I got no issues with that line, and they're doing a good job. I just watched a bunch of forechecks here this morning, and all these guys are really working and competing and creating lots of pressure up ice, which is allowing him to spend less time on our end. So I like a lot of what that group is doing. Mitch even last night, you know, didn't get on the sheet, but there was a few plays that he made at different times to advance the puck and get us out of trouble. That's important. It's the way to match up's role right now. Those guys are taking on some tough responsibility, playing against a pastor neck, and I've done a really good job of it. So each line's not going to roll every single night, offensively. Their time will come in the series, but I like what they've done so far here defensively and they're a big part of, you know, last night's win. Fan Morning Show Sportsnet 5.9 of the fan, Ben Anis Brent Gunning, that, of course, Sheldon Keefe after the game, two victory in Boston, where Austin Matthews just took the entire team, put him on his back. Part of all three goals, including, of course, scoring the game winner on a breakaway. That was Sheldon Keefe talking about the second line, but I think we all know who it was directed mostly. And he mentioned him by name, Mitch Marner. That second line had a robust 18% of the shot share at, or sorry, expected goals, four percentage at five on five. It's quite poor. They didn't look all that dangerous. No, but it's fine. It's fine, Brent. Mitch Marner, it's fine. You're doing great, bud. Keep it up. And the series is tied. And maybe the rest of this roster, all they have to do is just pond. Maybe it's like three punt lines and then the goal-scoring line that's going to score all the goals with Austin Matthews, the now 70 goal score. But probably you're going to need something from the formerly 99-point man, Mitch Marner, which takes us to today's front page of the Toronto Sun Sports section. And I know, Mitch Marner, this is never going to come into his fear. He'll never hear this. He'll never hear tail. Pay attention to the media, never. No, nobody is. Yeah, he doesn't do that, okay? But if he were to open up the sports section today, he might see the invisible leaf, the great Photoshop job of Mitch Marner's jersey and having no face. And the sub-headline is when buds need him most, Mitch Marner pulling his usual playoff disappearing act as Steve Simmons' article. It's not entirely just a blasting of Mitch Marner. There's some nuance in it, but it doesn't matter. And we should say they don't write the headlines. And unless he has more in the toolkit than I knew, I don't think Steve Simmons did that Photoshop either. I don't think so. I shouldn't assume, though. Yeah. Okay, so there's two things for me here. One is like, yeah, that's undeniable. And it's part of the conversation. We've had it, right? But it wasn't the lead item after game two, so they want it. Right? And it's not the lead item going into game three, because the series is tied at once. And I think on balance, most people have come to the same conclusion that we did after the first 120 minutes of hockey that I think the Leafs kind of look like a better team if the goal tending is close to a wash. I think they win this series. But it's undeniable that this guy who is supposed to be part of the incredible depth that the forward position, just it hasn't happened for him. It has passed eight playoff games going back to last spring. One even strength point has passed 11 playoff games. One goal. Yep. I mean, that's just, that's, that's part of the conversation. The Leafs are tied in the series. They have a chance to win it. But Mitch Marner is on notice, if they lose it, that he's going to be public enemy number one. Well, and so much of it is the road we took to get here. This isn't a story that was written through the first two games of a Boston Bruins series. This story, it's like it starts with the puck over the glass panel. Actually, it doesn't. It starts with the first Boston Bruins series and him blocking shots at the end of a game three win and you think, Oh my God, look at what's ahead of you here. And then there's the puck over the glass stuff in Montreal. And is that like a super unfortunate circumstance? Like, I'm not going to completely absolve him of it. But that is also just. It's not bad luck, but that is just a run of play that I think it's safe to say we will never see from him in his life. Again, I've just flipping puck over the glass over the glass. You see the emotion on his face. And like all we want is guys to care. But that wasn't, I'm mad. I'm going to lock in and care more now. That was things are spiraling. Like go see the still picture him in the penalty box after that. Like he's, he looks like he's going to well up. And again, like you want guys to care. So I'm not going to kill him for that. But this is what we always talk about of the way this market affects different people. William Nielander, his super power is that he doesn't care about any of this. Well, whatever the nor, if that's the North Pole, whatever the South Pole of it is, Mitch Martyr, because he clearly cares so much. And again, that's a good thing. But when you make the money you make and you're in the peak of your powers, the way he is, and this part can't be overstated. And William Nielander's not here. Of course the spotlight is going to go to you. Of course it is. And Matthew's is doing his job. And Tavares, we can have a conversation about what he makes. But guess what? We've kind of had that conversation. I think the referendum has been had on what John Tavares is or what's fair to expect of him. So if Matthew's is doing his job and you like what the first line's given you and expectations have shifted on John Tavares and William Nielander's not here. Where else is there to look for offense? Where else? We can have a conversation about Nick Robertson and wanting it from him. Should have scored in game two. Yeah, yeah, he should have. You're right. How dare you? If you're going to sit here and say Nick Robertson needs to be the guy. David Camp has scored in the series. Right. That fourth line is creating all kinds of chances. Big goal scorer, David Camp. I don't know. It's like, of all the goals he's scored, it feels like seven of them have been in clutch situations, whatever that means. So is it a little unfair that in a series where the Leafs are tied that Marner is already getting like prepped to be public enemy number one? A little teensy bit, but it's not. This is not, this is