Defensive Disaster: Leafs Fold Against Boston & Carolina

Defensive Disaster: Leafs Fold Against Boston & Carolina

You’re watching Leaf’s Morning Tape with host Nick Alber and former NHL Jay Rose. The show starts now. All right, all-encompassing therapy session coming your way here on Leafs Morning Take the Monday edition presented by Bet 365. Nick Albera, Jay Rosel, how we feeling, Rosie, how are you, buddy? I don’t know, man. Monday, Monday, Monday after backto-back losses. So, I’d say average at best. How about yourself? Yeah, probably uh in the same boat. Um I always try, especially in this market, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. They had won three in a row. We started feeling better about this team. And then all of a sudden this weekend happened, but certainly on home ice, you hate to see that. Ah, watching those games, I’m like, I wish I wish that crowd would would be louder, but I think we’re at a point we’ve exhausted that conversation, but how could you be loud with that type of performance on the ace? We’re going to break it down uh throughout today’s podcast, but just in one word, how would you summize the weekend for the Maple Leafs in your opinion? uh laxidasical or disinterested, something like that. I mean, there’s these there’s these details of the game that they’re not committed to and it’s inexplainable. I don’t understand why. Um there’s a certain level of of attention to detail in the NHL that that coaches are well aware of. They know it’s the difference between having success and not. They know the margins are thin and those are the the difference makers and it’s that little thing of plays on the walls and the the safe zones and the getting it deep when you have no other options and not turning it over and knowing your man and seeing the play develop and just getting in the right spots and they just [ __ ] just they just they just opt out. they just opt out of those details and you know you score five goals or whatever that’s great but when you’re when you’re letting in six and seven like it’s just it’s just not conducive to good hockey and we’ve seen this movie before in years past and it does not [ __ ] translate to playoffs. So I can see why Craig Rubé is frustrated as hell to to coach that team. I think there’s a lot of people frustrated watching it because they they’re capable of better. Yeah. much more than what we uh saw over the weekend against Boston and and Carolina, respectively. And they’re they’re they’re playing defense like a beer league hockey team. I mean, let’s call it a spade a spade. It felt like November hockey, it looked like November hockey, but I think when you start the way they did, they got to get out of this rut, man. They had a hot start as mentioned. Although little watered down, you look at that Pittsburgh game, probably should have lost that game. It just has not been a great start in general for this Maple Leafs team. Before we get more into that, Hall of Fame class goes in 2025 tonight. Big weekend for them. Disappointing weekend for them if they want to watch the lease win. But Jennifer Bal, Zado Char, Brianna Decker, Duncan Keith, Alex McGillni, and Joe Thor in the players category and Jack Parker and Danielle Savage in the builders category. It was it was cool seeing Jumbo Joe around the rink there on Sunday. He was in St. Thomas over the weekend, too. But just very very well-liked and he seems to have a really strong bond with Austin Matthews, too. Yeah, I just, you know, he’s just one of those guys in hockey where wherever he goes, he just leaves a wake of of smiles and people feeling good that we’re glad they’re around him. Um, I can’t imagine you would find any teammate of his that’s not that’s not feeling the same way. You can just see him just just his little pregame interview there. You can just see he’s he’s himself. He’s got personality and character and he he does all the right things and he’s very easy to like that guy. So, uh it’s not surprising to me that he rubbed off on some of the young guys when he was uh playing in Toronto and kind of that leadership position. Didn’t lead to Stanley Cups or anything, but obviously some relationships were made. Love it. Our super chat charity partner is Sick Kids. Want to make sure that your question or comment gets on the show. Hit us up with a super chat. Proceeds from our super chat will go to sick kids ranked the number one research intensive children’s hospital in Canada and third in the world. If you got a question on the Leafs and their start, the power play, the penalty kill, Derek Lain seems to be a big topic of conversation today. Anything is welcome here on the show. Maxentius Desimus, thank you so much for the super chat. Raid on point. Why is this team so bad defensively right now, Rosie? That’s the question. Like why it looks disinterested like n like you say beer league like when you beer league hockey to those who don’t play it it’s just ah maybe if I’m the only guy back there I’ll kind of engage and really try to break up the play but the other guys kind of ah [ __ ] I knew I shouldn’t have rushed there but I did anyway and it’s just it’s just a just no no conscious effort goes towards the defense it’s it’s the second secondary thing and it’s the the last thing on the agenda that maybe you’ll get to it if you can. And it’s just completely ridiculous in the NHL to have that that mindset. I mean, the kind of stuff I’m telling my like U13 team to engage in like defenseman if if your dem if your partner is already down low, committed, engaged, pinching. Um, you can’t be. And we constantly get two D man caught way down low and just two guys go right down [ __ ] Broadway on a on a two ono and a breakaway after breakaway like do you learn that you can’t you have to have one guy at least protecting and not two and then pay attention to oh their players are getting behind me. I’m not on the defensive side of the puck. I need to change that. Nope. Next period. Next per oh we got two goal lead going in the third period. won’t pay attention to any of those details and you [ __ ] lose in regulation. It’s just like it’s infuriating, right? Because they’re so much better than that. They’re trying to do something special. We’ve talked about this team, you know, their stars and look what their stars do every single night lately. Austin Matthews, William Nelander, and John Tavvaris and and Matthew and I are just rattling off points and scoring goals and you’re still losing. like pay attention to the other side of things and you have a damn good hockey team. The window to win to be in the mix or people talking about you being a threat is closing by the day. Start getting your [ __ ] in order and stop playing like that. It’s just inexcusable. Are they uncoachable is my question. Um I talked about it off the top. Every the blame game is on in this Mark. It’s Derrick Alain’s fault today. It’s the assistant coach’s fault that the Maple Leafs are getting lit up. Okay, there there’s one sole focus right now and it should be on the players. I don’t think this is a coaching thing. The goalending needs to be better. I thought Stlars was awful awful on Saturday in that loss to Boston. But this is the players on the ice, Rosie. You you can speak to this. You played at the highest level. They’re they’re making the dumbest plays imaginable. Like these are like things you learn in minor hockey when you’re seven years old. And if you’re Craig Barubi, he has every reason to be frustrated. You don’t think the coaching staff’s frustrated in general? I know the crease obviously there’s concerns there, but you you got to start from the basics here, man. They’re making mistakes that you wouldn’t even want to make when you’re 13 years old. It’s insane to me. Yeah. And and uh you know, the blame game and the fingerpointing is ridiculous. It’s this is 100% what you said. This is basic hockey stuff like commitment to details that these guys all know. You don’t get to the NHL not knowing this stuff, but for whatever reason, no one’s taking the lead on it and no one’s following suit and there’s just no cohesiveness within that room to do those things over and over again and say no matter what the play looks like or what I’m seeing, my priority is a