Avs Revenge Tour Rolls Into Vegas, Bengals Panic Meter, and Why Michael Still Hits

Ridin’ the Pine is officially back on the bench, and this one had everything: playoff hockey chaos, Western Conference Final hatred, Bengals schedule anxiety, and a Michael Jackson movie review that turned into a full-on musical performance ranking.

That is the beauty of this show. The main Far End of the Bench episode is where Niko and I get into the weekly sports war room together. Ridin’ the Pine is where I get to take the deeper cut, the solo rant, the side road, and sometimes the cultural rabbit hole that still somehow connects back to sports.

And this week? The bench was full.

The Colorado Avalanche survived the Minnesota Wild in five. Vegas put the young Ducks to bed in six. The Avs and Golden Knights are now staring each other down in the Western Conference Final. The Bengals' schedule is out, and the first three weeks already have me reaching for blood pressure medication. And after seeing the Michael biopic three times, I had no choice but to rank the best musical performances in the movie.

Let’s ride.

The Avs Didn’t Just Beat Minnesota — They Took Their Soul

Game 5 between the Avalanche and Wild was not supposed to go that way.

Colorado came out flat. Minnesota punched first. Then they punched again. Then they punched a third time. By the end of the first period, the Avs were down 3-0, and every Wild fan on the planet started convincing themselves the series was going back to Minnesota.

The problem?

The lead came too fast.

That sounds ridiculous until you watch it happen. Minnesota didn’t slowly build control. They didn’t strangle the game over 60 minutes. They got the lead early, they got comfortable, and then the Avs were left with two choices:

Fold and get on the plane.

Or open the chaos portal.

Colorado chose chaos.

Parker Kelly got the first chip-in goal to remind everybody that the game was not dead. Jack Drury cut it to 3-2 late. Then Nathan MacKinnon did what Nathan MacKinnon does. Extra attacker on, puck on his stick, basically no room to shoot, and he still found the one inch of space over Jesper Wallstedt’s mask.

That is not a normal goal.

That is a “superstar refuses to let the season breathe another day” goal.

Once that puck went in, overtime felt inevitable. And once overtime started, Minnesota felt cooked. They had spent too much energy. Their top guys had been leaned on too hard. Their best defensemen were playing monster minutes. The Wild had the lead, the chance, and the opening.

Then Brett Kulak buried them.

First goal in an Avalanche sweater. First career playoff overtime winner. One-timer through the heart of Minnesota’s season.

That is playoff poetry.

Kulak went from being part of the first-period mess to being the guy Avalanche fans will remember from this series forever. That is why hockey is insane. That is why playoff hockey is the best theater in sports. At some point, you are part of the problem. A few shifts later, you are the answer.

Minnesota was a good hockey team. I think that needs to be said. They had talent, they had energy, and they had enough to make this thing uncomfortable. But Colorado never played a full, clean game in that series and still finished it in five.

That should scare everybody else left.

Wedgewood Gave the Avs the Reset Button

The goalie change mattered.

Mackenzie Blackwood did not have it early. That first period got ugly, and Jared Bednar had to make a decision. You can stick with the starter and hope the group figures it out, or make the move and tell the bench the game is not over.

Scott Wedgewood came in and changed the temperature.

He did not need to be Patrick Roy. He did not need to steal the entire game by himself. He just needed to stop the bleeding long enough for Colorado’s offense to wake up.

That is exactly what happened.

Sometimes a goalie change is less about the goalie and more about the message. Bednar pushed the button, the Avs responded, and now they are headed to the Western Conference Final.

The biggest concern is still Cale Makar. He has not looked completely right since taking that heavy hit earlier in the playoff run, and the Avs may have to keep finding ways to win while he is limited. That is a dangerous game to play when Vegas is next, but Colorado’s depth has answered the bell so far.

Parker Kelly has been unreal. Ross Colton had a huge goal in Minnesota. Kulak just ended a series. Jack Drury found the net in a huge spot.

The Avs are not just surviving because of the big names. They are surviving because the support pieces are finally turning into playoff weapons.

That is how Cup runs are built.

Vegas Sent Anaheim to Bed, and Now the Real Fight Starts

The Golden Knights took care of the Ducks in six, and honestly, that series was exactly what it needed to be.

Anaheim was young, fast, talented, and annoying. They made moments interesting. They had stretches where their speed made Vegas look uncomfortable.

But Vegas is not a cute story team.