not yesterday. This is today's paper, right? Like this is, this is not in the immediacy following a victory. This is in a, an off day between games of the series shifting to Toronto. Yeah, talk about something. Yeah. It's, and it's fine. It's fine. It's fine. I would say this is just the media market. I would, I would do my best. And maybe it would be difficult too, but I would just totally separate myself from the discourse. Because that's, that's that. The whole purpose of that is to inflame is to, to invoke conversation, invoke discourse. And the reality isn't that. And I would just live in the reality or try to. I would surround myself with people that would be reminding me of the reality. So this is the thing, and this has been my pet theory with Marner about this all along. And like, we'll never know. The only, I think, because I don't even think Marner would tell people this, if this is true. I think the only person who knows is him. I don't think it's that Mitch Marner is sitting there staring on Instagram on his phone all day seeing, seeing leaf fans six to six being like, we need more from Mitch. He's letting the boys down. I don't think he's reading the Toronto sun and going, oh my God, I'm being raked over the coals. And I don't think this was happening in Boston the last two days. But I do think when he is, I don't think people are coming up to him going, come on, Mitch, you got to be better when he's, I don't know. It's like a heavy doubt. He does no grocery shopping, but when he's running around town, that's the funniest thing is like the Twitter criticizer is in person that's the never reality of. But I do think, and again, there's no way to know this. I think that when he's walking around and he sees, and I don't want to be clear, not that I saw him, but it's like, he sees me and my young son wearing our leafs hats. He's going, oh man. That dad's probably like barbecue me to his kit. Like I think, I don't think that's like a conscious thought he's having, but I think that's what it is when you're kind of steeped in the lore. If you're going to talk about him wearing it or the moment, not even being too big, because guess what? He has come through in big moments, not the ultimate game, six, game seven, but he has, you just look at performance. He has put up the exact same production coming very different ways, but then Matthew's has in his playoff career. So it's not like it hasn't happened for him. But you just need it to go right in an important spot. Okay. So there are certain guys that are clearly motivated by this type of conversation, right? That it's like, oh, you know what? I'm going to show you FU. Like forget it. Yeah. Watch this. The maple leafs must obviously very fervently believe that this fella is not motivated by that because we just played to the Sheldon Keith comments. You've, I mean, how many more examples do you need of this organization walking back, even the slightest criticism of the player and different strokes for different folks. Not saying this is some failing. And maybe I'd be the same way if I was a professional athlete. And he's had a tremendous, tremendous career. And they would know him and what motivates him better than I would. And some guys need the carrot. Some people need the stick. But it seems pretty clear. Like if you're, if you're going down the route of, well, here's a guy that sees the discourse and knows how people are going to talk about him if they lose this series and says forget that. So on my back, like, I feel like number 34 after remember, I brought it up after game one after the playoff goal scoring drought. I know both by you. Awesome. Matthew is no good at scoring goals. I know. Six games. Like there was. Yeah. Awesome. I mean, the series doesn't put the puck in the back of the net. Oh my God. You don't think that's a ginormous conversation. And there was criticism of him not scoring in the five games against the Panthers had a tremendous game. One didn't score missed a wide open cage and then single handedly one game, too. I think that guy. If you're going to make the case could be motivated by that type of stuff. I think what the Leafs are telling you again, knowing the player much more than any of us do that they they know that you would like to hear Sheldon Keefe be a little more critical of his highly paid players, but they know that if that happens, they're not likely to get the best out of him after the win on Monday night. Keef got asked about how good the Matthews line was and just continued the run on sentence of how good Matthews was right into all the good things Mitch Marner did in the game. It is very apparent. And I love to sit and like we would all love, you know, just a psycho killer who is unfazed by everything, but not everybody is built that way. So I don't have a problem with Keef trying to coach him in the way that seems best. But again, we talk about perception and if it is seen to be somebody who needs to be, I don't know, like maybe coddled is too strong of a word, but you know, more carrot than stick and it doesn't work. And again, this goes without saying, but if Matthews continues to have the series, he's had so far and Nielander is not here, there's just only so many places for the blame to go and Sheldon Keefe will wear it. They don't get out of this first round series. I don't care if Marner and Nielander are playing in it. He's probably not surviving. Yeah. Well, I mean, that's a good point too is that Sheldon Keefe, none of this is about self preservation because its results are ultimately going to determine whether he wins or loses. So if he's, there's no argument to be made that, hey, he's not publicly criticizing Mitch Marner because he doesn't want to upset the higher ups who drafted and developed and signed Mitch Marner to this ginormous contract, although the architect is no longer here, like it doesn't matter. Whatever you think is going to get the best out of the player, you do right now because you want to be working tomorrow. And there are examples of guys that he, and maybe it's not fair because these guys are easier to criticize because they're on one year deals and they're not the faces of the franchise. But what did we see after game one? Max Domi called out by name. Well, so the thing about that though is it's very from a coat and look like I, let me put my hand up. I too, for just from a catharsis standpoint, would love to hear Sheldon Keefe really take Mitch Marner to task after one of these games. This is not going to happen. Okay. But I do also think there's a difference