OverDrive - Johnson on Ullmark's squandered performance, Senators' attempting a comeback and Martone's rising stardom

Episode Date: April 21, 2026

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Porter Martone excelling with the Flyers' series lead, the Canadiens and Sabres looking to keep the successful run, the Hurricanes' win against the Senators and if Ottawa can claw back, the Oilers' opening win on Anaheim and more.

Guys, before we talk to Mike Johnson, I want Marty Broder. I don't have enough tough. Man, you got to watch yourself. Swearing and Marty Broder's. Marty Baran kick off our new analytics segment. Yes. Welcome everyone to diss or data. All right.

There's Mike Johnson. Johnny, I mean, that's pretty good stuff, right? Pretty good production level here. Uh-oh, and then it's Mike. Now we don't even hear them. There is. We got you. Now we got you. Go ahead. Continue. What's going on? What's going on? We got you. Disse or data?

Diser data. How we feel? Disard data. I'm saying spare no expense. Marty Burrell is a big star or Marty Burdur. I'm going to try not to swear. I think, oh, got that all of our system last time. Just casually just dropping these words. Now, dis or data, I'm doing some data. Whole question for the crew here.

What is a more annoying afternoon? Because I did both this afternoon. Dentist or taxes? Dentist. Tough, tough afternoon. Depends on what you're getting at the dentist. Like if you're going through a real operation, that is very punishing. You know, if you're root canals, you've got a bridge issue.

If it's just a standard, you know, cavity or cleaning, that I would say taxes is more painful because if you mean, miss something, you're in trouble, right? The dentist isn't going to get you in trouble. The CRA is going to come knocking. That's a very different story. That is true. But, I mean, last time I was at the dentist, they told me they were just going to do a routine

thing. And then, remember, I looked like I had a stroke. Like, they had frozen everything, and I couldn't talk, and I was swollen. They did some sort of bridge or something. I didn't even know about it. They didn't even tell me about it. They just started operating. They just started operating.

They did not tell me. They just started operating. That's dangerous, dude. I barely made the show. Just rummed to you're out in there. That's like, I'm not sure they're qualified to do that. I was Kramer with Mel Tourmet. That's what I was.

I was trying to say. Mel Tourmet. It was tough. How long have you been on your own? So, Johnny, what kind of data do we have from the... What numbers are sticking out in the playoffs? Johnny, who's dominating because of numbers? Give us something to chew on.

Okay. Interesting. I think a lot of people might be. surprised Philadelphia Pittsburgh. Philly up 2-0-0. Pitt had this great year. I talked to you guys about Pittsburgh being the number one 5-on-5 goal-scoring

team since January. What people don't realize, when it comes to chances, low-event, expected goals, high-danger chances against Philadelphia, surprisingly good. And in this series, it's basically

Philly defense versus Pittsburgh offense. And right now, when Pitt's sitting there halfway through a game with six shots, eight shots, whatever it is, it's the defense and the underlying numbers. Oh, that I know you are well aware of, of the flyers and how good talk has them playing without the puck. It's surprising because you don't think necessarily them as a defensive juggernaut. But when you watch them play, you call their games, you look at their numbers, they can slow the game down to a grind. And when they play it that way it is advantage them over Pitt.

Johnny, just before we get into the Canadian teams and what they're doing, that Porter Martone at the juniors, did you sniff this out at all? Because I didn't. You were sitting about 200 yards away from me at a different vantage point. I didn't see it.

No. So, oh, that same year we played juniors, he played at the World Championship. And he was like an extra guy and he played like two games at the end. And in those two games, I said to Gordon, I'm like, he's better at this tournament than he was at the juniors. He was like he was really pretty for a guy that was, you know, maybe contending for first overall,

he wasn't great at the world junior and maybe that system or whatever was going on that year. But maybe he's just a guy that plays better with men. And I think, oh, if you think about Port of Martone's game, what little we see of it. He's not a guy who's going to blaze you up and down the ice and beat you on transition. And in the world juniors, a lot of that game is transition chances, rush chances, because guys make mistakes, you take off down the ice and you score. That's not really his game. His is like cycle, crafty plays. He's Matthew Kachuk.

