Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: Will Toronto Start on Time?

Episode Date: October 24, 2023

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee begin the show looking ahead to the first Frozen Frenzy with 16 NHL games on Tuesday including the Maple Leafs vs. Capitals, if the team will break their habit of not starting on time, a slow start for Tyler Bertuzzi, and what it takes to play on a top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Then, Capitals analyst Alan May jumps on (28:42) to preview tonight's game from Washington, the struggles the team has encountered to start their season, not playing up to their offensive abilities, the slow start to Alex Ovechkin's season, chasing Wayne Gretzky, and what Rasmus Sandin brought to the roster since his team with the Leafs. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

all right let's welcome everybody into the real kipper and born show leaf edition i'm nick kiprios he's justin born sammy mckee derrick brandeo pushing all the right buttons and all the right buttons. And all week long, Frank the Tank. All week long, huh? We are available on Sportsnet 590 as always, Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet Plus 4. What am I hearing in the background? Frank the Tank chants. Frank the Tank.

From old school. Oh, yeah, okay. One of the all-time greats. One of the all-time greats. That movie just... Hey, just two seconds ago, I'm watching you carry this big bag of jerseys in. Of course, we are in the Tim McAuliffe studio here.

Yeah. And loving, absolutely loving the New York Islander jersey. Look at that thing. But I got to be honest with you. Yeah. From here, it just looks like any New York Islander jersey. Look at that thing. But I got to be honest with you. Yeah. From here, it just looks like any New York Islander jersey. Yeah. You flipped it on the wrong side.

You think it should be name bar out? 100%. I can go do it. 100%. This is my dad's jersey. It's a 1970 New York Islanders game-worn jersey right there. The white. It's a jersey.

Jersey knit. The jersey knit, by the way, I imagine that would peel your skin off if it was like a cheese grater, that material. Yeah, I don't like to wear a shirt under my equipment. By the way, Bo Horvath's wearing that number. You guys have been bringing jerseys in for like the last week and a half.

You just got to leave a shirt here when they take that one off. That's the only one that excites me. It is. My junior hockey one doesn't do nothing. No, nothing. But that's off of a legendary dynasty run era. Those are nice.

They're trying to recreate the energy of those sweaters. It's hard. You got to be careful with that. That thing is worth thousands of dollars right now. Oh, 100%. If you took that to a vintage store in Toronto, I bet you'd get close to two grand for it, probably. Oh, really? Maybe.

So, we're not soliciting anything here. We're not. You got to pay for golf somehow, brother. anything here. We're not. We're not in the next hour. We're going to sell your dad's jersey, but you can always text us at 595 90 and just let us know what you think you

might be willing to pay for a dynasty. I'm just curious. I'm curious, too. If it's a big enough number, we'll donate it to charity, to Renaissance. Oh, what? Don't be that guy that sells dad stuff.

Please. If you've read my book, I've got some incentive. I will not. I will not. Unless. It's really nice. No. But maybe.

Shopping for a Benz? Talk to your guy at the Mercedes dealership. Okay. All right. Toronto Maple Leafs take their one game winning streak. Or do you need two to have a winning streak? I think you need two. Probably.

Whatever they are taking it in and puck drop is in less than two hours. And not sure how many people know this because I'll raise my hand up the other day and we have Alan May coming on, of course, does a terrific job for the Washington Capitals and he'll help us tee up that game in about 25 minutes. But I sent him a text the other day. I'm like, what's with the six o'clock start yeah and i'll admit it i didn't know about this staggered every 15 20 minutes start

for uh what south of the border i think it's espn driven called uh frenzy frozen frenzy yep frozen frenzy and it's a six o'clock start yeah i can't make it home in time for the start of the game no i will be watching on tape delay it is crazy though it's every yeah so six o'clock there's one at 6 30 yeah you'll be home for puck drop you will but every 15 minutes until there's a game at 11 p.m the flyers play at 11 p.m tonight enjoy that philly fans i'm just wondering like will we walk when we turn it on eventually and see half a building empty because some people didn't know well yeah that's possible i mean if you had a if i didn't know and i'm in the industry well if they're going to the game tonight. Right. You know. You've looked into it? Do you? I think so.

Like, if you have a ticket on your phone, you're aware. When was the last time you looked at the fine print of any ticket and said, oh, there it is. 6 p.m. I wrote, I've written one story for NHL.com. I was living in Arizona. I was like, let me cover a game. Just give me a chance. I was in Arizona.

They're like, go to the game. Give us a game story, whatever. I show up there at like 5, whatever, to start my prep. The game started at 6. I didn't know. It wasn't a 7 o'clock game like I had assumed. I'm an idiot. Some people are going to get caught.

Well, there'll be at least one of the 20,000 that are going tonight that won't know the start of the game. Just real boring out there. Anaheim and Columbus, 630. Buffalo at Ottawa, 645. And then Carolina, Tampa. And then you get your regular 7, 715, 730. Gets a little normal again.

