OverDrive - Lindsay on the Panthers looking to claw back, Bobrovsky's redemption chase and the players under the micrscope

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Panthers Analyst Bill Lindsay joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines of the Maple Leafs and Panthers' matchup, how Florida could revamp their style of play, Sergei Bobrovsky looking for a turnaround, the defensive structure in the game, Sam Bennett playing through the noise, the standout players in need of a large game and more.

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and the rest was history. Do you sense that we could see something similar tonight where everyone thinks Panthers are a lock if you think they'll at least have a chance to get them tonight? Yeah, of course Toronto does the way they've played. They've played exceptionally well the first couple of games. That is well within the realm of possibilities. The Panthers come out, they're going to have to play the best couple of games that is well within the realm of possibilities the Panthers come out they're gonna have to play their the best game of the series they were pretty good in game number two they had a lot

of opportunities controlled their zone time but again it got obliterated off the rush with some bad decisions and Nylander continues to be explosive and that's already give him credit for changing his game around and just thumping everything in sight now producing offensively. And Matthews has been able to take away Barkov, which is unheard of. And we'll see if Paul Maurice kind of maybe gets Barkov out there against that Nylander line as much as possible into ours and trying to contain them and maybe free them up more offensively. But watching Austin Matthews play,

the two goals and still has a point of game, but the defensive side of Austin Matthews is what's really, really, really impressed me so far with the Leafs. It's a different Leaf team. Panthers need the best game to beat them. So Billy, you talked about the Leafs' strengths and what they're capable of doing here. They look a little different, obviously. They've had success.

What are you seeing from Florida? Is it as simple as the goaltender needs to make a couple extra saves to you? Because I don't think Bob's had his A game in the first two for sure. Yeah, Noodle, that has to happen for sure. If you look back, the first game was not good at all from any aspect from Sergei Babrowski. Okay, in game number two until the fourth goal by Mitch Marner, which came at a critical time, he scored it. Even it up 17 seconds later and he comes stumbling across and not able to make that save. So Sergei Baroski has to stand up. At the rest of the game, if you look through the analytics of that game, the Panthers had over six and a half minutes of

offensive zone possession time compared to around 250, I believe for the Leafs slot chance. You didn't hit the net. You had slot chances, inner slot chances, you dominated in that category. So you have that part of your DNA into your game. It's just when it led to it you could see the speed of the Leafs with bad reads in the middle of the ice which the Panthers are normally great at, this control and speed. They got some bad reads and the rushes killed them. It comes back the other way. They have to be able to control that speed through the neutral zone. If that is done and you eliminate the three on twos and the two on ones and the quick

strike ability of the Leafs and you control the game like you did in the offensive end, those same kind of numbers, there's a good chance that you could come away with a victory. But the margin for error now becomes really slim as far as the goal-tenning goes, as far as how you play up front with a two-nothing lead. This is a 99 percenter if you look at it with teams coming back, you fall into about a 1% category of being able to come back from a three to nothing. So this is a 99% game that the Panthers need to have.

If they shore those things up, they have a possibility. With Bill Lindsay, and you mentioned, you know mentioned maybe Maurice will look at the Nylander line as the one that you need to attack defensively to try to slow them down because Barkov and Reinhardt, they're both up for the Salchie. It's such a brilliant defensive line. But with that in mind, if they go that route, everything you just said, Bill, about Auston Matthews is also very accurate. He and Barkov are very similar in terms of just their details and how much they check

and how strong they're big guys. They're both monsters. But if that happens, if Maurice thinks, okay, I've got to find a way to stop Nylander, would you anticipate Matthews taking advantage of that? In other words, how much of the discussion around the Panthers is, Matthews is a sleeping giant so to speak offensively right now. The way the third line is playing for us, Paul Marisi can call them, they're not our third line, but Marcian, Luloster, Riena and Lendel have, every time they touch the ice

have been terrific. And Lendel and Luloster, Rienulu serena making defense first and uh... that really cognizant of that part of the game with brad marsh and he's one of the best defensive wingers in in the history of the game uh... really understanding but he also wants to push off instantly the way that they enroll offensively keep the pot down in the the zone and sometimes uh... good offense is the best defense maybe there

is a chance that you see that line matched up against Matthews more than we've seen because that's been the best line for the Panthers and if you're looking at it it's a very well structured defensive line with the understanding of what they have to do. Yes Matthews can exploit anyone at any time but those three players are really really good across the board and you touched on them. We'll see how the matchups play out but that's going to be critical here in this game. I still believe that you're going to see that foursling Eklad match up as much as well that's too as much

as possible out there against Matthews and Seth Jones and Mikola will line up probably still going against that that Nylander line Also, you know the Leafs have done one something really good Billy as far as you know They've changed their defensive structure as far as the guys they deploy back there now you bring in Carlo you bring in tan of you bring in Oliver Ekman Larson, so there's some big bodies who defend very well They also block a lot of shots. In your experience, when you've got a team that is that dedicated to shot blocking, getting in the lanes, what do the Panthers have to do different?

Or what any team that faces teams like that, that, you know, box out, try and build their defense from the inside out and block a lot of shots. What's the key there? Is it just getting shots through? Is it changing sides? What do you make of it? I would spread out the D a little bit wider so the shooting lanes become a little bit harder to contend.