between publicly criticizing discipline versus a lack of execution. If he comes out there and says, Marner needs to make more 10 out of 10 highlight real plays. It's like, I think he's trying to. I don't think Mitch Marner is going out there going, no, no, I'm just going to let the game come to me. I don't want to force anything. You can, if it is strictly a decision, a bad decision that is being made, even something like, you know, and I actually don't know how overly critically he was of it, but the Revo Edmondson double pinch from game one. You can be very critical of that because that is just a bad decision that you made. But Mitch Marner hasn't put up any points in this series because he's made poor decisions. I mean, maybe in, you know, a moment you'd like him to shoot or pass or whatever, but it is not a lack of discipline. It's not, it's not even William Neelander, dipsy doodling at the blue line and getting cute. If it was that, I think you'd see Keith taking a much more to task. It's very hard. And I think it's different if it's an effort thing. It is easy to criticize effort. It is easy to criticize and get your right to criticize a lack of discipline. But when it is a skill player that is not making skill plays, I don't know that piling on them is the way to go. And I don't say that from a media perspective. Say your piece, say what you need to say, but from Keith's perspective, as much as we would all love him to be critical because it's like the only thing we cared about heading into the season is how much autonomy does he have to be angry about these things? I actually don't know that being hyper critical of that player is the root to get anything out of him right now. No, he knows that it's not. Yep. And that's why he hasn't done it. So we'll see. And about entirely possible. He has a three point night tonight and this is a moot point. Like, sure. Nobody needs it more. Yeah. But also nobody outside of Austin Matthews. No one more capable of it. Well, sorry, David Patrick outside of those two guys. There's no more capable of it in the series than Marner. We haven't seen it yet. Like that, that has to be thrown in here. Like we kind of paper over it because I think we all understand. The reason we talk about him this way is he's not Nick Robertson. He is almost 100 point guy, Selky winger, Mitch Marner. And it's not, you don't need a good series out of him. You don't need him to have some games. You need him to be a frontline player that should be at worst, you know, forward. The third best forward in this series at worst. That's what he should be. Yeah. I mean, I would say at worst, if William Neelander is not in there, second best. But yeah. I mean, William Neelander. I mean, David Pasternak is a sick. Oh, I thought you were talking about it. No, no, sorry. I was taking the all the forwards in the series. Yeah. Yeah. It's like Pasternak can have a better series and that's no. Yeah, that's no slouch. That's okay. That's also allowed to have a better series than David Pasternak. Sure. You can do that. Yep. You're a guy who's going to ask for more than Pasternak money in, I don't know, as soon as five days if this thing goes poorly. Yeah. We'll see if William Neelander returns. I've already said my piece that, yeah, watching the video as I have and considering the stakes of these games and how innocuous the injury must be if he's on the eyes. But, okay, no, I think he's done and this is all window dressing. I think he's done all the wad disagrees. I just, I would like to commend you. That was a good limb to get out there. Thank you. I feel like everyone's been like, oh, I don't know. Maybe this series. Maybe not. Good stance. Good job. Based on nothing. We'll shake your hand. That was a good job. Thank you. Yeah. Again, based on nothing. Is this a good time for Neelander return though? If he doesn't return. Okay. So we're tied at one here coming off a victory. Hmm. Second line, not going great though. Um, is this a good time in the series for him to come back and, and, and. How does it change as far as the pressure is concerned? Because, you know, I talked about it. I think it was yesterday about like the Kevin Durant in 2019 thing for the Warriors. The more they won, the less pressure there would be for him to return. And then when the Raptors won the way they did, they did obviously feel a higher impetus to get him back on the court. And that didn't work out so well for them, which is disgusting Raptors fans. Yeah. Who I would have done the exact same thing. Yes, it was very beneficial for the Raptors who raised their only NBA championship banner. And don't think they were doing that if Kevin Durant was on the other side. I think I have to watch the minutes that he played in that game. And how different it looked. Anyways, is this a good time for William Neelander return to return way better coming on in. And I want to be clear. I'll have my own theory that has no information. I don't think he's playing tonight. But it's way better for him to come into the lineup off a win than off a loss. If he comes in off a loss and yeah, obviously like doomsday scenario, they lose both games in Boston. But if we do the thing we talked about earlier, we just flint the results. Leaf sleeves five one, they're coming home. It feels not must-winny, but it feels like you really, the momentum of the series could shift in a big way. All of a sudden there's all this pressure on Neelander to be the offensive savior. And oh my god, they just had one goal. They've had trouble scoring. If it's not Matthews, they haven't been able to generate anything. It amps the pressure up on him. I don't know that it is a, I mean, if Neelander is ready to go and you can get him in, it's a good time to put him in. But it's way, way better coming off a win than off a loss for me. I wonder if it enters the thought process on when to bring him back to like when is the, I wonder if they do feel the pressure and whether there is a moment where hey, we got our backs against, we got to throw, it doesn't matter what, what version of William Neelander we got. If it's more than 50%, he's out there on the ice. I, I, I do think like if he is capable of going, I think it's a perfect situation for him to, to re-enter. Not just coming off a win, not just with the series tied at once, but with that second line not producing much like, can it get much worse than the way that, that line looked and didn't produce through the first two games of this series? >> No. >> I mean, I guess the counter would be like, well, do you want