815 in Detroit. That's a little late for the kiddies. 815, yeah. We got 830 in Chicago, 845 in Winnipeg, and on and on. All right. Oh, we go. to steal a line from babcock will the leafs start on time at 6 p.m eastern they could use it uh the leafs have trailed most of this season you know they have been behind they the games they've won they had to catch montreal they had to catch tamp Bay. They scored first against Tampa, though, didn't they? They did before giving it up.

Yeah. So that was the first time they scored first. Only the game against Minnesota have they really had a lead. So it'd be nice to see them, you know, go up 2-0 and control a hockey game. But, you know. Is this one of those where we're going to be talking tomorrow about the Leafs playing down to their opponents? Because there is a sense that a lot of people

think that Washington's not going to be very good this year. Yeah. And I know we're only, what, five games in, but have we seen enough out of Washington to suggest that there might be some issues with this lineup? And dare I say it, Ovi may have lost a tad now that he's going into his late 30s. The thing is, they just have too many good players to be outright terrible. It's not just Ovi or just Backstrom, but it's also Oshie and it's Tom Wilson and Kuznetsov and Carlson.

But Wilson hasn't been very good. But again, you're five games in off of a major surgery yeah like i i think they're going to be pretty bad i don't but i think they're going to be 84 points bad not like you know bottom of the league pick and celebrating next year bad it's funny though going in tonight the leafs are first in the nhl in shots four per game a 38.6 average and the capitals are uh 30th so they're below uh below 25 shots per game so far so you know all the stats say the leaf should handle things tonight but that never goes well all right let's go to uh let's go to sheldon key for our first kippers clipper of the show

on washington uh just they're making a lot of plays uh making a lot of plays their defense are very involved uh in their offense. Often you're seeing four guys below the circles and below the dots and looking to attack the net that way. So that stands out. They've got good depth. The lines are pretty spread out throughout the lineup in terms of their forward depth and experience that they have.

It is a good mix of forward depth and the experience that they have. It is a good mix of that experience and then the young players, some of the young players are coming in that are giving them a lot of push offensively too. They've been very good in transition here to start the season. While they're trying to find their game, probably similar to us in a lot of ways, offensively they've been one of the top teams in the league in terms of generating chances uh but defensively they've given up a bunch so uh we have been similar so they have different metrics than you well obviously he's using chances and not shots so maybe all of their shots are chances at this point

i'll use the google machine on that we're going to bring in alan may but uh there seems to be a sense that uh as far as uh coaching goes uh there's been a major transition of i guess systems or philosophies because laviolette's gone ex-toronto maple leaf uh carberry's in and i think he's asking them to play a lot faster i just don't know if if they're capable of playing a lot faster yeah maybe not and maybe they're not a team that's meant to be a fast transition hockey team you know like they're probably better being more slow the game down grind it out it is tough i i've always thought this about being a coach like you can have a certain way you want to play and maybe carberry is one of those guys but if your first job you're handed a roster that

doesn't match with your preferred way of playing who has to adjust you know is it 20 players what does the coach can't make guys faster you can't so it's the coach and i think that's a big ask for a first time nhl head coach to say play a way you don't like to play because this group doesn't suit the way you do like to play you know and he's talking about guys down the line up there in the depth it's you look at their their lines and look at anthony mantha's playing on the fourth line for them that's a guy that you would have expected to probably be a lot higher in the lineup than playing on the fourth line for them. That's a guy that you would have expected to probably be a lot higher in the lineup than playing on the fourth line. Yeah, what's going on there? What's happening there?

Everybody except maybe the Detroit Red Wings. Yeah, they traded him. They traded him. Didn't you say yesterday the team always knows first? They traded him for, what was the deal? I'm trying to think of the guy they traded. Verana? Verana, yeah.

I think it was Verana who ended up in with some stuff down in the minors. Then he went to St. Louis. Yeah, there were some off-ice issues there, by the way, too. Yeah, that's why talking about the team knows first. By the way, Washington, their third last in scoring chances for and third last in expected goals for. So, Keefe may have just been blowing smoke for his team to get prepared. I don't know.

Okay, so we'll get his thoughts on what he's looking for tonight out of his team. More focus on the Leafs than Washington. Clip four? Clip four. When I look at the Florida games, I look at South Florida. I thought that we

played a good game on the defensive side of the puck. Gave up very little, didn't generate as much as we'd like. In Tampa, I thought that we generated a lot, but gave up a lot as well still in transition and off the rush in particular. So I'd like to see it, you know, still look for both those areas to come together here for us.

And like I said, this team's going to challenge us here again, similar to Tampa, and they're coming on the rush. Their D are going to be very involved, and they've got skill throughout the lineup. So that's really it for us is to find that they keep the focus on us and the things that we can do well, but also make sure that we're tidying up the areas without the puck. A convincing win would go a long way to make, I think,

a lot of people feel like whatever hiccup, slow start, whatever you want to label it might be in the rearview mirror. But it will take a solid 60 minutes. Would you agree with that? Yeah. Or is the win just the most important thing at this point? It's not. You know why?

