[MUSIC] All right, fan morning, show sports net 590, the fan, Ben and it's Brent Gunning, good morning to you. I feel like I just saw you. >> Yeah, I did, cuz we did just see each other. We spent so much time with one another. I drove you to the rink, we've watched a game together. I drove you home, and then I couldn't fall asleep at night. And I was scrolling on Twitter, I saw your face on there. Like one of your tweets popped up, I've been seeing a lot of you. That's wonderful, it's wonderful. It's Friday, it's the Leafs are alive, they win. We're going to Boston. To quote Bonzi, God what a night down there. And most importantly of all, you and I, perfect in the playoffs. So I guess I was again. I don't make the rules. So, what do you do when you're riding a six game post season home losing streak? Well, I mean, you do get two goals from your highly paid forward. Challenge a lot. >> God. >> And a bunch of saves. Almost all of the saves, save for 0.1 second, left on the clock from Joe Wall. You also bring in the big guns. >> Yeah. >> First post season appearance for us, we are now what I know as the Toronto Maple Leafs headed back to Boston. Where the Bruins are trying to avoid being the first team in North American pro sports history. >> Yes, say that as many times as possible. >> To blow three one series leads in back to back years. Now, Brent, it was just a week ago, we could go tomorrow. >> That's right. >> That all the Obits were written. And listen, I'm not saying like I was absolved from that group. Like I, you got some typewriter out. You were telling me about last night. >> Yeah, yeah, I've used the typewriter my day. I've like submitted an essay written via typewriter. I'm not that old, but yeah, it does when it gets the end. It's very loud, it was an electric typewriter. Anyways, a week ago, tomorrow was game four. Where the Toronto Maple Leafs were booed off the ice after 40 minutes of play, booed off the ice after 60 minutes of play. They were down three one headed to Boston, it looked like the season was teetering, Austin Matthews didn't play the third period of that game. And what did they do well in the first period of game five in Boston? They went 11 to two in shots on goal, end up winning the game in overtime. What did they do after that? First period of yesterday's game was arguably better. I mean, from a purely number standpoint, it was 12 to one shots on goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins were sitting on one shot on goal almost halfway through this hockey game. It was not an offensive explosion again for the second highest scoring team in the NHL during the regular season, but whatever it takes on whatever given night, and it must be said, listen, I don't think these last two games are changing the off season stuff if they lose tomorrow. But for now, this is an impressive comeback from a team that, yeah, looked like they were up against it and everybody had written their obit on Saturday. Yeah, hand up, I didn't do it on a, I didn't do it on typewriter, I did my notes app because I'm so youthful and cool, but yeah, I got it. We all got started thinking about what was coming this off season and what does it mean that it happened without Matthews and to your point, like we very well, very easily be having that conversation on Monday. I think it changes the feeling for people, depending on which way it goes, but you're right. Like I don't think the two game come back if that's what it ends up meaning ultimately changes anything. But you know, just as you were saying that, I was, I was thinking about this, I want to get into the game and everything, but you know, fan based stuff. And I was thinking, and you know, maybe this all looks so silly and they lose tomorrow night and then everyone's, you know, pissy all summer, but sometimes in a relationship or in a friendship, like you got to have it out, you know, like things are said, they're left unsaid and then every once in a while, it's like, are we doing this? You know what? Yeah, we are, we're doing this. And then, you know, maybe you don't talk after a while, maybe you have a bottle of wine, everyone has their resolution strategies here. But I feel like game five and or sorry, game four and the aftermath of it and how dare you boo and is the crowd to blame for the record. I feel like all of that was the resetting fight that this fan base and the team needed not to mean that everything's perfect, not to mean the scars immediately go away. But that just felt like much like after a fight, sometimes you get back to happy days and that felt like early 2000s, leaf playoff crowd, that effort looked early 2000s playoff effort at times in terms of blocking the shots and all of that. I was thinking that I really do feel like that game four was such a catharsis point for the team, for the relationship with the fan base and then everybody just got to have it out and hash it out. And then most importantly, to say it would not have happened without it, then the team showed up for the two following games afterwards and especially last night, but we'll see what happens tomorrow. But yeah, I really did feel like the aftermath of them getting booed off the ice a couple of times at home in the playoffs has kind of allowed a little bit, a little bit of a reset here. Well, it's I don't know if it took the pressure off, but it changed the pressure in some weird way. It was like, well, we're, we're going to get blown up either way, right? Like, why not just leave it all on the ice, which they've done. And again, like to go back to that Saturday game, you don't even have to win it. You just have to show that you're leaving it all on the ice, like you're giving your best effort. Like we've seen the last two first periods when the Maple Leafs have factually been in elimination games and if they don't win their season is over, they didn't have the lead after the opening 20 minutes yesterday, they didn't have the lead after the opening 20 minutes in Boston in game five despite controlling that game and having a lot more high danger opportunities in that game than they did yesterday. But they looked like they understood the enormity of the moment and all of a sudden they have a chance for redemption. Yeah, William Neelander is right. These game sevens, these winner take all games have not gone necessarily well for even this core of Toronto Maple Leafs to couple of game seven losses to start this