OverDrive - Ferraro on the Maple Leafs' disappointing contest, the lack of confidence and the close-up perspective

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

ESPN Hockey Analyst Ray Ferraro joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines from the Maple Leafs falling flat against the Panthers in Game 5, the rough performance from the team, the lack of goal scoring skills in the lineup, the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner's less than impactful games, Edmonton's destructive winning stretch and more.

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Our good friend Ray Ferraro from ESPN joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Ray, you've been in that exact spot, what, hundreds of times? Where does that one stack up for you, that experience between the benches last night? Oh, that was something, that's for sure. You know what game I thought of? You might remember this. I don't even know how many years ago it was.

They lost 9- to at home to nashville yes and and fans were poppin some jerseys on the ice and uh... what why i'd compare the two obviously one was a regular season game this one was way more important it was like to there with nothing

like there was no there didn't feel like there was fight or pushback or will or energy like nothing how's that possible right I don't get it like oh I don't get it because like you know they played for the first two games of course but then into the up to 3-1 lead in the third game, right? They're in control of the series. Now they still get the overtime of the third game, and Nylander has that really great chance. Bobrovsky made two or three really good saves in overtime. Like they're that close to virtually finishing the series. And it's like they've just lost it.

It's like they're, it feels like Florida can just shift after shift after shift, just grind them to a pulp. And there's no pushback. And part of it is style, part of it is the way the teams play, but I think part of it is style, part of it is the way the teams play, but I think part of it is there's a there's a belief in Florida. Like they just they just believe. And I guess that's what success does. Like they just believe. And last night outside of Nylander, in the first half of the game anyway, like there was nothing. They had two goal posts at the start of the

second. Nylander had the breakaway in the first period. I can't even think of a shift where you're like, wow, they really had good zone time. They got a couple of chances or a couple of shots and then the next line carried it forward. Like there was nothing. That was a demolition last night. Yeah, it really was. And we haven't even talked about Nylander because we've been focused on the two other guys predominantly, and we'll get to them momentarily. But Nylander, even last night, I have a difficult time

describing his game because he mentioned that he got loose a couple of times. He had a couple of breakaways. Now, he kind of cheats on them. He's an opportunist. He's an opportunist he's an opportunist yeah if you're gonna try to label him playing great right now because of them I'm sorry it ain't happen well and that's where I was gonna go because on the fourth goal the Mikula goal he mails in the check below the goal line like it was unbelievable to watch. Hey guys you could go through any goal last night yes very true

yeah I guess what I'm saying is only turned it over or go ahead and map using riley turned it over twice or three times in five feet and and then x-labs wide open the uh... with the second goal the mark woodcock and second one i think you know that

martyrs was the third mars was third i was the book for school radio we get to the third one the second one with the one that deflected the slap shot so i thought yeah and and and that's probably a tough you know that that may have to wait goes the third one look like a summer league play yeah i don't know what

if you think just think about this still so he made the backhand spinorama pass that went right to the Florida defenseman almost at the center dot. He was inside his own side of center, but it was right to him. So obviously the puck comes out of the zone. Marner's 15 feet inside the zone. They pass it up to Reinhardt and Boquist gets to the net in front of Marner. Boquist had to come obviously outside the zone to be on side and he still skated past him yeah but like it's just crazy what i want to know that it's crazy like where did he go

like after making the past which i honestly got i can't i can't think of anyone else or any other time that that that i've seen that in a playoff like it just a it was stunning to watch and then you're like a walk how did he get to the net so fast?

Like it was just a brain lock night for everybody. There's not like, O said about, you know, Nylander basically saying like the bar for good or bad. I mean, like the bar last night for if you're looking for somebody that played good was that's a pretty low bar right what do you know we you know we play Jerry's percentages and we started doing mini Jerry's percentages oh boy so what's your mini Jerry on them picking themselves off the mat and and putting up some kind of performance

tomorrow night like dead honest? I just can't believe they can do that again like I can't believe they play like that again I just I I don't know I I guess somebody asked me noodles the series against the Rangers They asked us they asked me Lily were you in that series? I'm like, yeah, it was six nothing six nothing Like they were so first two games were six. We didn't score until the second period of the third game. Yeah in the series that's what if if you I might have this number wrong, but if You go to the three one goal in game three, so that ended up after that it was four to one

then it was two to nothing and it was so it's twelve to two in goals since that time since the three one goal in game three it's's 12 to 2. And I'm like they can't they can't throw in the towel like that. It just doesn't seem possible but I don't but it wears who's gonna lead the fight? Like who's who's gonna drag everybody's energy to another level? And you can you know the coach can have the best speech in the world and that that can only go so far. Like somebody's got to be able to energize and inspire their team and I just don't know where is that going to come from given what we saw last night. So I'm going to say I think they'll play

better but man if they go to florida and when i'd that's a major upset for me i'm with you and and uh... to to follow up on that let's say hypothetically they win how many jerry's how likely is it in your opinion that the reason they win tomorrow is predominantly because austin matthews and and Mitch Marner put the team on their backs. Um, isn't that as shocking? Like, wouldn't that be as shocking?

