Dan & Sat open the show discussing the Elias Pettersson contract reports. While the team is on a 4-game skid, Pettersson's contract remains the #1 story on this team. Is there a lack of engagement from Petey, Dan expects more from him. The guys review Coach Tocchet's post-game comments and discuss if it was the right decision. Jannik Hansen joins the show. Jannik talks Coach Tocchet pushing the buttons, why this group can't score on the powerplay and how to fix it. Jannik speaks on Pettersson and why he's under the microscope of the Vancouver fans. Jannik shares what he feels the Canucks need to add before the trade deadline. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Sat answer all of your questions in the Friday Mailbag! The guys discuss how to fix the dreadful powerplay, if the Leafs winning streak or Canucks losing streak is more surprising, when will Mikheyev be scratched, will Pettersson be Bure 2.0? and much more.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Canucks showing Kraks?? Lots to chew on for Matt and Blake after a lacklustre effort in Seattle, and the guys follow the coach’s lead on this one. We hear from Rick Tocchet after the game, and his call for players to pick up their game.

Rink Wide: Vancouver host Jeff Paterson was down in the emerald city and stops by with his post-game report, his thoughts on the Canucks PP and Elias Pettersson’s form, plus a look ahead to the Canucks vs Bruins. 

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli checks in with the latest from around the league including the possibility of players with term being traded, and whether all this losing might have the Canucks thinking about an urgent deal. All that, plus your feedback from the past week in “To the People We Go”.  Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Winnipeg Jets chairman Mark Chipman doesn't seem confident that the club's dwindling attendance figures bode well for the future of his team.

The Jets' season-ticket base has fallen from around 13,000 to roughly 9,500 in the last three years, the club confirmed, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston.

"I wouldn't be honest with you if I didn't say, 'We've got to get back to 13,000,'" Chipman said. "This place we find ourselves in right now, it's not going to work over the long haul. It just isn't."

The Jets' arena, now known as the Canada Life Centre, is the NHL's smallest permanent facility at a capacity of 15,225 for hockey games.

Winnipeg is averaging only 13,098 in 28 home games this season, according to Hockey Reference. That exceeds only the Arizona Coyotes, who are playing in an NCAA building. The Jets' 87.3% capacity is the third-worst rate in the league ahead of only the Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks.

The Jets enjoyed sellout crowds for nearly a decade upon relocating from Atlanta in 2011. But their attendance has been trending downward since the pandemic, and Chipman acknowledged the NHL has taken notice.

"They pay attention," he said. "They see the numbers. They see where the league's at and where we're at. And we're an outlier right now. So, rightfully, they want to know, what are you doing? What's going on? What happened and what are you doing about it?"

The Jets have exceeded expectations on the ice despite their attendance troubles. They entered Friday with the best points percentage in the Central Division, trailing the first-place Dallas Stars by three points and the second-place Colorado Avalanche by two with four fewer games played than both squads.

In October, Chipman dismissed the notion that he'd sell or relocate the team.

"Because it happened once is it a concern it could happen again because you're the smallest market? I'd say, 'Not on our watch,'" he said.

The original Jets left Winnipeg to become the Coyotes in 1996.

Relocation and expansion have been hot topics in NHL circles lately. Last fall, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said some of the challenges the league faced in Atlanta could now be overcome. Then, in January, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith sent a letter to the NHL formally requesting expansion to Salt Lake City.

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On this week's show, Brendan Batchelor and Randip Janda discuss the Canucks' struggles on their recent road trip, the difficult time they're having on the power play and what they need to do to turn things around ahead of Saturday's matchup with Boston. They also answer some listener questions and conduct another Rose Ceremony.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The Vancouver Canucks have lost four games in a row for the first time this campaign, but goaltender Thatcher Demko said his team is well-equipped to handle this bump in the road.

"We're going to go through this. It's not going to be a perfect season," he said after Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. "This is the first bit of adversity that we've faced, so I'm sure it's fun to write that we're struggling or whatever, but it's part of the game, it's part of the sport. We're learning from it.

"Maybe the one good thing about the seasons that we've had in the past is that we've been through stretches like this. I like to think that we've learned a lot from those seasons."

Vancouver has only made the playoffs once in the last eight seasons, with its most recent appearance coming in 2020. The Canucks are going to return to springtime relevancy this year thanks to an electric campaign that has them sitting atop the Pacific Division with a 10-point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Canucks still lead the league in regulation victories (33) while ranking second in wins (37) and fourth in points percentage (.678). Though coach Rick Tocchet said he doesn't "want to go crazy" over Thursday's defeat, he acknowledged that his team has to "pick it up."