He's a new age Matthew Kachuk. Maybe not quite that good. But like that style of player where he's not fast, he's just got great hands. Two games, two games, two game winners, 10 points in nine regular season games. He had about 40 shots in 10 games. Like every number you can think of for this guy since he turned pro. It's through the roof good. So you think why Philly's different, too, right?

Martone comes in late, as well as Tyson Forster, who missed most of this year, who's a pretty good player as well. You dump those two guys in a lineup that's whirling well, played well down the stretch, and now that looks like they're going to get to the second round. That Martone could totally bypass Mietzkov as, like, their go-to guy. Oh, yeah. For fun, for fun. Yeah. So, Johnny, what is it that is it that?

Philly's doing a great job or Pittsburgh's not doing a good enough job? Because Crosby looks like frustrated and Philly's right in their face. I mean, Lidar's made a couple real good timely saves. But outside of that, it's been the Philly show. And Philly is really, like you say, defensively, really blanketed them. Yeah, I mean, I'm going to give Philly credit because it's the playoffs. Fitz doing their best. They're trying their hardest.

I wonder sometimes, though, noodles, when you watch Sid, like I know he's frustrated they're all over him I wonder how healthy is I wonder if that knee like when he stops and starts he's not getting the same sort of separation that he wants to but I give Philly the credit I mean they're playing very well

always guys back clogging up the neutral zone not giving off the rush so Philly's got to find answers though like they were a team that got up and down attack with pace they're not getting any pace out of their own ends with the neutral zone and they're not getting into offense because of it with Mike Johnson

So in terms of that job that Tocke's doing, obviously we talked to with the Leafs'all. You can't defend. Can't defend. Give up everything. You look at Zegra's there. You look at young guys, Mietchka, Martone's a kid. I mean, these are forwards.

Obviously, the defense is going to have to factor in. But it's not like they have the, you know, 70s, Habs defense back there either. Like, isn't that another example of like the coach is the one that's going to drive home the performance? of the team. Like, players got to follow suit, but if you get your message across

and demand its plate a certain way, you can have this level of success. Yes, except they don't score well either though. That's the flip side. It's not like they can do both. They can defend excellent, but they don't score well. So, you know,

you can get guys to buy innocent. I mean, Austin Matthews, the best player of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was a good defensive player. It plays well defensively. But all the rest of the stuff, you're right. Like you could, you should, as a coach, if you're not worried about scoring, be able to turn any group of NHL players or just about any group of NHL players into a good or at least average defensive team.

And the least were never that this year. So they net. And maybe the conversation might not be could he do it? I'm not sure. It's like, did they ever try to pivot and say, listen, maybe we got to try something totally different. Like, let's lock it down for a bit. Let's see if we can just become something different. the way we're trying it, it's not working.

And maybe we have to switch something up. Maybe that's the bigger conversation. I'm not sure if they tried to play like Philadelphia at times this year. Right. But yeah, like they don't have a great defense. They don't, but they do have a lot of good forwards. Like, like, whether it's Noah Cates or Couturier or Glenn Denning or Forster or Bobby Brink when he was there, like they had a lot of good defense of forwards that could also sort of chip in to go along

the Meachkovs and the Zegraises who don't. But yeah, I mean, watching any team that's good defensively only makes the teams that are bad defensively look worse. Absolutely. Better chance of going up 2-0 tonight. Buffalo or Montreal? Oh, Buffalo, for sure.

For sure. Not that I don't believe in Montreal. I just think, you know, Tampa is certainly much better than Boston. And I just think the Bruins will really regret not getting game one. because the Bruins are carried by some great players. Pasta, geeky, Zaka was pretty good, Maca Boy's great, and Swamen.

So they have some really great players, but they don't play a great team game, and they know it. You talk to people around the Bruins like, we get out shot, we get out chanced, or we go against the run and play, but we have these great difference makers that can win games for us. So hey, I'm thinking, Buffalo, second time through, Through the jitters, can you expect Swamen to stand in his head for 36 of 39 again?