Yeah. I mean, I would say most times that that would have to be almost like, you know, 90% like they're going to, but they were both, they've both been so silent in this series. Like I, I, I don't like Matthews has had I think 11 or 12 shots around the low key you know like greater in front of the blue paint around the front of the net he's got no goals obviously. You're like geez he's got a score eventually but he just I think I said this last time every time I watch him live now he seems like he's behind the play a little bit like he doesn't lead

the charge he's kind of like coming in from behind and I don't know if that's a health thing or a style thing or whatever it is but he doesn't he doesn't inspire that fear that you know like I'm looking looking at what happened out in Edmonton over the last little bit here. So they're 8-1 since they were down two games to nothing to

LA. And part of the deal there, they've got certainly depth scoring. They've been, I think they've been just terrific. But their top end,

McDavid and Dry Cytl, I think we saw last year and we see it now like they're assassins those guys like they're killers dry sidle they needed them to check for two games so we played with putt coles in and Kaepernick and they shut down Eichel put Coles in and Kaepernick and they shut down Eichel and they won the series. Like I just think that that in my mind elevates Dry Cytl. I already think he's one of the best players in the game but that to me it they're like this is what we need you to do he's like yep I'll take the challenge or however the call the conference went and he did it and like that's that's what is on the plate for Toronto

like that's it do you think Florida is gonna go there and play terrible no no chance I don't they'll be ready tomorrow they were how far away from how far are you away from saying from what you saw last night that Matthews and Marner are assassins that seems like it's eons away from even coming to that conclusion yeah I I would I don't think I would even wait now like the it's not even an opinion the fact is what we've seen over the last couple of playoffs like you could you know you can you can nitpick guys games apart all you want but it got down last year McDavid won the Conn-Smith

Dry-Cidal, you know a couple of years ago when he was on one leg and he I don't forget how many points he had he was like an amazing series and he had that high ankle sprain like these there they have found it or they have it and The guys in Toronto have never have never approached that and we're guys if if we if we go through this call next week again like we have the last five years like we can't do it again can we no except the answer is no they're not all going to be back uh... right no cat bradley said we've got a five years in a row i think we

could probably just play the tape you would think although i might have thought that was more than five or more than five has been not going to be a house but i mean let's deal with that when next week if it happens it because you're right. It'll be a different I think there'll be a lot different opinions this time and especially with Marner's contract and to virus is contrary like, you know I think there are Extenuating extenuating circumstances that are are coming up with that Ray. I let's let's look at tomorrow's game

What do you need to see? Right from the drop of the puck for this to be their competitive game or where the Leafs could be, not only in it, can walk away with a win? When I think of the Leafs' best games this year, and it's obviously harder to think about it from a regular season to now, but when they've had to play and they play their best, they skate, and I'm not talking about with the puck, like they check, they check forward. They're in the offensive zone.

They smother teams in the middle of the ice because they're really a pretty quick team. And their intention is to carry the game to the other team and of course that's not always going to happen right and it's hard to do against Florida but the intention has to be right from the drop of the puck we're playing that way we're going in their zone we're we're gonna whether the exits are clean or not, we're going to skate and push the pace. They just, Barube said something before the first game.

He said, I want us to take the game to them. I don't want to wait and see how they're going to play. And in the last couple of games, it almost seems like they've been overwhelmed and they're kind of like trying to dip their toe in the water of the game. I think tomorrow, clearly you don't have any choice. You got to play play forward with the puck. Be aggressive when you chip the puck in, get a bump in and get a second guy on there. Now, like Florida comes out of their zone at will. comes out of their zone at will. When I see Nico Michalas skate the puck out of the zone with no pressure, I'm like, that's not Bobby Orr. Get to him. He'll make a mistake. But