a guy who's not 100% to enter a struggling situation? I would say he's not playing if he's, if you expect him to struggle. >> Yeah. >> If he's playing in the hockey game, if he's ready to go, and if he's ready to go, you're, you're hoping to get 100% at a William Neelander. I think it's a perfect scenario for him to jump into the lineup onto that second loaded up line, and then all of a sudden, oh, we're having, well, there's Mitch Marner, he just needed a little more talent than the, the aging John Tavares. Both guys get the boost of, of, of being part of the depth scoring on this team and giving Austin Matthews some semblance of offensive support. I think if he's capable of going, tonight would be the perfect circumstance for him. >> We'll just add one more wrinkle to that. The idea of it, and, you know, I suppose you could make this argument for the next game as well. If you're looking at home, it allows Keith to pick and choose his spots with Neelander a little more, maybe get him a more ideal matchup. And again, if you, if you feel like you have to super babysit his minutes, part of this is what's available to them too. Like I don't, I don't want to say Nick Robertson has set the world on fire in this series, but he hasn't been so poor or killing them in a way that you say we 40% of Neelander is better than 100% while no one's 100%, but whatever, you know, semblance of health Robertson's at now. The part has, has to color the equation a little bit as well, not in terms of do you get Willie back, but it just, it decreases the impetus to do it a little bit. The Robertson's given you good minutes, doers given you good minutes as well. And again, like you'd obviously would in a thousand, a thousand times out of a thousand take a slightly lesser Neelander than either of those guys, but it has decreased the pressure a little bit that the two guys that are kind of the bubble spots in the lineup should he come back and both played fairly well. >> Have, has the way the Panthers have played against the lightning impacted you retroactively evaluating this series and whether the Leafs got the better of the two matchups and the one that looked until game 82 for the Panthers looked like they were locked into? >> Yeah, it's just been very nice to see someone else going through the torture chamber that is the Atlantic division and it's the team that tortured you for so long. But I don't know, like, there's like a Michael Biz being like spinning back for save by, by a server. >> Yeah. >> How are we going to get a better save than that? >> Mm, I don't know, playoffs are weird, but probably not, I'd be hard. >> I feel like the only way you get it is an egregious mistake by a goaltender where they have to do like the Kujo diving back into the net, like it only- >> Well, that was kind of that though. >> No, but I mean, I'm talking about the one where the goal is behind the net and he just like passes. >> Yeah. >> And then the paddle, the paddle one where you just dive and it's just the paddle. I feel like that's basically the bar, but is that better than a spinning backhand in that moment? >> How much padding do you have on your back also as a goaltender? >> I think a lot. I feel like those guys wear a lot of padding. >> Yeah, it's mostly on the front though. I think they're used to taking pucks off the front of their body, not necessarily off the middle of their back. Like, listen. >> I feel like my boss was like, ah, my spot. >> Yeah. >> I don't know, I saw the like behind the scenes video of the Leafs where they like give the puck to the player of the game and they put it in there. And just based on the amount of padding John Tavares was wearing in that video who's not a goalie, where he looked like he was going to like battle in medieval times. Yeah, I'd imagine a lot of padding on the back. Don't you try to be like, oh, poor, I was literally wondering, I never played goal for a second in my life. >> That's because you're a goaly moment. >> Oh, for like content. >> Not really. I thought you were going to tell me there was a moment where like 12-year-old NIS is just lacrosse goaly. >> Took professional lacrosse shots at my face. >> How'd that go for you? >> I did better than I thought I would. >> You're still here. >> Yeah, no, it's terrifying. >> Yeah, of course. That's so, yeah. Just no fun at all. >> No. >> Although I will say like they had be a good lacrosse goalie. >> Thanks. Yeah, I didn't save any of them with my giant head in shot. >> I tried. >> Panthers have won 11 straight playoff overtime games. The lightning have lost. Six straight playoff overtime. I was watching that game last night and they threw that stat out there and just knowing that they'll be responsible for so many, I was like, oh, this is delicious, tasty. >> Maybe this is an obvious answer. So Carter Verhege now like, it's ridiculous, like he's got three backup sackic for the all-time lead and overtime goals. >> He's tied for third all-time with a little guy I like to call Glenn Anderson and Patrick Kane, Corey Perry, Maurice Rashard, second with six. >> Quickly, my greatest take of all time was watching the Matthews four-goal game and seeing Zach Hyman and being like, why can't he be Glenn Anderson? >> Yeah. >> I was joking. >> No, that's like, I don't know. Why can't he? >> You can. Maybe this is an obvious answer to this question. Justin Williams is Mr. Klutch, right? You think of Klutch, that's Justin Williams. I don't know. Is Carter Verhege making a case? >> No. >> Cuz it's like also the sample of overtime games, like such a smaller sample than the other guys on that list in the top three. What's more Klutch than scoring in playoff overtime? Cuz like not all Justin Williams, game seven goals have come to win the game. >> Right. >> A lot of them open the scoring, which is also kind of Klutch almost more important somehow. >> Yeah. >> And like, yeah, cops like it's different, but like, I don't know, is there not an argument for Carter Verhege and scoring an overtime? >> What I'd say, and I actually should probably look at the stats, cuz I'm probably disrespecting Carter Verhege in a way he doesn't deserve. When you make the argument of like, what the player is versus the lore they have, it's like Justin Williams feels like a great player, and not that Verhege isn't, but I don't know, maybe it's the fact that he was like cast off and Justin Williams has his lore of Mr. Game Seven, but it feels like Carter Verhege having that feel stranger than Justin Williams being Mr. Game Seven. >> Yeah. >> If that makes- >> Justin Williams