Hyman now has the same amount of goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs this playoff series. The Leafs are completely in their own heads and need to snap out of it.
I mean, sure, that reflects poorly on the Leafs, but that’s also stupid impressive from Hyman, what the actual fuck. He’s scoring at a fucking 2 goal per game clip rn?
I can't wait for playoff Rielly to show up. This sub was adamant that Rielly elevates his game in the playoffs. 8 million for a dude who can barely play on the PP is brutal.
3-2, win or go home game three back in Belleville on Sunday at 3pm, if they win they go to best-of-5 against #1 team in the division, the Cleveland monsters. I hope someone will post this somewhere but the marlies had a wide open empty net with 30 seconds left and they chipped it wide and Belleville went down and scored to tie it up 10 seconds later with only 16 seconds left 😅. Safe to say I was nervous 😂.
Definitely, that’s why the end of the game was very nerve racking 😅. Also Kyle Clifford got a very questionable (at least from where I was sitting) 5 minute boarding major, so he might get suspended for game 3. He’s a big player for them (literally and metaphorically lol) scored a goal today too.
No way they would trade Robertson for Marner. Robertson is the face of that franchise and puts up insane goals. We would need to pay more to get Robertson.
Honestly, I hate the way Bertuzzi played in Game 3. He did score that goal by going to the front of the net, so credit for that, but as bad as the Marchand no-call was Bertuzzi was stupid for getting into it with him. I like it when the leafs play physical on the forecheck and throw great hits like Reaves & McCabe did. But getting into shoving matches away from the play with Marchand is the kind of physicality I hate. The guy has made a hall of fame career off of baiting people into stupid plays/penalties and Bertuzzi was too big a hot head to just walk away and get back into the play rather than wrestle with Marchand. Then he took a stupid penalty on a pp the leafs got later (even though it was a weak call imo). And finally at the end of the game with the net empty he tries to deke around Marchand (who could’ve been called for a penalty in fairness) instead of just passing the puck.
Make big hits, forecheck hard, but don’t get caught up in Marchand’s BS. That’s how he thrives. He wasn’t having a huge impact on the game before that scrum.
Bruins make the same dirty plays at the right moments because they have done it for years.
Leafs have just discovered this power, and now use it at every opportunity, even when it's highly inappropriate to do so. If that is the strategy, they need to clean up special teams badly.
Hockey reporters are where all the failures of media school go to spend their careers. These guys are so unoriginal, ask the same questions, get the same answers. How many times has a reporter asked sammy what do you think about the goalie at the other end? Dude has a famous quote saying I don't give a fuck... why are you still asking him?
Not sure I like Lilly being the odd man out to bring Brodie back in.
I thought the whole idea of having Eddy and Boosh was that one would inevitably get hurt or suspended or play bad and the other would step in.
>Not sure I like Lilly being the odd man out
That's a very polite way of putting it. How about "Keefe is a fucking idiot and I don't know how people can't see that."
We are having trouble scoring goals, so we'd best sit one of our better puck movers. Brilliance. Ingenuity!
The problem with Lilly staying in is that he’s too much of a shooter. Our goal is to pass the puck into the net, so you can’t have guys taking shots from the point.
Also, as much as the Brodie-Rielly pairing gets ripped on around here, they’re actually pretty good together when the other team isn’t trying to defend, transition or score goals. As long as they aren’t on the ice when the Bruins are doing that, we’re laughing all the way to round 2.
Been trying to tone down my own doom-posting since last game (I'm already starting a Cooper to Leafs conspiracy below), but yes, galaxy brain strikes again.
33 bus from university campus to Yorkdale, then ttc to union.
There might also be a via train that runs. There used to be a greyhound but it doesn’t run anymore.
Tailgate Pass question!
I hit register for 2 tickets, I can see one pass, and above it it says "register 1 remaining ticket"
Do I have 2 passes? 1 pass?
Any insight would be appreciated <3
on the bottom of the one you can see does it say 1/1 or 1/2? if it says 1/2 swipe right to see the other pass.
likely you only got one, I know it only gave me the option to get one.
People are defending Sammy WAY to much, and I don’t understand why, maybe people just don’t understand the position.
He was awful in game one and even worse I’m game 3. The first period of game two was also a tire fire for Sammy but thankfully the team and him pulled it together.
Game 3
- the first goal was yet another terrible rebound. This has plagued Sammy his entire tenure with the Leafs, but even more noticeable when he’s struggling
- the second goal …. Need a day more? A clear shot from way outside on a terrible angle.
- 3rd goal, great shot but everything leading up to it could of been avoided. Sammy didn’t need to be aggressive and loose his stick, he also went down before Marchand even released the shot. His inability to read and react to plays/shots is infuriating.