I don't think so, not against that offense. So, yeah, I think Buffalo, good chance, Montreal, it'll be tough because Tampa is such a game opponent. That is going to be tough to get both down to Tampa to start the series. Would you say the Bruins are kind of like a fatter guy with skinny jeans on where you look at it and you're like, nah? Not bad. but it's just not good enough yeah yeah

not bad but not they're trying hard if he bends over to tie his shoe and you see what's really under there yeah when you look under the hood they're like like the nice body package on it

but a bad engine they got sweet rims but a terrible two cylinder in there yes that's kind of what they are and they know it that's the thing they're not going to they know that's

what they're good at and what they're not and nothing's easy. It's the playoffs. Nothing will be easy, but I just don't know if the rest of their lineup carries play enough to complement the other good guys against the team that's really pretty good in Buffalo, who I think gets better. Like I think Buffalo gets more comfortable.

I think the hype and the excitement probably hurt them in the first game. Like it was such a buildup, pulling up in these old school cars and Rick Jennerette's wife banging the drum and in the crowd ready to go, crazy, tables breaking everywhere, they hold outdoor festivities, and then the pressure to kind of live up to that, I don't think they have to deal with that anymore. They may be freed up to play even better game two and going forward. So, Johnny, the Carolina-Ottawa game last night.

I mean, what do you make of Ottawa? You know, we talked about the replay, all of that type of stuff. I mean, we all thought it was an unbelievable game, but unfortunately Ottawa's chasing it now at 2-0. Okay, quick, I didn't see the first hour. Did everyone agree with the offside call on George's... Oh, I didn't even think it was offside. Noodles?

I thought it was offside, but it's by interest, you know? I mean, again, we don't know his... He believes he has control of it. Like, that's the thing. Like, we're not in his mind of going... I thought that was on side. I just hate the rule. Yeah, I just hate the rule.

I think it's so stupid. 100% with Jeff O'Neill. Like, these are NHL players. I don't need to touch the puck with my stick to have control of it. I can handle it on my skates. I can skate away with it. He already touched it once, and maybe it wasn't a perfect position, but, like, there's no one near him.

Remember how Pabal Bure used to just kind of push the puck into an area while he was skating with it? It's like he never had control of it. He kind of would just skate like this and he'd like shove it a little bit, shovel it. I thought it was ridiculous. man, that was not offside. Yeah. Well, you don't have,

the rule doesn't stipulate you have to have it on your blade, but I think because he only touched it once and never kind of re-handled it on the way of cross, but I'm like he's got possession and that was not, does he have control? To me, he did to them he didn't, but anyways that would have been,

you imagine if Carolina lost that game? Like how big that story would be and how we would be dissecting the English language to a point of nausea? like it would be awful and that's sort of the risk you run with these kind of rules but anyways as far as a game Ottawa can't feel good they're down 02

but Ottawa played that game the second half of the game more than good enough to to win yeah and Tim Stutzla will be having nightmares until next April yeah he will he will never in his life in his life play a game the same he just played and not score he will never generate those clean looks and not score. He had an empty netter in the first shift of the game. He somehow managed to shoot it off the side of the net. He had, you know, they had all these chances.

This was the one for me, the five posts. Brady in front. That was the best chance of the game, in my opinion. I can't believe. This one, it goes, hits the post, goes behind Freddie. I know, but I hear they're both great chances, but Freddie's waiting for him. Freddie had no idea that Chuck was there. It just hit him.

You just didn't get enough money. Brady needed another two inches higher and he would have had it in the back of the net. So I guess what Ottawa would be saying, listen, listen, we got Mantem Paulo playing 40 minutes of a double overtime game and we generated as much or more

as that game went along. We got Jordan Spence playing 45 minutes. Like we have some issues on the back end and we are right there with them. In fact, we probably should have won that game. So I guess you're trying to tell yourself, do it again. find a way to get off the mat, play in our home building,

Timmy will score those goals. Their power plays got to get much better. But, you know, get the next one and then, you know, try to feel like they're back in the series. But that's a gut punch game. To go that deep, play that well. Have your goalie to that good noodles and lose? That's brutal.

That's what O's said, and that's true. Not that it wasted, but that performance from Allmark. That's wasted. That's the best I've seen him play. Like, that's literally the best game I've ever seen. him play. I thought he was unbelievable. Yeah. One of the best games I've ever seen any goal to play

this year. Like there were I don't know, you call him five alarm, ten alarm saves where he called him noodles. He must have had 10 to 15 crazy saves. Like not just okay, that's not a bad save, but wild saves and you think about

O'Mark when he's at his best, you don't think of him at all as being athletic in the way he plays goalie. And yet last night he had to be And he was so good. And I'll say it, totally wasted. He gave you a chance early, made all those saves. You had all those looks yourself.