better. >> Yes. How about that? >> Yeah, Carter Verhege claims is better player. >> Yeah, Carter Verhege feels like Martin Jelena to me, like it's like good player, but has these moments and just kills you, and it'll never not hurt cuz Leaf, you know. >> Mm-hm. >> Yeah. >> But that one you can't. You can't kill anybody for that one. It's like Carter Verhege was wandering the wilderness for half a decade, and then he was like, yeah, maybe just be good at hockey. >> Yeah, and to the Panthers benefit, yeah, it's hard not to watch that series, and I mean, both teams look- >> Seth Jarvis, we can have very different conversations about this show. >> Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. But yeah, though that I think may be least, hey, and they may still lose to the Bruins, but I think they got the better of the two match-ups than the team that went all the way to the Stanley Cup final. >> I would agree. >> I would agree. And again, just like keep torturing each other. I love it. That's great. John Cooper being angry. >> Yeah. >> All of it, just wonderful. >> We'll see if Bruins fans will be tortured if they lose in this first round series. We'll talk to one next. Rear Admiral. You know him as RA, co-founder, co-host, the Spitt and Chicklets Podcast next, as the fan Morning Show continues, Ben and his friend, Gunning, Sportsnet 590, the fan. >> Diving deep into leaps, Raptors, J's, and NFL, the JD Bunk is podcast. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. >> And Morning Show Sportsnet 590, the fan, Ben and his friend, Gunning, Game 3, Leaves, Bruins, tonight, Scotiabank Arena. Oh, yes. >> Jobs on the line here in Toronto. But as we know, nothing on the line for the Bruins. They're not even supposed to be here. No Patrick's, Bergeron. It's all gravy. >> Mm-hmm. >> For the Boston Bruins. >> Just a little. >> No pressure. No pressure. Despite setting all the regular season markets, you could a season ago and then bowing out after a 3-1 lead in Game 7 of the Panthers a season ago. But they are tied at once, headed to Toronto for tonight's Game 3. Let's talk to Rear Admiral, co-founder, co-host of the Spitt and Chicklets podcast. How's it going? >> Prank call, Prank call, hang up, we don't talk about that on this show. >> That's all we talk about in evaluating these two teams. No, I joke and obviously, like. >> No, it's ugly. It's ugly. It's ugly, boy. >> Yeah, thanks for doing this. Yeah, obviously, the Bruins have had way more recent post-season success than the Toronto Maple Leafs. >> Yeah, how much do a couple of first round exits and especially the one last year to a team that we didn't know would go all the way to a cup final and would assert itself as one of the favourites this season. But like, how much does that paint the picture of the pressure on this Bruins team? >> Well, yeah, it's thanks. I mean, any first round exit, always thanks, especially in that, man. I mean, I should have been over, I think over time, Game 5, my shine had the breakaway game on a stick series of the stick didn't get it done and we know how it ended up. Yeah, it was especially bitter because, you know, it was Bergeron's last year, of course, we didn't know it at the time, 100%, and yeah, it was extra salt in the wound, though. We definitely wanted to see the team last year and come for him. But, you know, I think we've all turned the page and, you know, it's a new team and Zachar and Coyle. You know, I think with the expectations they had with Creci and Berger, I think they did a hell of a job. I think they actually had more points combined than Bergeron and Creci did last year. You know, the pressure is always there. It's Boston, and it's title time, you know, kind of slipping, uh, Patriots-wise lately. But, uh, yeah, the expectations are always high in the city and, um, yeah, the pressure is on Boston now, though, that it's just split them back to Toronto. So thinking, thinking about the pressure, who do you feel kind of wears that or feels it the most in Boston? Right now, there is a very easy answer for that. It's Mitch Marner here. I mean, Matthews had the game, he scores the goal, he has two primary assists. Marner has been pointless through two series. It's pretty hard for me to sit here from the outside looking in to think Brad Marcheon is going to feel the pressure. People are going to turn on him. Is there somebody who will kind of wear this if the Bruins do have a lackluster first round? Like maybe it's Montgomery, if he doesn't find the right answer with the goalies. Who do you feel like from kind of the Boston side of things is going to wear it if this goes awry? Uh, I think you just named them, uh, the guy behind the bench right now, uh, Montgomery, uh, I don't know what the method with, with his goalies is now there's been 18 goalies who were played at the NHL playoff so far. That means two teams have used, uh, two goalies, Vancouver, because the number one, uh, back to them goes right. So they had to go to Smith. The only other team who's used two goalies is the Bruins and it's not injury related. So I don't know what the methodology is, what he's thinking. I mean, what's his name? Swimming had a terrific game, stopped, uh, 35 out of 36 shots. A lot of tough ones kept it, you know, kept, uh, Toronto, like being the whole game. And then he doesn't go back with the next game. I, I just don't get it. Oh, much. Wasn't the reason they last that game, you know, but he gave up three goal. I mean, he had three goals on, uh, whatever was 37 shots. I don't know. I just don't know why he bought the, uh, came back, did come back with, uh, Swimming. I don't know if he's going to goof it up again, uh, or goof up the lines. Like you did sort of last year. So yeah, if this goes right and the Bruins don't gather for us around, I think, uh, that's where a lot of fingers will be pointed regardless of, you know, who gets points or who gets points. I mean, I mean, does the seven game series against the Panthers inform the goal tending decision because they, they waited until game seven to start Swimming in the series and it was all Mark coming off of Vezna season. But yeah, and this is also what they've been doing all the way back until February. I just, I, I can't wait for the situation to, to show itself again in this series. Like say Swimming wins tonight for them to go to all Mark on Saturday would be unbelievable. But I don't rule it out. I thought it was unbelievable they went to all Mark in game two after he's after Swimming's been unbeaten against the, the Leafs this season. But