commitment to these certain things and they’re the things that prove the difference in games. It’s, you know, it’s those like you’re not turning it over. You’re not saucing it over a guy’s sticker through a guy’s legs. You use the walls and you support the puck instead of stretch. You don’t blow the zone. You create a battle. You’re on the defensive side of that battle. You’re not on the offensive side looking for that little Lucy because if it goes the other way, it’s oddman rush after. It’s just little tiny things that they all know. It’s not a coach that’s not telling them this. These coaches are probably in the coaching room going, “What the hell are these guys thinking? We have told them over and over and over again to pay attention to these details and they just [ __ ] don’t.” So 100%. I mean OD dog said it on the postream show. He must he should go up to the podium and say I don’t know. You ask them. I’m telling them what to do and they’re not doing it. And you know that’s the last thing a coach wants to do because it’s like oh there’s you know a wedge in the room and he’s losing the room and losing the players and this that and the other thing. So I can see why he doesn’t do that. But that would make the most sense to me is just being like why are you asking me? We’ve done video. We’ve incorporated into practice. We have had meetings. We have had player meetings. We have had uh you know veteran meetings, captain assistant meetings. We have done everything you can think of to instill these values on the team and they just don’t freaking do it. So it’s not on Craig Grub. It’s not on rattling off all these [ __ ] secondary tertiary coaches. They’re the problem. Okay. No, it is 100% that team and someone needs to, I don’t know, take the reigns, lead the way, uh, blaze the trail, lose their [ __ ] on the team, and get them to start thinking about the details on the defensive side of the puck because that’s not going to get you anywhere that [ __ ] last night. There seems to be a resistance to making the easy play. Like, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand and comprehend what Craig Ruby wants this team to do. That that’s the killer part of all this. It’s it’s pretty [ __ ] direct. get the puck in for check, you know, little touch passes, none of this [ __ ] tow drag [ __ ] Like I not to single one guy out specifically, but Matias Machelli, man, he can be great one night and the next night it’s like, dude, are you on a different planet? Like he had a couple different T drags in the Dzone when it’s like just put it off the glass, get it out of the zone. They can’t score from center ice. Maybe on Stallar sometimes they can. No, I’m kidding. I’m not ripping on stoolars. It’s it’s one of those things where you just got to simplify your game. And again, you can speak to this better. You’re the former player. It just it’s it’s incomprehensible. They keep making the same mistakes game after game after game. And it’s just been a massive struggle to put it all defensively together and they’re not playing as a cohesive unit. They’re playing individuals it seems at times. Yeah. Like you mentioned Machelli that players like that that you’ve seen it a million times. um high skill. Their whole life they have just ooed and awed with their tow drags and stuff like that, right? And when it works, it’s great. But it’s one of those things if it how often does that stuff work? Does it work 40% of the time? Because because even 50% of the time, it’s not even close. 60% of a time is not good enough. You have to have like high percentage plays. Working six out of 10, that’s not [ __ ] good enough. It can’t go the other way 40% of the time. You That’s not good enough. And when a player like him who he’s had a hot week and he’s gotten on the score sheet in a big game against his former team of Utah there, then all of a sudden the juices start flowing and I’ve got my juju, right? And then it’s hard for a skilled player like that. I’ve seen it a million times to be like, “Okay, but don’t lose your mind out there and start being street hockey type of uh mentality.” You got to, like you say, when you get in a jam and you feel the pressure and there’s stick pressure, you use that wall, use the glass, make sure it gets over the line, but no, another another and it goes the other way. And that stuff is a momentum killer. It it’s a grooner on the bench. The the coaches lose their minds. It’s it’s a momentum killer, right? You you you’ve you’re trying to work towards playing in their zone. You’re trying to use the walls. You’re trying to make the simple plays. You got guys willing to work their nuts off and go get that puck. And then you get the tow drag [ __ ] in the D zone, it goes the other way. It’s just like, ah, everyone on the bench is like, boys, we’re trying to get away from that, you know, and it can snowball on you. Uh, just and maybe I maybe the thing like you’re scoring five goals and and the the skills are there and the the hot players are hot. The one shining thing is that this might be very correctable. Like if you just like, boys, pull your heads out of your asses. It’s not like we can’t score a single goal, right? That’s a new problem. Like we got to reinvent the wheel on how the hell we’re going to get the puck in the back of the net. They’re doing that. It’s just the simple [ __ ] that you got to teach in U13. Get back to basics and at least on the on the positive side of things, you could fix this in a hurry. I was uh curious to know like the numbers compared on November 10th last year to this year. So before the show I I just put some numbers together but last year at this time 95-2 50 goals for 41 against 20.8% 8% on the power play, 83.9 on the PK. This season, 87 and one, 59 goals for, 60 60 against in 16 games. 17.1% on the power play, 80.9% on the PK. But I agree what Craig Ruby had to say after the game. Like, should he be worried to an extent? Yes. But it’s not like, if you recall this time last year, this team could not score, dude. It was like 2-1 every game, 3-2, and people were like, like Barub’s killing this offense. They’re scoring goals plenty now. It’s it’s finding a way to correct things defensively. But again, I think this is like a human error. Like this is the team. They’re not playing hockey. Like it it’s simple hockey. And the thing that gets me, man, it’s not just one guy. Like you can’t pinpoint one person. It’s every goodbye. And again, you want accountability. Like Steven Lorent probably didn’t play last night because of the heinous giveaway in the Boston game. You can’t sit the entire roster. And for me, it’s everybody on the roster. Knander yesterday, it was like the good, the bad, the ugly. Scores two goals, a billion giveaways. Riley, I mean, you could list every player off. They just need to play more direct. Plain and simple. Rosie. Yeah, man. It’s that uh that circus back and forth like who will make like let’s all make like let’s just have a million mistakes be made and just see if we can just win 65 and just make one less mistake than them like that’s just not how you get through a seven game series against a decent team to get to the Eastern final or where you know what I mean like they’re going to be inevitably in a situation where they need to get over the hump and be a better team than they were last year and the year before and the here before and we all know what the expectations are of this team to be considered successful and those are the details that a team that does that and gets where they want to go that they just do in spades right and again it’s it is encouraging when you look at as gross as it is to watch you know if they’re losing 2-1 that’s kind of a harder hole to dig yourself out of right like okay you’re you’re shutting it down and you’re doing the right things but like you feel like you’re a million miles away from scoring three or four goals in a game and like who’s going to do that for you and how much do you have to cheat on the right stuff to to try to get that offense and and it’s just a tougher problem to have now you’re scoring goals you have like the game by the balls you’re you’re going into the third period with the lead it’s it’s inexcusable it’s disgusting to watch and like as a