OverDrive - Bowen and Ralph on the Maple Leafs carrying momentum, Stolarz's skill set and the approach to the game

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Maple Leafs Commentators Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Battle of Ontario, the momentum for the Maple Leafs in the series, Anthony Stolarz's role for the team, the stars' self-confidence on the ice, the physicality from both rosters and more.

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well joe has uh... the camera on his side and i have a mirror on my side we were both displayed in the our strengths that not until after the series throughout the i don't know i don't know i don't know i don't know i don't know i didn't even realize that uh... fact that off that's okay that's our well you don't high five after every goal or anything i don't know no no no no we don't know okay i don't know is the life i don't know you know these

the high five after every save didn't get real good at it but you had you had to appreciate the good times right Ralph you make a big stop someone better celebrate that I was the first goalie to go by the bench after they disallowed that because the games well they didn't really take any longer just seemed bad bad taste sense of absolutely well if i mean i guess it's early the game still doesn't start for another hour but uh... i thought it was a great night the other night and uh...

you know here we go tonight what do you guys expecting bonesy you can take it from here what uh... what do you hope to settle these early tonight well i was out at maple leaf square and i'm absolutely stunned on how many people have caught up in the excitement of bringing up fanny pack that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that i think it's a great and they're they've got the picture of you on it and it's up

big sales item out there so that's the got that going good good They should it well absolutely, you know, it's it's a time to make hay here man. I Was we were both very impressed and happy with the way the crowd reacted this we have been critical of them and They they took it to another level and it was a lot of fun to be a part of they The team fed off of it. There was certainly a lot of physicality in the hockey game and you know the Leafs found a way to get pucks to the net and on the

power play it was ridiculous. So you know everything that Craig Borubey has been preaching through the eighty two games i think we saw very much in evidence uh... in the first sixty minutes of this series now uh... will auto i'll be better tonight yes absolutely will they be more disciplined will certainly travis green hopes that they will and that will make for a much tighter game and i'm sure that that's what we'll see here this

evening uh... ralphie in terms of anthony stole ours making his first uh... playoff start uh... that was another way to talk about checking all the boxes uh... i thought he was great the second period was outstanding probably didn't love the first goal he gave up he had it kind of fumbled the rebound but you couldn't couldn't bounce back any better than the way he did did could you find anything that you could possibly poke at that would make you

feel anything but optimistic about what could happen tonight was tolars maybe but a little bit of nervousness rebound control in the first period and and that did lead to the first goal against uh... but but that's that's really trying to go through with a fine-toothed comb to find anything wrong i think if you want to look for the turning point of the game we talk about talk about the power play and everything else, but if Brady Kachuk ties the game on a breakaway in the second period and Ottawa comes back to make it 2-2,

you know, that could have changed. That could have gone right to the legs of the Senators and Leese might have been fighting it a bit. So I think the, I've always said that the, where gold thinners become great are guys that may not be a hundred percent on their game i can still be a reason you want it uh... because he battles through so i i just thought his his battle uh... there were a couple of shots through screens he was able to pick up and kick out as well

but uh... i i think he's uh... he's going to get better as the playoffs go on as well what did you make of the guy at the other rink and other end of the rink i thought anthony still ours to those was really good that uh... you want me to go there for about a while about a little bit of a lot of uh... not so i think it was uh... i did watch the uh... the highlights of the the last game on a plate is carolina

and there are a lot of goals like that where it was just one on one that Olmark got beat. And I know you notice this as much as I do, when guys struggle it's butterfly and elbows in and you don't move to where the puck is going, you just hope that your positioning gets you through. It's sort of the opposite of what we were saying about Anthony Stolar. So I think for Olmark when when he's on his game He's he's moving it, you know his positioning is good, but he's moving to where the pucks going instead of just trying to get big and and

Bring the knees in and the elbows close to the body to take up a lot of space. So That's gonna be a key. I mean, I know his playoff numbers haven't been great. But You know, we've seen him out throughout his career that he's certainly capable of turning around absolutely with jim ralph joe bone ahead game two tonight's uh... we sense right here on tsn radio uh... bonesy you've called all their playoff games you know the core four and and matthews marner neilander in particular they're in the year nine to

go to the playoffs every single year uh... but man did they show up the other night they all got on the game sheets how significant do you think that is as we roll in the game to the fact that not only they won anyone running away but all the big boys showed up and they all contributed the way that they did for certainly can't hurt uh... that's for sure i i i think the one thing that