"I mean, this is not even close to playoff hockey," he said. "(The Kraken) were desperate, but if these guys think playoff hockey is that, we're in trouble. There's been a couple of games here where we need some guys to get going. I don't care what our record is; it's been a little bit disturbing, some of the efforts from some of the guys right now."

The Canucks have been outscored 22-12 over their current slump, with all four losses coming in regulation. Star defenseman Quinn Hughes said he's focused on not changing his mindset in the face of his squad's mini-skid.

"I've told (the media) the whole year that I was gonna try to be not too high, not too low," he said. I think I've done a really good job of that so far, and I think the guys in this room have done a really good job. … There's obviously a level where we know to be better, but also no one's panicking."

Vancouver's next chance to get back in the win column will come Saturday against Boston. The Bruins won their first meeting of the season 4-0.

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"It's Friday, and all I want to do is dance, dance, dance." - Craig Kilborn, "The Late Late Show" (1999-2004).

The "SportsCenter" host turned late-night entertainer used to send viewers into the weekend at peak vibes. Twenty years later, all anybody in this space wants to do amidst the dog days of February in the NHL is bet, bet, bet.

Thursday's results opened up the opportunity for a handful of wagers worth making (at widely available prices) in the futures market before the stretch run of the season.

Division winner

Metropolitan Division: Hurricanes (+150)

The even-strength metrics love the Hurricanes. Surprise!

Carolina is one of three teams with a better than 55% rate of expected goals and high-danger chance share at even strength. Meanwhile, the Rangers add up to a league-average team by those two metrics.

What's bought the Blueshirts a lead in the Metropolitan Division has been Jonathan Quick's resurgence, saving a season in which Igor Shesterkin has struggled. The Rangers' incumbent hasn't shown much improvement in the new year, with a GSAx of minus-5.37 in 2024, and I'm willing to bet against the Rangers shifting more starts Quick's way and have that work out well.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes need only slightly better-than-average goaltending to kick their results into high gear. That's exactly what they've gotten recently, losing just four times in regulation since Jan. 1, including an epic shutout performance by Pyotr Kochetkov against the Panthers on Thursday.

To make playoffs

Red Wings: No (+200)

Here are the worst teams in expected goals share this year:

• 32. Blackhawks (40.6%)
• 31. Sharks (42%)
• 30. Red Wings (45.5%)

Alex Lyon and James Reimer have combined to save 10-plus goals above expected, which is even more surprising than the Red Wings sitting in a playoff spot with those even-strength metrics. Throw in an unsustainable 15.3% high-danger conversion rate, and Detroit could get overtaken by either the Devils or Islanders - two teams that should be primed for a good closing kick.

Wild: Yes (+400)

While there's no glaringly valuable team on the outside looking in to make the playoffs in the East, the Wild (available for as long as +400) are an easy pick to usurp the Blues for the West's final playoff spot. This also acts as a fade of the Predators, who don't have the goaltending or scoring efficiency to warrant odds shorter than +200.

Regular-season point totals

Blues: Under 88.5 (-130)

The team right behind the Red Wings for fourth-worst in XG% at even strength is the Blues. And they're even worse at preventing high-danger chances (third-most allowed).

Jordan Binnington (plus-17.87 GSAx) can't stand on his head forever. And when he goes back to his pre-New Year's Day level (plus-1.21 GSAx), St. Louis will fall off this prescribed pace, back to the mid-80s - where it was projected before the season. So little is expected from the Blues that they won on Thursday, and their regular-season point total came down from 89.5 to 88.5.

Kings: Over 100.5 (-115)

Speaking of preseason projections, the Kings are back to theirs at 100.5. Amazingly, a 2-14 stretch didn't derail their season, and their metrics haven't wavered. Ten of their final 27 games are against teams currently in a playoff spot, so 35 points out of 54 available is very doable. If L.A. gets super-hot, 14 points back, with four games against the Canucks and four more in hand, a Pacific Division run isn't out of the question, especially at +1800.

The cheat sheet

The dirty little secret in the betting world is that, while there are no bad bets at the right price, the discovery process of what a good price looks like is hidden.

Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.

You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:

• True line favorite of -111 or longer: 1%
• True line between -110 and +110: 2.5%
• True line underdog of +111 or longer: 4%

I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for the second leg of a home back-to-back. When it comes to injured players, an estimation is made on the player's impact on their team's win probability.

When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's a possibility that a moneyline moves into a bet-friendly range at some point between the market opening and puck drop.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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