OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs looking for the division title, Demidov's craze in Montreal and Nurse's cross-check on Byfield

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive joined to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs looking to clinch the Atlantic Division and the matchup against the Sabres, Ivan Demidov's debut with the Canadiens, Darnell Nurse's cross-check on Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault's comments on the Oilers, the playoff series and more.

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Join today and be part of something amazing. Here's Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst. Do you have faith that that saying will come to an end starting tonight? Uh, yes. That I mean. Little more convincing. The thing is, guys, one, Buffalo has played surprisingly well lately at home.

Not on the road, but at home. Like 13 or 15 at home, including seven in a row. So we saw last night, like a desperate team with everything to play for doesn't always get it done like Montreal against Chicago. So yes, I believe in Toronto, they're the better team. They found a way this past weekend to be gutsy and find ways to win games even if they weren't their best. I just don't think there's going to be like a cakewalk, even though the pro Leaf fans, the atmosphere, all of it, I think it's going to be a tough game. Yeah, and it is one that again, they can control their own

destiny. And the point that we're making with like the leafiest way of throwing things away is, you know, you go into a game like tonight where probably Tampa beats Florida and all you got to do is take care of your own business, just like Montreal could have done last night and they couldn't do it. Even the way you, even the way leafiest sounds, it's horrible. Yeah, it's cringy. It's negative connotation. It's very uncomfortable, but they own it.

Like they've created it and you know know you're not going to kill it officially tonight ultimately that's going to come in the playoffs but they've been playing really well johnny like they're really 11 to 1 in the last 14 games i believe it is and um you know dealing with some injuries but they're they're kind of peaking they just had themselves a really good weekend and yes it's not going to be easy i'm curious to see how many leaf fans are going to be in attendance tonight, but um, just judging by the street Saves, yeah plenty like just driving in here tonight and like overrun With blue and white on the streets of uh, i'm just on the streets of buffalo So I expect it to be like 50 50 split almost

Okay So that that is a big boost because I think Leaf fans are gonna freak out once it becomes official that we have the Battle of Ontario and I'm curious like being around the team in some capacity the way you are Johnny do you sense that these players do they have any understanding of the history you were a part of it you played in the Battle of Ontario I don't know I mean Max Max the only way his dad was was you know right in the Battle of Ontario? I don't, no. I mean, Max. Max Domey would, because Dad was right in the thick of it all. In fact, Ottawa would probably have a greater sense of it

from Toronto's side, because they got Travis behind the bench. And he would have been right in the middle of it as well. But it was so long ago. A lot of these guys were barely even alive. And so I don't think this group is particularly interested in who they have to play. Like I don't, you know, they may appreciate it'll be cool that it'll be a battle of Ontario and I guess they'll watch the old clips, but I think they're pretty focused on the challenge and the daunting challenge. It will be to, to do what they haven't been able to do. So

focus much more inward than outward. will be excited it's gonna be amazing back and forth uh... between the two cities a fan base of all of the week rates if it were to happen but i don't get the sense that these belief players are particularly caring about that and certainly not too well versed in the history of it

watching this team all year it seems like one bad period in the lines of change this a different philosophy marner with matthews to bars new york or all of it but do you think don't be going up with the bars in the lander could be something that would be like we're going to ride this out into the playoffs uh... and he could all they've been searching for the sixth guy

for the entire season. Has Bobby McMahon dropped off that much where he doesn't deserve the benefit of doubt? I kind of thought he got to a point where it was like that was his spot. No points in nine games, shots have gone down, scoring chance gone down, goals against have gone up You know, I don't know how long you wait for him to get it going The problem I think with McMahon and I think this is where he's so different than Max Bobby McMahon is a straight line player who wants to puck to skate fast and to shoot and you have two guys on the ice Who both are? well, Neil Adder wants to puck all the time and I think that can be an issue sometimes for Bobby McMahon because he doesn't get it as much, and Tabarez needs the puck