tenure after the game six loss against the Washington Capitals and then the game five loss in the bubble against the Columbus Blue Jackets and then the game seven loss against the Montreal Canadiens and then the game seven loss in the first giggly can against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But all that disappears and all of a sudden, and we'll talk to some of our guests later today about this, if you win tomorrow, there's like some transference of choker DNA that can happen. They're like, you remember Rogue, the X-Men? Yeah, yeah. Where she touches somebody and then she gets their superpowers for a little bit? All of a sudden, I mean, it's a bad power. It's the worst one arguably. I don't think she gets to control which superpower she gets, right? The Boston Bruins could take the glove off tomorrow night and touch the Toronto Maple Leafs on the head. And all of a sudden, with one victory, they become the choker franchise. And that's why Jim Montgomery was so angry post-game, he was like, I told you to quit hanging out with those Toronto Maple Leafs, they're no good. They are a bad example on you. Look at what they're teaching you to do, languish away series leads and go into your own ghost field building at home for a game seven. It is remarkable the storyline that's possibly at play here. And like, I understand their exes and owes reasons why things happen in sports. And generally speaking, you can explain things. But I am also a believer in the mystic, the heebie-jeeby. There's just a little something out there. And I really do think there is an element of, you know, you don't, you don't, it doesn't work the other way. I don't think where, you know, the Leafs be Boston tomorrow and all of a sudden, yes, the Bruins are perennial chokers, but all of a sudden the Leafs, like, they steal all the cultural DNA. I don't think it exactly works that way. But I am a believer of just this, you know, historical rival that for, you know, the better part of two different leaf eras has kind of been big brothering you a little bit. How can you not sit there and look at it, meaning something? Yeah. How can you not? No, you have to. Two stars of the game. I mean, they give out three and I guess one of the stars, the third star yesterday I think was Jeremy Swamin. I guess I understand. Game up. Good job, I guess. But poor form. No, no. No, poor form. Oh, actually, I think it was just slow people kaboom one more time. So sure. Sure, sure, sure, sure. Back to being that great choice by Game up. Second star, William Nylander with his two goals, number one star, Joseph Wall, who was point one of a second away from a postseason shutout. Now he wasn't asked to do a ton, but in a certain way, like that's more difficult what he was asked to do after facing literally one shot. I couldn't tell you what the shot was in the first period, actually looked it up. So it was not at five on five. It was on the penalty kill that the Bruins had a short handed shot in the first period. They're only shot of the first period. Shot attempts were pretty close, but whatever. One shot on goal, Joseph Wall had to make one save in that first period, turned it aside, and then the Bruins as you would expect, especially when they started trailing the game, turned it up a notch. He's okay. We can talk about whether Austin Matthews is going to return for tomorrow's game or whether okay. Finally, William Nylander scoring a goal for the first time since late March, which is remarkable. Great timing. And zero, zero notes, 10 at the same. Yeah, or Mitch Marner looking like a little more confident version of himself. The number one reason to believe that anything's possible with the Leafs team is what Joseph Wall has shown you since he stepped into the crease in the third period of game four. Since then, he's, I mean, it's hard not to retroactively think about what the series looks like. If he starts game one of the series, he's been unfreeking believable. Yeah. And it's so, it's so tough with goal tenders not to do confirmation bias if you see a game like that. So you start to believe all of the stuff that you hear about him, but honestly, the thing that was, you know, because this was shocking, I was thinking a lot about this driving in this morning. And the thing that kept kind of bouncing around in my head was the, and I know people are going to roll their eyes when they say this, but it's the Max Domi carry price comp of like he's just so calm, nothing ever gets to him. And the moment that made me feel that wasn't when he was perfect and locked in, it was, there was a couple of moments in that second period where rebound's got a little juicy, kind of bobble the couple puck catches. And we've seen that happen with Samsonov. And the game kind of spirals after that is just slow degradation. It's like, and they hold on before the bad one goes in. And it was the opposite with wall, he was just able to completely shake it off. And I think that that is what you hear people say about him time and time again. And yes, the, the angles, all the technical goaltending stuff, but I think that, especially for this time of year, especially if you're going to be the goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the ability to just completely shake off anything bad that happens. I don't know how you can look at it and not think about that last night because again, like the performance was special, but to have the fortitude to know that you had no margin for error. I mean, it's, it's too nothing when that goal goes in at the point one second left. But Willie doesn't score until what two minutes left in the game. It, they don't get a goal until the dying minutes of the second period. It's all, you know, it's tomorrow baseball term. Those are all high leverage minutes for, for Joe Wall. And it just, I, I'm sure inside it is stressing them or whatever. But man, he just seems so calm, cool and collected. No, and how can that not affect the rest of the group, right? I mean, how can, boy, if you want to talk about attitude, how can the William Neelander attitude not impact this group as well? Like he, he feels like the guy made for this particular moment and he was, boy, had a couple of notable clips on the TNT broadcast, both pregame and I guess they, they, they replayed it post games. Um, yes, we're now making a, hey, I don't make the rules. Yes, just wear a TNT on Saturday night. Sorry. When the Ric Flair