I would spread out my defensemen from blue line to blue line, those far across ice passes and then just trying to get it from there. But if you talked about that, Jamie, you're right. Because the Panthers love those plays low to high, uh, and get shots and get screens in front and if you got, and you're not getting shots through in this defensive core for the Leafs is been the biggest addition that I've seen from this team in the past, uh, the ability, but also the seven goals that they've combined for and they're not only defending, but, uh, they're also contributing at the offensive end. But when you're seeing those type of

plays now you have to start to force the bank it off the ball maybe get down low just find any other way and maybe cycle it in the slot and also if you're those defensemen that aren't getting pucks through you have to start looking at the winger and noticing okay do I got a chance because the Panthers are really good with their f3 the third floor I'm a defenseman, swing the third forward up high as much as possible and now I tell my defenseman start looking at gaps, start charging, looking down, get through the middle of that slot. That was the one change that I would maybe make is that you need more rotation, not with the puck,

but with your players and your defenseman in the offensive zone so you can cause some confusion defensively with bill lindsey uh... and it's on that work and was for a panthers and was game three tonight right here at tsn radio part of about an hour uh... game one was the same bad story here in toronto i mean i know you're aware of it bill it was it was something else mad people were going nuts on sam and he's he's an Ontario guy. He's from a couple of years, a couple of hours outside of the city. I know he's got family and friends that would be massively fans.

And I don't know if that's the reason he played the way he played in Game 2. But he was not himself, man. He did not bring really anything to the table. And I'm sure go ahead go ahead you finish your well I was gonna ask you do you think do you think that comes to an end does it automatically the real Sam Bennett returns tonight or do you think he was affected not only by Stollers but by the reaction you know in the city and the way everyone kind of freaked out on him after game one yeah I don't believe, but Sam Bennett has to play that way.

He's the one energizer up front that brings everyone into the fight with that kind of play, and it is a nasty style. And to shrug it off, I don't know if Paul Maurice had a conversation with him, but he has to play on the edge, and he has to go out there. From my personal view, he was on the power play, taking the puck to the net. He tried to score a goal, and he was looking for the rebound down around and soon where the puck lies and eventually spotted it I don't even know if he was aware where Solars was at that situation so the noise around it but Sam

Bennett isn't usually a player but gets affected by that kind of stuff very much because it's happened a lot in the past. We had an incident last year with Marchand, one of our teammates here, where he drilled him in the head. And then there was noise around Boston for that and it didn't affect him for the rest of that series. So maybe I would just chalk it up that just wasn't his best game, but they need him to play with that kind of energy and that kind of fight. The Panthers have to throw that around all game.

They want this game in the trenches. You saw the middle of the ice kind of opened up in this series. It has to be board battles, board battles, board battles, board battles consistently for 60 minutes if the Panthers are thinking of what they want to do against Toronto. Billy, is there a few guys that you would circle on that roster and say you know that guy needs more? We just talked about Bobrovsky like you know I didn't think he out of the nine goals he's allowed I think four of them he would want back like they're not great goals in both games total but is there a few other guys that you could circle and say geez he's not

at his game or either he looks banged up or you know that type of stuff because you know we just talked about Bennett maybe not having his best game Matthew Kuchak has not been overly you know dominant or playing the way that he can you know Sam Reinhardt Verhage you know those guys are difference makers that have been quite quiet. Yes, they have. And yeah, I'll go with Barbaroski. I'm going up front too.

I'm going with Barkov, your captain. Okay, I'm looking at Barkov and Reinhardt. You guys are goal scorers. You're some of the two best. You cannot, if you don't even score, but you have to be the one that forces the issue. You cannot be taken away and taken out of the game defensively so I would those are those two can be ramped up Evan Rodriguez was a stud for us last year and had that hit and then got dropped down to the fourth line but he a game number one for him

Evan Rodriguez did not look like the same for he's got a skate better got a move and number three on that list that I'm looking for that's been magical all season, had it down. I mean, magical for us every time he's been in the playoffs is Carter Verhege. And he'd come in and had a lot of good looks, good opportunities, has to hit the net, has to be able to score for us.

So Barkov in that second line, yeah, has to have more impact up front. The Panthers have to be able to put more pressure and score some goals from the... Top players, top players, yes. But from a basketball, the top guns for the Panthers have to be better. Well, we'll see what comes of it. We're chugging towards, you know, puck drop tonight and You know one of the the storylines that I think leaf fans are focused on and hoping for Is that you know, it's tough for a team like Florida's played more hockey than anyone else in the last two years

To keep getting up off the mat, you know Is there any concern down there Bill that you know, it's just you're running out of fumes That it's just been so so many games so tough naive one-year cop you know and uh... the lease or just so hungry and they're there there there are many people they don't have anything to compare to what florida said uh... you know if if that's the case what would that look like tonight but they would look tired it would look like they don't have energy but if you see the pushback from the panthers in their skating and they're kind of going after this game then it's going to be okay.

I don't believe that's a problem. You can draw back into the first Stanley Cup run where we lost to Vegas in the first round. We're playing a historically great team in the Boston Bruins and we are down three to one. The odds of us coming back into that series and winning probably are minuscule at best. Uh, you end up winning that, that, that series in game seven. Um, there, there, there is a strength in that dressing room and a belief. Uh, we'll see what happens.

That's where Toronto's trying to get to. We've been there. It's going to be an incredible game to watch because Toronto's trying to take away what we've had and get to a get to a real serious situation for them So I would expect for them to come out Kind of just knowing with all the pressure that the Leafs have that they're gonna Put their best foot forward and we'll see if the Panthers are able to answer and play their best game of the series Then it's right back to square one and you're right back in the playoffs

So this is a monumental huge game between these two teams. It's going to be a blast. Enjoy it tonight Bill. Thank you for doing this. All right. Thank you guys. Appreciate it. There's Bill Lindsay of the NHL Network and the Panthers Radio Network. Avril Lavigne, simple player, rise against boys like girls.

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