we saw in game one was everything that uh... that's for sure i i i think the one thing that we saw in game one was everything that uh... was preached by right for a week through the course of the regular season uh... they were physical uh... the fourth line may have been the best line on the ice uh... in the game

they spent it almost entirely in the offensive zone. They were taking the body. The defense was physical. When things got pushed to shove at the end of the game, there was no backing down. In fact, it just escalated even more so on the Leaf side. And I think that that has to give them a great deal of confidence and feel a lot better about their game. Now, getting that under their belt early in this series has got to be nothing but beneficial to everyone that is under the gun and under the microscope here in Toronto to get through this and get through a number of rounds. So it was a good start for them because if the fourth line had scored all six goals and they hadn't

gotten even a sniff, then everybody would have been still focusing on that right so i think that under the under the circumstances it had to be uh... very beneficial for everyone psyche uh... as the way the game went and the way the scoreboard looked at the end of the and the score sheet look at the end of the uh... and the hockey game absolutely and again it was uh... it was a runaway and there were a lot of penalties and at the end of the game of the hockey game absolutely and again it was a it was a runaway and there were a lot of penalties and at the end of the game it got a little bit crazy and you know Ottawa Ralphie you would assume you know they know they have to be more disciplined tonight but they're still a

young team and they're up against it you know if the Leafs get on the board early tonight if Ottawa ends up in the box a couple times in the first period what are you expecting in terms of the body language because I was there on on Sunday and I was surprised they were unraveling you could see it with Ottawa. Do you think it's as easy as just preaching you can't do that anymore? Or do you think you might see that happen again tonight with Ottawa considering this is kind of uncharted territory for them? Well you know what Haysay, I think the the challenge for Ottawa is stay aggressive without taking the penalties. You don't want all of a sudden to say okay we can't go in as hard to the boards, we can't finish our checks, we've got to be more disciplined

and not be physical and that's something they might have to fight in the first five or ten minutes but you're talking about regardless how this game goes, and I know Hazy and Udo's, you'll remember the 93 series between Detroit and Toronto. Red Wings won the first two games in Detroit by blowouts, but the Leafs won every one goal game in that series. Even Detroit won game six, seven, three. So even, you know, as this series goes on and the Leafs are expected to be the favorite, I mean, it's still

going to be a grind. One of the things I did like, and you might expect it, but from Craig Grube and the players, they all said to a man, it's going to get harder from now on. We expect them to be better. When you saw the post-game clips, there was nobody acting like they'd won anything. It was just the first step in hopefully what is going to be a long trail for them. So I think from a Leaf standpoint, you know, being able to manage their own emotions and maybe push Ottawa to the point that, you know, the frustration starts

showing up in different ways. Bonesy, one of your great calls, of course, was when Darcy Tucker jumped into the bench and travis green was one that instigated that what's it like call and playoff games with green now behind the bench for the other team in the battle of ontario yes we used to call him back then uh... yeah it is a little different and although it's nice to see daniel alferson'serson's face amongst the folks back there too.

He had enough to do in these series with the Leafs and Senators back there in the 90s or in the 2000s. It is a little different, but you know what? This team reminds you a lot of that group the Corsons the Tuckers the Domeys that if they were physical they were ornery and they were nasty and you had Gary Roberts to that mix as well so this group reminds me a lot of that team in the way it's made up and the the star players are there but the the the support staff are a miserable bunch of sob's and that's the way they play and that's exactly what tuckered now I wouldn't suggest it's a great idea to jump into the bench and take on all comers that might be a tad bit maybe they better get Adam Copeland

who does a pump up tape for the Leafs to be the guy to go in there first. He's more experienced in the squared circle to handle that kind of mayhem. But I don't think that's a really good idea at any time. No, I wouldn't suggest it is. And I don't anticipate that happening tonight. Has anybody ever asked Darcy what exactly was going through your mind when you decided to go in there i mean well that i have been to a lot of world in the back of his head because i think you got a

five-game suspension for that as i can which you know today it would be all behind games you have to shut down a down they were shut the league down and some of the uh... absolutely would be very different although although the cross check of john to bars went yeah i was unpunished so you know i did this setups and flows depending on what the situation is this i suggest jumping into the

bench and try to get at the culture whatever probably not a great i'm probably not the best idea but that's why they play the games will see what comes of it tonight game two on TSM radio He is Joe Bowen Jim Ralph with the call Gentlemen have a great one tonight. Thank you for doing this. We'll do it again soon. Thanks boys. There is a bones Ian Ralphie The best of our great nation one song at a time Justin Bieber We are nickelback made in Canada on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip-hop, and when it comes to country, it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An

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