yeah, going back to how the decision making played itself out against the Panthers last year, does that, do you think that impacts why, why Jim Montgomery is deciding to alternate these guys? I, I have no idea. I don't know. I don't know what they're thinking is. I know they kind of want the rotation on, yeah, but it's the playoffs, man. You can't like make a plan for the whole playoffs and say this is how we're going to do it. You've got to go game to game. You've got to go, you've got, I mean, if, you know, if, if a film, oh my God, uh, uh, shut out the other night, your last game, I would say, you know, stick with him. You don't, you don't, you don't take a, uh, shut out goalie out of the lineup. But I really don't know what, what he's thinking of what, what the brain trust is thinking. Uh, I don't know. I mean, where it's a playoff, say you need a guy to win 16 games. If you get a spot, uh, you know, the bulk of them. So be it. I mean, that, that's the history of the playoffs. I don't change the big goal with two goals a little bit more than you, but I don't think it's enough to warrant like, uh, justify a goal with a one, one on one rotation. You're like, we're seeing, I, I'm baffled and especially last year, I mean, I set it up the game too. You can go check my tweets, I swear him the next game. Uh, and they started all my six teams in a row, he didn't start more than four teams in a row all season. And then come to find out he was injured, you know, to have a week's report or with a painful, debilitating injury, which just further baffled everybody here why he got so mixed up. As you can tell, it's a little bit better. Oh, last year. And we're probably leery about that. He's going to need this. I'll fish you. Yeah. It's going to say it's just like, it's very nice to hear somebody from outside of this city talking about like the pain of coaching decisions passed and playoff failures. It's like, that's kind of our thing. All right. That's what we do. So it's nice to hear you kind of, yeah, soaking, uh, in the, in those waters, uh, as well Matthews. I mean, we mentioned it, he had an incredible game in, in game two, he was pretty good in game one as well. I mean, we've all had our, our wax at the Matthews pinata here in terms of just how dominant he's been. What do you see from him on a, on a night to night basis? I mean, I'm not going to sit here and ask you to kind of power rank him, but it is, it just continues to stand out to me how different he, McKinnon and McDavid kind of all are. They're all again, like McDavid's the best player, but they're also dominant in their own regard. It just, it never seems to stop standing out to me just how different, but great. All three of those guys are in their own kind of way. Yeah, that game too. I mean, if, if Toronto is to go in, when, you know, with this series, I went a few more series after this is a game, I think people will point to, I mean, obviously he had the goal factor and the two other goals, uh, 23 minutes, 24 seconds on ice, the only two players read more than him were Lindom and McDavid. I mean, he had the most on his team, include all the defensemen, uh, plus two, eight shots on that six hits, uh, almost 70% of the thought, uh, just a dominant performance, both ends of the ice and, you know, that, that's what you expect from, from the leaders, uh, at this time. Yeah. Now, some of your leaders, uh, guys in the team kind of with the opposite of that, uh, I don't want to mention any names, but, I think guys in that locker room have to, uh, have to look at awesome matches in the face after their reference last game. And I would expect, uh, better reference from certain guys in game three, but yeah, definitely a, a game that helped build this legend more again, if they go on and, you know, do great things this playoffs, this will certainly be a game that people will point to his, uh, not necessarily turn and play, but just, just, uh, as a, uh, maybe a foundational game and, you know, awesome matches taking more steps to become, you know, one of the great plays of the game. I, I want to do a temperature check on your confidence and compare it to before the series started. All right. Like how, how did you feel about the, the Bruins ownership of the Maple Leafs going into this series and then you win game one, five, one and a couple of power play goals. And then after the, the, the Matthews performance and after the bounce back, after going down one, nothing on another horrible panel detail taken by Jake McCabe, like where, where is your confidence in this Bruins team after two games of the series? Uh, what a load and when it started, I mean, you know, I, I think I predicted, not think I had the Bruins in five, I, I called just, you know, by, by dent of the, you know, disparity and, and gold timing and, and on defense as well, I just, I mean, I give the edge to Toronto stop six easily, but I thought I'd go around, you know, coaching and the process structure. I thought the Bruins had a pretty big advantage, but, you know, after we saw last game, man, you still got to go and play the game. And, uh, again, I don't fault all marks for the loss at all. I do wonder how, how they would have fit if they did stop swam. And but yeah, I, my confidence maybe knocked off maybe five to 10 percent, but I, you know, I think that the Bruins play the way they capable of they should, they should still win this series. Yeah, that's good to hear. But just so you know where, where I'm kind of sitting from, it's like somehow the Leafs win did not affect my confidence one way or another. It's like I'm still quaking him up. It's over. Yeah. And then it's like we're, it's like pre 2004 Red Sox, you know, I understand, I understand the pain. It'll go away Sunday. I just don't know when. Yeah, I know. I, I had to have a child. So hopefully one day somebody in my family will see her because I'm not positive it'll, uh, it'll, it'll be me, you know, the physicality of a such a talking point coming into this, the Leafs go and get domy and Bertuzzi and, I mean, lump Edmondson into that revo. This is a different Leafs team in terms of the physicality Brad Marchon said as much. How do you think that kind of changes the series just that the Leafs have some pushback? I mean, it's been such a talking point here in terms of Matthews that as good as he's been in the playoffs, there's been way too many moments of him kind of shying away from scrums and not looking at guys and look, Austin Matthews isn't all of a sudden a power forward and an enforcer, but he seems to kind of