OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs' first round win, the mindset against the Panthers and the winning mentality

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Maple Leafs' series win against the Senators, the compelling players on the team, the second round matchup against the Panthers, how Toronto can have their winning mentality and more.

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what happened. It wasn't the Leafs that saw actually we put in you know 92 instead of 88 and the league gave him a hookup I mean that can you imagine if Nylander wasn't playing last night well hang on a sec did they give him a hookup or did the Leafs notice it? I was I was of the impression I could be wrong I was of the impression the league was like hey just to clarify it's William, right? And I don't think so. Okay. I don't think so. I think I put it in obviously and then someone for the leaf like no That's not right. We made a mistake. I don't think it was the league bailing them out I think that was on the broadcast when it's happening real time They were sort of trying to figure out what went down

But I think Greg suggested that the Leafs were the ones to have caught it even though they made the first mistake themselves But I mean, can you imagine? They drop the puck and William Nylander and then what? Alex got to come out of the Raptor. He's there having a beer with his dad watching the game with the black aces and he's got to, because he'd be allowed to play, right? Yeah, you have to put him in there. They would have told him, don't even bother.

They would have just like, just go 11-6. I don't know. I mean, serve a penalty, get an injury. I mean, you might as well have a body waiting around if you're going, anyways. It didn't happen, all's well that ends well, but that was, and I guess part of the people sort of the mechanics of it, it used to be you write it in pen. Yes, I used to have to do it. Yeah, you were in the coach's office, you saw this, right?

You write 12, again, 22 Conrad, whatever it is, but now you type in NY and it self-populates to the Nylander in your team. Alex comes before William and they just clicked on the first one and it just populated for Alex because it's alphabetically it was earlier. So I think that's sort of how it went. They glossed over it not ever having to think about it for the last four months when Alex wasn't in NHL. But yeah it's one of those things when you win, when he scores two goals, it's all sort of a footnote in a good story as opposed to what would have been, I mean, leafiest is a word I'm getting to use a lot now with O, and that would have been one of the really

leafiest moments if they're on the run of bad luck. That would have been awful. That would have been crazy. Like truly one of the craziest sports stories ever forget the Leafs like just sports in general yeah all right so Leafs get through in six when you look back on the series what what sticks out to you what will you remember most from from the Battle of Ontario hmm what I will remember is that the Leafs got through this series playing exactly the same way they played all year. Like they stayed true to their

their identity and that identity sometimes doesn't look great. That identity sometimes plays their own end. That identity doesn't always run in gunning trade a ton of chances or shots but they find ways to win because they believe they have superior goal tending. Their power play can be good and they got stars that can be difference makers. So if that's your identity, that's how you do it. That's how they did it all year. And in game six, the clinching game, that's how they did it. You guys imagine William E. LeVitt, he didn't have a great game. There was moments that shift was, oh, and I'm like, are you watching what I'm watching?

Oh, like this is insane what he's doing right now. What is going on? He like, and then when he got the puck the second time, and then didn't change, I'm like, this is ridiculous. But that recipe worked. And maybe the other thing I'll take out of it that man i think reba rubick given credit he's got a feel for his team made a lot of right calls and his demeanor was

beneficial to the team finding a way through a stressful type here either they have always got a way through so that's come to take away that would go with john rapid fire some questions regarding the series for the maple leaves who is the mvp a poll could question good question uh... it

but the kind of a gay partnership i don't even know is that uh... you know that the top i've got a lot of points powerplay point and i want it's either a deep airing something for the i'm going to have a kid that's what they do that's who they are okay they are all pleasant surprise before flying finding a role

through a light and would you plan the offensive and i know they didn't get a ton of point or even chances but they territory did what they had to do he could trust them they play with energy that the physicality in the office and all the bang around set the table for the other guys, you know in Lawton getting the game puck after last night after absolutely eating that one timer with 30 seconds left and You know, it's so cliche in that moment because I believe just about I remember Mitch Marta at the end of a playoff game Diving four times in front of a puck remember that one