Because let's be honest. The Leafs are 3-2, barely. Yeah. They are barely 3-2. Austin Matthews had to shoot one in from the goal line to get them to overtime against Montreal. They needed everything to go their way for them to be three and two so if everything goes their way and they and a whisker a whisker away from being blown

out Saturday night yeah I think that's fair they're not far off from like one and four right yeah realistically like and two so if they go and sneak another one out I'm not coming in here being like they just keep getting the dubs and it doesn't matter how. Like it's a concern. I agree with that. You'd like to see them control a game, win a game. Like this is supposed to be a Washington team. That's not great. So yeah, I think it's time for expectations to change past getting the points. Even though you mentioned it's important that they do that. That's good.

They're getting them. Give them time to sort it out. And the depth, right? That's where it really started at least having a different look than what we've seen in the past four or six weeks is the depth. And I think Sheldon also gave Yarncroft some love. Let's listen to his comments on why he thinks Yarncroft can be a good fit amongst his top six.

Intelligence and work ethic, those two things combined. He has the work ethic to move his feet and move around the ice, and the intelligence to go to the right places. So I would say those are the two things that stand out. And then he has finishing ability as well, so I think that's what makes him a good fit. But the first two that I mentioned, that's what makes him a good fit but the the first two that i mentioned uh that's what makes him a good fit on it on any line gee i could have sworn he

was talking about kerfoot yard foot so you're talking about how he's always kind of like has a guy we were talking about this off air yesterday yeah and it's just like this is now his guy yeah so keith this is like an established thing he finds a guy when i was with him with the marlies we had zach hyman one year he can be excused for making that your guy that's a good choice for the next year we had a kid named colin smith and colin smith uh was like a half a point per game type of guy he came to us and he was like a he liked him liked him a lot he became a point per game guy he played on every line he hasn't been a point per game guy since he's a half point per game guy he's in the DEL or whatever but he we played him on every line he found a guy this is like his new guy you see it was Kerfoot now it's Yarncraw that's always kind of been the case with coaches in

general coaches they they find their little pet yeah and it's abundantly clear to 19 other guys who the teacher's pet is. And it's like a compliment. I remember in the coach's office calling the player a band-aid. Being like, okay, this line is hurt. Put the band-aid on it and it'll be better. Like, this player will fix it. That's the best use of band-aid in sports. Yeah, it is. The other use is very bad.

Yeah. But you're right. The guys do resent the band-aid. Yeah, a little bit. But there's some teasing involved teasing involved and you know at the end of the day like who who who doesn't love hyman who wouldn't love hyman on any team but connor brown was about that you know there is that element and once upon a time i was in hartford i had a good year there scored 17 paul holmgren was my coach tough you scored they're like al peterson i never called me kipper or nick once it was homer jr homer jr homer jr that's what he called me like as in simpson no no like paul homer jr yeah i think i was his favorite son. Oh, geez. Right? Yeah. So it does follow you.

Yeah. I don't know if Yarncroft's going to keep it all year long. Kiefer Jr.? Kiefer Jr. I called him Kiefer Jr. Right? So, and at the end of the day, you guys know how I feel about Yarncroft. I think he's a serviceable guy guy but this guy should never be ever

considered uh he's the definition of mid guy yeah i mean long term i get you never getting more out of him than he did last you can fill spots in yeah but if if i'm attacking four rounds this guy is not on my top six no you gotta have got to have a purpose when you play with Matthews and Marner. You need a real purpose. I think him being there this early says more about Tyler Bertuzzi than it does about Kyler Yarncroft. Great comment. That's true.

This is not about Yarncroft at all. Everyone had it all drawn up all summer as soon as Tyler Bertuzzi signed that he would be playing on the top line with those two guys. And we're now in week two of the season or week three of the season. And he's already off the top line. The coach can sell it to Bertuzzi as you're a little banged up.

You know, let's let it get better. Find your footing. How do we feel about his percentage today? Is he back to 100? Is he still under 100%? Oh yeah, still under 100. Oh, no way he's at 100. The second he signs, it's six games in. How could he under 100%? Oh, yeah, still under 100. Oh, no way he's at 100. The second he's not, he's six games in.

How could he be 100%? Yeah. So that's what that is, right? And so until he's better, yeah, we're right back to... By Yarncrackle, hopefully by Bertuzzi time. Boys, the curse of starting on that line is becoming real. It was Joe Thornton, and the next year it was Nick Ritchie, and this year it's Tyler Bertuzzi.

None of them made it to November on the line. Yeah. You know, like... Yeah. I'm not saying those are bad players. I'm not saying they're hard to play with. I'm saying specifically you have to be an excellent player to be there.

I don't think it's easy to play with them. No. I think you have to be a excellent player to be there i don't think it's easy to play with them no i think you have to be fast you have to really be able to think the game like those two guys are elite elite players top 15 players who's the most successful guy to ever play there it's michael bunting and he managed 57 points or 65 points it's willie kneelander yeah willie kneelander is the most successful guy when he's there. You just can't have your lineup. He doesn't count. No, he doesn't.