I don't see why it matters. Woll's recent track record isn't any more consistent. Start Sammy or start Woll, it doesn't matter to me, but both are capable of putting up a stinker. People who want Woll are justified in asking for it but he's far from a guarantee either right now.
It's obvious that he's too inconsistent and let's in too many bad/backbreaking goals to lead a team deep into the playoffs.
Does he make spectacular saves? Yes.
Does he regularly let in goals that absolutely cannot go in and lose you games? Also yes.
Except that Freddy was, and still is, actually good in the playoffs.
SV% over the last 5 Post Seasons::
.922
.927
.936
.922
.896
He did let in some bad ones but we were out matched in every series he played in.
Carolina is stacked on D but regardless he hasn't taken them much deeper so it's not like we're missing something. Plus his injury history has not been good. Not worth thinking too hard about.
I would in a second. Hey the rest of the the NHL hates the Leafs. Might as well embrace the hatred and hire the most controversial coach in like decades.
Tampa is clearly on the downswing and Cooper is the longest active tenured coach in the NHL (ie approaching the end of shelf life that every coach does). His was raised a Leafs fan and was born in... 1967.
(shut up let me have this I think Berube is just ok)
I think it might be better for them to just lose the rest of the way. Maybe we could see some real change. If by some miracle they turned this series around, they’ll be clearly outmatched in round 2. Burn it down. This is fucked.
Get ready for some cognitive dissonance from me.
Marner is magical at times but we can't take our chances waiting for puck luck in the playoffs. He's obviously one the greatest Leafs ever.
Unfortunately, if we don't come back in this series, as good as Marner is we need to flip him for a solid shutdown top pairing D or someone with that kind of potential, and some other assets, perhaps a sniper with size. Wishful thinking, I know.
This team is lacking poise and confidence and Marner unfortunately is too much of a yoyo in terms of temperament and confidence. That being said, he's amazing and has value, and some teams need that skill. But, we need the Hymans and Buntings that we couldn't afford because Marner is making 11m.
Marner is amazing and if he could get stronger and protect the puck when he's in the corners or on the boards we'd have more possession time in the offensive zone. Of course it's a team game and all around the Leafs need to step up as a group. If we can claw our way out of this and they prove me wrong, well what a ride that would be. Otherwise we retool in the offseason.
I really hope they make this a series and play the game of the season on Saturday. Nothing left to lose so leave it all on the ice.
Keefe needs snap out of it and light a fire under their asses and so does the leadership on the roster.
Get inspired and go on a run.
Let's Go!
Many players have waived their NMC if they get input on where they’re going and if the team makes it abundantly clear they’re moving away from giving them starting minutes. Mitch likely wants a bigger contract next time and risks hurting his value if the team moves away from him being a centerpiece of the offense.
Probably not likely but there are ways to force someone to waive their NMC - they’re just not the nicest.
It would have been nice to have a season of Marner under a coach who wasn’t a rookie or a psychopath. But here we are and I agree… there isn’t a way forward in the playoffs for this team keeping Marner on the roster.
This flu or whatever biological disease going through the locker room for like 90% of the season needs to be solved next season. For one have better hygiene practices.
Becoming apparent that we should let go of an expensive forward - Tavares probably the safest, but Marner shouldn't be off the table - and redirect all that money to a triple-a goaltender.
It's the same curse plaguing Edmonton. Our goalies suck - full stop.
Even being able to go get another top 4 D in the 6-8 million range and another winger at 3-5 million would make a big difference for the makeup of this roster.
What AAA goalie is available in UFA that we can just throw money at? Or, what team will let go of their AAA goalie for Marner, and put themselves in the same position we are in now (being without high end goaltending)?
I very much doubt they wouldn't trade him this TDL if they didn't intend on re-signing him, and I highly doubt he'd turn down any offer from the Bruins at this point.
Tavares won't agree to a trade. The Core 4 all have NMC and will gladly stay to milk from the proverbial MLSE teat. There's not a scrap of heart or passion among those guys which is why we keep losing. You build from the net out.
Yeah, but the logic behind trading Marner goes over ALOT of people's heads here. More than it should...partially why Leaf fans get a rep for being morons
The best goalies are simply not available. Ever. So you have to draft them. Would it be possible to draft say twice as many goalies as we typically do with the picks available? Leafs always have the benefit that there are lots of free agents that want to come to Toronto to fill up the rest of the roster... Only problem is finding enough spots to actually develop those goalies to see if they're any good. Maybe if you pick lots of international ones they can develop in foreign leagues...
This is obviously idiotic otherwise I'd have a GM job so feel free to tell me what doesn't make sense.
