Who is the most dangerous Eastern Conference team (not named Boston)?

The Boston Bruins are on course for franchise record wins and points totals, leading some to consider them one of the greatest regular-season wins of all time but which Eastern Conference rival will be the most dangerous in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Video Transcript

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Who's the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference not named the Boston Bruins? Yeah. Yeah. We got to-- we got to-- we got to add that disclaimer there. Like, we know Boston's really good in the regular season. They might be one of the greatest regular-season teams, if not the greatest regular-season team of all time.

So teams in the East that are dangerous not named Boston. And after we go through the table, I'll pull up some tweets that some people have sent in. Omar, so you've had some time to think about this. Outside of Boston, who's the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference? Let's see if he says the team.

OMAR: So I have two.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh, OK.

OMAR: One is-- and it's funny because I don't think they've been talked about enough this season. But, like, the Carolina Hurricanes have been doing a lot of good things this year. And, like, watching them play and playing against them, like, first hand is incredibly annoying just because of, like, how little space they give you in all three zones and how very difficult, you know, they make it to generate any scoring chances.

And they have the goaltending to back it up. However, I'm going back to the Islanders.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh.

OMAR: Because Ilya Sorokin is stupid. Like, he is-- like, you want to talk about a goalie that can steal this series? If the Islanders face Boston and Boston loses, it will be because of Ilya Sorokin. Like, straight up. Like-- like, right now, the Islanders, like, they will-- you know, the Islanders for overall haven't been, like, the biggest skilled or offensive team.

They have always, like, relied on their defensive structure and coverage and such. You know, ideally, that kind of works itself out and improves. Maybe, you know, Bo Horvat starts to score a little bit. Someone pulled up my tweet from the Horvat trade saying that, like, they traded Horvat for a person who only scored nine goals.

And I think-- and if you-- and I saw the graph. They're like, Beauvillier has, like, the most, like, points of, like, of a moved forward, or something like that. I was like, oh, wow, I didn't know that. [LAUGHS] So-- but, like-- but, like, all of that, man. But, like, if Sorokin just, like, locks it down and just makes it, like, impossible to score on-- and again, you get a team at the Islanders that loves winning games 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 or whatever.

Like, they really impressed me. I hate losing to the Islanders because, you know, they make it tough on my boy Tavares, but, man, they are an interesting team. And I kind of hope they get in, and I hope they stay there, because I'm really interested to see what they do in the first round.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: So you're not going to say the team I thought you were going to say, huh? Because a few people in the mentions did.

OMAR: Oh. Who?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Come on. Come on. You know the team. You know where we're going.

OMAR: I don't know-- I don't know who you're speaking of.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Omar, come on. Like, you're wearing it.

OMAR: I am aware.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: You have jerseys behind you. Your shirt is blue.

OMAR: Julian--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: How many of those shirts do you have? You have a blue one. I think you have a red one.

OMAR: Yes. Julian, we are nine games away from the end of the regular season, meaning that I am in peak "don't jinx the Leafs" season.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK.

OMAR: So I'm--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: All right, cool.

OMAR: I'm good.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: And can you hold your thought on the Leafs for one click? Let's get-- let's get Avry and Sam to speak their piece, and then we'll have the Leafs thing, just for a second. I love your rants. I love them to bits. But we need to make sure everyone touches the ball.

OMAR: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK? Avry, can you tell us a team in the Eastern Conference that scares you that's not named Boston?

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: This one, for me, is easy. It is the New Jersey Devils. They are four wins away from a 50-win season. They've scored 201 goals this year. This is a fun, young team that I think will scare a lot of people and show it in the Eastern Conference.

Jack Hughes has 40 goals. They got four guys who have over 60 points this season. Vitek Vanecek had a good year in net. The Devils, to me, are a team that-- I would not be surprised if New Jersey is in the final four this postseason.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Whoa.

OMAR: Final four.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's a take. Oh. OK. All right. Cool. We got-- I think we might have to write that down as some list of bold predictions. Don't be surprised if the Devils reach the final four of the Stanley Cup playoffs. OK. I like that. Sam, give me an Eastern Conference team scares you not named the Boston Bruins.

SAM CHANG: Does it have to be scares you? I don't know that anyone--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Sorry, the most dangerous scares.

