OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs' defeat against the Sharks, Woll's stance in the crease and the goaltending interference spotlight

Episode Date: March 28, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' defeat to the Sharks, Joseph Woll's tough performance and the team's playoff goaltender, William Nylander's strong season, the Oilers' tough skid, the goaltending interference issues in the NHL and more.

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Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeartRadio app and that i heart radio dot c here's mike johnson rts on hockey analyst johnny your trial of that you wouldn't few if you're going to go down to the ballgame site you would pull the shoot because of the weather app i would be inclined i mean let me ask us about that

i hear a lot about your smart professional athletes afraid of the walking in the rain to a gate to this is so i'm not sure trade of the rain i'm afraid of the two-hour commute and the yahoos that don't know how to drive in the freezing rain and i don't want all five hundred and And the yahoos that don't know how to drive in freezing rain Yeah, I don't want to fight it in it's all knowing I have 80 other home games. I could go to Get including one tomorrow I'm sure I could just get one if I wanted to in a heartbeat

so I would be inclined to think about it or I might take public transit because generally speaking the subway moral i want that whether than than the roads but okay i would i'm not here like you get two centimeters of freezing rain anything that they're gonna happen treat the company down power going out not any pretty yeah that is a concern is like power outages inside the sold me i'm i'm gonna i'm gonna

be in the bunker this weekend i'm not going anywhere watch the leaves try to get a win in l a they have of the kings of lost three games at home all year now please to go in there after performance with the head coach was an overly happy where are you glass half fuller half empty gathered they got a point last night but i guess also threw one away to san jose

so my gut reaction is it's empty because they just did this against San Jose where they went over time, they lost in the shootout. We know how critical the points are. There's so few games left. They are so close to potentially winning their division and to lose a point against a last place team

doesn't feel very good. The fact that they rallied back with too late, that was nice to see, because they haven't done that as much. We joke about their plus minuses. So many six on five goals against them this year. They don't have nearly the success that they had last year doing it.

So that part was nice to see. The offense scoring a bundle of goals, which is sort of par for the course and the power play being red hot is par for the course in the powerplay being red hot, is par for the course as of late. But then doing a little research, as I like to do for O, because I know he already knows this, but I want to keep up with him. Here we go.

If you look at Florida and Tampa, the teams that Toronto is battling for first in Atlantic, and you look at the number of points that they have dropped to the worst five teams in the league, right? You're following me, you lose the game, you drop two points. Okay. So last night Toronto dropped one against San Jose. Toronto for the entire year against the bottom five teams, they've dropped four points. Florida all year, six, they've dropped four points. Florida all year, six. Tampa all year, six. So this idea that they're thrown away against the crappy teams, Florida and Tampa wouldn't let this happen, not true. In fact, they've been better against the bad teams than Florida and Tampa have been this year. So when I read that, I'm like, maybe we have to have a little bit more measured response because yes timing is bad

You hate to see it, but it's not like it doesn't happen to the teams are competing with I Hate to say it Johnny, but I beat you to the punch on that stat and I brought it up earlier in the show Look at you two living in the same stat universe. I didn't hear that stat earlier I don't think it was as as clarified as john was like johnny i hear you bozos go if i said that it just couldn't be true on my side much when you say it much right now they're just not going to have a more of a buffet of words now they go to as far johnny as they say that we didn't even hear it like that's that's the play i did hear you defended but i didn't hear the stats behind it. I just heard you go,

there's some people on Twitter. Did he say that? That's precisely what he said. He's an idiot on Twitter. Maybe they're wrong. I said you got to be careful with people on Twitter, but Guy tweeted out that Florida and Tampa have both dumped a pile of points away against bad teams. That's how I worded it. That qualifies. You got it. It's pretty much the same thing. It's a tie. will dump the pile of points away again that he has so good that's how i worded it's not a lot of times you got a lot of the same thing it's a tax

that's not about the different in your life and i don't know that's right i think that's right there a little bit more detailed but we both try to get the same point of gas both right there there is just the different way of expressing it up and see double a versus the original right there right one of those Yeah, and see double a versus the OHL right there right in front of us Yeah, well listen the and and that's all fine and great but you know how Lee fans would respond to that

You know is now it's crunch time and you got you got ten to go But I I kind of saw it in a similar fashion last night I thought the one a week two weeks ago was much worse. You're up to nothing at home last night I thought the one a week two weeks ago was much worse you're up to nothing at home in San Jose you've got to close that that's got to be for nothing the one last night you know it's it's a trip across the country it's late they got off to a bad start they could have quit on the play they didn't you don't get flowers yeah and Joseph Wall well that's where you know we were talking about that earlier Johnny and you know the Leafs did not make him available to the media in the last two starts, haven't been good for him and against really bad teams.