company is, or I guess that's Hulk Hogan. Sorry. Wrestling hardos. Yeah. How, how dare you? But yeah, company, the, the ear, yeah, the crowd cheering is also doing the, like, I want more. Yeah. Up. Well, before that. Oh, so good. Two separate goals, right? I mean, there is skill involved in the first one in keeping the puck in the zone. And at one moment, you're like, Oh, I've seen this before. He's the last man back, dipsy doodling at the blue line. But this is why, why is it loud? Yeah. I mean, this is, this is why he gets all that money as well, keeps it in and then fires it on net, goes off, uh, Charlie McAvoy's pants and, and past Jeremy Swam and I mean, we can talk a guess about, uh, Pontus Homburg, would it, what happens on that play at the same time? Yeah. Okay. You go ahead and say it. Okay. So what did you think? Clearly, if you're just looking at the end of the play and it's part of the play, the most significant part of the play, Pontus Homburg hits Mason low-rive from behind. Yep. But why does that happen? Like, watch the whole play. Yeah. That doesn't happen if Mason low-rive isn't grabbing on to Pontus Homburg's stick. And it, it's the second shove that Pontus Homburg has. The first one is, give me back my stick. Right. The second one is, give me back my stick. Oh, wait, there's the boards in you go. I mean, to me, that's, that's offsetting coincidental minors, if you want to call it that. The idea that this is some egregious miscall when we've seen, you know, Brad Marsh and entire Bertuzzi at center ice. Yeah. Or Austin Matthews getting souped like by Charlie McElle. Right. Yeah. We basically had like, yeah, the wrestling match at center ice is Trent Frederick is firing one short side on the dearly departed Elia Samsonov. Like, yeah, okay, I suppose Bruins fans, this is what they're screaming about today. Yeah. I, I'm, I'm sure if the tables were reverse Leafs fans would be doing the same. Of course I'd be doing the exact same thing, but I mean, we mentioned it early on in that game as you and I were watching it that there was, that they were just were pretty, there's a pretty sketchy standard, I think is safe to say. Like there was interference left, right and center early on in that game, just letting people gum things up, which okay, fine, like set a standard. The other thing that irks me the most about the lore I play is that it's, it's the holding the stick, but it, the hit only looks so bad because he is unable to brace himself and you know why you can't brace himself because he has two sticks in his hand. He has one in one hand and one in the other and you're only allowed to have one stick. You can't have Pontus Homburg stick too. So yeah, I think that's the other thing is that if he is just able to engage the way most players would in a board battle, I mean, you know, unless you want to go down like a, like a heap. But yeah, most players engage in a board battle there and that doesn't look like he's getting smoked from behind that's Pontus Homburg finishing a check. But yeah, of course I would like hand up of course I'd be doing the exact same thing. Also hand up, I was waiting that whole third period for that second penalty to call Mia Culpa when I said that one of the one of the, I brought it, I bringing it up Mia, Mia Culpa, like asking me, it's like I'm walking in with your cup of coffee and you're like, where's my cup of coffee? I'm like literally right here, I'm doing it. One power play opportunity for the Boston Bruins. And if you want to talk about a momentum shift in the game and certainly being in the building you could feel it. Oh my God. Guess what? It wasn't the four minute power play in which they generated what like maybe one scoring chance like in quotation marks? Yeah, it's like the puck jumped over Morgan Riley stick in the slot. That was as good as it got. No, it was the one penalty that had to kill off Joe wall taking the one penalty in the game by the Toronto Maple Leafs. And boy, it's amazing for a unit clicking it barely like better than 50%. It is the penalty kill that I have more faith than right now. And part of that is because of the guy that took that penalty, Joseph Wall being the best penalty killer. But you didn't have to make any 10 bellers on that thing just an effective, effective kill for the two minutes. And the fact that it was only one that they had to kill off because you and I absolutely thought there was there was another one coming in the third period. It's so funny the way this stuff works and like came in, like we've all watched playoff hockey for, you know, however long it's as old as time where I was wholly expecting the penalty to come at you and I wouldn't, you know, I would have been frustrated by it, but you almost understand it or you're accepting of it because it's just so baked into how this game goes, especially with the Leafs leading and them getting out of that period tied at the air, sorry, leading at the end of the second. But then when it was it with about six minutes left in the game, I said to you, oh, yeah. Now it's at the point where it has to be egregious. And then the end again, like this might gripe with NHL officiating. If it's a penalty, it's a penalty, you can call it. I think there is some element of understanding in the game, but we also go too far with it at times. But yeah, it's so funny the way it works because I'm sitting there going, okay, where is it? Where is it? Ooh, is that going to be it? No. Okay. Is that going to be it? No. And then there's six minutes left and we've just seen this a million times. They are so want to call anything unless it is an axe murder. And I guess nobody, nobody on the Leafs wanted to commit one in the last six minutes of the game. Buddy, back to back games, the Leafs short handed just once. And you know what, for the first time in this series, they had the man advantage because Brad Marshand was in the box, took his second minor of the entire series. And against eight, we have given this player a little tut-tutting for getting sucked into it at times against Tyler Bertuzzi and Bertuzzi not retaliating like you have to give him a ton of credit there. Boy, there was, I mean, just one moment early in the game, the Domi shove, which I mean, you could have called for sure. It was not egregious. Again, it's also just like remarkable how someone so strong on their skates when the whistle has been blown. It's like they're just less strong. It's