Chapter 1: What happened in the Western Conference Final between the Golden Knights and Avalanche?
So what makes Mike Matheson mad?
I mean, I definitely do get mad. For sure. You know, I feel like guys always kind of get after me that every once in a while I'll snap. And so that happens a couple times a year. I don't know if it's one thing in particular. Sometimes it's a lack of sleep that doesn't help. But I feel like I'm pretty competitive. So sometimes it comes out.
Welcome to 32 Thoughts, the podcast presented by your Canadian Toyota dealers and the 2026 Tacoma. Get yours before red tag days are over. Happy Monday. Dom, Elliot and Kyle back with you. You're going to hear Elliot's conversation with Mike Matheson later on in this edition of the pod. The thought line is back in a bit as well, but we will start in the Western Conference Final.
Three games in, Elliot. And to borrow a line from John Cooper back in 2019, this is a five alarm fire.
Chapter 2: What updates are there on the Nashville Predators GM search?
Now for the Colorado Avalanche as another John Tortorella team is on the cusp of sweeping a president trophy winner. Kale McCarr was back in the lineup. So was Mark Stone. And for everything that seemed to be going right for the Avalanche, especially with the way they dispatched Minnesota in five games, all of it in a matter of just a few days is unraveling for the Avs.
Up three early, down three now in this conference final. Unbelievable.
Chapter 3: What is the latest on Auston Matthews' future with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
It's the only word I can think of. Unbelievable. Just in the sense that I don't think it's a surprise to anybody that Vegas would be leading the series after three games. But I think we all thought if Vegas was up after three games, it would be 2-1 as opposed to 3-0. And I thought...
Chapter 4: How is the Eastern Conference Final shaping up between the Canes and Habs?
they would make a fight of it, even though they were down three, nothing after one in the ice was tilted. But I don't know about you, Kyle, but when stone scored early in the, in the second period, like I'm sitting here in my hotel room and I was like, Holy smokes, they're going to win this game. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Maybe you felt the same way.
But when Stone scored, I just said, they're going to win. They're going to win tonight. I just thought, game on for sure, because it was almost a reflection, a near mirror image of what the Avalanche did to Minnesota the night that they eliminated them. They were down three, and it was McKinnon saying, we don't mind playing from behind as long as we get down early.
That was a lot of time to play with. And who said you can't score on a power play to start a period with fresh ice?
Chapter 5: What questions do listeners have for the hosts?
Vegas was able to do that. And then Jared Bednar in the postgame, I mean, he was at a loss to try to describe what those nine minutes or so were in the second. They completely unraveled and all the goodwill they had done in building a lead had very quickly evaporated. I think that was the most stunning thing to me. I'm not surprised that Vegas would feel confident.
We all have moments in our lives, and everybody who's listening to this podcast, you have moments in your life where you feel invincible, right? That no matter what, you're on such a roll and you're feeling so good about yourself that you feel that no matter what you do, it's going to work. And no matter what you attempt, it's going to be successful. And Vegas is in that mode right now.
Like they were going to come and they were going to come and they were going to come and they were going to sit there and they were going to say, we believe we can win this game because we're doing so many things so well overall. I think the thing that really shocked me was how panicked at times Colorado looked. And, you know, these are not excuses. Vegas earned this win.
Don't even think that I'm trying to use this as an excuse. Makar is clearly not 100%. McKinnon got hurt in the game and he was clearly not 100%. And it's almost like without Makar for the first two games and whatever situation those guys are both dealing with right now, it's that the other players haven't been able to find their way with them not at 100%.
With Vegas, they got Stone back, and he was excellent in this game. He scored the one goal, and he made the beautiful play that led to the hurdle goal that put them ahead, that brilliant little tip play. But with Stone out of the lineup, other people sort of – take his spot or find ways to do 5% better to make up for Stone not being there.
You know, I just think it's, it's really shocking to watch whatever obstacle Vegas gets thrown in front of them. They're like, we're going to jump over that. Like prime Edwin Moses, one of the greatest hurdlers of all time.
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Chapter 6: What insights does Mike Matheson share in his interview?
We are going to jump over that hurdle, and we are going to find our way. Colorado, with these hurdles this year, they're really struggling with them. They are really struggling with them. And I think that's the thing that shocked me the most. You know, McKinnon and Makar are all-world players, but Colorado has such great depth.