And last night he had the, he had a blooper. Like he created a blooper moment last night. It's a big mistake and it's a play that will hang over him. Johnny, what do you think of him not coming out to speak after that? Are you cool with that? I Mean I would on some level you'd like to own it in the moment, right? Because it sort of shows resilience. I don't know if he needs to show that to anybody Himself or his teammates, but you probably would like to see it and even if he goes out there just like awesome That was a terrible play. I wasn't on top of my game. I got to be better

look forward to being better next time I'm in there. Something like that. And you say it five different times. And I don't know what that accomplishes other than it shows that you're not hiding. Because when you don't come out, the perception could be you're hiding because you don't want to face the music about the bad play that you made or the bad game you had. And that implies maybe some sort of, you you know not being mentally strong as you would want your starter to be but yeah I mean I guess you'll get asked about it tomorrow and when he's skinny goes on the ice and meat is around so I would prefer it but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna you know lose sleep over it I think the

other bigger question was awesome Scott Law Lawton, best game, scored a goal, but he was good. First line though, was not good. Not good. They were, they all got points because they get 20 points in power play and the goalie out. But at five on five, they were dominated by Celebrini largely. And maybe that's a testament to Celebrini that he can go up against Austin Matthews and go up two games that are all basically get the

best of them at five on five but that would be a concern more than anything coming out of that out of that game the top line wasn't what you would hope it to be and going to LA it'd be no cupcake you mentioned there's 33 games in they've lost three at home they had the story three games in the block three at home and that's all record in the entire n h l and is not going to any and they take their carol about game as well or they'll be pretty motivated to to get but get right after colorado so uh... won't be getting any easier the weekend

i agree i think that you know they are going to be pissed after colorado took it to last night i want to stick with the goalies because you're 10 games left and the reaction or overreaction in the market, people tweeting last night, well, Joseph Wall just cost himself the starter's job here for game one and all of that. Where are you going to fall on that? Because we aren't now 25 games left. We're 10. After this weekend, now you're down to 8.

It's really chipping away. The comfort level for Craig Berube, do you still believe in his mind he knows who's starting game one right now? Or is he going to be leaving it to that last five games where it's been back and forth each time and you're going to decide at that point? No, he knows. He won't say, but he knows. And things are always subject to change.

Somebody gets red hot. Someone struggles. Okay, I get it. But if you were to drop a polygraph to him today and say, who's starting game one? He'd say, Solars. And I think consistency, I think the elimination of a less than great goal against, I mean he's had just a few fewer than Woll, certainly Woll not playing as well as he has all year long, you know, not as hot as he can be right now.

And I think the fact that Joseph Woll in his career already has entered a playoff series not being the starter and was okay with it. He appeared comfortable and confident in that role where Solars has never really started a playoff series before so maybe the idea of him being the starter is easier for that rotation if it has to go that way Solars won, Wall too as opposed to the opposite. But I think that that's what he would do. And what do they have? Ten games left. So what? Stollers gets six, Woll gets four, and they set it up so he gets game one. I think that's probably what Craig Derube is thinking, unless something drastic changes, that's the way it's going

to go. You mentioned the power play and how they're racking up points and it's all of a sudden red hot. Their power play is really starting to click. Hottest in the league. Hottest in the league and they stuck with the five forwards and Mitch has the power play as a quarterback. It's interesting because generally I find it kind of runs through Willie now or that's

kind of where they're trying to it. I said earlier today Not to the same extreme, but Willie's this year's Austin Matthews like what Austin was last year is what? Nylander is this year, you know last night's a perfect example that gets him on the board early He's the guy that scores the late winner that Austin did that 15 times last year the guy that scored right, you know right before the bell went off and I think that makes sense, you know, like Austin, he scored last night, but that was just, he was in the right place, you know, squeaked through the goalie

and he's on the goal line. But Willie's the most dangerous offensive weapon right now on this team. Yeah, he's been really good. And he's done it without the aid of Matthews or Marner, right, he doesn't get to play with those guys so he's been incredible. It's amazing Hayes when you watch them play like down at the ice or not between the benches especially at five on five how everybody on the ice with William