So it's not like he would be the only guy to do it times in front of a puck. Remember that one? So it's not like he would be the only guy to do it, but it sort of symbolized why they wanted him specifically because when it gets tough and somebody has to make a game winning play, he will do what it takes. So the fourth line to me was the pleasant surprise because you didn't know what you're going to get down there. Who would play with who, how it would work and it worked quite well. What about Benoit? That's my guys. Listen, that guy's a breakout star, they play us like honestly, not just the, I mean, he set up an overtime winner. He scored an overtime winner. That alone exceeds anything you could ever expect out of him for the entirety of the playoffs. Those two things alone, but it was more than that. It was the stuff he's sort of supposed to do well. Defend, play with physicality, pulls up on gaps, kill

penalties, be at the end of the game in high leverage situations. He did all of that and what I loved about him is two things. One, you know sometimes when Leafs get running around they can look fatigued or maybe a little slow. He's got lively legs. He can like take a puck and sort of skate away from guys a little bit and then get it out and do whatever he wanted. And the other thing, Noodles?

Yeah. He looked fearless. He did not seem to have any sort of stage fright about the moment, about screwing up at the wrong time. He just let it fly. And I think for this team over the years they haven't had enough guys like that they were just sort of could wire themselves to just let it go and he was really good to the point if you were watching the last three

minutes last night obviously and have McCabe go out there Carlo and Benoit no Morgan Ryder in the last four minutes of the game last night it was Simone Benoit who deserved to be out there because he's played that well. Yeah, that's a good call. He was a pleasant surprise for sure, but he was excellent. And there were times, let's be honest, like down the stretch, there were times where I didn't think he was going to play. I just I didn't think that, you know, you got the Annie Hawken pod

and that would just never materialize. Maybe me, Annie Hockey Pau will be the biggest, you know, star of the second round, who knows? But I'm, there were times where I just felt like Benoit was rotating himself out of the lineup, down the stretch, or you know, maybe before down the stretch. There was a pocket there where he wasn't playing well, and that has changed.

Like it seems like he's a staple now, and I love the word that you said, like fearless. Like he didn't seem overwhelmed by the moment where, you know, it's not like this guy has a wealth of playoff experience. You know, that's a guy who on that roster doesn't have a ton, but he played like he did. Yeah, he was outstanding. And OEL. Like give OEL credit, who I think as well, the Leafs got great value from this year, but there were times he looked a little fatigued. I think on the third pair, it works with Benoit.

I guess Ottawa it works. We'll see how it works against Florida, because it's a different kind of challenge. But I thought OEL also elevated sort of the cleanliness, the execution of his game with Benoit to just provide reliability, and that what something that uh... we're looking for johnny the last category i have is who can give more if you were talking to someone from florida and you were going to fill in the blanks to this question or the statement in the statement was watch out for this guy on the lease because he

he he was okay but he's got a lot more to give in the next series who would it be second line because he was okay but he's got a lot more to give in the next series who would it be? Second line, second line of five on five. I know Nylander scored a goal last night but they did not have a lot of great offensive moments in flurries. Tavares, Nylander and I mean they tried everybody. Everyone else. Like literally they tried what six different wingers, McMahon and Domi and Jarnkrook and obviously Pacioretty in the end. They tried everybody there. So I would think the second line has more because when now a lot of that falls to William Ulander to drive the play to have the puck to carry it to create for his wingers, whoever

or the centerman and the winger. But oh, I think they got more in them. Statistically, power play, they all picked up points, but I think the way they played, they'll have to be more effective, they'll be better against Florida, and they can be. Well that's the challenge, right? You turn the page pretty quickly and you've got the Florida Panthers waiting for you. And they're a favorite, you know, they'll be a favorite on Fandel and Vegas. The expectation will be there that the Panthers are, in my opinion, the team to beat in the sport. They're the cream of the crop. How different do you believe the Leafs, if at all, have to play