It's been so long ago where he sustained any longevity on that line. So he doesn't count. They did it a bit on Saturday, too. On Hockey Night in Canada. When you're down 3-1, it's not hard to load up. So they ran the list of wingers who've been in that spot. I saw that list. And Willie's second.

I don't think he's ever had any real run there. It's just like in games when they're like, I don't know, get him out there. We need one. He has totaled a huge number of time. But bunting... Ooh, Hyman was the best there. Yeah. Sure. Okay, I'll give you that. Was it Hyman

playing with those two? Was Hyman... Did Hyman ever touch 65 points here yeah can you what's hyman's best point production he might he might have got up there around 50 i don't know if he got as high as i feel like he was like 27 and 25 for his highest point total here was 41 whoa okay so you so so it's it's bunting yeah it was bun! It's bunting. Yeah, it is bunting. It's bunting. Most successful. And what do you deem successful? Is it points? Is it

driving lanes? He went to the area of the ice that they don't, which leaves everything else open. It draws people there. It's got to be a net front guy. Hyman's effectiveness was he got the puck, so that was his utility on that line. You know, like like you got to do something for those guys can you play with them can you get the puck can you go to the net front for yarn crock the answer is kind of

all of it i guess a little okay you mentioned hyman and matthews there's a while where babcock in matthews rookie year put him with connor brown and hyman and he was like the driver of that line which at some point over the season i wouldn't mind seeing something like that for for matthews Matthews' rookie year, put him with Connor Brown and Hyman. And he was like the driver of that line, which at some point over the season, I wouldn't mind seeing something like that for Matthews. It'd be nice if you could put together Hyman, Matthews, and Brown right now. Now it would be an absolute mule of a line. Yeah.

I know Brown's struggling. It would have been, like, even if a Tyler Bertuzzi signing at $5 million and you would have said an okay year. Like even if he didn't have a great year. Say you have an average year. That should be like 50 points with his eyes closed. Eyes closed. Okay. Minimum expectation if you play 80 games on that line is 50.

Career year would be 80 points. Yes. Career year. Viable. Considering his age and what he's done in the past that's a realistic number but it's there's a sense that we haven't seen like the thought that he he can even get to 50 points with that line right now it's funny seeing domi make two plays was that one so far so one point yeah it's funny seeing domi make two plays was that one so far so one point yeah it's funny seeing domi make two plays last game that were you know nice and whatever you're like all right that's what it looks like when domi is whatever we haven't seen a moment from vertuzzi we're like

that there it is that's the was that point was the goal on the power play did it involve no he just banged it in front of the net yeah but. But he hasn't got an even strength point with them, including exhibition games, which he had three. So, I mean, that's a long stretch. It's a long stretch. Yeah. That is. To get no points with two of the better players in the NHL.

It's almost like how long can you bake Matthew Nyes in the oven so he can be fully cooked come playoffs and put him with the main course. Did I connect that analogy all the way through? My mind was going, it's like, you're getting there. Have you seen enough? Yes, chef. Out of Bertuzzi's game to definitely say that we aren't we're talking about uh at the end of the day a hard-nosed player but is not elite bertuzzi yes but maybe not you still want to wait

and see yeah i'm not can he be elite can he be elite i don't think he's an elite player i think he's a really good player who can be complimentary to those kind of guys right i don't know what he said what was he scored how many in one year? He scored 30 one year or something? And, you know, you talked to Morgan Riley, who was interviewed this season, saying he was surprised at how talented he was, how the plays he can make, the skill.

Like, you know, combined with that gritty element, maybe elite's not the right word, but he'd be a really, really good player. I just remember watching him with the Red Wings against the Leafs. I hate that guy. He's everywhere. He's in every play. Exactly right.

God, he's just so annoying. Yeah. Really. And he just haven't, other than that time, the goalie that he speared the goalie right in the groin, speared him hard, and then it was a big scrum. But ever since then, I feel like I haven't really seen much of that. Yeah.

Which I thought was a big part of his game. But if he just has a moment or a period, much like Max Domi, he can alleviate all these conversations. Just one good game against Washington tonight. Yeah, he's 1-2 tonight with a dust-up, and all of a sudden we're like, there it is. It's all good. We're back on track.

For sure, but I would like to see it. Well, yeah, because eventually you get to game 22, and it's like one game of one and two ain't going to fix this. So, yeah, he needs a night. I think pressure's on him. Okay, one note on our good friend Joseph Wall, which was a Max Domi comment that we kind of slid by yesterday. Feeling dumb.

For not having had it? Yeah. I didn't even hear it. If you'd heard it, you'd have... I didn't see it. It didn't come across my lexicon. Nothing gets by me. There's a mob of autograph seekers for you to get into the building. I like that this is going to be the theme with Sammy. He's gotten too famous to...

To produce. Oh, I know. It's a terrible thing to say. No, I feel this guy. Oh, I know. It's a terrible producer. No, I feel bad. But let's listen to the clip. Here he says from Max Domi. He's great, man. He really kind of reminds me of Carey Price's demeanor.