Nylanders on the ice is looking specifically and obviously and totally to get him in the puck. It's really something to watch. Like just get it to him and get out of the way. Like that's the sentiment because they know once he has it, always they make so many good things happen with it. It's really impressive what he's done. Obviously career high and gold. He's not going to slump home at 40 like he did last year. It's been a great year for him and they will need it to continue to be excellent all the way through second line is scoring a lot of points again lots of his final hour on the power play but yeah what he has is

the ability to create time and space for himself and therefore everyone else because of his escape ability using his edges. Like I think that is essentially what makes him so important because he can take a puck under pressure, pull it off the wall, gets open ice, cut back once and all of a sudden he's got a bit of space and everyone else can move without thinking the puck's about to get turned over and it allows them to play. And you need players that either through a pass, through skating, through deception or through physicality to get themselves time or space. This is what it's all about when you have it and with his evasiveness he does it better

than anyone on the team right now and that's why he's piling up the points the way he is. He's been so good. Now one thing if you guys noticed and we've had this conversation about Matthew Nyes who you know quietly is going to push 50 points here and I was concerned about maybe what his ceiling might be offensively. If you saw if you look at the game tying goal the one the one with whatever 12 seconds left or whatever it was that pass that was going through the middle he could have taken it and he left it like he lifted his stick up and let it go to Nylander and that to me I was so impressed that in that moment maybe he was being yelled at to leave it he had the awareness to not touch that puck it almost to me like, that's a growth in his game,

in the awareness about where everyone is and the situation they act. It was totally heavy play on the tying goal that I wasn't sure that maybe he would make a year ago. So impressive by him as well. Yeah. Johnny, what do you say to people when you get asked on the street,

the same question I do, the same question we all do, when people come up to you and say, Mike Johnson, what do you think of the Leafs this year in the playoffs? What do you toss back at them? I will say they this year are a worse team than they've been the last four, but they have better goaltenders. And so if you think the goaltenders can make a difference, then you can think they have a good chance. If you think the opposition,enders can make a difference, then you can think they have a good chance. If you think the opposition and maybe the Zitto, the opposition is not quite as stiff as it has been in previous years, then they have a good chance.

If you're thinking that maybe just the stars align and they get the breaks that they haven't gotten in years past, then they have themselves a chance. But I'm not, and I say this almost laughingly, that they are what? Seven, six in the entire league in points. But they're not as good, certainly five on five at all as what they've been in years past. They just, they just not, they just, they're just kind of a mid team. As far as just what every stat you can look at it five on five. And generally speaking, when you look at those stats, it's the teams that are at the top of those numbers that have the chance or most likely to go deep.

Oh, so I, without saying I'm like, they got a shot because they're talented and they got bullshitting, but I, you know, I don't feel for confident that they'll be able to mow down the competition because they just haven't done it that way this year. So with that in mind, let's say you're walking down Main Street in Edmonton, Alberta and someone goes, what do you make of the Oilers this year in the playoffs? What is your answer on that one? Can you give me the health files on McDavid and dry saddle Let's say they're both a hundred percent. This is load management. They're get they're gonna get over this and they're ready to play

So I Like them because I like those two guys I Don't You know as much of the rest of that I've been saying as you've seen in years past I don't love as much of the rest of Edmonton as you've seen in years past. Those guys are going to have to be otherworldly to have Edmonton advance. And to go back to what we talked about earlier, the fact that they will likely get LA on the road, where LA never loses that home. I know they beat them every year. I get it. And everything with my preseason telecom pick, as you know, I don't want to go off that,

but I don't feel great about their roster. Everything has to come together perfectly health Evander Kane the decor Stuart Skinner Lots of stuff has to come together this year more than last for them to go deep What a hater. Yeah That's it. I I she's not wrong They need a healthy Kane. They need somebody who's a separator there. Like if McDavid and Drysettled, they are who they are.

They're all world. But they need Hyman to get back to who's actually coming on recently, RNH. But you need somebody who is like a unique player. Like a- They need Dylan Holloway. Well, yeah, obviously Holloway for two three is what they need. Oh my god like Broberg at four and a half we go down this road noodle story. Cut it, but yeah, okay

That's five million bucks. That's a lot for guys only played 60 games But two three two three the toss away contracts to the guy who's a lot for guys only played 60 games. But two, three, two, three, the toss away contracts. Two, three, the guy who buried one of those. Didn't they pay Jeff Skinner three million? Yes, and Victor Arvigson the same. You saw what Holloway could do, and it was right there. You just had to match it. Just match it, it was right there in front of you.

