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The DFO Rundown

A crawl to the finish line in the West

Ep. 203

It was a wild weekend around the NHL as playoff races continue to heat up. We had multiple 7+ goal outputs from different teams around the league and some of the teams that were victims of those offensive explosions were teams that were in the mix. Frank and Jason opened up the show by talking about the sliding Penguins, who are just barely hanging on in the Eastern Conference with the Florida Panthers lurking. Will they hold on?


If they miss, could Ron Hextall pay the price with his job? It could happen and Frank also talked about an interesting story out of Toronto that ties into a possible GM change in Pittsburgh. 


From there, they went out West where it seems like nobody wants to grab a hold of the playoff race. The Jets, Predators, and Flames all continue to play very average hockey and it’s led to the wild card race staying wide open.


They also hit on McDavid’s race to 150 points before bringing in Tyler for a new edition of Fill in the Blank brought to you by Pointsbet Canada where he asked the guys about the upcoming free agent class in the NHL.


0:40 - Penguins slide

6:08 - Dubas to Pittsburgh?

10:50 - Western playoff race

16:30 - McDavid a lock for 150?

30:20 - Fill in the Blank

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  • 300. What’s next for the LA Kings? PLUS: A look at the top 50 free agents

    49:32
    It’s a milestone episode of The DFO Rundown as Jason and Frank have reached episode 300 of the show. They kicked things off by talking a little bit about that before getting into the hockey talk.They started out in Tampa Bay where the Bolts were bounced in five games by the Florida Panthers. The big story there surrounds the future of their Captain, Steven Stamkos. He’s right near the top of Frank’s ‘Top 50 Free Agents’ list but the guys seem to think he’s going to stay put.That led to some talk about other big name free agents, like Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault, who could be on his way out of Vegas. They also talked about some names lower down the list like Oilers defenseman Vinny Desharnais. That sparked a debate about what the definition of a true second-pairing defenseman is.From there, they got into the playoff talked about broke down the series that Frank is covering between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators. They also hit on the Golden Knights and Stars and the Oilers taking down the Kings for a third straight season.In this week’s edition of Buy or Sell, Tyler asked the guys a handful of questions relating to the coaching carousel in the NHL.3:00 - Stamkos’ future in TB14:00 - Frank’s Top 50 Free Agents16:00 - The Oilers blueline24:00 - The remaining first-round series27:35 - Canucks vs Predators31:30 - What will the Kings do?38:00 - Buy or SellWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com
  • 299. The Leafs are on the brink & a full playoff report

    52:16
    Frank and Jason are back with a fresh playoff edition of The DFO Rundown as they took a look around all eight first-round series. Of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs are dominating the headlines right now as they are just one loss away from once again being eliminated by the Boston Bruins.They hit on the Canucks and Predators series, which Frank is in attendance for. The Canucks are on their third goalie of the series as they head into game five. Will they be able to survive the rash of injuries?The Dallas Stars also got a massive game-three victory on the road in Vegas with Wyatt Johnston coming through as the hero.From there, the Bruins stars have delivered for them through four games but the same cannot be said about the Leafs. Frank and Jason gave their thoughts on the state of the Leafs heading into game five.What will the Minnesota Wild look like next season, and how good is Brock Faber?Doug Armstrong has a ton of work to ahead of next season, but his hands are tied with the NTCs attached to Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, and Nick Leddy. What is going on with Connor Hellebuyck?Los Angeles makes a goalie switch as the Kings look to even the series against the Edmonton Oilers.0:55 - Frank's In Nashville10:45 - Wyatt Johnston is incredible15:00 - Funeral of the Core-4?26:30 - Minnesota Wild 37:00 - Doug Armstrong's Dilemma43:45 - Hellebuyck's Woes50:00 - David Rittich Takes The CreaseWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com
  • 298. The NHL Arrives In Utah

    42:10
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  • 297. Home Teams Dominate the Weekend & Stone’s Game One Status

    46:56
    Frank and Jason are back with a fresh episode of The DFO Rundown, presented by bet365. To begin today’s pod, the guys went through all the game one results that we got over the weekend.They started by talking about the Maple Leafs dropping the series opener to the Bruins. Toronto was undisciplined and their big guns were held quiet. Can Matthews and company get going in game two? The guys discussed.Tonight, the Golden Knights and Stars begin their playoff series and the one storyline that looms large is the Mark Stone injury situation. He isn’t confirmed to be ready for game one but there’s a good chance that he plays. Frank and Jason debated the LTIR rules and whether or not there will be changes coming this summer.They also talked about the upcoming part three between the Kings and Oilers which begins up in Edmonton tonight. The Kings have won each of the series openers over the last two meetings, but have lost the series each time. Will things play out differently for the Kings this time around? They gave their thoughts. There is also some interesting lineup decisions being made by each Head Coach.Tyler also swung by with a new edition of Buy or Sell where he talked about the performance of some goaltenders early in the playoffs.5:50 - Maple Leafs fall in game one6:50 - MAJOR EDIT15:45 - Mark Stone’s game one status26:00 - Will LTIR rules change?27:00 - Kings vs Oilers36:10 - Canucks beat PredatorsWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com
  • 296. Western Conference First-Round Playoff Preview