SAM CHANG: I don't know that I'm invested enough to be scared by anyone.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, that's fair. That's true.

SAM CHANG: The only thing that scares me is the Vancouver Canucks.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Don't call people--

[LAUGHTER]

Yes. Yes. I saw that coming. But most dangerous-- the team that we should be looking out for, somebody.

SAM CHANG: I'm going to say the Leafs.

OMAR: Oh.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK, you're going to say it!

SAM CHANG: I can't jinx them.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh, there we go. We're gonna say it.

SAM CHANG: I'm not a fan. I don't care.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: There we go. There we go. Someone did it.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Someone did it.

SAM CHANG: I was going to say Tampa, but, like, ugh, Tampa's so boring.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: That's true.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, but, like, they've been in the finals for the last three years in a row.

SAM CHANG: Yeah. I just assume they will be again. Like, it's not scary. It's just, like, whatever. It's boring.

[LAUGHTER]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Omar's dying. Oh, man.

OMAR: Oh.

SAM CHANG: Oh, yeah, the Tampa Bay lightning are, like, not taking the regular season seriously, and then they're going to turn on to the playoffs. Whoa, what a storyline. Like, no. Like, yeah, I've been there, done that. It's so boring. Like, let's talk about something else.

OMAR: That's true.

SAM CHANG: Sick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Damn.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: [LAUGHS]

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I'm not going to lie. Maybe I'm in the minority. I'm not sick of them. Like, I think it's really cool that-- you know what it is for me? It's the fact that, you know, we see-- it's so hard to do what the Tampa Bay Lightning are doing.

And the fact that they're able to do-- this is a team that got embarrassed, like, in 2019, I believe, with that best team-- they were the best team of the regular season. They had that Presidents' Trophy. Then they got dusted by Columbus of all teams. They could have easily cratered, and they could have easily been the biggest what-if in NHL history. Instead, they woke up and they made it to the finals three straight times, winning it twice and then losing against another team that we also expect to go back to the finals in Colorado.

Like, the Tampa Bay lightning, as far as I'm concerned, are the best team of the salary-cap era. And I think it's really cool that they've been able to accomplish what they've been able to accomplish.

SAM CHANG: I think it is really cool. I think Julien BriseBois has done a fantastic job. I think Jon Cooper has done a fantastic job.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: He's been in the game for 10 years now with the Lightning.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Uh-huh.

OMAR: What? He's been the coach for 10 years?

JULIAN MCKENZIE: I think that's--

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Yes, sir.

OMAR: Oh.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah. We just passed the anniversary date a couple of days ago.

OMAR: Man.

SAM CHANG: If Jon Cooper or Julien BriseBois were on Twitter, somebody would be like, you've never played hockey at a high level, you don't know what you're talking about.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: [SNORTS]

OMAR: Lawyers.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, Jon Cooper. Why don't you stick to being a 35k podcaster on top of being an attorney?

[LAUGHTER]

OMAR: No kidding.

AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: You know--

OMAR: Oh, my gosh.

SAM CHANG: Yeah. I guess I agree with you. I think they're the best team of the salary-cap era. I think if they make it again, it's a cool story. But, like, do I think they're the scariest team right now? No, because they're not taking the season seriously. Which is fine.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: As of now--

SAM CHANG: Like, they don't need to.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: As of this recording-- you're right. As of this recording, they've lost four in a row.

SAM CHANG: Yeah.

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Mmm.

SAM CHANG: So, like--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah.

SAM CHANG: And I don't that I find the Leafs that scary either. I just, like-- it's a more interesting storyline. Like, at this point, they've literally tried everything. Like, I don't know what else they could possibly do to advance. Like, are they-- are they just cursed?

Did Bruce Boudreau's dad curse them? Are they--

OMAR: Yes.

SAM CHANG: --never going to advance until they hire him? Like, I just--

OMAR: Yes.

SAM CHANG: I want to know, like, what-- what is going on here? This is a team that, on paper, should have made it out. Like, I just-- I want to see it. And people are going to get mad--

JULIAN MCKENZIE: Yeah, if they don't do it--

SAM CHANG: --at me because, like, why do you want the Leafs to advance? Like, it's better to-- like, I would just rather have better-- I just want to have a better storyline.