They gave you the contract and a good one, and to see that guy who has been so good for St. Louis, like you think of a Broberg, Holloway, Fogel, McLeod, Edmonton's got older, maybe smaller, slower and a little less skilled outside their best players. That's rarely a good recipe. That's not a good recipe. Right? That's rarely a good recipe. Right? That's not a good recipe. But yeah, I mean, you look at it, the last two nights, Dallas,

they got back in the game late. But last night, they got pumped in Seattle. Yeah, I mean, they sat at home. My biggest thing is, I don't know what's going wrong with Ekholm. Again, he's been in and out of the lineup. They need him. That's been all year that's been going on. Because he's their best defenseman. I mean, Bouchard is, but I think Ekholm is their best defenseman who's more stabilizing. Like they miss him.

I don't know what's going on. The goalie, I think, what did they do with it? Is it a concussion protocol? He didn't even fly last night. Yeah, I think it's probably protocol. He's jammed up neck, whatever he's got. Yeah, but they've got their battle of Alberta tomorrow I believe right. I think they're in Calgary Yeah, like I would say a game

I would well Calgary needs it big time like I think Calgary. I think they got jammed up twice last night I don't know again Johnny where you out with these goalie interference we got it Our rap, you know what and I and I tend to like to have these kind of conversations again. Johnny, where are you at with these goalie interference? We got into it at 4 o'clock. You know what? And I tend to like to have these kind of conversations. I like to think that I have a good handle on it, maybe more than people who don't watch as many games as we do. Right. I got to say guys, I don't like I get the standards are this. Did you touch the goalie with while he's in the crease?

Did you go in there on your own? Did you impede in any way his ability to make a normal save? If those three things happen, it's no goal. And I guess the real wild card for me guys is, did you impede his ability to make a save? And like the slightest brush and impediment is a slight graze and inability to establish position. It feels like right now that's kind of where they're at. And so I guess I understand it. They're applying the rules as they should.

I don't like it. I think they should be different. I think, I think, you know, you're battling for space and the goalies are part of the action as well. And as long as you don't move them, then, then the goaltenders now know if they reach out like Soroka and Dasturka and they like to initiate contact knowing that they're going to get the call they want. Yeah.

It's confusing sometimes that I get fans and players getting frustrated. I think that's the standard that I laid it out. I just don't love the standard. I think it should be more tilted to more allowing a little bit more in game, not contact, but just vicinity of each other. You can be around the guy and not have it not catch. Yeah. I mean, I think it would be termed like hockey player. You know how sometimes they'd be like, that's a hockey play. Like to me, right now, everyone is struggling with the parameters of what you're talking about.

My biggest thing is, and I've been saying it all along, it's gonna happen to a team in game seven, whatever, pick a round and it's not gonna go well. And Hayes, I know where you stand. You keep coming back to it and say it's overwatched, overassessed, all of that type of stuff. It's just I'm concerned that it's gone the other way now. And now we're really struggling with what is goaltender interference? What is pass interference?

What is the strike zone? Like the most important things in pro sports right now and the big most polarizing thing and there's no answer if anything it's kind of getting more and more polarizing as opposed to less. Absolutely it's very confusing but ultimately it's because it's subjective and that's what you're going to get. It's an opinion in the end. That's what it is and one person could look at it and say no goal the other person can say good goal and That's how you that that's the reaction and that is a reaction I totally think the goalies are abusing it though. They're initiating contact or I

Don't know some flopping going on. They're starting to flop a little bit There's some flop the guy could be at the top of the crease and they just wheel out there and they're like, I got to bump into that guy somehow. And then all of a sudden it's going to be a needle. That, that, that should have been a goal. No, don't say that because Drake said I was insane for questioning that one. He said that if you look, he went into the goalie. I said, Darren, I'm sorry.

I totally disagree. You're right. Yeah. But you're, you're right. Like, okay, by the letter of the law, I guess they, I totally disagree. You're right. Yeah. You're right. Like, okay, by the letter of the law, I guess they take it away, but what we're saying is that the law should be different. Dude, no kidding, Johnny.

You were between the benches. You should allow a flesh rush. It's just crazy. You were between the benches with Mitch Marner. He fell down after a circus move, and all of a sudden it's goalie interference. Like, there's no way in hell that he could have thought I'm going to bump into the goalie falling down here. But he has to be responsible for his actions.

That to me was a goalie interference. Clear cut. If you're doing a circus move and you run into the goalie and knock him out of the net, that you deserve a goalie interference. To me, the Paul Mary 1-0, I agree with you. I thought that was a goal because the goalie actually engaged with Paul Mary 1-0, I agree with you. I thought that was a goal because the goalie actually engaged with Paul Mary. But to me, Johnny, is this never going to change unless you get to Olympic rules? I don't know if we want international rules.