He's very calm and relaxed and both on and off the ice. And big body moves really technically sound. I mean, I'm not a goalie coach by any means, but he's outstanding. And, I mean, obviously the first few by any means, but he's outstanding. Obviously, the first few when Sammy were in his fault. Those are some elite goal scorers making some elite plays. It wasn't his fault at all, but just to kind of shake things up.

Waller came in and was really a stone wall, so it was great to see. Waller. This is where Max knows the city and the media as good as anybody out there. He grew up as a kid, and now he's living it as a Leaf. You throw that comment out in Columbus, and nobody says boo. We found it.

You throw that comparison out in Toronto, and you know now it's going to another level. It's actually the greatest thing he's done as a leaf so far including the two huge passes in third period last game what a troll of montreal fans to be like oh the kid who's played 14 games he's basically carrie price carrie price david oh oh god was it you yesterday or the day before you used the word economical to describe him? I did. Yes.

So I think that kind of lends towards I think the only point Max is trying to make there is that he's quiet. He's efficient. He's quiet. He doesn't get excited. You don't think he's better than Carey Price? There's a very good chance that he's not dropping a stick in a game. Yeah.

And that's basically, I think, the comparison is that they tend to look like they're not as excited as some other goalies. Okay. Can I lay out a scenario for you guys yes joseph wall leaves win tonight 4-1 28 saves yeah he's fine who starts thursday hold on i don't know kip's answer you're starting wool i'm starting sammy sammy goes thursday for me no matter what i'm not uh i i tend to go with you because, and it's really based off the lack of success I've seen coming out of the gate. If there's a stretch of a window where I see some good hockey

and the guys are feeling good about themselves, and Sammy, in your 4-1 win, that they seem to be technically sound and comfortable with their pairings and their gaps. Everything's just working. And everything's working, then, yeah, let them run with it. Hmm. Yeah.

Hmm. Tough to argue. I mean, you know, like, what do you owe Ilya Samsonov? I think one of my favorite points I've heard about this whole goalie debate is, like, what do you owe Ilya Samsonov? He's on a one-year deal. It's not like he's five years and you have to get it figured out with him. No, you're right.

Just play your guy that's playing well right now and see who plays well the most. He changed my mind. If Wall wins tonight, he does. That's good radio to me where someone's willing to change your mind. I'd change my mind all the time. New information. I think you guys are right.

You have to also factor in that this is all new to Joseph Wall and you've got to manage him. You've got to protect him. And I don't know. I mean, in terms of we've seen the hype in the media run with a lot of things over the years, and you don't want it to get a little out of hand. And you've got to protect this kid. If it's January or February and it looks like he's running the table,

you're still going to go into a scenario where, well, he's never done it before in the playoffs. I know. That's always going to be there. Do you really want to trust a rookie on the year that you're supposed to go to a conference final or a final finally after how many tries? You're going gonna leave it to that kid you're gonna hear me say it the alternative is samsonov who i don't know if you've looked at

his playoff numbers aren't exactly sparkling so you know it's not like it's going up against prime matt murray or something show me martin jones oh no i'm good with that too but he's the only goalie that's gotten you a playoff win in yeah oh yeah i know you're pretty damn good against tampa bay yeah so yeah a couple good ones you're ready to crap all over them and uh before halloween no i'm not doing anything i'm just no i know i'm just saying that's the dilemma here all right we're gonna get to alan may let's take a break. Okay, we're going to take a quick break, and after we'll welcome in Alan May,

former NHLer, does a terrific job covering the Washington Capitals, and he'll get us teed up for the big battle starting 6 p.m. Eastern. All right, quiet. I got some news here. just before we throw it to alan may david pugnata of the fourth period says that there's a power outage in columbus that is affecting the downtown area and the 6 30 puck drop is in jeopard, meaning the frozen frenzy is melting. Melting! Yeah, that's not much of a frenzy when it's just a 6 and a 7 p.m. game. All the planning of all the teams, it's CBJ.

And the great irony is they could have used that 30 minutes to fix the problem. All right. To help us tee up the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals, let's welcome in Alan May, former NHL-er and former analyst of NBC Washington. They've changed it to Monumental Entertainment. Because when you think of Alan May, you think monumental. You do. Is that the reason why they changed the name?

Well, if you're waiting for me to answer it's a monumental sports network but i'll take the compliment i can see the washington monument right now on my drive in nice spectacular so yeah so i think i'm pretty spectacular too so i'll take it man so be honest when i asked you why the six o'clock P.M. start tonight, did you have to go find out why or did you know? Because I'm not sure how many people are going to show up to start the game. Well, you know what? That's a big thing. That's going to be a big thing around the National Hockey League for a lot of the games in the different time zones.

We're just looking at the Eastern right now. But you know what? I actually heard something about it the other day, and I forget what I was listening to. But that's how I found out. Because I didn't look at, I'm an old school dude. I look at paper calendars, and I didn't even bother. I just looked. We had a game today.

