several times in the series, and Edmonton was never the favorite in any of those games. So the tides have turned by the books. You would think everybody's kind of leaning towards Edmonton. I do think that's a little bit the books in Canada protecting themselves a bit. A bit of public money coming in. The money is so heavy on Edmonton,

they're going, oh, and it's moving the line. Not necessarily predicting the winner. And a quick same gamer here, that's plus 375. Leon Dreisaitl to score a goal. Connor McDavid one point and edmonton oilers to score first is plus 375 i'm bet 365 what a fun night and how important that's what i mean is that first goal i'm the most important thing ever like but tonight it's never been more important florida goes down one nothing and i think matthew kachuk kind of said said the other day or it's going to be the loudest building you know i've ever heard oh he's which wrong because he

played in the loudest building ever heard yes yeah well what it is it's kind of like uh it's it's it's the lawyer leading the witness for sure it's like this is gonna be loud right hey all you fans i'm talking to you right it's gonna be the loudest because we just heard the loudest and we need you really badly that's what matthew kachuk was saying i gotta tell you i think matthew kachuk's gonna be in for a surprise when it's a 25 percent oilers crowd tonight i think tickets the get in price we said was what sammy one thousand one hundred dollars luke was saying it's eleven hundred to get in the building tonight and if you're an edmonton oilers fan i'm telling you nothing that is so cheap for a championship game you know the cup is getting

handed out if i but we're at if the leafs were there i'm flying down there paying that we were five ten thousand at msg in 1994 yeah yeah and if you want to... You could have got in Leafs game seven first round for that. No. Compare it to NBA and Super Bowl ticket. It's like getting in for free. So... We really talked it down to free. It's cheap for the game.

The total is five and a half. The under five and a half is a pretty big favorite. The over is plus 125 minus 150 for the under 5.5. So they're expecting a tight, low-scoring game like you had mentioned earlier in the show, Borny. So that's all the odds I've got for you today. That was Game Time presented by Bet365. Visit the app for the latest odds

and find out why it's never ordinary at Bet365. It must be 19-plus on terror only. Please play it responsibly. All right. Early in the show, I reminisced about my Game 7 experience in a Stanley Cup championship game. Let's get Zach Hymans on playing Game 7. Yeah, it's our sixth elimination game,

so we're used to being in this position. Obviously, it's the first time we have the ability to win, right, which is an amazing opportunity. But all those games you play as if it's a game seven because it's your last game of the season. So just treat it the same. I can't help but think that this is the first time the Florida Panthers have their backs up against the wall.

That's a tough, scrappy team. And to put them away is not going to be an easy feat. I do think it changes that dynamic a little bit. That this time they can lose. We weren't 3-0. We were 3-1 up. And for Vancouver to win two games in a row and come into our barn, I'm telling you, it was not a great feeling when people were really rallying around the Canucks on momentum.

And I think 3-1 isn't 3-0, but to Sammy, your point earlier, like the expectations now that that momentum and that is going to keep continuing well let's just see what that first goal does yeah you still gotta get in the in the ring and fight here you know it it's no one's laying down it can come to a screeching halt with a with a florida panther goal three minutes in and now oilers are on their heels see the first i know everyone knows the first goal is crucial but if edmonton opens it up like if they have to chase the game a little bit and all of a sudden nurse is rushing

up the ice and you know broberg's trying to make a stretch pass it you could find a couple going the other way quick too so this first goal boy huh all right let's go to uh knoblock on his thoughts heading into game seven we feel good about our team. I think when the stakes have been the highest, when our backs have been up against the wall, they've just been resilient and played really well. And I think this game is no different for us. We're going to treat it the same.

And I think everyone's excited for eight o'clock to start or to be here so we can get this game going um i think it's um yeah we're should be a good one that's the best i got for this could he be boys that's the best i got hey could he be more relaxed than Paul Maurice right now? Maybe. Honestly, the best I've got. I'm sorry. I hope when he goes home and has like a whiskey or something, he's got something to say. He's just a bad mouth.

He just starts swearing. So we got a couple of Paul Maurice Clippers. I've not heard them, but are we still getting kind of a charming personality? I listened to it today. Levity in there at all. Yeah. Somebody asked him actually about him getting drafted like 40 years ago,

which was an interesting question. Pardon? Yeah, I think he was drafted by the Flyers. Yeah, but he got asked about it. We went to camp together, right? Yeah. Really? But I couldn't remember if he was drafted or I got invited as a PTO back then.