in order to have success against Florida? I don't think they have to play differently and I think that would be unwise to think that they have to do anything different like they'll have to be physical and they'll have to play hard and have to battle and all those different things that of course they need to do. The real challenge is that how will they find space? When Florida plays well they are better than anyone at just compressing the rink so there's nothing, nothing out there. You can't even breathe out there. There's just no space

for you anywhere. They have to deal with that pressure. Oh, we talked about the wall play last night and when the puck comes around the boards, it's not always clean. Toronto's got to do a good job sort of moving the puck up the ice to give themselves a chance to go play Florida play on their own end where they're good but they're not you know they're not incredible what Florida does well is they don't ever let you get there rather they sort of check you before you have a chance to put them in their own on their heels so I don't think different just better and it's a big task and obviously and you're gonna need moments where your goal is better than theirs you might need a moment where their goalie's not very good.

You might need a moment where your power play goes three for five and wins you the game. Like, you're gonna need a couple one-offs. I don't know if they just played 60 minutes, five on five straight up. I don't like the Leafs' chances of sort of winning that series, but with all the other elements, they give themselves a shot. Yeah, and all those ingredients showed up, you showed up against Ottawa where the core four, they put up points. You mentioned five on five in some areas that could be better, but then you got big moments

from Domi and Benoit, and Pachareti, and the goalie played well. I look at this team in 2025 compared to the one in 2023 that ran into the Panthers. I like the goalie better iners over samson i'd love the defense parents compared to where it was two years ago i think it's it's night and day quite frankly the rest you know is you can discuss not to sit not to be a shot at shelton keith why think of the very good coach i don't know how much code does matter but craig ruby

you've got something going on i think you think he's got something going on. I agree. He's got a feel and he's done this before and a calmness to what is going on when the world around the Leafs can be very noisy. He doesn't let it bother him and he does a good job trying to not let it bother his player. So that also, I think, is a pretty significant difference

relative to years past. Yeah, there it is. I mean, the coach, the goalie, and the defense, you know. Other than that. Yeah, and that's significant. Other than that. That's big. The Galish should be more confident, I think, than they were two years ago, even though

two years ago, they finally won a series and Florida was the eighth seed who found a way to get past Boston. Right? We didn't know exactly what they were yet. It's a very different complexion this time. What do you guys make of playing against a player that played with you? So Stolarz knows them, they know him. Like, oh would that, you know, if you knew a goalie that you played with but that goalie knows where, you know, where your sweet spots

are, you know where his weaknesses are. I think it's all generalities. Yeah? Generalities is a word, Hays? Yeah, you're onities. Yeah. Generalities of word haste. Yeah, you're good. Yeah, you're on top. Yeah. Like you're talking about a this guy, I used to just torch him top glove. So you got a split second if you get a one time or opportunity to say, if I get this top glove, I'm going to have a good chance to score or you get a breakaway and you've scored a bunch or you know weaknesses. You're talking about a split second about deciphering what you had in the memory bank and applying it to a split second decision.

So can someone over a series take advantage of that and say I know that guy and I'm gonna continue to do this? I would say it's highly unlikely. Johnny, just before you get to it, the only reason it made me think of it is last night Warren Fogle had a breakaway on Pickard and I guarantee you those two probably had 5,000 breakways the picker be in the backup

You know and like so you know now it's Florida and Stoller's where a lot of these guys probably worked with Stoller's before Practice after practice because the backup spends a lot of time with the with the grade-a shooters right because they they want to work on stuff What do you make it? I I always thought and I've had this conversation, of course the goalie is always like, no, no, it's advantage shooter. And the shooter is always like, no, no, it's advantage goalie. But to me, I think, I'm the shooter, I think it's advantage goalie because as O said, it's a lot for a player to process all those different things. But I wonder if instinctively Stoller reads the stick, reads the release, reads the eyes comfortably because he's seen it so many times.