And then it was the 6 p.m. start. And then I heard yesterday or the day before I was listening to a podcast or something, and they talked, all 16 teams are playing. Oh, that's strange on a weeknight. And then I looked, and I noticed that every game was 15 minutes apart or so. Like, it goes 6 to 6.30 and then every 15 minutes, I think. And I was caught by surprise. I think there's going to be, you know, buildings that fill up halfway through the,

you know, maybe the second period, the start of the second period, they'll start to fill up. But I think a lot of people are caught by surprise. And, you know, I had some emails from the capitals and the parent company today that, you know, remember, and as you know, my season ticket account got a, it's a 6 p.m. start. So I'm not sure many, how many people plan their weekday around a 6 p.m game today and no matter what when you drive to a caps game in washington you're dealing with the worst traffic in the world the city's as old as it is and the roads haven't been you know they're not that big and you're always stuck in traffic here to go a mile takes forever a lot of days

well that's relatable being here in toronto i can tell you that much um what are the toronto maple leafs in for tonight you know the the caps off to a slow start here has it just been sort of a a bad couple of games or is it a possible trend for what this team may be this year well i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt right now team is every system is drastically different from what laviolette system was which was a lot of standing around a lot of throw the pucks in and then wait in the neutral zone uh not necessarily physical a weird defensive zone package and every single thing with and without the puck is different right now a kipper will tell you and actually

you played justin you know this when players think, they're not moving their legs. When they react and they're just going, you know, reading and reacting, they're at their best when their instincts take over. Right now, we got guys trying to tie their shoelaces while they're skating, and they're just all on a whack. And we've got players who never give the puck away that are giving it away left and right. We have players that should be shooting and they're thinking they need to pass. And the part that concerns me most this early on is defensively there's always one player for a five-man group that's making a huge defensive read in the wrong way, making a huge critical error.

And it's leading to right now the way they're playing, it's leading to a goal in their net or a high-danger scoring opportunity. And on the other hand, they're not creating enough when they do have the puck because they're overthinking everything. So it's going to take a little while to get rid of all that stuff. And I told Kipper in an earlier conversation that, you know, I think the fans should be paid to go to the preseason games because the players don't give enough of a half-ass effort.

The rookies overthink everything. And it's not like when we all played when you just go for it. You go out of your way, you run a goalie, you pick a fight, you push and shove, you act like the biggest jerk you can on the ice. And if you're a guy that scores goals, you try to take it to the net rather than overthinking everything. And as a result, I think the Caps being an older team And if you're a guy that scores goals, you try to take it to the net rather than overthinking everything. And as a result, I think the Caps being an older team with that preseason effort that a lot of the vets give us,

I don't think they're quite ready to get going yet. It's going to take them the rest of the month to get their hockey legs. We're talking to Alan May, Capitals analyst for Monumental Sports Network. Speaking of not creating offensively, we got to talk about OV here. And for the first time, I think, two consecutive games without a shot on goal. I think in four games, nine total. Those aren't OV numbers.

What are we dealing with here? Just another situation where the system needs to work itself out? Or are we actually seeing a 38-year-old maybe slowing down a tad, dare I say it? Well, you know what, that's going to be what everyone's going to say until he starts putting numbers up. And the biggest thing is, minus those two games without a shot, where they were all drastically outplayed, was he hasn't had, this is the first time from the start of a season where he hasn't had a goal through four games. So, you know, the last game,

he put the puck to the net. He should have had some goals, but he wasn't creating chances. I don't think he's been, you know, getting up to full speed and they haven't had the puck enough. When you look at their possession numbers, they don't have the puck on their sticks enough so they're not doing a lot of entries uh guys are over carrying it so they're not necessarily doing a four check when they enter they're they're kind of giving the puck away on the entries so i think all of it kind of goes together but at the same time you know there's two ways of thinking for older players and you know some guys they get, they work out way more. Some guys, they do less and they try to, you know, go along as the season and keep getting their legs going and, you know,

like work themselves into shape. So he might be in the latter half of that because he really hasn't got it going yet. And so I think it's just a matter of time because he really hasn't got it going yet uh and and so i think it's just a matter of time till he gets his legs under him and i will make you know he he will he he will get going and i i never bet against him people have been betting against him for years but i think he's had more goals in the last half of his career than he did in the first half and last year he would have had 50 but the back acted up he had a really you know he should even play been playing at a certain point in the season and he was trying to tough it out like a lot of guys i appreciate guys that try to play hurt and and want to play hurt but at the same time i think it's up the coaches to take players out of the

lineup uh he came back played the last game of the season i think that was just as a thank you to the fans and uh he you know you could tell he just wasn't right. So the big thing with him, he needs to be healthy, needs to get those legs going, and he needs to shoot the puck. And when he gets, you know, 8 to 12 shot attempts a game, he's creating offense one way or the other. And I think he's got to get to the point where he starts forcing the puck to the net. The power play has not been good it's been standing around everyone knows they're one three one what they've done for a dozen years and now they have to start moving bodies around they can do the one three one