You have to find a way to score more. I mean, Freddie gave you a gift through Dylan Cousins. You thought maybe this is it. But they'll just be frustrated. Their overall sentiment will be frustration, disappointment, regrets that they shouldn't have done better when they played well enough too. Yeah, that's it, exactly. Like I've liked their game through two games.

I like Carolinas too. It's not that Carolina hasn't been worthy of being up to nothing. Carolina is a really good team. But it could be 1-1. It could be 2-0 in Ottawa, but ultimately they're in the position they're in. And I don't think that series is over, but they're in tough now. As for the Edmonton game last night, you know, what do you think Anaheim's thinking? Because they, you know, they had ample opportunities themselves.

Like they showed up ready to play. Their young guys were flying. And Capitin kind of steals it with. 90 seconds to go. That feels like a bigger gut punch game one than others because of the fact that they're in one against Edmonton on the road.

Edmonton's got the history. They've got dry settles back. You look great. McDavid didn't get a point. It didn't have a point and didn't do much. You know that's not going to continue. What do you make of that outcome last night? So if I'm putting myself in the ducts room, I'm like,

yeah, of course you're upset. Like that's a bad loss. But I think they showed themselves if they had to, or at least us, they're not getting run out of the building. They're not sort of scared of Edmonton. They don't need to back off of Edmonton. They're pop guys like, we'll sort of play with them and we'll be fine. I think that's what they would take out of it. But for Evanton to win, for the first time, I'm sure you guys have said this, the first win this year, when McDavid didn't get a point, the first entire season for them to win, that's great news. Jason Dickinson, who could

barely saying he scored one goal in Edmonton since he out-traded was brilliant in the first goal, was incredible. Radco Gudis, that is some kind of blown tire right here. Whoa! That is a nasty heel pick at the worst possible time. That's an ACL blowout right there somewhere else

that Matthews saying, see, that's what you get for taking on guys' knees. But that one is tough. But the other part about it, guys, is Leon Drysadle is a sporekazoid. Like, he is a playoff. It's not supposed to be, it's not easy. It's not supposed to be this doable

that you could miss, what do you miss? Six weeks? Seven weeks. And go back and he's still, he's not 100% healthy and be as good as he was. That to me is the best news for Edmonton and the worst news for Anheim. Yeah. That Leon looked totally capable of doing whatever he wants to do in the playoffs like he always does. I wasn't sure if he had, if the knee was going to let him

or if he had to play with McDavid. He's playing with his own line. But Colson and Caput. Those guys are not great offensive players. And they were really good. They're the best line for Evanston in the night. That is reassuring if you're an Oilers fan thinking about we want to go deep again. Big time.

Yeah, that's a message to the whole league. Like, did this guy reset? Did he refresh himself? We'll see if he's running off adrenaline. That's possible last night. You know, we'll see. Maybe he slows down for game two. I think if you're in Anaheim, you're hoping that.

But if Dry Settles at 100, and now has had a chance to kind of refill the tank, that is a terrifying proposition because he is the definition of a gamer in the playoffs. And I thought he was phenomenal last night. So we'll see. All right, Johnny. All right.

This or Data. I love it. I love where we're at right now. Hang on, JP. Play it on the way out too. Welcome everyone to Dis or Data. Yes. There you go.

All right. It's got a nice ring to it. Got a great ring to it. We'll continue this later in a week. Thank you, Johnny. I need to download that for my ringtone. That would be something. That would be.

Wow. You imagine if you put that up for sale and said, like, you want to buy this for $0.99. Yeah. Dis or data. He would be big pimping in Hollywood, that guy. Yeah. Serious money. Serious money.

All right, Johnny, look into that. Let us know how it goes. We'll do, fellas. See, buddy. Mike Johnson. joining us here in the Maple Toyota Hotline. Red Tag Days are here. Check out the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra pickup trucks,

both available as hybrids, visit Maple Toyota right near Canada's wonderland and the Maple Auto Mall. This or Dada? Yes, I love it. I love it. I'm Luke Wilson. Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind, and now I've got my own show. If you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week.

Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms and the IHeart Radio app. Thank you.