Maybe he gets a slight, slight half second, tenth of a second reaction benefit by, oh, I remember when he puts the stick like this, he just sort of recalls what it felt like to see those shots because he's seen them so many times. As a shooter, they're just not know maybe on a breakaway maybe on a two-on-one or on a power play where you're kind of stationary for a second but you know too much going on for the player to do it but the goalies I don't

always felt that they would have a better read on what I was wanting to do because they've seen it. With Mike Johnson we've put a post up or a poll up on Twitter asking what Panthers player is the biggest villain for the maple is in a lot of this is based on fan reaction uh... rad marsh and matthew kichuck sam bennett kichucks at forty one percent marsh and at thirty eight bennett's i like twenty twenty one so that it's actually pretty tight race uh... what how would you answer it before the series how do you think you

might answer it before the series? How do you think you might answer it after the series? So I think before the series, I would say Matthew Kachuk because he's just the center of it all. And he will bug you with the way that he behaves and he will bug you with the way that he plays. And it's sort of like, in all facets, he will aggravate and irritate. By the end of the series, it would not surprise me that Sam Bennett, because he brings an element of physicality.

Like sure, he chirps like Marchand and Kachuk, and sure, he's good like those guys as well, but he's just a little bit dirtier. More physical and dirtier. Like he's a dirty player in a good way, I got the compliment. And I think by our seven game game series when he's had his fourth run with Austin Matthews We've got a little high or a little late or you know Braden Shan hit like Shryfleet. They're like that guy He's the guy we hate the most

Yeah, see it's interesting from my standpoint It's Marshaan and and not because he can have the impact but because he represents the Bruins which these other guys don't and and and not because he can have the impact but because he represents the Bruins which these other guys don't and like he's the only guy he was there in 2013 and if you're a fan like that that's unparalleled there's no one else you can apply that type of you know history to and now he's on the Panthers and what if I spin it this and what i think in it this way what i think in this way

he lost that laughter he lost that leverage because you know i'm about to bring more you treated out of their committee bunk you know i'm no longer a representative of a team that you had issues with they go play somewhere else don't play in florida i react to that

if you're a rat with a pretty heavy vibe fellas. He was good. That Luster-Ryne and Lundell line, we will talk so much about Barkov and about Bennett. I tell you what, that Lundell line with Luster-Ryne and Marchand, that was always going to be the third line. It's a tough one. And when you compare that to Toronto, it's not quite apples to oranges how you get deployed. But the third line at times for Toronto was their fourth line. They were not playing very much and they're going to have to sort that out because they are going to need something, some sort of continuity confidence in the third line to match up against Florida in what they have. Yeah, you're right. What do you expect St. Louis Winnipeg tonight? I mean what is it 14? 14 in a row? Yes 14 in a row. That is a month and a half without losing,

without Shifely, no wheelers, crowd in a frenzy. It's so set up for St. Louis to win that game. Now you never know you know, can Mestnikov do what he did last game? I don't think so. So I think absolutely they're going back for game seven, unless the ultimate wild card, if Connor Hellebuck has just a game of brilliance, which would be the, this is it, right? This would wash away a lot of salt

if he can find a way to have one night, put the team on his back, and don't worry about it guys, we might give him 45, we might only get two goals, that's gonna stand up, he could do it, he might have to do it tonight. I agree, I'm going to do a sports center, he has, for me, he's been pulled twice

in that building in a row, like this could be a statement game for him. Like go in there, show why you're gonna win the Veznas, show why you're, you know. That. Might win the heart. Yeah. Might win the heart.

That type of heart. Like it could be a legacy night. I think Ehlers might play though. Oh, you thought so too. He's a game time decision, Johnny. It sounds like. Yeah. I think he'll play.

I really do. But. It's huge because. It is a big boost. To make that it is a big boost yeah it is a big boost for them but it I think it all comes down to the goalie I think it's that he's got to have a Vezna night to show everybody like I'm still the guy here like let's that's cool I totally agree yeah I think if he does that that is it's the ultimate statement mike drop yeah like shy play not there are st louis red hot at home doesn't matter i'm in that we're winning yeah um...

march on it enjoy the game tonight enjoy game seven tomorrow and uh... will do it again early next week uh... about that here we go mike johnson rts and hockey analyst joining us here on the maple toyota hot line introducing brian adams radios Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Introducing, Brian Adams Radio.

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