but players have to start skating and they've got to start moving around they can't just let the puck do the movement i think they need to take a little bit out of toronto's book on the power play and have players moving at all times and i think once they start take a little bit out of Toronto's book on the power play and have players moving at all times. And I think once they start doing that and get out of those old flight patterns, the power play will get going and Ovechkin will really get going. Just one more follow-up before I let you back in here, JB, and that's just the chase for Gretzky. And there's a real feel like you know he's close are there any signs right now that uh

you know it it may weigh on him a little bit or that the washington capitals are going to start building something around him or the league on on campaigns are there any signs of that or are we still too early no you know what the big it's not wearing on him you know he just plays the game and and nick you've been around him with me he he's still five years old he still loves the game and it's just that the body's not five years old and he's gonna have to push it a little harder here really get it going and he'll put his numbers up so as we get closer next season when he gets within striking distance of Gretz's number uh I think he'll be a lot more enthusiastic you know to start the year and he'll get it going but I still believe he's going to score 40 plus goals

this season and I as I said I've always bet on this guy because he always comes through and I look at the 42 goals last year would have easily been in the 50s. He would have 50s the year that they had the shortened season due to the start of COVID. He and Pasternak were like, what were they, 48, 49 goals. And they still had 11, 12 games left, the Caps. So I just look, this guy can score goals. He just got to move his legs. This whole team has to play better.

He's too old to carry the team all by himself. So it has to be a group effort to create everything. And then you get back to, you know, they owe Ovechkin. You look at all the teams, the Maple Leafs have won one series in the entire time that Ovechkin's been in the NHL. And, you know, for people that said he never cared, he used to carry this team on his back season after season. He was the one guy. He tried to score all the goals, felt bad if he didn't score all the goals. And he would blame himself every year for playoff defeats. And I looked at it was coaching.

It was shortage of roster, not enough guys, not enough pieces. And he's a proud guy. And he wants to play well. And he's a proud guy, and he wants to play well, and he still wants another crack at the Stanley Cup. And I really believe that he thinks it's possible, but at the same time, he's getting older, he's got to play better, the entire team needs to play better. Jeez, Alan, you really shivved the Leaf fans in there.

Thank you. Thank you very much. Speaking of Leaf fans, i'll do my duty uh you know guiding the leafs hour here and ask you about rasmus sandin a guy who here couldn't quite live up to his potential but there wasn't quite the opportunity for him what is rasmus sandin on this washington capitals team well when he came in here he was lights out offensively at the start. And then he started with the system they had. There were so many weird reads and the standing still in the neutral zone because Rasmus is not a fast skater. And, you know, most nights the Caps had a 30-plus-year-old.

Every guy in D was over 30. They bring him in there. And he was getting caught in no man's land quite a bit, not understanding the reads and didn't really pinch with authority. So now that they're playing a faster system, he's trying to get up to speed with the system they're playing, keeping the puck in the offensive zone, which they want to do a lot, like the Leafs are very good at.

And so when you look at that, and then defensively, I still think that strength, size and strength, costs him some in the defensive zone. So as a young player he's going to figure that out he's going to have you know the only way to figure it out is to play in games you can practice with the extra coaches all you want all 10 of them uh but the only way to get better is figuring out in a game uh understanding what you need to do better understanding understanding what you do well. And so it's a learning process for Rasmus. And as time goes on, I think he'll fit in very well on the second pair. They got him away from John Carlson tonight, who's an absolute stud,

and comes to play every night for the Caps. And he's going to play with Nick Jensen tonight, and it should be a lot different dynamic for the Caps D. One guy that the Capitals year after year have been counting on is Tom Wilson. Of course, he's coming off major knee surgery where he lost half his season. Off to a slow start, the injury can explain that. What does he need more, Alan, to get himself going? A big hit, a big fight, or a big goal?

What are we going to see out of Tom Wilson tonight versus the Leafs? I'm thinking one of the things with Tom right now is overthinking the game and the new big contract. And, you know, as he changed his game, his skating, he looked excellent in preseason. It's the best he's skated actually in the training camp testing. You know, he trains like a madman. But he is doing things with the puck that he shouldn't be doing.

I think he's got to get back to keeping it simple, firing the puck. He's had some golden opportunities to shoot the puck, and he's passed it off. And you can't score, you can't create offense if you're not shooting that puck. The Leafs do a great job of shooting puck. Even though they want the quality shots, you still have to shoot it, and you can score goals off of rebounds. You can deflect, and sometimes you get lucky and it hits in the shin pad. He's got to get back to simplifying his game, not overthink the system,

and maybe sometimes just say, to hell with the system when you have the puck. Do what you know you should be doing. What's always worked for you, and that's just chipping it by the D-man, get it below the goal line, shoot from every angle, and he'll get his game going as he simplifies it. Right now he's kind of complicating the night for himself. How's Backstrom moving around off of that surgery? You know what?