And maybe guys who aren't those guys, but they're still really good players. And they are struggling to make up for them while Vegas is finding ways to win despite losing whoever they're losing or wherever they're falling behind. To me, that's the difference between those two teams right now. One is grasping and one is grinding. Yeah, good way of putting it.
And I will say, too, you know, it got to 3-3 and then, you know, Colorado did get playing again in a lot of ways and were generating chances.
Chapter 7: How does Mike Matheson balance hockey and family life?
But you've talked about it. I mean, what's been one of the big differentiators from what we've seen from much of Vegas this season to now? They're getting more saves. They're getting saves. Carter Hart did that. did that again here on Sunday night.
And whether it was his aggressiveness that was leading to guys trying to perfectly pick corners and they're missing the net, or maybe just the execution wasn't there for Colorado, that combined with also
how well Vegas is able to kind of pack the house, like how often in that third period as they were pushing, whether it was McCarr from up near the point or if it was Taves that had the puck on his stick or, you know, insert Colorado player here and trying to get pucks through. It just wasn't happening.
It's really impressive from not just the goaltender, but how they're defending as a group right now when it comes to getting in shooting lanes. It's been really, really hard when they decide to get into that mode when they've now got a lead like they did in the latter stages of this game.
Colorado, for all the talent, they really struggled to just get the puck to the net in the most dangerous of circumstances. I mean, look, you go back in the regular season, Vegas save percentage, 884. That was 28th overall. Now, all of a sudden, look at the playoffs. What's Hart's save percentage? 923. That's the best in the playoffs. Nothing else you need to tell the story. No question.
And now, I mean, you're listening to whether it was Gary Galley on our show or Colby Armstrong, like two ex-players looking at what McKinnon was dealing with and him trying to gut it out at the end of the game. Like both of them had their concerns about his availability for a game number four. And also quietly through all that, Val Nachushkin did not play in the third period for Colorado also.
So there's another guy. Right.
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Chapter 8: What are the implications of shorthanded goals in playoff history?
that you're concerned about. And the situation is dire as is for the Avalanche. It's just, again, amazing how quickly it's all unraveling here for the best team in hockey through 82 games and what we felt through two rounds of the playoffs. They looked every bit like the team that had captured the President's Trophy. And now it's just, it is the utmost honor
trouble here elliot like i i suppose you you can only have be of the mind that you just have to win one game that's all you can worry about now but it's uh it's incredible where things stand already in this conference final what did you think of my car i thought i mean and he he said it after the game like he could tell just the touches weren't quite there
You know, like it was certainly not for lack of trying. No, no. He's putting in effort. And I will say this, Kyle. I think he's got a pretty significant injury. I totally believe that. But, you know, like just when he's on. The passes that come off his stick, perfectly placed. Just little things that are so precise with him. And it just was a little bit off.
But you understand with everything that's going on why it might be the case. That's what I saw. I saw a guy that gave everything he could. I'm with you. You know, on the first face-off, he kind of fumbled the puck a bit, and he got hit, and he kind of had a look on his face, like, already. Like, he was annoyed. Yeah, he was annoyed. Like, on the first play that...
he kind of got hit because he mishandled the puck a bit, but I agree with you. He got it out. The place where I really saw it was on that power play where McKinnon played in the third period. Like if a car wasn't a hundred percent, McKinnon wasn't a hundred percent. And it just, that power play was not the scene without those two guys. And, you know, Vegas was out for blood.
You know, it's amazing how many of those guys feel good. Marner, you can tell, he feels great. Hurdle scored another big goal after a year where he's really struggled. He feels great. Kolasar, who finally broke through. Like, you could see, like, Kolasar at his best, and I love his game, but when he's at his best, he makes you just hate him.
And he was that guy in this particular game after the goal that Manson wanted to get him. Yeah, well, he also wanted a penalty. Well, you know why? I understand why, because Nelson got called for that one early in the game, right? Yeah. So you're thinking if we get called for one, they get called for one. So I understand the frustration. But again, that's not the reason that Vegas won this game.
Like, just... They surged and the Avalanche didn't. And, you know, I mean, I got to think Blackwood shows up in game number four. And I don't think you can pin this all on Wedgwood, but maybe you just try something different. I mean, I don't know, Kyle, do you think you go with Wedgwood because he's been your guy or do you just try something new?
Well, he's made the switch when he notices a bit of a crack in the armor of whoever he's got in there. He's swapped already in these playoffs, and that second goal just looked a little bit... little bit off to me and kind of where he was trying to play the rebound. But I mean, geez, I'm no goalie expert.
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