I thought he was a PTO, but he was actually drafted. Is that a question at this point? I don't know. Somebody asked me a question. He was caught off guard. No, I didn't cut that clip because he whacks. Who cares? It's a game seven.

Anyways, coaching a game seven is an interesting answer. It's his first one, so we'll go to clip one, please. The biggest part of it is built over years right it's it's built over time so the x's and o's part you're as dialed as you're going to be on that we won't we'll go through it the basics of it and that is to set a tone and a mood that allows them to play with a certain amount of freedom in that game that that you encourage that in the style that we play, in the hockey that we play. It's not so much you're encouraging the hero mentality because I don't really think one guy trying to go coast to coast

on our group helps us very much, but certainly embracing the opportunity to make the hard, great plays. Make the hard, great plays is a good line. Yeah. What did you think of the tone there? I think it's good. I think he hit it. There's nothing cute.

You've got to let them play. You've got to free them up to play. It's not X's and O's. It's like, you know, you've you gotta almost think like from the moment you put on skates to tonight, everything was a dress rehearsal for this moment. It's so true. Like, it's the whole point you do it. Everything

was built to get to this. The one thing we all have in common in this room is we have all pretended it's game seven of the Stanley Cup final in some point of our life. I was more of a game five guy. I'm joking. And then there's...

I had pictured myself facing elimination down 3-0. And there's going to be someone in both rooms tonight will utter the same words that Mark Messier did, Steve Larimer, Kevin Lowe said, win tonight and we walk together the rest of our lives. And that's the difference. I just got chills, bud. That's the difference between.

Meanwhile, my cynical self, someone says in the dressing room, I'm like, boo. No, that's the difference between this game and any other you've played in the past. And we had 30th anniversary yeah you know last week and no it's obviously not there's 20 of us on a group chat just you know yeah laughing and ripping on each other and it's like you know so you have a funny too you lose that game seven there's no group chat if you have a chance to be in florida and for 20s of people and in Edmonton, millions of people will remember

you. 20s of people will remember you in Florida. The best part is does anyone get mad at you for all this Panther fans? No, that's why I do it. Actually, last year I ended up on Panther's Reddit after one of their talks where I was particularly condescending towards them, but that's okay. I don't care.

Whatever. They'll be fine. It's nice there. Want to hear the last clip? There you there. Want to hear the last clip? Meow! There you go. Want to hear the last clip? Pressure? Wrap it up. Alright, clip two, please. I think sevens are just a completely unique animal. I don't think it relates in terms of pressure to anything

because there is no tomorrow. So it's a completely different feel. I think we've been immersed in the weight of it for a week. We've been through two or three games, so there's not a new experience for us in this other than it's also a game seven. I think both teams come out flat out as fast as they possibly can. I think that's going to be the manifestation of all of this. As much as they love interacting with you people,

as often as we have been at Ford of the opportunity over the last, they can just drop the puck and play hockey, and that will be a nice thing for them. Yeah. Do you think it's going to be a low-scoring game? I don't know. I just think it's going to be a tight start. I think it's going to be tough to get the

first one. Somebody's got to make the games based on mistakes as subtle as they sometimes. Trying to make them make a mistake. Somebody going to get caught? Is it a three on two? Is it a two on one? Is it an intercepted puck? I would like to see a goal

or two early so someone has to open it up so some more can happen. Because the more goals we get early, the more goals we're going to get. People taking chances, playing catch-up. If Florida chases it like it did before, I don't like their chances. No. Here's an interesting stat for you guys.

Home teams in Game 7 of Championship Series dating back to 2014. Is this just NHL? All sports. NBA, Major League Baseball. Can I hazard a guess?

Yeah. That it's not great. Let's hear it. I think they're well under 500. I don't know what they're doing. No, no, no, no. Just, like, how many losses? Oh, I don't know.

For home teams in game seven. I think a lot. That's my guess. What is it? Six. 2014, Royals lost. 2016, Warriors lost. 2016, Guardians lost.

2017, Dodgers lost. 2019, the Bruins lost. 2019, the Astros lost. This will be the seventh. Game seven at home. And every time, the last six, it's been the home team that lost? Lost.