One of the things that's hurting him, he's not on the penalty kill right now. Yeah. And he's having to learn how to play a game at 15 minutes or so. So I think his skating is back to where it needs to be, you know, for years. And, you know, not enough people noticed it, but he was dealing with those hip injuries forever. And, you know, he kind of had a little bit of hobble in his skates. And, you know, he was always doing a double push to get going.

And he is back to skating fluidly. He's very strong on his skates. He's not the biggest guy. He's very fit right now. And I think it's just a matter of learning to get 15, 16 minutes because he was always the 21, 22, 23-minute guy. And I actually think with the way their penalty killing is going, that he should be back on the first penalty kill unit, get his legs going,

get some confidence on the penalty kill for the team, because right now the young guys are learning on the fly and they're making a lot of mistakes. So why not put a guy out there who knows what to do at all times and players can learn from watching him as well. stakes so not why not put a guy out there who knows what to do uh at all times and get players can learn from watching him as well so i still believe in nick i'd love to see him start creating offense and that goes with the power play as well uh he's can be guilty of standing around because that's what they did for so long you know they move it down to the goal line back up top he'd

look for oshi in the middle or go go to Carlson. Carlson over to Ovi. He'd get the big shot. The rebound. It's just a matter of everyone on this team needs some puck luck and the confidence will get going and there'll be a lot more fluid effort out of everybody. Alan, always appreciate your time

on our show. Enjoy the game tonight. Toronto and Washington. Thanks for doing this, man. Take care game tonight, Toronto and Washington. Thanks for doing this, man. Take care, guys. Thanks, Ellen. So pretty much, Sandin,

what we always watched as a Toronto Maple Leaf. I got it. He's like, well, he's not that fast. He's also not very big, so he can't defend. So, you know, those are the problems he is

good offensively ish has trouble picking up his reads in his own zone yeah it's it's kind of like lilligran in a different way for me it's that like it's so tough to be a bottom of the order defenseman without a niche as like a defender or an offensive guy you're just pretty good at hockey which those guys are it's hard lilligren i think is past sandin you know like he's a better defender for sure but yeah sandin made a lot of mistakes i know you didn't love watching sandin defend no no no no i think he's uh average to below average IQ when it comes to hockey IQ. Not SATs. Well, I don't know how he would do on Jeopardy.

But, I mean, yes, IQ in hockey. This guy knows no trivia, is my analysis. Listen, there's so much pressure on Kuznetsosov to be this guy is so talented he reminds me he reminds me of uh alex kovalev where you just go okay this guy could be yeah one of the best hockey players in the world he's that talented but imagine if he played for toronto it's like the abuse willie neil undertakes like dylan strong could be their top centerman oh well looking at their lineups tonight matthew phillips is their top line right winger so that maybe that's why they're one and three or whatever they are yeah

just speaks to their depth conor mcmichael's on their second line sunny milano's on their third line alan mentioned oh she still a talented guy but, but just seems to be on his last legs. Yeah, it was never fast, so once he slows down a bit, that's hard. All the guys who played college hockey against me are suddenly very slow in the NHL. Was it the Reeves and Tom Wilson? Was that on the Rangers? Yes, it was.

So you're going to give me a over under on uh wilson reeves fight tonight i don't know how i would do that but i would bet that there might be a scrap yeah yeah over under 0.5 fights maybe over unders doesn't work on that yeah it does i i think they would probably scrap plus yeah plus Plus something. Yeah, that's right. I'd say it's minus 100. We've gone a couple games without a scrap. I'm certain I want one again. So maybe they'll go. You need blood every so often to sacrifice.

I think Tom Wilson's more of a hockey-playing guy as opposed to Reeves. Like, you know, he actually goes out there and can affect the game offensively. Yeah, like the Leafs would win that trade. If Reeves could fight him every period, the Leafs would be happy with that. He's got a fuse, and if he's feeling a little frustrated, I could easily see a... I think it would come off a big hit first.

It wouldn't just be going out there to fight. It would be a chain reaction. But you could see this, where the Caps are struggling. Wilson can't get it going. He's got a new contract. I know he fought. I think you know recently. I've watched a couple Caps are struggling. Yes. Wilson can't get it going. He's got a new contract. I know he fought. He's at home.

I've watched a couple Caps games this year, and his wires have crossed already a couple times where he just jumps guys. He's just pissed off and frustrated. That's what it comes down to. I'm really looking forward to watching Ovi tonight and really assessing if he still looks like the same Ovi who's just snakebitten, or is there a sense that he's just maybe

for the first time looking like he's a year older? He's going to show us all. He's going to take at least five shots tonight, register at least five shots. Arms are going to fall off? Yes, he's just going to be swinging away. In 56 games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alex Ovechkin has 41 goals and 33 assists be swinging away in 56 games against the toronto maple east alex

ovechkin has 41 goals and 33 assists 41 goals in 56 games yes almost like he's the greatest goal scorer of all time we gotta go to break here but plenty more on the national hour on real kipper and born our thanks to alan may stay tuned lots to get into real Kipper and Born. We'll see you next time.