with service from his wingers in the slot area. That's where he's amazing, and he doesn't get that service. That's not to suggest Bobby McMahon's not a good player, not an effective player. It's just that stylistically, I don't know if it was a brilliant fit. So Max going there you know defensively becomes a concern because that line as good as they've been offensively haven't always been on the right side of things for you know chances shots goals against but with the puck it makes more sense for Max to play

in the wing with those two then to Bobby McMahon but then it just goes our third line center is gonna be what Holmberg and the fourth line is gonna be Lawton like is that is that are you comfortable with the third line and the fourth line looking like that further down the roster then that's probably part of the equation that's whether Max starts the playoffs and whatever you think Oh of Max Patcheretti because he is the other wild card that we sort of forgotten. He would be the guy that could maybe play in that role as a sixth guy and contribute enough to spread the offense elsewhere. But I don't know, he's been out for so long, I don't know if they feel comfortable doubling him in a game one.

Johnny, we're on milestone watch tonight so the Leafs can win the Atlantic, which they've only done twice since the last time they won the stanley cup one of which the bubble year matthews and get goal four hundred marter can get to a hundred points the first time in his career the bar is two away from forty and i is one away from thirty how many of these do you think we see tonight okay well and even a little capital a little asterix the bubble year was not, was that the Atlantic

or was that the Canadian? It was the Canadian division, so yeah, he only won it once. It wasn't even the Atlantic. Yeah. The last time they won it, I played for the Leafs. Right, oh, that's how long ago it's been. So it's been a minute.

I think they get in, I think Mitch gets 100, Austin, 400 maybe, and that's all I'll give you. I don't know Matty Nye's one and JT two that might be asking for too much so three of the five will probably get done tonight. All right so you got a win tonight Marner getting a point and you got Matthews okay yeah I can live with that. I have the game going like tight maybe overtime might be it might be a close game, but they'll get enough All they need is a point right they could lose in overtime and they still win the division. Yeah, that's right Yeah

and and that's the thing about last night like we started the show talking about the Habs and how the Demidoff story was an amazing story and it turned into be a great distraction because the focus was more on him Other than the fact that they choked away a point against Chicago when they had a two nothing lead. Like you have to win that game last night if you're Montreal and now they're just gonna make their lives that much more and more difficult and they gotta watch Columbus and Philly tonight

and they're still in the driver's seat and I feel good about them getting in but what was your reaction to the whole scene last night at the Bell Center? Well one I I tuned in like everyone else and Give Montreal fans credit like they know how to rise to an occasion a big time They were sold out for warm-up standing ovation for rookie laughs

Chanting his name whenever he touched the ice whether he had the puck or not I'm like, this is how you welcome someone to the NHL and then of course he was like he looked Outrageously good like brilliant with the puck. I don't want to overstate it It's just one game at Chicago whatever but it not a smooth plays he has the way he skates and This is his first game. He's still jet-lagged I don't know if he can speak English like you know I mean like this way till he gets comfortable He's still jet-lagged. I don't know if he can speak English. Like, you know what I mean? Like, this, wait till he gets comfortable. But I wonder, Hayes, if, at the root of your question,

he looked so great because he was new. He was able to play freely because there's no stress on him. He hasn't dealt with six months of anxiety trying to get to a finish line. He didn't jump in the race with 10 yards left. Like, whatever happens, happens. Whereas the rest of the team, almost for the first time all year, the whole year they've sort of been overachieving,

playing with house money, isn't this a good story? Aren't they ahead of the program, of the schedule? And then now, now it's like you, now you have something to lose. Like you could screw it up and be, and lose what you've earned to this point. And they look tight. The team sort of generally looked a little bit tight, a little bit flat

because I think the stress of the moment, as opposed to Devin off, it was just dancing around, having a good time. I, you want to talk about back in your way in, I think Montreal would be delighted, delighted to see Columbus not winning regulation. They don't want to try i guess carolina they got carolina ticket tomorrow they want no part of carolina having to get a point

you know carolina's not playing great so that they'd be happy if they could uh... we've got a way in with the term point dropped or regulation non-wins i'm not a quality big time you don't care how there's no emphasis on the no we're gonna do it ourselves exactly. No, no. Just get in. Just get in, man. I'll take it the back door, whatever it is.