they have time and they have support. These last couple of games, Toronto's not even close to generating a lot of chances Yeah quick follow up on that rate is So is that the identity of what the Maple Leafs are when they're good like that's the one thing We've said this all along like we know what the Florida Panthers identity is for the most part, right? They play hard. They've got some skill. they plot structure, they've got a good goal tender. What is the Toronto Maple Leaf's identity? Like is it Craig Barube? Is it, you know, he wants to play, play hard, play fast, play physical? Like that's something that I think hasn't been defined or it hasn't been, we haven't seen it certainly the last three or four games? I think it's defined in theory that it's got a you

know it is a simpler a game a simpler approach like that's what they've tried to do I think throughout the season is create a team that could play at this time of the year. The biggest problem I guess becomes is you know you can only you can only not be what you are for so long like they're their best players to they don't play the same way as Florida's best players right like until last night I think Reinhardt had a couple assists I think they finally got somebody to 10 points last night in the playoffs. They had eight guys with eight points. Do you see what I mean?

Their identity, you can see it. Toronto is, I think, what they want and what they have are two different things. And the going got choppy, the water got choppy for them and they couldn't approach it last night. Like they, they got pushed out really fast. Like even when it was zero zero and Nylander had that breakaway and Bob made the save, the end of the first period, I think the shots were 15 to four or something. Like it was one nothing and you're like oh that didn't even feel like you know when you see a team go out and just like they exhaust themselves in the first period you're like oh they're good that's it they don't have any more. It

didn't even feel like that for Florida and as it turned out it wasn't like they got better. Yeah. So I think that's the biggest problem. Jamie, that's a good way of putting it is that like their identity, I think they're 90 games into the year, they're, they still would, I think the vision is more Florida style, but they don't have the players to play that way. They're kind of stuck a little bit in between, I think. What was it like between the benches in the third period last night? Well, not much to say from Toronto's side. The chirping was pretty one-sided. After a while, the only thing you've got is, you know, F you, right?

Like, what else are you going to say? There's not going on when it's five cops. The old Western Lake comeback. There's no comebacks. No, there's no. So you just sit there and, like, take jabs to the nose. Like, when there was a Leaf power play, you'd hear every once in a while, you know, like, oh,

there's another power play for you guys. You know, and like, there's nothing to say. You know, it's kind of like oh, there's another power play for you guys. You know, and like there's nothing to say. It was, you know, it's kind of like, oh, maybe, maybe that's good for you guys. Like there was no, there's no push. There's nothing to say. It was one sided. And as the game, you know, I think there's a certain point, like in the third period, my play by play guy, Sean McDonough asked me, he goes he goes, what are the Leafs trying to get out of here?

And I said, they're just trying to get out of here. Like, at that point, they're like, they just want it to be over. Like, what else are you gonna do? The night is, that last night was, because the series isn't over, whatever is just short of a disaster, last night was a disaster.

Like, right next to a disaster disaster because you still got a chance right but all my gosh i was i would have never thought that was going to be the way that game was played every other games of one goal game game game four was to nothing you know like you'd you'd think like that's how the series is going to play at this point and all of a sudden they just get, you know, they get their lunch handed to them.

Yeah. And it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. Like that was the, it never stopped being bad. Like that's the amazing thing. If you ask me right now, I'd say, you know what, what, what are the chances of a Florida Edmonton rematch? And I'd say probably pretty good. I was about to ask you that, like if I gave you that versus the field, every other combination, would you take Edmonton rematch and i think probably pretty good but ask you that like if i gave you that versus the field every other combination would you take edmonton for you know what dalas still scares me because i get i think

if they can get by when a pig that gives me uh... mero haste in another another few days i you think he'd be better uh... dalas edmonton would would be a hell of a series. I think Dallas will win that series. But Matt, the way Edmonton's played right now, I think I'd take that. I

think I'd take Edmonton, Florida. Yeah. I've been so impressed with Edmonton since really, I'd say more game five against LA. But like game three and four at home, came back and they won but it was still kind of weird seven four games But like that game five in LA they put on a clinic down there and I think they won that game three one and And since then that was the one they were way out the shots were like yeah 33 to 8 or 10 or something right like since then they they have just Edmonton looks unbelievable, but you know what though that like I say like it looks like they've found something like it looks

like they've found a way that they want to play and it's not just 29 and 97 dragging it it's you know it's it's depth it's the goaltender it's it... All of a sudden, Bouchard, his game is quiet. Like just, it's really good. And this Klingberg all of a sudden looks like the Klingberg in Dallas, like years ago. He doesn't look like the guy who was... What about Brett Kulak? Yes. I thought Ekholm was going to be... No, Ekholm was a death blow.

