The big day is finally here.
Indisputably, this is one of the biggest international hockey games in quite some time.
Tonight, at TD Garden in Boston, Canada and the United States will tangle for the 4 Nations Face-Off champions.
Carter Hutton filled in for Jay Rosehill on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Obviously, we kicked off the show by giving our initial thoughts on this massive game. After that, we touched on a little news from Leafs practice as Max Pacioretty suffered a minor injury. On top of that, judging by what Craig Berube had to say today, it’s unlikely we see the veteran winger in the back-to-back this weekend.
Brought to you by Sobeys, a good portion of this podcast episode was dedicated to offering up an extension game preview. Firstly, we discussed the Auston Matthews injury. Should he play? Should Leafs Nation be concerned? In addition to that, is this a sneaky big game for Matthews and Mitch Marner? Look at where the game’s being played, too. Speaking of which, Brad Marchand was showering TEAM USA with compliments yesterday. As the years go by, he’s becoming more and more likeable. Chef’s kiss! Any way you slice it, this should be a tightly contested hockey game. Overtime would be phenomenal.
Thanks to Charm Diamond Centres, TSN’s James Duthie then dropped by the show. We talked about some keys to victory, the environment, and the magnitude of this game —in general. Over and above that, we spent considerable time dissecting Matthews and Marner and their importance to their respective squads. In a perfect world, both play super well, find a way to contribute, and Canada wins.
Meantime, after that, powered by Greta Bar, former Leafs Assistant and current Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery dropped by the show. He was awesome. We got his thoughts on the 4 Nations, Logan Thompson being left off Canada’s roster, and what he thought of the first Canada/USA game. Also, we dove into his time in Toronto. For what it’s worth, he gave a lot of thanks and praise to both Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas for giving him an opportunity, which ultimately, led to his hiring in Washington.
Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix on Friday (11 AM ET). Join us for a full recap of the big game. Also, we’ll look ahead to Toronto’s return this weekend as they host Carolina on Saturday night and visit Chicago on Sunday night. Additionally, Maple Leafs LEGEND Darryl Sittler will make his ever appearance on the podcast.
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