professional team in the NHL like you had that game by the rains and you just filled your pants with crap and just lost in regulation. Like, what are you doing? Like, that’s awful to watch, but I think it’s easy to fix. You just literally like and and who’s going to lead the charge and how do you get all the guys on the same page? I mean, they’re all in the NHL. They’ve all learned all this [ __ ] They’ve all done it before at the at the degree that it needs to be done to fix this thing. They just all have to commit to doing it at the same time. and you watch how quickly, you know, they’re winning 42 and 5-2 again. Like it just do it already, guys. But I I guess it’s easy to pull your hair out and be like, “This is disgusting.” But it’s not like, “Oh my god, this team has no chance of winning this year.” Because they absolutely do. It’s just a matter of mentally getting your head around what you need to do and and buying in. And to me, that’s the leadership, the older guys, like the Jake McCay, like you guys got to be doing the right stuff out there and leading by example before it’s anything’s going to start happening. at the Leafsnation 401 on YouTube. Hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. Leafs Morning. Take wherever you find your podcast. Make sure to leave us a fivestar review. And don’t forget to visit the Leafsnation.com. Crave the stats is a presentation of Uber Eatats. Every time the lease play at home, you can get these exclusive deals only on Uber Eatats. Firehouse Subs, Bogo, Biscuit Hatrick, KBO Sushi, Bogo California Roll, Shelby Schwarma, Bogo Traditional Wrap. That’s right. Buy one, get one before, during, and after the game. Uber Eats is assisting every fan’s hockey experience all season long. So the Leafs have allowed five plus goals six times in 16 games. Why don’t we start there with Anthony Stolar specifically because we know it’s going to be Stolars and Wool. Dennis Hill to be tip of the cap to him. 41 saves in that game against Carolina where they just pretty much no-showed. They didn’t deserve to be in that game plain and simple. But what are you seeing from Stallars right now? Because that’s a big topic of focus. I think team defense number one, but behind them the goalending hasn’t been as strong either. Yeah, it hasn’t. And uh you know, I I don’t think he’s used to being worked this hard. I don’t think he’s played his best hockey. And I think he’s probably the first one to admit that you don’t have a real supportive structure behind you the entire season. You know, with Primo, like what the can you rely on him? And then Hildabbe is kind of unproven. Although you don’t put that loss on on Hilde last night. Um, it could have been they could have had seven or eight goals scored on them. The amount of breakaways and oddman rushes and posts that they hit, it was kind of a just a shooting gallery. And I think the what were the stats in the third period? They got out shot like 20 to2. Like that’s [ __ ] pathetic. Like you should be embarrassed. You should be in that room going, I cannot let like I refuse to play on a team that lets that happen again. Like boys sit down. We are figuring this [ __ ] out and we are not going to take another step toward anything until we figure that thing out. And I hope they are doing that and again they can do that but stolen his best by any stretch. I would like to see it’s kind of like that Lton thing like when he was out now he’s out again. Like Jesus what a rough go. But not that it’s him specifically but just him in the lineup I feel like settles everything down and then everyone’s kind of in their place and in their role. And the one time we got to see that was against the Mammoth and they played like a really solid game and everyone looked like they were they where they should be and their their their ice time and their a lotment and their line was where their strengths are. Um, and with Stoleie I feel like you need to get Wool back in there and you need to get you guys switch hitting again. And I think we’re really at the cusp of that happening. And I could see Stolley’s play turning around right away when they’re when they’re ham and egging it between the pipes and going back and forth and you know what your rest is and when you’re going to play and it’s kind of self-explanatory and you have that support. I think that he flourishes in that in that uh setup. So that’s kind of all I can say. But he doesn’t look like himself. He’s not as square as he normally is. He’s not reading the play. He’s a he’s a second behind scrambling and they score on him and it’s like how do I be everywhere kind of look on his face. Um, but again, I don’t claim to know a lot about the goalender. Um, you know, the position and what what the details are of it. I can just tell that he’s not as square and in position as as we’re used to seeing him. Is it unfair to connect the dots to the night he called out the team? He is 43 and 0, 3.79, 8883 since that night he called out the team. I think it’s fair just because it makes sense and the numbers line up and you can say ever since he did this, this is what’s happened. Um, does he regret doing that? Does he wish he didn’t? Does he even know that that’s the correlation? I have no idea and it doesn’t really matter. Um, the bottom line is you could, you know, you could lose your mind in traffic that day and have a shitty sleep and be really like out of it and have a bad game and then have a bunch since then. Does that mean you’re bad sleep in the like like it doesn’t matter, right? He needs to play better. And whether that has anything to do with it or not, I I don’t I don’t know and I don’t really care. Like it doesn’t matter. He needs to get his game back. And again, I think that getting Joseph Wall back and getting that partnership going that they were so used to and had so much success with last year um is going to help him out. It really is fascinating when you look at the body of work through 16 games. Is there really one player you can be like, “Wow, they’ve been impeccable.” Maybe Knander, but defensively he’s been the good, bad, the ugly, right? I mean, offensively, we’ll talk about him coming up. It’s been a great start, but there isn’t one player who has played impeccable hockey yet. And that’s what I think gives you the hope that they can figure this out and turn things around here, Rosie. Yeah. Um, honestly, the guy that stands out to me as as doing well and me being happy with is Nick Robertson. And we have on this show haven’t been the biggest fan of him because he lacked consistency, right? And and you he’s a player where you know that he can do this and then you just don’t see it for like eight and nine games and it’s just like it’s just not good enough. And it was like that for years and years and over the year and then ask for a trade and then you just think of him as this outsider who you can use once in a while if you need to, but he needs to go. And my mind’s changing on that and there’s probably people that are like, “Oh, it’s about time.” And oh, that’s fine. He’s doing things that he has not done in the past. And that is be consistent with his play and be effective. And the biggest thing that stands out for me is he just works his bag off. Like watch his legs. Watch how hard and how low and how powerful he is moving. like his legs are burning up every single shift. His heart is going [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] every shift because he’s putting it all out there for 45 seconds and getting ready for the next one. And I cannot say that for the rest of of the lineup. You look at you know Machelli we talked about you look at the new guys in Wah or Dakota Joshua like there’s been some times where they look decent but I think they can be a hell of a lot better. um all the stars. All right. Like Matthew NY is pretty good, but sometimes Matthew Ny is kind of gliding a little bit out there and doesn’t quite have that dynamic power forward youthful I need to I got to prove everything to this league and to the world type of look in his face. Although he’s just rattling off points now, too. Um but yeah, I there’s there’s nobody playing at their best and there’s nobody wowing anyone on on the roster. there’s nobody on the back