weird. I don't know. Just an incredibly disciplined performance by the Toronto Maple Leafs. And yet again, another incredible postseason performance from Matthew Nyez, who sets up the knee-lander breakaway. I mean, again, a guy that feels like he's made for this type of hockey, an incredible play setting up knee-lander and yeah, without that goal, who knows how the final minutes of this game play out. But I was bracing myself for a very late return to Burlington tonight because of seven over times. Yeah, I was as well. I mean, you know, punchy shows can be good. So I'm sorry to you all that you didn't get that. I thought we were having that for sure. The knives of it all, I'm trying to think back to last year because obviously there was more hype because it was new and there wasn't a regular season that was, I mean, depending on what your expectations were, you could definitely call it a little underwhelming. I think he had a fine rookie season, but there were definitely a world where you expected more from him. But does this feel like a bit of a coming out party for him? I mean, we've seen this story in the playoffs before and, you know, Nyez is a really odd guy and that you can talk yourself into, I mean, nobody thinks he's lost to Matthews, but you can kind of talk yourself into his lofty a place in this lineup with him as you want. And I'm not talking about me now. He's been put in some lofty spots in the early part of his career. That's what I'm getting at. And so I think you look at it and you can kind of squint and see, oh, is this a guy? And I think it's really important for him to understand how important it is for him to play like this early on in his career. You know, Matthew Nyez is a talented player. He's a skily guy, but you don't want him to play a skily game. You want him to play the game he's playing right now with the skill interjected and mixed in. I mean, it goes back to obviously the overtime goal two games ago, but it's pastranac and screaming. You want it? Go me then. It's the take and the hit to make the play on the new ender goal. You know, we've had these little false start moments with players before. I mentioned Alexi Laffranier with the Rangers a couple of years ago felt like, oh, this is going to be his little coming out party with the kid line and never really took. But I do wonder if we're seeing Matthew Nyez, not even make strides as a player because obviously that goes without saying he's a young player is going to improve, but make strides in understanding. You know, we talk about this culture stuff all the time. Matthew Nyez, yes, he's fed because he scored the overtime winner. But even if he doesn't set up that Willie goal last night, we're still talking about how great he was and just how much dog he has in him quite, quite honestly. Yeah. He's a he's a different character considering they want to say cat there. I feel like you were like sitting on your like he's different and then I thought you're going to say cat. I don't know. I know you don't like it when I do this to you. Yeah, I don't know because I don't remember what I was about to say. But yeah, thank you. Um, no, he's a different dude than the other core four guys, right? Like he's from Arizona. He's 21 years old. But what he brings to the table, what he's brought to the table in two consecutive post seasons and last year, you weren't exactly sure if that was the real Matthew Nyez, this guy coming off a long college hockey run and maybe working off of just total emotion in his first gig of the can and not just post season action, NHL action. Yeah. And then he has the regular season that he has, which is fine. I mean, for the hype surrounding this guy, you'd be well within your rights to be slightly underwhelmed, but then to once again, emerge at this time of year with what we've seen out of him. And it's not just the points to your point throughout the course of the whole 60 minutes. He's one of the guys that stands out in these low event hockey games. He's a high event player in the positive end of things, whether that's receiving hits to make plays or delivering hits or getting in people's faces or setting up eventual second goals of a hockey game and an elimination game, snapping a six game home playoff losing streak. It's, it's, it's truly remarkable again for a 21 year old player with so many notable stars on this team that that he boy is really kind of emerged as the guy that if things continue for this team, you can point to him as being one of the major reasons why and now it's like retroactively kind of interesting to think back to that Panther series and how different it looks. If maybe he doesn't get injured in it. Yeah. I mean, we've done that with Samsonov and boy, that's a funny thing to say given the performance we're coming off from wall, but yeah, the nice part of it as well. I don't think he tilts that series, but I think he is the leaf that, you know, and Ryan O'Reilly was on that team and Luke Shem was on that team, but he is among the Leafs most likely to have offered pushback in terms of what the Panthers were bringing. And hey, if they are able to get past Boston on Saturday night, I think you're really excited to see what this version especially man can you imagine how confident he'll be if they're able to pick up one more win heading into, into that series. There's a couple other things I wanted to hit on that I didn't think were major major, but I feel like this is a good spot to put him. Jim Montgomery got rightfully so raked over the colds for changing a winning lineup. Sheldon Keefe changing a winning lineup. Noah Greger coming in for Ryan Reeves. I was curious about that. I didn't think it was going to impact the game wasn't going to decide the game one way or another, but good job by Keefe, you know, maybe he played a hunch. Maybe he just knew Gregor would be ready to roll, but I don't, I don't think Gregor was, you know, tremendous by any means by using his energy, hitting everything that moved. That looked like a guy that had been sitting there dying to play in the playoffs for a week and change here. So I just thought that was a great move by Keefe and I didn't think it was heading into it. I thought it was maybe, maybe pulling a Montgomery, getting a little too cute, changing a winning lineup. I loved what you got out of Gregor in pretty limited minutes and then in more, you know, bigger minutes in a similar role. Connor Doer