Vegas is a playoff machine built out of mercenaries, veterans, bruisers, finishers, and guys who look like they were created in a lab specifically to ruin your spring.

The Ducks got experience.

Vegas got the series.

And now Colorado gets the problem.

This is not Minnesota. This is not Anaheim. This is the title fight in the West. The two most recent Western Conference Stanley Cup champions are meeting with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. Colorado won in 2022. Vegas won in 2023. Now they get each other.

And yes, it is still personal.

Avs fans remember 2021. They remember Colorado winning the first two games and then watching Vegas rip off four straight. They remember MacKinnon’s frustration. They remember the feeling of a Cup-caliber team getting dragged into the mud and sent home early.

This version is different.

The rosters are different. The coaches are different. The situations are different.

But the jersey still says Vegas.

That is enough.

Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Preview: The Revenge Tour Meets the Lie Detector

Colorado should win this series.

That does not mean it will be easy. That does not mean Vegas is going away quietly. That does not mean the Golden Knights are some accidental conference finalist.

Vegas knows what it is doing this time of year. That franchise has been in these spots basically since it entered the league. The names change, the roster turns over, the cap gymnastics continue, and somehow they are still standing in May.

But this is where the Avs have to prove the revenge tour is more than a slogan.

The keys are simple.

Start fast.

At this point in the season, if you need to be woken up, you probably do not need to be in the lineup. This is the Western Conference Final. Nobody should need Bednar to light a fire. Nobody should need a 3-0 deficit to remember the season is on the line.

Let MacKinnon be the dog.

Put the puck on his stick. Let him attack. Let him chop the ice. Let him create panic. When MacKinnon is rolling, the whole building feels different. Vegas can defend. Vegas can frustrate. Vegas can slow things down. But they do not have anyone who can erase MacKinnon if he decides to take over a series.

Survive the Makar question.

If Cale Makar is limited, Colorado has to treat it like a challenge, not an excuse. If he plays, give him the support he needs. If he is not at full strength, the depth has to keep carrying the puck into dangerous areas without turning it over.

Could you attack the goalie?

Vegas can be beaten. This is not one of those matchups where the Avs are staring at an unbeatable wall in net. Colorado has too much offensive firepower to let Vegas settle in. Put shots on goal, crash the net, and make the Golden Knights defend every inch.

Do not let Vegas turn this into a wrestling match.

If this series becomes heavy, slow, and annoying, Vegas starts smiling. Colorado has to make this thing fast. Push pace. Stretch the ice. Make Vegas defend speed rather than dictate structure.

My pick?

Avalanche in six.

I would love five. Five would be perfect. Close it out, get some rest, and let the other side beat each other up.

But Vegas is too experienced for that to be the expectation. They will steal a game. They will make this uncomfortable. They will have a night when Avs fans are pacing the living room, wondering why this team keeps doing this to us.

Still, over seven games, Colorado has the better top-end talent, a higher offensive ceiling, and enough depth that shows up at the exact right time.

The Wild were the gut check.

Vegas is the lie detector.

Bengals Schedule Review: The First Three Weeks Are Already a Stress Test

Now let’s talk Bengals, because apparently peace was never an option.

The schedule is out, and Cincinnati opens with Tampa Bay, Houston, and Pittsburgh. That is not exactly a soft launch. That is the NFL handing the Bengals a calendar and saying, “Let’s find out immediately if you fixed your problems.”

The biggest question is the same question it has been for years:

Can they keep Joe Burrow upright?

That is it. That is the whole thing.

Burrow is one of the most talented quarterbacks in football. Mentally, he is elite. Physically, he can do more than people give him credit for. But none of that matters if he is running for his life every week.

Give Burrow three seconds, and the Bengals might already have a Super Bowl. Instead, the organization keeps flirting with disaster around him, and every year feels like a countdown clock.

That is why the first three weeks matter so much.

Tampa Bay at home is not a joke. Houston on the road is a real AFC test. Pittsburgh in Week 3 is the first divisional street fight.

If Cincinnati comes out of that stretch 2-1, we can breathe.

If they come out 1-2, the anxiety starts.

If they come out 0-3, then we are already talking about wasting another year of a franchise quarterback who has no business spending his prime in survival mode.

The international game against Atlanta in Madrid is another weird one. It is cool for the brand. It is cool for the league. It is cool for Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to be on that stage. But do I trust this organization to handle an international game cleanly?

Not yet.

That is not hate. That is history.

The Bengals' schedule is not impossible. It is not unfair. It is not some grand conspiracy.