end that looks like, oh wow, thank God for him, you know, like he’s keeping these things together. And I think Tanab is hurting that a little bit as well. But like you say, maybe look at that as a positive because if all these guys can just step it up a notch and find their game, then then look out, especially if they’re they’re mentally making a commitment to the details on the D side of things, things could go very well for this team in a very big hurry. It feels like a really big if right now the way they played over the past weekend against Boston and Carolina. But you’re right on Robertson. I love the shout, man. He is playing maybe the best hockey of his career. I’m not kidding about that. C caught in this [ __ ] storm is Nick Robertson’s really finding his consistency. He’s notched at least a point in six of his past eight outings the last eight games. Four goals, four assists, eight points. And I would say the one constant has probably been the Tavaris line. Line two with McMahon and and Robertson on the wings have really found a bit of chemistry. But I even saw an interesting statistic over the weekend. I think it was during the Edmonton game. The Leafs and the Oilers have the the most line combinations in the league, man. Like every game, new line, new line, new line. And and that’s been a story, an evolving story in this market, too. They they just can’t find the chem. But a big reason why is has been the injuries, too, right? And all the bodies up front. Yeah, the injuries don’t help. And then, yeah, that log jam of forwards 100%. But they also haven’t played consistently, right? which leads to I mean if this were a different story and they had found it right off the bat and they’re clicking and you got lines that are going and then looking good and you can’t break these guys up and these guys find chemistry um then you’re just going to have like two three guys that are just in the press box rotting and there’s just no hope of them getting in until this team starts to to lose their their mojo. That happens too and it certainly hasn’t happened with the Leafs and that’s another reason why the blenders been going. Um, I do like how, you know, when you put all your stars together on the top line, it’s like, okay, that, yeah, that’s probably a pretty dynamic line, but like who can you throw out next? And it’s pretty awesome that they have found the chemistry. And again, shout out to Nick Robertson. He’s been a big part of um driving that, too, is is if you can, as long as you get the chemistry and get guys playing well and being effective below that heavy loaded line, you can you can justify it, right? You can have that weapon and that tip of the spear. um that’s been working offensively and and they look like um it looks like the the lines in the top six can kind of stay that way for a while and be firmed up, but again it’s uh it’s a lot of detail that they’re missing and it’s all for not if you are getting five and six goals scored against you every night. So work to do for sure, but I’m glad I feel like the blender thing’s kind of over. And again, I I don’t know why I feel like this, but if you get Scott Lton back and just put him on that fourth line, it just seems to stabilize, especially the bottom six. Um, and and we saw that unfortunately for for Lotz gets buried by Zadov or whatever you Zadorov and I don’t know how long he’s going to be out now, man. It doesn’t doesn’t look awesome. Oh, he killed him. Um, you got to credit Bob McMahon for getting in there, but yeah, it’s it’s just been that type of go of things for Scott Lah in a Maple Leafs uniform. You know, he’s waited his whole life for this, too. It’s been bumpy, hasn’t it? It certainly has been bumpy and and some of it uh is not his fault with these injuries, but like that’s exactly what I want out of Bobby McMahon. Step in there. Look, he is anyone hurt? Did anyone die? No. Um, Zadov is much bigger than him. He’s much more used to that. But guess what? You show up. You shed your [ __ ] off. You come to the defense of your teammate. Like, how bad is it if everyone just poor Lots, man. [ __ ] But I absolutely love McMahon jumping in there and and helping out. And he can hold his. That was a clean hit, by the way. Right. I agree. Yeah. I mean, Lot’s nose. You can’t just turn. You got to know on the ice. He loves to hit you. you’re getting the puck off the wall and you’re cranking it north against the grain, you got to know that someone might be there. You got to take a little peek as right before that puck comes and and then he would have turned his back and got his shoulder into Zadov and absorbed that. But again, maybe that’s a little bit of rust or whatever, but it’s going to knock him out for a chunk of time again. I hope it’s uh it’s less time than it was last time. But uh feel for Scotty Lots for sure. And again, McMahon just all you got to do is show up. You don’t have time. Someone’s like, “Oh, should he should he get someone to teach him how to fight and blah blah blah.” It’s like, “Yeah, some tips might not hurt, but like you need to go get in 15 fights and figure out what you’re doing through trial and error. Figure out what works and get comfortable. He he won’t be in 15 fights for the rest of his life, let alone the rest of this season.” So, what he’s got is what he’s got. And and again, showing up like that and just being the guy that’s, you know, that’s kind of scary. Zadderov’s a big bastard. Knows what he’s doing and showed up. just grab a hold, chuck as many as you can, and just let it know that that we stand up for each other. That’s all that matters. And I I really like to see that. At the Leafs Nation 401, hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. That was the prototypical sync game against Boston who’s missing Charlie Makavoy. Like you you got to win that game. You got to find a win that game. But weirdly enough, and I haven’t said this too often in the last year and a half, Stlar’s killed him. Um again, we we’ve talked about Stoleie today. He knows he needs to be better. the Maple Leafs bottom five in the NHL in save percentage rate now. Again, a far cry from where they were last year and just knew Fraser Minton was scoring in that game, right? Like I already subscribed to that fact before I even turned that game on on Saturday night that Minton was scoring. He scores. It’s the fifth goal. Boston wins 5-3. But you you all you can do now if you’re the Maple Leafs is look forward to this game in Boston. Carlos return, there’s going to be some money on the board. You would have to think in that room on Tuesday and just deliver a better effort. But you you let one slip away specifically in that Boston game with Makavoy, one of the top defenseman on the planet, not playing, Elias Lynholm not playing, and you just couldn’t close the deal against the Bruins, who are a lesser team than you, I think. Yeah, sure as hell should be. But, uh, yeah, it’s nice they get another crack at them because I I’ll have money on the Leafs that night. I think they will rectify dropping that game. Um, to lose two to them would would be inexcusable really. Um, but sometimes like I just feel like the team is kind of mentally weak, right? Like you like you can’t tell me that the fact that they didn’t have Makavoy and who else wasn’t in there like okay like this is a like we are just better than this team and we’re going to win. And that’s in the back of their mind. That happens with teams and they’ve been caught in those trap games where you’re losing to inferior opponents and stuff like that. But you can’t tell me that a little bit of that even subconsciously creeps in on like, okay, it’s not going to be an absolute dog fight. Like, we should be able to handle these guys. And then by the time the game’s going and you’re down and you’re behind, I the game of momentum and speed and how quick things are happening and when a team takes control, they don’t give up too much against then you’re then you’re you’re up against it. And it’s just maturity came up last night from a couple of different people. Um, that is a maturity thing and it’s a professionalism thing and it’s a commitment thing. It’s a leadership thing and it’s just there’s no reason to be immature for this team. They