again. Oh, Connor, Connor Doer with a shift at the end of that game where he just like outworked couple of Bruins players in the offensive end and the crowd loved it. I mean, doesn't, I don't even think result in a shot on goal, but no winning a battle. I don't even know that he wanted and just like hung in a two on one battle and he kind of like, he had a moment where he wanted it and then another Bruin came in. But guess what? He just kept working and the crowd, it wasn't a Neelander pop, it wasn't a Joe wall pop. But God, they love that. No, I know. It's, it's, and it's good that we got a chance to sense that the crowd stuff in person. That's the thing, man. Like this crowd knows what it's watching, okay? And are they proactive? Maybe not as much as some of the other crowds across North American pro sports. But when they're provided a reason to cheer and it does not have to be a goal, it does not have to be a shot on goal, it does not have to be a big save. It doesn't even have to be a big hit. Nope. Like that Connor Doer board battle one in a close hockey game where you understand the stakes of Connor Doer in a fourth line shift where their one job is to make sure that there is no opportunity for the Bruins to take it back into the defensive zone. To hear the reaction from the fans in that building, that's the thing. Anybody that's criticizing the way the fans reacted to Saturday's game four after the opening 40 and then the conclusion of the game, just watch the reaction from yesterday's game. Considering this was not a blowout, this was not the most tremendous goal scoring performance. I mean, they scored two and didn't score one until almost 40 minutes into the hockey game. But they understood the effort that was being put forth. Yeah, that's it. I mean, we always got to roll my eyes at this sometimes and it's not untrue. So many people say that there has to be some element of, you know, right to it. But I always hate hearing like on Montreal, you know, they just they respect the way you can really work the puck on the power play and they'll love a little touch pass or like you hear this about like British golf fans, like they respect a sensible layup and it's like, okay, that's all well and good here. You know what? Leaf fans respect Darcy Tucker and blocking shots with your face and hard work and yeah, like William Newander, awesome, Joe Wall, of course, but that is like when people think a leaf floor and again, it goes back to all the stuff we've talked about at this time of year. It's like, yes, of course, you know, the the amazing goals and big games, but it's, you know, it's Bobby Bond on a broken leg. It's Johnny Bauer stretching out his face to block a shot with no helmet on that. And then you see Connor do or have a moment like that and it does just kind of channel back to every team. And this is not just a leaf thing. This is every team that's ever won or gone on a run. Yes, people love the stars on that team, but the most beloved guy almost is always a guy who from the outside looking in, everyone goes, what, you guys love Tidal me so much? Yes, we do. And it's like people who watched that game last night going, you love Connor do or that much? When he's doing that, yes, they do. And I do think there is just it was a return to what people are, I shouldn't say are supposed to appreciate, but they just haven't had much of that, quite honestly. I mean, go look at the fourth lines and, you know, even, even guys who have given you some utility. It's like Kyle Clifford is supposed to be hard and heavy and working hard. Connor doers, you know, an undersized guy who's fighting and scrapping for everything. And I just, I cannot get over how much I love, love what he has been. And we spend a lot of time talking about the deadline acquisitions and what Edmondson's going to mean. And I don't know the do or impacts the game the same way as that, but man, you know, again, we think about all the other players in of that ilk that have been brought in. Like, remember Colin Blackwell a couple of runs ago? Yeah, he ain't doing that. That was a great performance from do or, you know, I don't want to dwell on it here, but I had to bring it up because I loved, loved, loved, loved which got at him and to a lesser extent, Gregor. Yeah, and he was part of the one kill the Maple Leafs had to have in that hockey game. Again, for a unit clicking along at 60%, that's not good. Like the Bruins are still scoring on 40% of their power plays and Leafs power play. Now one for 20 in the series, boy, I tell me if you disagree with this, like, there's one unit that I feel infinitely more confident in. Yeah. And it's the one that's still one of the worst in the postseason. It's the penalty kill as a, like it, it is certainly with the goal of change, it's changed things. But yeah, who would you, would you feel more comfortable with? Like if you had to choose, hey, Leafs needed a goal on a two minute power play to win the game or they need to kill off a two minute power play to win the game, it's obviously the kill. Yeah, I mean, so it's math, like one of them said, whatever one of 20 is, the other one's at 50 some odd percent, but it's also it's just you. And I don't think the Leafs power plays and shut down strictly because of Swamin, but it also is like, well, you get the goalie with one of those and you have to go against the goalie in the, in the other one. And you know, Swamin again, give him, give him credit. I don't think he had to be tremendous last night, but you know, much like Joe Wall was sitting there the entirety of the game, not feeling like you could make a mistake. Swamin was in the exact same spot. I am, I, God, I'd love to be, I guess I could just do it. So I, I can't love it that much, but I'd love to hear all the conversations in Boston today about what do you do with goalie, like you can't put this on Swamin, but you lost three straight. He hasn't played this many games in a row in a really long time. I, yeah, he played against seven last season as one start in the series against the Panthers. He was good enough to get it to overtime, but not get the final save in that game or the series. We'll, we'll spend a lot of today talking about yesterday and looking ahead to tomorrow's game seven. But first, bare naked ladies, the big racket will be performing sobe stadium on June 27th to celebrate. We're giving away tickets to enter. All you have to do is tune into episodes of