be realizing how big and strong he is in some of these scrums. How have you seen the kind of physical battle between these two teams? Yeah, obviously it's good, you know, to get a little bit more muscle, like you mentioned Bertuzzi and Rego and domy, but at the same time, you know, I think a lot of the, the toughest of Toronto needs to come with, within from, you know, guys just maybe getting grittier and digging deep because, you know, as much as re-open, you know, make guys a little bit bigger on the ice shop or Bertuzzi, some of these guys have to play bigger, uh, just on their own, you know, compared to years past day, you know, like they can't be soft. I mean, that clip of, of mine has been going out for the three days now, he's, I don't know if he was trying to play it to himself or, uh, what the hell is this door of McEvoy just took the puck and dumped it out of it. It was a tough luck to play. So I think that type of top, this like just, you know, uh, inner strength, that's, that's more of the part of the concern, the least because let's face it, it's got a lot of fight in the playoffs highly. I mean, you know, things get a little bit waffle, but I think it's just the will to win the will to compete. I, I think that's an issue more than, you know, so much of having a Rego or Bertuzzi on the ice cream. It just, it just guys is going to get grittier and be a down, I think a little bit more. Um, so we know what it's like to root for Brad Marchin on when he's wearing the maple leaf. And, and we'll, I assume next year when they have the world cup of hockey, he'll, it'll be part of team Canada, but he does, there's no face licking when he was, he's next to Sydney Crosby. Right? Well, what's it like to root for the face liquor, the, the, the, the, the league's, uh, big, biggest past or most effective past, uh, I, I, it's the, I mean, he'd, he'd, you, he'd be a pitaby of one of those guys yet while I'm going to our team and you hate to go against them. He ain't lying to the other team. I mean, that's, I think that's the best way to describe my shine. Uh, yeah, you know, these guys may have some antics where, you know, you might not have pointed on his, any real at the end of the day, but, uh, he's a hell of a player. I mean, he's, uh, I think all of a sudden, I mean, I don't know if he's going to make the Hall of Fame, but I think certainly there'll be maybe a debate about it. He's got a few more, he's got a few more, a few more years left as well. Um, yeah. I love, I love my shine, man. I mean, you know, everybody who roots for a team in the NHL is rooted for a villain, uh, every year. I mean, it's, you know, it's part of, it's part of the league. We all love our bad guys. I mean, I mean, we had, uh, Joshy Tucker run, um, with the ones we have in mind, and I'll come on to go and check that. I mean, he was, you know, uh, the epitome of, uh, he called himself a rat out there. So everybody, everybody who referred a villain of that caliber. And yeah, I love my shine and I'll move from all day. Yeah. And he's going to play in game three, despite the vicious slash to his leg by Tyler Bratouza. And the wrist slash two, walking wounded, miracle, you survived anyways, uh, she'll be fun tonight. All right. Thanks for this. Hey, anytime my friends, I good luck in that. Hopefully we'll talk to you a little bit later. All right. See man, uh, rear Admiral co-founder, co-host of the Spitt and Chicklets podcast. But as I just come off a little bit of his confidence, picking the Bruins in five to start the series and be tough to stick with that and be very bold. I mean, I said six, I don't know that it brought that to the mic possible. I said leaps and six. Yeah. I guess we didn't do our official predictions down and then just never came to fruition. You know, Leafs and six. That's what I said. Yeah. Uh, I'm not going to tell you how I feel about that after two games in the series. That is, in fact, what I said, I'll bring Michael, I'll bring Michael Givens from city news six, 80 in here to verify. I think part of that also is, and I listen, I don't know if this was a conscious thought, but now I'm going to make it a conscious thought that we're going to game six. If it happens. Oh, that's right. It's Toronto. I think I don't know if it went into your conscious thinking. Okay. You know what? Actually, you mentioned this to me. And I thank you for reminding me of how much I hate myself in that the second. So I picked Leafs and six and then our boss, Ryan Fabros, like, Hey, you guys want to go to game six and like, Oh my God, they're losing in six. I'd never been more confident of anything in my life that immediate, the second I had the chance to experience joy that it would be the exact opposite is, is how I went there. I mean, if, if it was boy, we're looking for it every year, it's like, what is the thing that exercises the demons and maybe, Oh, it's going down three Oh in the second round and coming back and doing the 04 Red Sox thing. Nope. Nope. No, wasn't it? Maybe it was finally getting through not needing a game seven against the lightning. Hey, game six over time. Maybe. Nope. Nope. I, my best guess at this point would be game seven against the team that you've lost three consecutive game sevens to exercising those demons in that building in overtime. Yeah. And then you know, it's waiting for you. The demon from last year, the Florida Panthers and then you do that, yeah, it's like, it's like pomeclade said it best, okay. They're everywhere. They're under their beds. They're in the car. I don't know where else he said, but wherever you can think of it, there's a demon alert and in leafland. Um, you know what conversation, I mean, we can have, but I don't think as much of a conversation, like it's really, you're like, you're grasping at straws if you think it's a real discussion. Okay. And is the TJ Brody, Timothy Lilligren thing and the swapping out or like the, the messing with the six defenseman that have played the first two games of this series, it was a question going into game one. Once we had that decision, which was very much on the radar, seeing as how it had happened during the regular season and once Timothy Lilligren was able to return from his injury and play a couple of regular season games, once that's happened, I don't think we're continuing to have it. I think as far as the lineup manipulations and guys in and out of the lineup, the, the one that is the most pressing, obviously the William Neeler one, but I don't think this blue line has been so egregious that you got to start