have had so many lessons taught to them where they should know now this is what’s acceptable. This is what’s not. They’ve had so many bear bun spankings. They’ve had blowouts. They’ve given away series before. They’ve had their seasons come to a crashing halt in gross ways. And and they’re not all 22 years old anymore. like your core is looking at 30 and 34. Like you shouldn’t be immature. You shouldn’t be immature. It’s not an excuse. It’s it’s inexplicable to have that and they need to rectify it as soon as possible because it’s a bad trait for a team that it’s a veteran team, man. They have got guys in at 29. They’ve been in the league for nine and 10 years. Like you are a veteran and you should know the difference between what it takes to win and lose in this league. and you should be making a commitment to doing the right things that you’ve already learned lead to wins and success and they’re just not right now. You’re right. It’s it’s worrisome getting that immaturity from one of the oldest teams in the league, right? Like that that’s the scary part about this, but like who would you rather be right now, the Oilers or the Leafs? I know it’s a random question, but let’s not lose sight of the fact the Leafs are not the only team in one right now in the NHL with high, you know, projections and and expectation. The Oilers were rung up 9-1 over the weekend. Yeah, I know. Like you could have those type of nightmare scenarios and not even have a goalie that’s capable of playing really, really good. I think that we still have two goalies that are capable of playing really, really good. Um, there’s so many parallels always with the Oilers. The Oilers are their own entity, man. They usually do stuff like that and then they’ll go on a heater and win eight straight. But, um, I’m not sky is falling mentality. It’s it’s the league when when you look at it through with the magnifying glass like yeah they were they were just rolling there with three straight and then all of a sudden a quick little weekend and now everything’s [ __ ] again but they’re still above 500. It’s not like they’re scratching and clawing to get a goal or even be in a game. You know, it’s I think it’s the type of stuff that’s plaguing them that they can clean up in a in a hurry if they decide to buy in and collectively all get on the same page. Yeah, you’re right. I I mean a nightmare weekend, but again, not too high, not too low. Little disappointing. It had the David Eris feel to the game last night with Brandon Bus. He could not make a stop. They just couldn’t handle him late in the game. Couldn’t get a shot. Couldn’t get the puck. As you referenced the shots, 22-2 for the Carolina Hurricanes in the third period. And it’s funny in our group chat, we’re gonna we’re all like, “Okay, let’s see what this team has in the third period after that second period.” And and that’s the way they came out. like watching that second frame. I had Beer League puck yesterday and I I saw a lot of that on a Sunday afternoon at Oaklay Sports, but definitely don’t expect that in the NHL on a snowy Sunday. Like four breakaways in the second period alone, three posts from Carolina. Like that game wasn’t as close as the score. Like that was a flattering score I thought for the Maple Leafs yesterday. Yeah, it was. And like I mean [ __ ] they still could have pulled it off. Like if Willie I can’t believe how he missed that first hattick. That’s actually incredible. But even No, they had No, they really didn’t. Go ahead. No, I was just going to say like it’s just such a game of bounces and uh I was laughing like Bub’s press conference like somebody I guess I know what they were asking, but they tried to ask about Knander missing two open nets over the weekend. Like it was a weird question. I That’s hockey, man. Like you’re going to score goals you probably shouldn’t and and some that you should don’t go in. But you’re not going to Willie Knander. I think that was the question. You’re not going to kneelander being like, “Hey, you got to score there, buddy. Come on. Let’s do this.” No, it’s uh like you said, the oddman rushes and the posts and the breakaways. Like, that was pathetic. And when you’re on the bench doing that, it’s just like breakdown and you’re just like, “God.” And then you’re like, “Okay, well, we’re still in the game even though we don’t really have any business being in the game.” And it’s kind of a weird feeling like you are going into the third with the lead, but you’re not really controlling the play and you don’t really deserve to be in the lead, you know? So, it’s almost like the other team has got the momentum and they’re taking it to you and you’re it’s like you’re trying to play shut down D, but you shouldn’t even be in that position. You should be trying to get your game going. It’s kind of a weird place to be, but they totally dropped the ball. Like 20 shots to two in the third period when you’re trying to close a game out with a lead, regardless of how you spin it, that’s pathetic. And like I wonder if Craig Rubé is going to start to do some inventive things on trying to wake these guys up and get them to buy in. Like it’s just so pathetic when that’s the problem. Like how do you not again we’ve you’ve learned that [ __ ] when you were 10 years old and you can’t even do it like back-to-back games like a garbage slop game against Boston. that that that game against Carolina is what you come up with together like with all the ability that that that that group has when you put together a roster and their experience and what they’re all capable of that it’s just like it’s a mental buyin thing and they’re just not and they’re just like we could win. It just seems like this arrogant we could win without it. We could win without doing that stuff. We can still win without paying attention to those details. It seems like that which is just like scream at the TV type of stuff. And I imagine Chief is right there. looks like he is. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some, you know, inventive things behind closed doors to try to wake those guys up and rattle their cage a little bit because something’s got to change to because and it’s right there. You just, it just mentally has to make the decision as a group to like, hey, enough of this [ __ ] Pick up your [ __ ] man. Figure out the lane. Like, look, do a shoulder check and find that guy. Don’t make that sauce through those [ __ ] sticks when you’re already pinched down low. And then when your partner’s doing that, you can’t be busting down low, too. Like, what what are we doing here? It’s like my young team that I’m coaching going, “D, you can’t both be pinching at the same time.” Like, someone has to get back. And if you see your partner making that pinch, you got to pump up high and make sure you’re on the D side of the puck. No, I’m going to slither down, too. And and if anything goes wrong, boom, boom. They’re just blowing both our doors up. You’re the defenseman. Like stupid [ __ ] like that is getting kind of embarrassing for the Leafs. Like you are better than that. And again on the positive side of things as I’m saying this I’m like it’s such an easy fix. It’s such an easy fix. You just got to make the commitment. Yeah. It’s standard stuff again. Like that’s the baffling part of this whole thing. You watch that weekend specifically. It is standard standard plays that again you have talked about you would teach your seven-year-old’s team like and that’s the the crazy thing about this whole thing is that we’re talking about an NHL team one of the oldest teams in the league and they’re talking about immaturity which is kind of concerning. Um just reading the chat at the Leafs Nation 401 hit that like button hit that subscribe button. Blame games on uh less conversation today about Derek Leon the associate coach and more about two specific players. Morgan Riley taking a lot of heat like he always does and Austin Matthews people saying we’re leaving off uh you know Matthews off the hook a bit so we’re letting him off the hook is the phrase. Um how do you feel about Matthews where his game’s at right now? Um I feel like his shooting is is dynamic again and we haven’t seen that in a little while. It seems like since that 69 goal season