the fan morning show, listen for the code word, then text the code word to 59590. Today's code word is sobe's, text sobe's to 59590 right now for your chance to win. We're giving away another pair of tickets Monday, but if you don't win with us, make sure to secure your tickets at ticketmaster.ca. So we want to play the Jim Montgomery post game from yesterday. He's taking a different tact and Sheldon Keefe also brought Brenda Moore. Yeah, it seems like this was a well placed little news nugget in an off point in the hurricanes post season as it looks like contract extensions back on. Uh, we'll talk about that and yeah, Doc River has blown it again yesterday. That and more as the fan morning show continues, Ben Ann is Brent Gunning, Sportsnet 590, the fan. Hey, it's Aylish for a fire and I'm Justin Cuthry. Join us as we discuss the most important sports stories of the day and tee up the biggest games of the night. It's the fan pregame, 6 p.m. weekdays on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590, the fan and wherever you get your podcasts. Good morning, Joe, Sportsnet 590, the fan band is Brent Gunning. I mean, not only are the Toronto Maple Leafs playing a post season hockey game tomorrow in Boston, just boy, not doesn't feel like the house of horrors anymore. I mean, I guess they could get back to that spot. Yeah. Depending on the result of the 60 plus minute game almost certainly plus. Yeah, we've only had the one over time. We haven't in the post season as a whole and we haven't. We've had one game that went two over times, right? Yes, I believe so. Yeah. But we haven't had the, yeah, okay, multiple pizza deliveries. No, I, uh, I need the Louis Domingue spicy pork and broccoli. Not the best. Um, yeah, it would be par for the course to see game seven, uh, Leafs and Bruins go over time tomorrow night, but yeah, I mean, the, the Leafs are going to play a game in Boston, which seemed far fetched after Saturday's performance in game four, but also okay, I've been looking at the forecast. I am Mr. Weather. You are. But at this time of year, given like the ability to do so, to put a big screen into my backyard, have the neighbors over watching some post season hockey, I thought tomorrow was going to be rough because it was going to be raining all day, changing forecast, buddy. Wow. Looks like clear skies. I don't want to. Thank you for the invite. Yeah. I'm good though. But thanks for inviting me. Yeah. Yeah. It's not going to be like 30 degrees. It's going to be like 10. Yeah. But like clear, I think, I think it's on. Outdoor viewing party for game seven, my backyard. Everybody's invited. If you can find my house. Oh, see now I am officially invited because I can find your house. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that sounds, that sounds wonderful. I got to be honest. It's like one of my ultimate. I know this isn't what you're trying to talk about, but like one of my ultimate like rich guy dreams is to have like a huge like outdoor kitchen with a TV in there and stuff. And yeah, just you saying that, I'm like, Oh God, watching TV outside. I know it's like how lazy can I sound that that's the pinnacle of enjoyment for me. It's like, imagine sitting outside and watching TV. But yeah, you can do that. That doesn't necessarily get, guess what? I'm not a rich guy. No, no, I know. That's well within your financial purview. I know. I can just like take a TV and put it outside. Like I know. Anyways, so yeah, that's happening again. You're all invited. Good luck finding my house. All right. I will be selling the answer to that for $100 in my days. I feel like you're going to get no takers. Yeah. Well, that's why I said it at that price. I wouldn't do you dirty for a couple of bucks, but 100. So Sheldon Keith at every turn, including Saturday, and now it seems like what a brilliant strategy. But I mean throughout the course of his tenure as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, when things have looked at their bleakest, he hasn't piled on. He said, you know what, these guys, they're great players and we're a couple of bounces away and despite the fact that boy, they created nothing down to one in the series through 40 minutes of play and are down three nothing going into the third period when they finally show up and score a goal. Yeah, we were right there. Yep. Okay. Jim Montgomery yesterday had an opportunity to talk about his team and the three one advantage that they had in the series. And then with a chance to close it out once on home ice, once in the place in which the home team had lost six consecutive postseason games, we're outshot a million to nothing. What was it? It's now 23 to three in the first periods of game five and now game six. Here's Jim Montgomery after the game yesterday. Second game in a row that you haven't been able to get any pucks on the goalie early for the first period. Is it something they're doing? Is it just a matter of will? What's happening there? You know, it's unacceptable or start again. We got to find a way to start on time and we just got to be better. Toronto starting on time. They're getting the advantage. They have the momentum. I thought the last 30 minutes we pushed back really well, but shouldn't take that long. I mean, that's pretty soft criticism considering how bad it's been in the opening 20 minutes of both game five and game six, but it's honestly like the part of the reason that it stands out is the dichotomy comparing the contrasting comments from him and what we heard specifically from Sheldon Keefe after game four on Saturday. Yeah, it was it's it is complete night and day to see the difference between the two guys have have gone about it. I think part of it is we talk about it like it's the Boston culture. The players call each other out the coach, you know, I'm not going to pretend to have poured over every Montgomery presser, but it seems I don't think you're taking this tact is a break glass in case of emergency right before a game seven that you have had forced upon you by losing consecutive games. So I think this is part of the culture of the team. I definitely can see some people, especially in this market going, whoo, that's a sign of panic or, you know, a crack in the armor or whatever way you look at it. But I do think that this is just that's the way he coaches this team. That's the that's what we, you know, when boss was up three one in the series, I know it feels