Yes. Against Vegas. And holy man, Kulak's been awesome and Bouchard is playing the best hockey he's played this year, like by a mile. There's a stat and I think the number is 14 and 2, that in games 4 through 7 in the last two years of series Edmonton is 14 and 2 games 4 through 7 so as the series goes on they just get better and better and Maurice said yesterday before the game that he felt like the each each series of course is different and Toronto plays different than Tampa and

he thought you know they didn't play very well early and he thought the more reps of the series his team gets better if that happens and kind of what's happened in this series I think and the same in Edmonton too. Yeah it really does take a level of confidence to be able to weather the storm early like Florida's down 2-0 in the series they're down 2-0 and 3-1 in game three and yet they just never looked like they were uncomfortable, they always felt like they'd figured out, they did, Edmonton the same thing, like the cream rises to the top, that's the beauty of a best four out of seven, that's the beauty

of the playoffs is generally speaking the best teams standing at the end yeah there it's the fortitude that like we're talking Florida in particular that they I mean they had to feel some panic didn't they down to nothing five minutes into the third game like you would think they would except they never really got too far off track and they kind of the second period I guess of that of game three saved Florida's season Because they were done if Toronto wins that game. They're done. Yeah, you're not winning four straight I mean some I guess it does happen but and we know it doesn't happen very much and so for all of this, Toronto can look and say, look, we were that close and then it got away

from us, can they get it back one more time to get to a game seven? Man, it's a tall ask. Ray, before we get you out of here, I was speaking to somebody from the Whalers days yesterday, and he was talking about a podcast and he said whatever the podcast that peewee and Draggr are on, how did you get the nickname peewee? Like who started calling you peewee? Joel. Just Q, wasn't it?

Yeah. Yes. So what? He just looked at you and said, you're peewee now? Or like how did it come about? You know guys were sitting around whatever and he's like, ah, peewee, peewee, you're up there, peewee, pee wee pee wee. You're up there. Pee wee pee wee.

Your line goes up there. It was in camp and I'm like, pee wee? And all of a sudden like that was it. Finished. I'm 60 years old. They still call me pee wee. I'm like, I'm not getting taller, right? So this is like, this is it.

That's going to be on the casket man yeah but it was Joel definitely 100% Joel Quinville Joel Quinville responsible for that 40 years later you're still dealing with that's incredible yeah that's and if you guys know Joel like and he does it when he talks like his hands are going a lot and the right hand is always up like extended you know because that's the hand he makes his points with and he's you know like oh Pee-wee Pee-wee your lines up there Pee-wee oh you'll go get us a goal there Pee-wee it was impossible not to laugh every time we talked because it was just his style of talk and it was yeah I'm happy

for Joel that he's back. I'm happy to see him back in Anaheim. I think he'll do a great job. Yeah. That seems an interesting one. Like they've been really off the radar for a few years, right? Like really just a team in transition, getting out of the Gatslaf era, the, you know, Perry era and all that.

Now it's like they got all these young kids and for Beek and other Hartford Wailer he's down there running the show. Oh yeah and then they go they go across town and Kenny Holland's got a new gig so that's a lot of change in California this year. No kidding, no kidding. To say nothing of Vancouver and we'll get into that once the playoffs may become to an end. What could be happening in the future? By the way Adam Foote had a great line in in his press conference today they were asking him about the offensive game for the Canucks and he said, well, fortunately for you people, I was such a gifted offensive player. And if you ever saw Foote play, the puck was not his friend.

So he was... But he battled, man. Man, did that guy battle. Oh, did he ever. He was in that... Hey guys, he was in that group of defensemen that you're like, oof, look at those guys. Him and the hatchers and they were mean, mean guys to be around.

He just looks like it. You just look at foot, you're like this guy is not happy at all. This is going to be a problem fighting for this puck. But that's the way it used to be be we'll see how it goes move forward out there uh... greta a lot of change will feel it goes in florida that's right more right like that not that you're going to get that

they need will any spirit and backbone yes and if you can find out early in stay in the game early then you give yourself a chance to believe you can't let it go before but you can't go in there just hope you can hang in there battle never work no now you have to fly down there believing you're winning you have to believe that

we'll see if it comes to fruition tomorrow night thanks right you bet you guys have a good one and we'll be watching. Talk to you soon. Yep, we will. All right, there he is, Ray Ferraro joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Drive the built-in Canada fuel-efficient fun to drive Toyota RAV4 gas or hybrid models available.

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