Oh, buddy. I thought, so I, seven lucky or unlucky. I thought they would be bad, but that's crazy. Six in a row. Actually, that Guardians, I think, is the best sporting event in the history of the world. The Cubs and Guardians, 2016, went to extra innings, rain delay, unreal.

Don't remember? No. Rajee Davis had a game-tying home run, bottom of the... Yeah, I mean... Anyways. Hey, don't doubt Sammy. Matt Veskirjian on the call. Santa Maria!

It was great. It was unbelievable. That's a good one. Really good. That's what I do around here. Homework. You're mining the stats for that. Thanks to Greg for sending me that. I'm evolving. I don't really want to turn the page to other news.

No? We have five minutes left in the show. It's game seven. We're really going to talk about Joseph Wohl right now? Sure. I don't know. What would time? If we don't, there's a chance that Sammy can combust. No.

And I don't want to leave Blair and Barker, Sammy on the wall on their show. How about this? No, let's leave him on the wall. Let's leave him on. Yeah. Where is the Conn Smythe race at? Oh my god, it's over. Over. Regardless. Over. Bob gets a shout out tonight when Panthers win the cup?

Jesus. Crap. Crap. If Bob steals this with a historical shutdown, I'll have that conversation. mcdavid could conceivably get zero points in game six and game seven and lose the stanley cup and you i'll have that

conversation conceivably but i do not think that's the outcome i think it's more like he gets five points than zero but i i cannot see mcdavid losing it in game seven regardless of the outcome. That to me is the one factor I can't shake when you look at tonight's hockey game is 97. He is not the ascendant great one at 21 years old. This is our

game's next great star. He's not at the end of a great career an old one. He is at his peak. No one in the world can do what he does the one guy that did impress me in game six for florida was barkov and i love i love the challenge right now between barkov and mcdavid tonight it says something to me that answered back twice in that game like he didn't go away from the challenge when he's not going away tonight no points he't get no points.

He put two in the net. Yeah, they lose the game, but he was good. To me, that's the challenge. The inner challenge of this hockey game is just those two. And Kachuk had game five where he looked like a player. Reinhardt still hasn't done the Reinhardt thing yet. That Barkov goal was filthy, by the way. That was.

We just moved on from that. Yeah, it didn't get the credit it probably should have deserved. No, it was really nice. Skinner wasn't within three feet of stopping that hockey. So you mentioned you're asking about the consmite. Just thought I would give a bonus, that 3-6-5 odds here for the consmite. Connor McDavid is minus 1,600 to win. Oh, my stars.

So if you think that there's value on... If you think Bobrovsky's going to, in our little world... It's Bob now, 20 to 1. 20 to 1? Yeah. They think it's over. So you need a shutout. Do you not?

He can't, Florida can't win 5-4 or 4-3. No. And give it to him. They can't. But everyone is giving McDavid the con smite here? Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

I mean. Buddy, there's only like, it's only been Wayne and Mario that have come close to his point totals and he's got the assist record. It's the right answer. Yeah. Like, Richard Steele stopped the fight. Two points in the cup final and he'll have the most points ever in a cup final tied with Gretzky, I believe.

And one more point and he ties Lemieux and someone else for the first time in the final. Most points first time in a final. Yeah. Somewhere in here, but... I got it here. He needs one point to match Mario Lemieux and Daniel Brier for the most points by a player

on their first career trip to the Stanley Cup final and two to equal Wayne Gretzky's record for most player in any final 13. But he has taken down one Gretzky record this postseason, most assists in a playoff year. Imagine a three-point night and a win. Most points in the cup final ever. The Oilers

are going to be the second team in NHL history to win the cup after sitting 10-plus points at the playoff spot in the regular season. Blues are the last team. Berube. That's the Leafs coach. You know what, boys? I'm just upset about that wall contract. Sammy, we're on the last team. Berube. That's the Leafs coach. You know what, boys? I'm just upset about that wall contract. Sammy, we're on the air until July, buddy. Plenty of time.

I don't know about that. In the meantime, get it going. What about Mark Savard? That's the biggest news of the day, boys. So I was so excited about game seven. I got ribs cooking right now. My parents are coming down for the game. Pineapple barbecue ribs.

I go on Instagram and I find recipes. I don't care about NHL news. I find recipes now. I got a Boston pizza pie coming my way. And my parents are coming down and watching the game together. Enjoy your historic game seven. The Real Kipper and Bourne Show

will be back tomorrow to dice it all up for you. Have a great time, everybody. I will.