like a hundred years ago, but when we're just talking about their culture and how everything is so perfect there and they built this machine, that's a part of it is calling people out and taking them to task and yeah, is that is that Rick bonus? No, it's not, but I also think that, you know, time and place and all of that. And yeah, I think that that's a fine tax from Montgomery to take. I like it's jarring. It's different than key for sure, but I think that's how he's coached his team the whole time he's been there. Yeah, that's a general comment about the entirety of the team and it's, it's kind of unavoidable when it's not like they were outshot, you know, ten to seven in these first periods. Like it is shocking the shot chair we're talking about. And again, brewing sitting on one shot on goal until I think 13 minutes to go in the second period, which is almost half the hockey game having one shot on goal. It's quite another to be more pointed about one player in particular is David Pasternak takes the four minute high sticking penalty also off the score sheet. Here is Jim Montgomery on his superstar. You got so much out of Marcin earlier in this in this series. Do you need more out of both him and Pasternak in for game seven? Your best players need to be your best players this time here. I think the effort is tremendous and they need to come through with some big time plays and big time moments. Anything Marcin has done that in the series, Pasternak needs to step up. Yeah, Pasternak needs to step up. Um, yeah, again, like I said, could you imagine, could you imagine, I mean, we only hear it with Willie. I feel like and Neil Anderson's also been adamant of hand up by I, I like it. I need it. I, I, that's what it takes to get the best version of me. But yeah, the pointed criticism of a, we have heard veiled criticism at the stars as a whole, but pointed criticism at the best player on your team. I mean, I know Marcin's a captain. He's been their best player at non-Swayman edition in the series, but Pasternak is the guy. 60 goal score. He has to be. Yeah. And he has every right to say this. And this is the other thing is that unlike in Toronto in the past, you know, it's like Pasternak has four points through six games in the series. He hasn't been brutal, but he hasn't had the Pasternak game that I think we all would have put him having a lead. It's like that was free space on the bingo card is David Pasternak two goal night where he's yucking it up and he, or he has a hat trick or something like that felt like a free space on the bingo card heading in this series. Dude, we've, we've done this a lot because it's, it's been the most likely conclusion of this series. The Leafs lose and like who are you talking about blame pie? Who is eating the majority of the blame pie for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Boy, it's, it's hard not to think about who's eating the blame pie. If things go pear shape tomorrow night in Boston, the Bruins once again have a game seven after blowing a three one series lead. How much of it is going to be consumed by David Pasternak? Yeah, it's hard. It's hard not to think I still, it's so funny what and I guess I'll just say it now. I do expect them to go back to, to Swamin for game seven. That's what I think they would do. But if that decision is wrong, I think the goalie will obviously wear it like if they go to Allmark and he lays an egg or they go to Swamin and he lays an egg. But Montgomery is going to wear a chunk of that as well because you're going to have all the exact same things. And the other part of this is that David Pasternak, like I know he, I'm the first one to tell everyone, David Pasternak, who has never won anything in his life? But he has more built up goodwill with that fan base. He is an actual proven playoff performer. Unlike the guys we talk about here who it's, hey, good to go to a media whipping boy status. Pasternak's played in the cup final, I know he lost game seven in it, but there's a certain amount of, you know, bona fides and goodwill you've built up with the fan base there. He will definitely wear it, but this isn't the same as if, you know, pick any of the leaf stars, if Mitch Marner wears it, if Elias Sampson off wears it. And it's David Pasternak, there had, there is a built up goodwill, I would imagine, in in Boston. You think Jeremy Swamin could wear it still considering how, okay, no, no, I don't think he can wear it. What I say by, what I say by that is if, if he goes to sweat, let's get, whatever goalie he goes to, he being Montgomery, if that goalie doesn't perform, that goalie will hear it about the performance in game seven. But I think that fan base goes to Montgomery and never being able to pick the right guy and figuring it out. I do think there's an element because he is, again, we're, we haven't been so bogged down in it here, but this is a guy in Jeremy Swamin, who's playing more consecutive games than he has played at any point in time this year. They had the rotation all year long, they went away from it. I just think you can very easily, if you're looking at it from a Boston perspective, can torch yourself into Montgomery got too cute. He changed the lineup coming off the win. And if he doesn't pick the right goalie, and yeah, the goalie will hear it a bit, but I don't think the goalie is going to wear it, especially if it's Swamin, giving out good he's been in this series. I think it'll be Montgomery and not picking the right guy. I think that's nuts. Like, I think there's lots to pick at when it comes to Jim Montgomery and obviously being in the seat for consecutive three one series, blown leads and considering what they've done during the regular season, but I think the goalie is like, I think he's made the correct decision. I wouldn't have gone to all mark in game two. I thought Swamin was so good in game one. And I think staying with Swamin after that was, to me, the obvious move, but apparently not that he stuck with that. He went away from the rotation for the first time since February. To me it was the right move is no part of Jeremy Swamin's game yesterday that I'd be making a different decision going into tomorrow's game seven, even considering the fact that he has the added pressure of being the guy that finally got the starting game seven last year against the Panthers. To me, like there is no debate about who's getting the start for me in goal. If I'm the