I don't want to earn my way in there, I don't care. I've done enough, please just let us get in. Big time. Well, and whoever gets in, you got Washington, and that's a team that has not played well. Awful. I think they're three and seven in the last 10 ten they're allowing like four and a half goals per game Like what's the level of concern right now out and watch for the way things have been going?

Probably pretty high in that nothing has gone wrong all year long The whole year has just been just unfolded beautifully from the way they played to the additions that they've made To Obie's chase to the success of it all of all of it has just been a great celebration of hockey in Washington and not just Ovi. But you know, Ovi sort of masked how they weren't playing quite as well the last couple weeks and they haven't had a lot of adversity and the one thing, oh we'll love this, but like Wash was shooting, you know, after I don't look at it lately, but after 60 games they were shooting at a higher level than any other team had ever shot our shooting percentage in the last 20 years like

Are they that good is the system that greats are the goal like that? Felt like it had to regulate and you're just you I would be worried if I'm a Washington fan that maybe that's what's happening That they're playing You know not as well, but also some of these things are regressing back to a normal level. And if it does, Washington is not nearly sort of a dominant force that they appeared to be through 65 games. But Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst. So last night it got a little bit ugly in the Kings Oilers game and the Oilers were not playing really anyone last night and this is

what Philip Deneau had to say about the Oilers lineup and the way that the game played out. I think they just have their B squad and trying to hurt us so that's pretty much the message tonight that's what I'm thinking but yeah. The play by Darnell Nurse that's not a hockey play the cross-check to the head of Bifield who hasn't returned, we hope he's okay. When you saw that happen, what's going through your mind when you see something like that happen on the ice? Well, I just said about their game plan, trying to hurt us, so... It's like a Denny Lemieux type of fight.

Go through the box, get a game. But, you know, like Corey Perry after the game wasn't happy with it Perry's on he's doing his thing these days, right? Reacting to everything he's kind of being the spokesman of the team with McDavid not playing and drive subtle But I think then always was right But how would you feel about that kind of commentary if you're on the Oilers? I would okay first I would even though I think we all take a step back and say yeah That's right Like that would barely be an exhibition game lineup mm-hmm that they played last night their top five six seven players not playing

So the B squad lineup while true would also piss me off one time. Hey, as an example, we're playing I was with Tampa We're not a good team. We're playing in Montreal We beat them and three three's one who turns out to be a nice guy But at the time I'm like shut shut the up, because he set up the game. Top of that effect, I can't believe we lost that team, that team barely belongs in the NHL, or something to that effect. And we're all like, well, that may be true,

we may be in last place. Like, you take such great offense as an athlete, as a competitor to anything like that. So I get the reaction, the B-Squad reaction, even though it's probably true. I also think the idea, like they never would have said in the room right they would have said listen guys we're not gonna have our best lineup but let's make sure to take our pound of flush they wouldn't have had to say it but it was sort of be

understood like we're gonna make this game physical we're gonna make it nasty yeah and if we want to take a run at someone because we're losing the game whatever that's that's okay. That was the thought process Johnny we might go down tonight but we better we better take a truck and we're taking someone with us yet that's it and and again he's probably right but no one wants to say it as far as i'll be a I want to manage with dom darnell nurse he should get fine or whatever he did it one by field that hard the second time you just sort of like leaned on them

yeah yeah he's not missing playoff games. No, I was going to say like it looked bad and it was intentional and things were getting chippy at the time. So maybe he's got to get fined or something or maybe they suspended the last game, whatever. But it wasn't, I would watch that and he like, it wasn't a violent act, which would warrant severe discipline. So yes, it was not great, but it wasn't. I've seen worse. Yes, exactly. You've seen worse frequently. Yeah, I could see them the gratuitous last

game of the year suspension just to kind of settle things down before the series starts. That's not going to do anything because nurse is going to be playing a game. Yeah, like the series is going to be crazy. And I'm I'm fearful'm fearful I'm worried I'm very worried for Edmonton you know I they were my team before I was stuck with them and then they read the ship and now they've wronged the ship but Ekholm is such a massively important player for them there is no replacing him remember when he arrived two years ago they went on that what 22 and three run as a season because he just sets everything up on their back end and he worked so well with Bouchard and you take

