The Boston Bruins are in a better place than many would have expected at the Olympic break, holding a four-point lead in the race for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are also just three points out of second place in the Atlantic Division.
With 25 games to go after the Olympics, can they hold onto a playoff spot? Paul Bissonnette thinks so. The TNT and Spittin' Chiclets star joined Jones & Keefe Wednesday on behalf of DraftKings to talk Bruins, Olympic hockey, Wayne Gretzky stories and more. Listen to the full interview above.
"They are [a playoff team]," Biz said. "They just have to be a little bit more disciplined. I love how they brought the big, bad Bruins back. [Nikita] Zadorov has been awesome for them, although the most penalized player over the last five years in the NHL. And I think as a team, Boston is the most penalized team. So typically, in the past, they have always had great goaltending, good structure and good special teams. Right now, the penalty kill is letting them down, but that to me is a result of overuse. Like, they gotta just dial it back. And the good news for Boston is, typically as the season progresses and as you get into playoffs, they allow for more of that physicality that goes uncalled.
"So, I like the way that they're built. I think there's a lot of guys having big years for them. And if they keep up with [Jeremy] Swayman playing the way that he's playing, I definitely think they're a surprise team. And I wouldn't want to meet them first round, either. Because even if the other team ends up winning the series, they're leaving with their pound of flesh, Boston. So, as much criticism as [Don] Sweeney and Cam Neely took, probably last year, at the beginning of the year, not only with the way the roster was built, but also with the way they handled the Swayman situation and maybe parting with [Linus] Ullmark too quick as a result of that, I think it's all worked out now. They deserve some praise for how they recalibrated this lineup."
As for the Olympics, Biz, a Canadian through and through, said he absolutely gives the Americans a real shot to win gold.
"Absolutely. This is probably the best team that you guys have ever assembled," he said. "Even despite having a few injuries and even a few guys – I mean, a few guys that are off your roster, like Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson. That's how deep this US team is. And actually, I believe right now, more of the money at DraftKings is being bet on the Americans. A little bit more juice than the Canadians. I believe that they're clicking the US at plus-175 and Canada's plus-125.
"But if they met in a one-game final, in my opinion, it's a coin toss. I think you guys have the slight advantage in net, slight advantage on D. Up front, I would say it's the Canadians. But it's awesome to see what the United States has done as far as growing the game. I think you guys saw the uproar after 4 Nations last year and kind of where the game is headed."
The U.S. men open group stage play on Thursday against Latvia. The gold medal game, if they get there, would be Sunday, Feb. 22.
The Bruins' first game post-Olympics is Feb. 26 at home against Columbus. Players who are not at the Olympics will reconvene on Feb. 18 at Warrior Ice Arena for a mini-training camp.