he’s kind of been not himself and I think we’re seeing flashes of it now. I mean, I would I would like to see, you know, his leadership shine through where, you know, he is because Willy’s not going to do it, right? Willie is always going to play on the edge of being too flashy and too risky. It’s just the way he is. He He’s not going to lead the charge the way John Tavvaris would with doing everything the right way and stuff. But I think Austin needs to um you know, work your ass off. like just have a couple shifts where it’s just like oh my god like look that that the most talented guy in in the building in the country right now is working his nuts off. Like you got to you got to showcase that sometimes and lead by example to let everyone else know like you can’t get off the hook if that guy can’t, right? um and and go bang or crash or get physical or do something out of the ordinary to kind of lead the charge by example and being like I’m if he’s willing to do it, everyone else better be, you know, like that kind of [ __ ] Um, and then like Morgan Riley, it’s just just for me it’s like again like that one breakaway I’m trying to see like his partner pinches and kind of goes down and maybe it’s not the right read and I’m like okay like and I had to rewind three times because I’m like where the [ __ ] is Riley? And for some reason he was on the weak side way down low caught up in something like not even in the frame and like you should be dead center in the frame protecting the middle as your partner is pinching down in a dangerous spot and he’s not even in the frame. And I still I couldn’t there’s it’s not a wide enough lens to figure out what the hell he was doing. And it’s it’s little [ __ ] like that that’s just you know you do that three times a game that’s often the difference man. the margins are thin in this league and he’s been in it long enough where again just a commitment to playing on the D like just commit to the D side of the puck a little bit more. You guys just commit to keeping the puck in the safe areas a little bit more and I think it would do wonders for this team. Puzzling [ __ ] Uh let’s talk about a couple positives because it’s been a very negative show understandably so but uh the power play three for seven over the weekend now 741 for 41 on the campaign but I thought they snapped it around as good as they have all season long. I know it’s going to be a work in progress, but a bunch of opportunities. Uh they got sort of Tavvarz in like the bumper position which seems to be working. He’s getting that shot off. Scored a beauty against the Bruins. So that’s a positive. I’ll take it. Yeah, it is. It’s And he’s been there before with no success, right? It’s not like that’s the brand first time they’ve ever tried that. It’s um But when it works, it looks so easy. Hey, like when the power play is hot, it looks so easy. And when it’s not, it’s such a conundrum and a headscratcher. And all I’ll say is that it’s nice to see them get getting going and trying something like I don’t know if it’s even different or not. They’ve kind of tried a few different things, but whatever it is, it’s working. And sometimes sometimes it’s like those just those hockey gods, man. Like what the hell’s going on with our power play? This makes no sense. We keep trying things, things that have worked in the past, things that have worked throughout my career and it’s just everyone’s just hitting roadblocks and then all of a sudden one day they just start going in. Um, it can be weird like that. Um, again, not a power play specialist and I don’t even know if they can explain why it’s going now. But I love the idea that it is. Sometimes the levies just got to break and away you can go and you can leave that, you know, those awful numbers in the rearview mirror and hopefully they do exactly that because a power play goal here and there every game um is certainly going to help this team and and again can be the difference between winning and losing naturally. Uh I think the biggest question to come from that weekend is how do you fix this? Um and at which point does the coach get involved? Like I you know we don’t want to play the blame game. We’ve talked about it today. Neither of us blame the coach. just should be specifically on the players, but we know you can’t fire an entire team. So, what what kind of things are you looking for in the game in Boston tomorrow, which tells you like, hey, they I hate this phrase, like learning lessons. They’ve learned from their mistakes and they’re picking up what Craig Ruby is selling. Because I think a bigger story as we move forward here, and you’ve been in rooms before, you stop listening to the coach, man. Like I I don’t I dare I wonder if if it’s at that case already, but how many times is Bubi going to use that card where he just eats the team? Like he he did it in the second period. They were up 42 last night. Like he is losing his mind on these guys and there seems to be no response. But what would your rebuttal to that be right now? Well, how could you not listen to the coach though? I mean, you’re playing like dog [ __ ] That’s why the coach is mad. That’s why he’s giving it to you. You got to come together. Like splitting apart. Like just just say say goodbye to your season. Say goodbye to it. If you if they when the whispers start happening and the the eye rolls and the little comments after a meeting, when that [ __ ] starts happening, it’s by it’s bye-bye season. Like your your team is done. And those guys better be smart enough and mature enough to know that that isn’t the answer. All all Buru’s asking of them is the simplest form of commitment towards a certain style of play that he believes is going to lead to success. And I I don’t know how anyone in the room could argue with him. It’s uh and and like you only have so many tricks up your sleeve. Like you need to try to get through to them to say enough is enough. Every one of you has to approach the game differently because the way you’re approaching it right now, it does not have it does not include those details that are killing us. So, you all have to do something different and you have to shake something loose and you know, they throw Gatorade jugs and garbage cans and play a little [ __ ] I’m sure he’s lost his marbles and got all redfaced a couple of times and sometimes you think he’s going to do that and then he comes in all, you know, chill and tries to tries to keep the team guessing or catch them off guard or jar something loose, but there’s only so many tricks you can do at the end of the day. You know, it’s in that room and I don’t know who says what behind closed doors. I don’t know if John Tvaris needs to scream and yell or lose it and really surprise someone. If Austin Matthews needs to get intense and have some spit flying out of his mouth while he’s, you know, talking about what needs to be done and how special this could be and don’t let it slip through your fingers type of speech, whatever it is, these guys have to play differently. And again, it’s not that freaking hard. That’s why it’s so frustrating. You just can’t you just can’t abandon some of the most basic concepts of the [ __ ] game. That’s not hard to do. It’s kind of hard to have everybody abandon them the way they are. like after all those breakaways and turnovers and oddman rushes and ping ping, you’re still in the game, like it’s kind of shocking that they don’t come together and say, you know, these simple simple concepts we need to get back on top of. Um, so what whatever whatever of those things that needs to happen for them to commit, I hope they take place. But leadership, um, just as a group, you have enough good dudes and players and and and good people and good character in there to do it right. And it’s just shocking that it could be that far off because because yesterday really was embarrassing. you know, the the details on the D side of the puck. Embarrassing like they should be embarrassed and I really hope that they are embarrassed enough to make the changes that need to happen because it’s right there for you. You’re a good hockey team and if you just commit to the bare the bare minimum, let’s just start there. The bare minimum of expectations for an NHL team