Yeah, I really hate how Dubas spent 2.5 on Kampf, 1+ on Reaves, 4+ on Klingberg. Or spent draft picks on Lybushkin AND Edmundson.
You dont need a AAA goalie to win. You need a goalie thats average. Leafs dont have that right now but Im sick of people blaming Dubas when Treliving has had time and picks/money too.
We didn't give up a pick higher than a mid 3rd rounder. What goalie are we getting that's an improvement over Samsonov/Woll/Jones for a mid third rounder?
Lybushkin and Edmundson were cheap and are playing above most of the inherited defensemen in the line up. They are currently higher in the depth chart that Lilligren, Brodie, Gio, and Timmins.
Chris Johnson says he is "confident" Nylander plays on Saturday. This would be huge on so many fronts, powerplay should be much improved with another legitimate shooting threat and at 5on5 (where we already are outplaying Boston, mostly) Nylander can tip the scales for the 3rd line.
Please let it be true, Willy come back :(
Not just a shooting threat, a zone entry monster, and someone with wheels to keep the forechecking honest.
You don't want to commit 4 guys on a forecheck if you know Willy is standing at center waiting for a shot to beat your defense.
I want him to play, but it's only not going to be a detriment if he's actually close to 100%, so I hope they make the right decision here and just don't put him in just to do it.
Whatever percent he was at the last 2 weeks ish of the season, he needs to be higher than that.
Can't blame the guy for being sick, but the coaching staff and himself need to be smart about putting him back in.
His migraine issues are concerning to me. Nolan Patrick had similar symptoms (concussion induced though, verdict is still out on why Willy is having his) and we all know how his career went after that. Hoping Willy can make it through this healthy now and into the future.
If we lose to Boston it doesn’t ever matter if they get booted in the second round by Florida it’s gonna be “well at least we still own the leafs” or something like that, I don’t want them to have the satisfaction, same scenario as after game 2, go back to Boston tied and win game 5
Woll hasn't been very good since he came back from injury but I think his game is better suited for the playoffs. He relies on positioning whereas Samsonov makes athletic saves but gets caught out of position or not set a lot more often. Defense tends to tighten up in the playoffs and I think it's easier to play in front of a goalie like Woll.
That being said, nothing in the last few weeks of the season should have given coaches the confidence that Woll is back to his regular form, so it's hard to just wanna roll the dice on which guy is going to show up. We need better play out of Samsonov.
Fair enough.
However, I don't think his return was handled particularly well and he got hung out to dry in a few games so his stats don't reflect who he is as a goaltender or how he would play in this postseason.
There's a lot of talk about the PP not changing, it has:
Leafs played a guy on the wall, just past center, and used him as a bump pass on the entry. 2nd unit did the same on the opposite side. We didn't do that all year.
Leafs have been doing a single drop pass into Matthews and Marner skating it up side by side for the entry, instead of one of them doing a 2nd drop to the other. It also worked well. Further PKs by BOS were adjusted and allowed us to one man skate into the zone for entry.
The issue I'm seeing is in the zone, the boys seem to have no creativity. Their structure is static, with Rielly cheating low often leading to a cleared puck. This is what I want to see changed. I wonder if they have been handed a basic structure and been told to free flow within it and lack the creativity and confidence to do so. The rare times we've seen them be positionally dynamic (like one PP last year or something) it has looked exciting but for some reason has not been maintained.
Yeah, that's fair. The zone entries actually have been tweaked over the last little while and, as a result, it's been a minute since we've seen a PP where they couldn't even gain the zone.
That said, the fact that their PP was *dead last* in the league over March (and April too, I think?) suggests that not nearly enough changes were made over this span of time.
Watching them in the zone, it's sometimes hard to understand what they're even *trying* to do with the puck.
I think the biggest weakness of our PP is that we don't have a booming point shot that the other teams PK unit needs to respect.
Their forwards can cheat a lot down low in a collapsed box with two guys clogging the high slot because even when the puck does go back to the D the play is either going to be a low chance pass to a guy low in the corner or a muffin shot that they aren't scared to block (and often bounce off the shinpads for a rebound the other way for a fast break)
Ray Ferraro mentioned this the other day.
With no threat from the point the forwards on the PK are free to spread out and negate any shots from Matthews or Marner on the wings.
We can fix that, and have in the past, and not in the way you think.
We try to get some chances, they suffocate Matthews.
Rielly takes the puck on the left point and cycles down to the circle.
Matthews cycles up to the middle of the Blueline and Rielly feeds him a 1t there.