No, stay away from it. It's almost too common. Sorry, international rules. Just tilt it to stay like it is or tilt it slightly more incidental, slight contact is allowed and just err more on the side where you're like, oh yeah, he bumped him. That shouldn't count. I mean, say like it is or tilted slightly more like incidental slight contact is allowed and just air more on the side where you're like, oh yeah, he bumped him. That shouldn't count. Okay.

If it's that sort of idea, then we'll leave it at that. But I don't know. I mean, I think everyone's worst fear is that it's, you know, whatever 99 pulling the crease, like game seven, someone scores a goal, gloves are in the stands, and now you gotta go sit there for seven minutes, get your gear back on and potentially go play. That's the last thing anybody wants. It's awful for the entertainment purposes of things. Yeah, for the history of it all.

Yeah, exactly. You just rip away a big, big moment. Even if in the end they confirm it, you still stole the moment by challenging and making everyone stop and wait and you're going to be harder i do remember he scored overtime ball for team canada one of the other at the world all the time late fourteen minutes

can have a good goal so i don't know if they could go like a cable after about i get to be celebrating again like in care if you have to answer it climactic i mean it they really just really just takes away from the moment. Alright, Johnny good stuff, enjoy your weekend. Before I go, fellas, I need to know the magic of video editing

how many takes on the TaylorMade challenge because, oh, that was incredibly straight. Yeah, that was a dart he threw. We had three shots each. We will let the cat out of the bag. We will say there were three shots and they took our best shot.

I hit the green three times in reg. Oh, missed the green his first shot by 20 yards and was playing a hero and was yelling at it saying it's going in. It didn't even get to the green. Oh my God. But then he did make the appropriate adjustment through a dart. I think his second, I don't even know if you hit a third one because your second one was five feet and you're like, Mike drop.

P790 drop. That's what it basically was. Yeah. All the other acting stuff, that was one take. Yeah. That was great acting. Yeah. I was wondering, how about the face-off?

Flashing brand new clubs? It's like dropping them on the cart pack. You can't do that with a club. I was thinking the same thing, man. Like, we got there and it's like, you know, what are we going to say? They're like, let's do it. We're going to war. We're going, we're in the face-off here. I got to try to win this and get a brand new 790. And this guy's trying to chop it off. And I won the draw though, Johnny. I won the draw. won the draw. I was looking for a plastic wrap on the clubs. I saw nothing. I saw like a full face-up Turned over to pull it back He's playing a little draw a little I got away from it to the left a little bit still very solid aggressive

Very solid. Very aggressive. Now that is your home away from home. You are at the lab like We do feel very comfortable in there Yeah, they we do so how could you not love that place? It's you love the club and you like to get oh they're all there running the show. Yeah right in the mix man Yeah, one more thing that I I didn't wasn't gonna bring up somewhat unnecessary Heroic play by my counterpart here i hit a seven iron

by his seven seventy five this guy he gets asked what club you play he could have said i hit a seven iron two so that we're all in cell i was just being off his he goes actually i hit it eight uh... your eight iron for her and than I do hit my seven. Dude, I was just answering.

We got a note from Uncle Nicky up at TaylorMade. He goes, what club did you guys, was it both seven iron? I just was honest. I'm like, it was eight for me. Yeah, of course. It was eight. Had to. Had to drop it.

He wins it and he hit an eight iron. Actually, that's an eight. I'm like, okay. After I think I had guy answered said seven i comes right over the top uh... anyway not i was all one take jake bansker professional trusted the carter do not think will be uh... very professional

and practice i think that nothing left from one of the finalist for the canadian screen actors awards ready whatever call a congratulations well done from one of the finalist for the canadian screen actors awards and whatever they're called a congratulations well done well done thank you johnny i appreciate that means a lot to your no longer a fraud i think that's important to point out as puts an end to it and say it

that that yeah get out there get out there vote dot the is probably the pace car like he always is that That would be my guess. It's all good. We're all nomination. That's all I'm asking for. I'll take it. Thanks, Johnny. Hi, fellas. Have a good weekend. Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. That just happened with me, Vashi Kapelos, Canada Chooses 2025. Stay informed with my exclusive iHeartRadio

podcast available Friday afternoon straight through till election day and beyond. I'll have your weekly highlights and my unvarnished analysis of the campaign of a lifetime, the candidates, the quotes, the polls, and the momentum. That just happened with Vashi Kapelos, Canada Decides 2025. Fresh every Friday. Stream on your schedule with the free iHeartRadio app.