on how to take care of the puck and be on the right side of it. Um, if they just start there, they’re going to be still winning hockey games. Like if you really want to dig your teeth in and become a team that is relentless on defense and does not cheat anywhere on the ice, like look out, man. But they’re just they’re certainly not there. I’m just happy they uh Eastston Cowan’s not part of this [ __ ] right now. He’s he’s in the American Hockey League, doesn’t have to deal with that. And you you wonder too about like Chris Tenev, like again, I don’t want to make excuses. They were dog [ __ ] They were dog [ __ ] with Tenev, but how stabilizing he is on that blue line. But there’s a lot of like that entire blue line has been so bad. Like I don’t even know who the best defenseman has been. Maybe Jake McCabe, but across the board like that that Meyers and Benois pairing on Saturday was like unplayable. But the problem is they kept putting them out there and they’re getting explo exposed left and right and guys were dangling them. Like it was a scary sight. So, while it’s so easy, and again, we’re doing it very well on the show is like pinpointing, you know, the goalending or the defensive play, as a team, everybody just needs to pick up their big boy pants and and do their jobs essentially. Again, this is standard stuff that you learn a long long time ago. And they just they’re playing like this this riverboat hockey, which just makes no sense. So, I’m really really curious like what they look like in Boston. like this is a telltale sign because it really feels like they’re teetering right now, Rosie. Yeah, it does feel like time to make a decision. Who are you? What are you capable of? Um, and how much character do you have in that room? I mean, you look at you look at the Jake McCabes and, you know, the Nes and the Robertsons and, you know, the Ma like, you know, character digging in and and, you know, sometimes you do it by saying it, sometimes you do it by doing it and leading by example, but like there’s enough players in there to pull this team up and get them playing the right way. And you would think Craig Bub, that’s why they hired him. He’s the guy to get that going and he’s the guy to to not allow it to slip through the cracks. And it’s funny because now here’s another coach who’s not able to get these guys to to play committed hockey and responsible hockey, right? And sometimes that’s boring. And like a Willie Knander, his first mo is not to play responsible hockey, right? and he makes up for any of that with tons of goals and clutch performances and all the rest of it. And and that’s the that’s the the deal with a talented hockey player as talented as him is you can get away with more than Dakota Joshua can get away with, right? And that’s just the nature of the beast. But you have to have your leaders leading the way and at least showing some of the right stuff. I mean, I think it’s part of the reason why they didn’t keep that high-end group together because there’s too many there’s too much of that, right? Like, you need you need some of that. You need some of that leadership, some of that character to show what the right way is to do things. And I just don’t see anyone doing it right now. like the leaders are just as guilty as anyone else of of of cheating and doing things wrong and not paying attention to the details and just making the boneheaded play that was way too risky. And then you do it and then it’s just shockingly you’ll see them do it again. And uh it’s just a nightmare for the coach to try to figure out what the play is to get them to come back to playing good hockey because you don’t want to lose the room, right? you harp and scream and yell and call them out and bag skate and [ __ ] this and that and man it’s it’s easy for a group to turn their back on you. So that’s where they’re at right now. Again, it’s not skies falling. They’re above 500, but their problems are pretty clear. That’s one of the good things and the positives. It’s obvious what their problems are. It’s that commitment to the D side of the things and they can fix that in a hurry if they so choose to. But I I I am genuinely curious about those players in the room. like what do you honestly think and what do you honestly think of that game and and and who’s to blame and what are you going to do about it and what’s going to have to change for the next game in Boston? Like I’m genuinely curious. We’re never going to hear, but I’m genuinely curious what they feel being part of that and watching that from the bench because it is pretty glaringly obvious what those problems are. This is going to sound stupid, but I’ve been waiting like for a while for that tweet from somebody who’s at the game and sometimes I am where it’s like the Leafs room has been closed for an extended period of time. We’re waiting to go in there cuz then you know like there’s something, you know, like the closed door meeting. We don’t see those as often anymore in Leeland. We never see them. But even something as little as that where it’s like somebody pipes up and and says, you know, we’re not talking about this tomorrow. We’re talking about this right right now. like we we have to nip this in the bud. And it just hasn’t happened. And then I I watched like Nathan McKinnon over the weekend. Like I don’t know if you caught any of his action, but all he did was get nine points in two games in just a beatd down of Edmonton. Then they beat Vancouver. Brimley scores the winner. It just again these this guy’s one of one Nathan McKinnon, but this guy is just frothing frothing from the mouth on on on a shift by shift basis. And right now, like the points could be there with Toronto’s big boys, but sometimes you just wonder where they’re at on the ice. It just doesn’t feel like they’re actually in the arena mentally. Yeah. And I I know something’s got to jog that leaves. Like if I was Chief, I’d have them getting ready for practice this morning until they’re all done up with their tape and sock tape and everything. And I’d say, “We’re not going on the ice. get in the [ __ ] gym and have a good workout and talk to each other and try to figure out what the [ __ ] you guys are doing on the ice and take a mental reset and just have them do something that’s totally out of the ordinary. Like you never get dressed up in your dry [ __ ] and then start taking it off. So it would start to be really like an odd weird like oh [ __ ] this is unexpected and then like what’s the point of this to get you to do something different to think differently to talk to each other to come together and figure out what the [ __ ] that was and what you’re going to do to prevent it and something like that just to jar something loose but it it’s hard. It’s the entire it’s the entire process of trying to make a good hockey team is trying to get 20 guys on the same page every night. It’s very difficult to do. Sometimes it just falls into place. Every championship team, they love each other. They’re all they all think the same way. They all would go to bat for each other. Um, and that sometimes just happens. But you got to try to find ways to make it happen when it’s not as well. And whatever’s going on in the room, they have to approach it differently as a team because they have the they’re they’re trying to win right now without some of the most important details of the game. and it’s it’s just going to keep biting them in the ass until until they start to get on the other side of it. And again, I think they can do that fairly easily. It’s it’s it’s just it’s just a mental commitment that they just haven’t made as a group. Man, they missed a potential challenge on uh on Saturday that caught loss in the shuffle on the Asamont goal for Boston. And it’s like video like how does the video coach miss that where it’s like the goal is reviewed. We didn’t know it goes in. It went in. And apparently Boston knew right away that everything was offside 40 seconds prior. And the the margin for error is razor thin in this league, but you look at that game how different it could have looked. Like I know the Leafs were a lot better in that Boston game than they were in that Carolina game, but for the video coach, like how do you miss that? Like isn’t