messing with what's worked at least 50% of the time in Boston. Yeah. And I think the biggest reason for that is that there's not the clean spot, like the guy at Lilligren seems to be somebody that people are looking at Labushkin as well. Last time I checked, correct me if I'm wrong, we've been talking about this team all year. So it'd be, it'd be weird if I had got this wrong, both those guys play on the right side. That's where TJ Brody has struggled ad nauseam this year. The best version of Brody you got has been on the left side. There's not really a spot for him on the left side because I'm not taking out Edmondson or Benoit. So I think it's just kind of a simple there. If the Leafs lose tonight and Labushkin or Lilligren or I mean Benoit or Edmondson for that amount of struggle, we can have that conversation. But yeah, I don't, I don't see a world where you can put TJ Brody in right now, especially when the options seems to be putting him on the right side. And that just hasn't, hasn't worked since the middle of last season. I don't know what happened halfway through last season, but it really hasn't worked since then. Yeah. So Leafs haven't had much postseason success at home in recent vintage, only winning once there, just by winning around last season. I do look at this team, well, I mean, just factually it's different, right? It's a different roster altogether. I mean, Austin Matthews also hasn't scored on home ice in a postseason game. It's been a while for him, it's been a while. I do look at this potentially going two ways with the amount of emotion that this Maple Leafs team plays with. But I keep mentioning it three times it's gone, not the direction it's supposed to go. And I would have thought after the Max Domie slash to Brad Marchand in game one, and then the public calling out that we would have had less of it, but we had factually 50% more of it in game two. They took two of those penalties. And could have been a third is somehow, Ilya Liechkins, whatever they escaped, it's all good, just three times, not four, where it could have been. So on the one hand, it's like, man, the emotion in the building, boy, that first Ryan Reeves hit is going to hit like what a bit of dopamine that'll be on home ice. But yeah, there is a, if you were worried about this team being a little too amped up and that being part of the problem in game one and part of the problem in those two penalties that were all timed in game two, I mean, you have to be a little bit worried about that being even more amplified in front of the home fans at Scotia Bank Arena tonight. I thought the most excited I could ever, and it's funny because we don't think of this person of possessing emotions at all, let alone being excited about anything, I thought the most excited a leaf could be to step on home ice was when John Tavares skated out and they announced him as captain and it was a whole thing like, oh, who's it going to be? I bet who comes last will be the captain's Tavares that whatever, whatever finicky measurement we use to judge that, that record will be shattered by Max Domia playing his, like you were talking about Revo hit and of course, yeah, the Max Domia hit that will happen when Austin Matthews inevitably starts that game. I think, you know, I know the Bruins are going to put out who they want, but I would be shocked if Keith doesn't go tone setting with Matthews out there tonight, Domia's as well. It is about getting off to a good start in this game and that doesn't necessarily mean scoring first. Obviously you'd like that, but I think that as long as the game is trending in the right direction, the, and again, that doesn't necessarily mean you're winning. It just means that you're controlling the play. Then I think the Domia, the Bertuzzi, the Revos are able to keep it more in line because you don't feel like you have to do something to switch the way the game is going. But if they fall behind early or if Boston is controlling the run of play, then I can easily see a world where, and it's those two guys specifically and, and Reeves is a little smarter about it just because I think he understands he has to do less of it. But I can easily see, don't me trying to, trying to get somebody going or spark something. And again, I'm going to say that we love that about him. That is the thing you wanted on this team for so long. Hasn't been here since cadre was here. It's about finding the line as well. Yeah. It's different than game one of the series though, or even, you know, the first two games of the series, like the message is already with sent. It's not about message sending. I think it's about not letting the building tilt one way or another. And I don't talk about the players. So talk about the fans. I think that's what it would be about. Yeah. And again, if you're going to be optimistic about these things, and I don't know why you would, especially considering the way this has gone throughout the course of the last couple of regular seasons. It's tougher for the officials to do the thing that they've done three times as well, right? It's going to be, it's, they're only human. Now they've been a human so much in that they're afraid of ever having the perception of being biased towards the most important franchise. Yeah, they certainly had no problem going on the Justin Hall pick penalty at home. Sure. Like I said, recently, if you were going to think about it logically, though, there's your problem. But yeah, if you were going to think about it logically, and there's only so many of them that they can call, but yeah, the, the, the emotion that will emanate from the fans in the building, if in fact it's, hey, it's a scrum and only one guy is getting pulled out and thrown in the box and it's Max Domi and not Brad Marsh and tough to continue to do that time and time again. And maybe that's, you know, where Sheldon Keef needs to do like the little Paul Maurice. Well, this is, this is very on brand for me, but I could also see it go in the other way. Like, oh, you think all 20,000 of you are going to call the game tonight wrong. Y'all showed up to see me. Gordy Dwyer. I don't know why that's the name I had. Probably not even reference tonight. Yeah. Awesome. Fair. Sorry. Gord. Yeah. Again, recent history and the evidence would suggest that you're probably closer to being right in shocker, but maybe try and use logic if you want to think optimistically. All right. Okay. We'll be back tomorrow with another edition of the fan morning show, Ben Anis, Brent Gunning Sports at 5.90 fan. Good morning. [MUSIC]