him out and then, you know, dry civil hasn't played in a while. McDavid's on 99 points. He obviously doesn't care. So he's just resting and rather than try to get his hundredth point, um, Kane hasn't played all year. Hyman's missed him, you know, the last 10 days as well. Like even as healthy, it would have been close to a toss-up with you're going up against the best home team in the league with home ice. You take all these guys either out of the lineup or at a, you know, somewhat injured state. I mean I

think LA should be the favorite and they will be given the situations. Yeah yet on Fandel it's still Edmonton Yeah, I think that's really yeah a slight favorite a slight favorite. That's the power favorite over LA minus 128 I believe but that's that's the power of McDavid and dry subtle. Yeah, that's what it is and the history of it Yes, and the history exactly It's got a battle of Ontario vibe back in the day where it didn't matter what the Kings were doing or what the Ottawa senators were doing or who was playing for the Leafs, the Leafs won. And I'm thinking that that's the expectation here

is Edmonton will find a way to make this work, but they don't know like who's playing in net, Eckholm's out, he's not playing. So who's in net, you don't have your best defenseman. Dry Settle's banged up. Maybe he's 90%, 95%, I don't know, but he's banged up. Other guys are not having career years. It just doesn't, it doesn't feel good at all.

Like it doesn't feel positive for the Edmonton Oilers. Yeah. They're just slower and smaller. And I got, like you take out Fogel, McLeod who's here tonight in Buffalo had 50 points in Buffalo. Fogel had what twenty three goals

call away we talked a lot about the over we talked a lot about either significant players that played on their third and fourth line last year and they've been all they don't have most those kind of players available to them and again they're running standard can get back for another night sure they are a few he thought you don't sure either but i would expect him to have

the play that's a boost if he can keep up like again he has played in the year through so like here's a question for it the vendor kater gabriel and a star group who makes more of an impact in the first round this week i'm just going by time and when it starts with a couple of couple points in the american league but

look pretty good. I'm with Olo. I think without understanding what the sort of intangible edition of Lannis-Gaughan might do with leadership and all that stuff, you know, I think Kane, if he's healthy, he's younger, he's got to be faster, he's got to be closer to what his optimum, like if Lannis-Gaughan comes back, even if he comes back, is he going to be he gonna be what 80? 70 60 which still might be good enough to play Where the pain comes back he'll be closer to whatever a hundred percent is for him if he's healthy it's not with though I think Kane would probably have a chance and You know if a vendor Kane comes back, he's playing he's gonna play with a good player

Like he's not gonna be on a check-in line where's landisgog might be on the fourth line. He comes back Yes, still a remarkable story man Yeah, amazing. I got a I tuned into American League highlights to see what happened. I was that interested So I'm tells you all you need to know. I know it's amazing. It's a truly an amazing amazing story Alright, Johnny leaf sabers tonight. It's a big one Battle of Ontario could be established in about four hours If they win are they hanging a banner? They can't Battle of Ontario could be established in about four hours. If they win, are they hanging a banner? They can't.

Oh, I wouldn't put it past them. A division banner? Those go up in the Raptors? Those are going up. Oh yeah, it's not going up game one of the playoffs. You're on that for a minute because I don't know if that's okay. It shouldn't go up, but i think it might go up i think this book about rafters division and all is that all around the division and around

now i don't think the north divisions are now you can have maybe one or a division banner that just as a division winner and you just put the years you like sixty of the year that happened but i like that class you know i thought of an individual banner free time happens with it like every subsequent year you you just add another year to it. That's right, yeah. That's the play. That's more palatable than an actual banner.

Yes. Right? That's doable. That? Yes. Okay, there's your suggestion. MLSC, make that work. Suggestion box, we'll put it in there. Perfect.

Thank you, Johnny. All right, boys, have a good night. Mike Johnson 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 visit mapletoyota.com. All new, all Canadian. The best of our great nation, one song at a time.

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