    50:03
    It took until the final day of the regular season, but the four Western Conference playoff series are finally locked in and with that, we are ready to go for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jason and Frank broke down every series in today’s playoff preview podcast.To kick things off, they went through the surprising results from last night that saw the Vegas Golden Knights lose to the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks, meaning the Golden Knights are now on a flight to Dallas and the Kings are going back to Edmonton for a third straight first-round matchup.They also broke down the upcoming heavyweight tilt between the Colorado Avalanche, who have stumbled their way into the playoffs, and the Winnipeg Jets, whose strong finish gave them home-ice advantage. The Canucks are also back in the playoffs for the first time since the bubble season and despite the fact that they held the top spot in the Pacific Division for the entire season, there are still people doubting them heading into their series against the Predators. Is that fair? Jason and Frank gave their thoughts.They wrapped up the podcast by giving their full Western Conference playoff brackets and then ended things by each tossing out who they think will be lifting Lord Stanley this June.0:45 - Nightly Recap 4:16 - Hart Trophy 13:17 Stars vs Golden Knights Preview18:26 Avalanche vs Jets Preview 29:25 Canucks vs Predators Preview   35:39 Oilers vs Kings Preview 41:59 Western Conference and Cup Final PredictionWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563Want to play the Wendy's Daily Faceoff Survivor pool for your chance to win delicious prizes? https://dailyfaceoffsurvivor.com/
  • 295. Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Preview

    38:03
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    53:46
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  • 293. The Latest on Relocation

    55:39
    It’s been a big 24 hours around the NHL as it sounds more and more like the Arizona Coyotes are going to be relocating to Salt Lake City, Utah. Frank has been all over this news, breaking the news yesterday. He and Jason kicked off the podcast by talking about how it got to this point between the league and the Coyotes and also what the next steps could potentially be in this process.Potential Utah Owner Ryan Smith has a home ready for the team to potentially play in. It’s not a perfect fit though and Frank outlined why the league isn’t worried about the arena situation in Salt Lake City.One angle of this involves Coyotes Owner Alex Meruelo potentially winning the upcoming land auction and getting his new arena project going. In that case, there is a chance that the league still one day grant him an expansion franchise. Frank and Jason talked about just how far off expansion could potentially be.After going through the relocation news, the guys jumped back into what’s been going down on the ice as of late. The Eastern Conference playoff picture is about as clear as mud with the Penguins, Islanders, Red Wings, and Capitals all still alive and in the mix. They debated if anyone could jump ahead this weekend.They also looked at Auston Matthews’ chase for 70-goals and shot down any ideas of him magically becoming a Hart Trophy favourite if he hits the milestone.Tyler swung by for a new edition of Fill in the Blank delivered by DoorDash.1:05 - The latest on relocation10:00 - How did this come together?13:50 - How far off is expansion?22:50 - Eastern Conference playoff race25:45 - Matthews & the Hart TrophyWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563Check out our friends at Betano and the latest NHL odds here: https://www.betano.ca/sport/hockey/north-america/nhl/10118/Want to play the Wendy's Daily Faceoff Survivor pool for your chance to win delicious prizes? https://dailyfaceoffsurvivor.com/
  • 292. The Penguins & Islanders have revived their seasons

    57:37
    With less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, the playoff race in the Eastern Conference is just getting spicier and spicier. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders have gone from afterthoughts to squarely in the thick of things with their recent run.Can either team finish the job and get into the big dance? Frank and Jason started the show off by talking about what’s going on when it comes to the final two playoff spots that are up for grabs.From there, they continued their post-mortem series as they look at teams that have been officially eliminated from the playoffs. They started today with the Seattle Kraken, who came back down to earth after winning a playoff round last season. Can this team turn things around next season? Or do the Kraken need to take a longer-term approach to things?They then went out East and talked about the Ottawa Senators, who Frank says has the most disappointing season out of any team in the league. The two most talked about moments from their season are two empty-net plays and now the question becomes: can this Senators core actually win? New GM Steve Staois has a lot of big decisions to make in his first offseason at the helm.They wrapped it up by talking about the Calgary Flames. Craig Conroy sold off a lot of important pieces throughout this season and now, he has to decide whether or not to embark on a long rebuild or quickly try to re-tool on the fly.Tyler also swung by for a new edition of Buy or Sell, delivered by DoorDash.1:10 - The Eastern Playoff Race10:15 - The state of the Flyers17:50 - The summer in Seattle26:30  - The Senators miss again39:05 - The Calgary Flames44:05 - Buy or SellWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563Check out our friends at Betano and the latest NHL odds here: https://www.betano.ca/sport/hockey/north-america/nhl/10118/Want to play the Wendy's Daily Faceoff Survivor pool for your chance to win delicious prizes? https://dailyfaceoffsurvivor.com/