that your sole job during the game is to review every goal, make sure you know stuff like that’s not happening. Yeah, but the video coach, I mean, [ __ ] he is sitting there going F1 number 883 entry and then enter this PK doing missed assignment. Boom. I mean, he they are wizards at organizing clips on the fly so that a coach can come in on the intermission and go, “Show me Jake McCabe on the PK here and and he just pulls it up. It’s unbelievable.” So, to miss an offside by a hair, I’m sorry. That’s it’s shocking to me how good they are at their job with how much they have on their plate, to be honest. And I’m not surprised that uh they would they would miss a a two inch offside 40 seconds before the goal to be honest with you. It [ __ ] happens. You just think there’s enough you’d think there’s enough people within the organization that someone would have called down on the radio or done something. But hey, [ __ ] happens. You missed it. And it is unfortunate because it’s so funny. They could have been in a couple of things this way or that way. Willie scoring. It could have been, you could had two wins this weekend and they absolutely did not deserve them, but maybe it’s better they didn’t. Um, but again, they could have got absolutely blown out by Carolina last night and they probably should have, but they were in the game leading it in the third period. It’s it’s just wild and that’s what tells me like you guys are close. Like you’re that’s absolute dog [ __ ] you played last night and you’re still in that game and easily could have won it. like that. Sadly, that’s a good sign. And you clean up your details and you could have a team that wins a lot of hockey games, but I don’t know, we’re all so victim to it sometimes saying, “I don’t really give a [ __ ] about this game or this season. Like, come talk to me in in April, right? The only thing I care about is the playoffs.” You could see that, you know, getting into the players a little bit like, “Okay, like let’s just not blow our load here in November. Like, we got to build up to the playoffs.” Okay. But you also can’t flip a switch and just turn it on. you got to know who you are and you got to have a foundation to rely on when things get tough in a playoff series. So, not acceptable. Again, they’re not even close to the NHL standards of of playing, you know, proper hockey that’s conducive to winning. And we’ll see what they do to rectify it. I genuinely believe Freddy Anderson’s just scared of the Leafs. Like, nobody talked about this on the broadcast yesterday, but they got three goalies going and uh Coachov played Saturday and Anderson was nowhere to be found. I think he played the Leafs last spring. He lost 4 nothing, but it just feels like every time the Leafs play the Canes, Anderson does not play. I I you would think he’d want that game. You would think he’d go to Brymore and be like, I want the Leafs. I want to show my former team, but it just seems to be the opposite. I just want to throw that in there as well. It’s time now for the last call brought to you by Bet 365. Whatever your bet is, it’s never ordinary at Bet365. Download the app and get in on the game. Use code nation. That’s nation natio n must be 19 or older, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you are someone you know has a gambling problem, visit conx ontario.ca. Simple play for me tonight. Staying hot. I like the over in the Oilers game and I like the Oilers money line. I’m going to parlay that together. I think the Oilers respond after whatever that was on Saturday night against Colorado. Yeah, you would think they would, man. They’ve got uh they’ve got the horses to do her. That is true. I uh what am I looking at here? Florida Vegas. That’s interesting. Interesting. Panthers are plus 120 against him. Hey, interesting stuff. I just got a Jack Eel goal in that one. I think that kid’s hot. And uh I wonder if that’s uh you know, Mitchy Boy, he’s used to a guy being hot as piss beside him and doesn’t seem to bother him. But I’m I’m looking at Eel in that game, seeing if he can bury. And uh it’s kind of an interesting one to see the Cats that that far behind. and in the numbers when they’ve just been dominant for so long, you wonder how they’re going to rebound with their injuries and whatnot. But, uh, it’ll be interesting one to watch. Anyway, you’re going to set off Zack Phillips who had a go of things with some dude in the chat today about Mitch Mner. Okay. Got pretty greasy, got pretty hairy. I think Zach is has called it a day for today’s show in the chat, but we appreciate him. Just sit tight. I know he hates the uh the Marner conversation. We all do. And I don’t think there’s any correlation, but we hope this is a good therapy session for Leafs Nation. Again, I know it’s it’s difficult. You got to contextualize it. It’s two games. It’s dog [ __ ] I rather this happen November 10th and the 9th and 8th than in January or February or March for that matter. They they got to figure this out. I think as we’ve been mentioning all program long, like we we know what the issue is. They know what the issue is. I think bottom line this comes down to the personnel on the ice. It’s not a coaching situation. They they got to play like hockey. Like I don’t know what other way to phrase it. They’re playing like beer league hockey right now. Just string some passes, play direct off the glass and out and and just have that approach when you take on Boston tomorrow night, Rosie. Yeah. One thing I will say, I don’t know what’s going on in the chat, but the the issues that the team have had in their losses this year, Mitch Marner is not the answer to rectifying that problem. He’s we’ve seen it before with Mitch on the team and it’s he’s he’s not it’s it’s not the problem right now. Let’s just say that. I’m You can have your arguments about the team being better with him or without him. That’s fine. But what what we watched last night, that is not a lack of Mitch Marner problem. I can tell you that. It felt like every November in the Sheldon Kefra with Mitch Mner on the team and the nucleus in place, it was like, “Holy crap, this team is so bad defensively.” So, don’t lose sight of that as you go about your days here. So, we hope this is a good therapy session for you. I know Ros has been looking forward to the game in Boston Tuesday. Brandon Carlo, he’s going to make his return to Boston and it’s Remembrance Day tomorrow as well. And maybe Carlo can return serve after Fraser Minton. I I still can’t believe 700 was that goal. I knew I was playing it. I hit it. I even thought Alex Steves is going to score in that game. They called him up specifically for that game. Didn’t do much in that game. But Brandon Carlo, you you would hope you would hope he’s got a pulse for the game tomorrow, right? I would hope so. I’d like to see that big body banging and crashing, playing big, sturdy, rugged D and and banging pucks at the net and keeping it and just making the right decisions. that whole decor just needs to get, you know, a little bit tighter, you know, and um yeah, what we’ve talked about, it’s it’s on the table. It’s theirs for the taking and, you know, hopefully they can take a step towards the right type of stuff tomorrow. Um yeah, like you said with Carlo having a revenge game. No better time to do it than. At any rate, we’ll be back tomorrow on the Tuesday edition, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, same time, same place at the Leafs Nation 41. Hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. Thank you to producer Vic for Jay Rosel. I’m Nick Alberto. We’ll talk tomorrow. Take care, everybody. Make sure to check out more of our content right here on the Leafs Nation YouTube page. We got long form interviews, we got clips, you got epic rants by Jay Roso. We simply have it all. And don’t forget, you can find out much more at the leafnation.com. Thanks so much for watching.

Nick Alberga & Jay Rosehill recap a rough weekend for the Maple Leafs, who dropped back-to-back games on home ice — 5-3 to Boston & 5-4 to Carolina. The boys break down what went wrong, who needs to step up, & whether it’s time to start panicking over Toronto’s ugly defensive play.

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