Boston Bruins tomorrow, it's Jeremy Swamin. Yes, I wholeheartedly agree and I don't think he should wear it. I think his performance has been so good. And because of that, I think that even in a world where Montgomery say he goes to Swamin and Swamin does not, I don't even want to say it because I don't believe it can happen. But he does not perform. I think that that, yes, there are people in the fan base, of course, going, oh, come on, Swamin, make a save, of course. But I think they look at it and go, once again, Montgomery couldn't figure it out. We have had this conversation with Sheldon Keefe as Leaf said, coach, do we blame the goalie when they don't perform? For sure. But we also say, hey, much like, much like Sheldon Keefe loves to say it occurred to Sanford or whoever the goaltending coach is at any given moment on this team, I don't care. Pick one of the ones that went in and stop it. I don't care. Pick the right goalie. There is an element to that. I think there's only one decision in which that is a real conversation and that's if it's almost starting in game seven, then you're like, what the hell are you doing here? Yeah. Again, like to the Joe wall of it all. I think we're in lockstep in our thought process around Joe wall and starting alien Samson off. And if Joe wall looked anything, like anything like the guy that we saw before the high ankle sprain, it's an easier decision or a more tortured decision for Sheldon Keefe. To me, there was like no decision going into game one of the series, even despite like Ilya Samson off looking not like the best version of himself down the stretch, at least he had the 40 minutes at the end of that red wings game, right? Like Joe wall didn't even have that. No, we can sit here and do revisionist history, but that's all it would be. If you were making, if you're going to sit here today on May 3rd and tell me honestly, the Joe wall should have been the game one starter. And if you were in the big chair, that's what you're done. You're just going on blind hope. And that's fine. You're allowed to do that, but you're allowed to do that because you're sitting in your car right now. You're not allowed to do that when your head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. So yeah, we can sit here and do revisionist history and how different is the series, but it's a little hard to do when I do, obviously there's the odd dissenting opinion out there. But in a team that we debate about everything, we have all these arguments about little margins here or there should Ryan Reeves player should know a Gregor play. Oh, how many minutes is Nick Robertson getting? I do think almost everybody was to a certain extent and locks up with the goaltending. And it was, it was on Joe wall, like he didn't do enough. And you cannot take away the Boston games that we saw as well. You can't take that away. Yeah, I mean, we'll talk later on in the show about, hey, the fallout from a loss or a win tomorrow night and whether things have changed with the two games that we've seen in elimination games from this, this leaves him. One thing I think that is, I mean, it might have been true going into the series either way, just because of the contractual status of Ilya Sampson off and the faith the organization has shown in Joe wall, but I think in what we've seen, and I mean, you can't go in without a backup, because Joe wall has been injury prone to say the very least throughout the course of his career. But you have a guy that you feel pretty comfortable being your number one goalie going into next season. And it's Joe wall, he needs a backup, but Joe wall, even with just two in a period performance in the postseason, like I'm comfortable going into a 24-25 season with Joe wall as the anointed number one starter. I am as comfortable as I can possibly be about a goaltender that has 60 some odd NHL starts. I agree with you. Like I think everything you see, I think the composure in big moments, I think the fact that he's having a blast out there, and we'll see how the rest of this goes. But a guy, especially at that position, having success early in a market who is already so self-assured of himself, that can kind of spurn him to a new superpower. So yeah, I think you still, because of the health stuff, you need to have a very capable 1B, but I don't think you want a situation like they had with Samsonov where there's a guy really pushing him and trying to steal the job. And then you obviously want a very good backup goaltender. You're going to need one, but I think that needs to be a more kind of mid to later career guy as opposed to your Samsonov take flyer, and that was a smart move for them to do at the time, because they didn't know what wall was. But right now, can't be that way, or I should say next year, can't be. Yeah. I mean, the type of player that Elias Samsonov is, or was when he was not offered a qualifying offer by the Capitals, like that guy, so he'd signed with the Maple Leafs presumably for less than he could have gotten on the open market because he saw an opening to become the number one starter. You're not getting that guy this off season, because that guy looks at Joe Wall. And despite, again, like the injury concerns that exist with him, that that is the starter going forward. The Leafs do love a video presentation to free agents, I understand. They should just bottle the first two period, they should do like a game in 30 of the first two periods of or the first period last night, first period two games ago and just show that to every goaltender that they're pitching and saying, hey, you want to play behind this? Then shot? No. Numbers gonna, well, I was about to say numbers look good, but they won't, they'll look terrible. Yeah. They're just giving up nine shots of game. That's true. The margin is very slim for a goaltender's, but yeah, he made the one save he had to in the first period yesterday. All right. When we come back, despite the fact that Austin Matthews is not skating eight minutes, skit and 30 before the game did not, again, play in another elimination game. Does he play tomorrow? And does the success without him? That mean, hey, Leafs are better without him? That there's like a UN theory happening here, but there might be a proof of concept when it comes to lapping off one of the high price superstars. That and more next is the fan morning show continues. Ben Anis, Brent Gunning, Sportsnet 590, the fan.