It is simply a prove-it schedule.

And the Bengals have to prove they can stop being their own biggest problem.

The Michael Biopic Hit Harder Than Expected

Now for the part of the episode that makes Ridin’ the Pine exactly what it is supposed to be.

I saw the Michael biopic three times.

That is not normal behavior. I understand that. But after the first viewing, I could not just leave it alone. The movie stuck with me. Then it flooded my algorithm. Then I started watching clips, comparisons, breakdowns, and research. Then I took Ed, Dom, and Savannah.

At some point, I stopped watching like a normal moviegoer and started watching like a coach breaking down film.

Jaafar Jackson is incredible. I think that has to be said first. Playing Michael Jackson should be impossible. Everyone knows the voice, the walk, the posture, the spins, the hat, the glove, the stillness, and the explosion. If you are even a little off, it becomes a costume.

Jaafar does not make it feel like a costume.

He makes it feel alive.

The movie also does a strong job of showing the uncomfortable truth behind the machine. Michael did not become great by accident. He became great because he was gifted, yes, but also because Joseph Jackson treated him like an asset before he treated him like a son.

That is the part that stays heavy.

You are watching magic being built, but you are also watching what it costs.

And then there are the performances.

That is where the movie really flies.

Ranking the Best Musical Performances in Michael

This is not an actor ranking. This is not a scene ranking. This is the musical performance list.

The ones that hit hardest. The ones with the most replay value. The ones that made the theater feel less like a theater and more like a time machine.

5. “I’ll Be There” at the Carnival

This one lands because it shows the human side of young Michael.

It is not the biggest performance. It is not the flashiest. But it has heart. The carnival setting gives it innocence, and Michael's connection with the audience adds a softness that matters.

Before the glove, before the moonwalk, before the stadiums, there was a kid with a voice that could stop adults in their tracks.

That is why this one belongs.

4. “Beat It” in the Dance Studio

This scene has edge.

“Beat It” is Michael stepping into a harder sound and still making it completely his. The dance studio setup works because you see the construction of the performance. You see the vision. You see the attitude.

It is sharp. It is aggressive. It is different.

And it reminds you that Michael was not locked into one lane. He could take rock energy, street tension, and dance precision, put it all in one room, and somehow make it feel like only he could have done it.

3. “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.”

This is the arrival.

This is the adult solo star stepping through the door and realizing the room belongs to him. The transition with Jaafar is one of the best sequences in the entire movie, and the song's energy makes the whole thing feel like freedom.

It is not as heavy as some of the other performances. It is not as emotionally loaded as “Human Nature.” It is not as full control as “Bad.”

But it is joy.

Pure, smooth, unstoppable joy.

2. “Human Nature” on the Victory Tour

This one almost took No. 1.

“Human Nature” is beautiful because it does not need to attack you. It floats. It is smooth, emotional, and massive without being loud.

The Victory Tour setting makes it even bigger. Six sold-out shows at Dodger Stadium is an absurd level of success. That is the kind of detail that reminds you we still somehow undersell how huge Michael and the Jacksons were.

This performance is not about fireworks.

It is about control, feel, and atmosphere.

Michael did not always need to explode on stage. Sometimes he could glide and still own everything.

1. “Bad”

This one grew into the top spot.

At first, “Human Nature” felt like the easy No. 1. But after multiple watches and after living with the music again, “Bad” became the one.

Because “Bad” is not just a song.

It is an attitude adjustment.

Having a rough morning? Put on “Bad.” Having one of those days where you need to remember who you are? Put on “Bad.” Need to walk into the day with your shoulders back a little more? Put on “Bad.”

That performance is swagger, confidence, control, and full adult-superstar, Michael.

He had already changed music. He had already changed music videos. He had already changed performance. And somehow “Bad” still feels like him saying, “You thought I was done proving it?”

That is why it is No. 1.

Final Word: The Bench Was Full

This episode is exactly why Ridin’ the Pine works.

The Avs are chasing revenge. Vegas is standing in the way. The Bengals' schedule is already warming up the panic meter. And Michael reminded us that greatness is not just about talent. It is about pressure, timing, pain, performance, and the ability to make people feel something long after the lights go down.

The Avalanche did not play perfect hockey against Minnesota, but they survived like a team that knows something bigger is still out there.

Vegas is not a speed bump. Vegas is the test.

The Bengals are not out of excuses, but they are running dangerously low on patience.

And Michael Jackson?

He still hits.

That is a full bench.

And that is why we ride the pine.