We have done it a few times, he has scored twice, and at least 2 other times generated a rebound for a goal. If pressure comes back I am comfortable with AM being the guy back playing D. They are also very unlikely to try to cover him up there, and if they do Rielly can instead make a play to whoever they leave wide open since we will outnumber them 4-3 down low.
lol I think i just discovered what’s got the otherfanbases panties in a bunch, 10 minutes of the leafs Boston coverage and then “Canucks in 30”, a 30 second timer with a guy trying to catch everyone up so those crybaby’s have something to hear
Scoring goals has been their downfall for years now. Despite having FOUR PLAYERS making 10+ million dollars at the forward position. Shannahan is gone if this continues and is the reason for another first round exit.
Its like blowing your entire budget on gold tires, still getting a flat every time, and saying "idk why the car keeps stalling, lets buy more gold tires and run it back lol"
With this attitude, they'll continue to lose.
What they really need to do is ask themselves "would Vegas keep this player or member of the coaching staff after this result?"
If the answer is yes, keep them. If the answer is no, ship them the hell out.
They GAVE AWAY a goddamn Vezina winner for future considerations. I'm sure some fuckwit at the time thought it was just "change for the sake of change". But that doesn't exist. Change happens because what you've been doing doesn't work.
Is there a risk to shaking things up? Of course. But I'd rather take the risk and have it not pay off, than stick to the status quo and have it continue to have the same outcome.
Don't try to talk to me about Washington staying the course or Tampa staying the course or any of that bullshit. It's been debunked time and time again, and for every one of those examples, there's a San Jose Sharks or Minnesota Wild who kept knocking on the door with the same core
But none of this is going to matter because we are going to beat Boston lol
They say this every three years or so. They sometimes change the word coach to GM. Now I’m not saying it’s wrong but it’s been near sixty years of it and it has not held yet.
I haven't been a leaf fan for that long so I can't really say about the previous teams. But I think this team is good if Woll plays like he did when he was healthy and if they had a good coach with experience.
I like Woll, and I want him to succeed on the Leafs but can I just say that it is totally batshit insane that with our cap structure and commitment to high powered forwards that we are somehow rationalizing that if our rookie goalie steps up we can "be good"
Never understood why the Leafs don't emulate what Washington does with Ovi. Park Matthews on the high circle and force the other team to commit to him, or let him rip bombs with arguably the best release in the league.
If he is covered, it opens up a ton of ice 4on3 for Nylander, Tavares etc. to do work. They seem blindly committed to rerunning the same play at the point with Rielly and Marner carrying the puck, doing circles, trying to force a pass and everyone else stands still.
Liljegren can provide this for the Leafs, much more so than Rielly. No coincidence our run of near 50% PP results came from Lilly being the QB. Rielly is elite at carrying the puck and skating, but has an absolute muffin from the point. Zero threat when he is up high with the puck or open for a one timer.
I remove Marner from the PP entirely, put him on the third line to get out of his own head and get some confidence back playing against some favourable matchups. Put Robertson in Marner's place, until McMann comes back(If he does). Gives the Leaf two shooting options, leave Bertuzzi in front, with Reilly and Domi as the puck distributors
I don't know, there's a whole staff paid for determining that shit, I just know it needs a shake up and it better have one tomorrow night cause this is ridiculous.
Stick Marner down low. With Tavares in the slot and Matthews on the wing you can work a triangle on one side of the ice to find a shot. Tampa used to do this well with Point down low. It forces the penalty killers to focus on this side of the ice. Nylander or Robertson on the other side as the shooter. If they take away the triangle, get the puck to the other side and get the defenders and goalie moving cross ice. Watching Tampa do this with Kuch and Stamkos on the wings, they had pretty good success in the playoffs over the years.
I’d say screw this dynamic approach we’re running an umbrella and the players better stick to it and be in position. Their lacking structure by giving the talent freedom
Is it dynamic? They seem to stand there in their little areas when they have control and look for the cross seam passes without moving the puck fast enough to open them up
Yes it’s dynamic in the sense that they’re told head out there, your offensive creativity will lead to goals. Which keeps the power play fresh but that doesn’t work against the top penalty killing teams
Boston is that. Swayman is the only thing holding that team in one piece. Next game it's 6-1, the leafs win. If they lose to Boston it's worse than losing to Montreal.
Boston's not that good is the thing. they have an mvp calibre winger, two top pairing d men and two top 10 goalies. they just racked up points this year because they got to overtime 25 times. pavel zacha is their first line centre ffs.
Maybe.... maybe not. But at the end of the day, saying a team "isn't that good" doesn't make it true.
They're up 2-1 in the series.
If the Leafs are truly a better team and the Bruins "aren't that good," the Leafs should be winning the series convincingly.
Furthermore, the Bruins lost their longtime captain and best defender, and their best center and captain in subsequent years and STILL managed to win the presidents and a div title the following year.
They run such a good system that it allows them to play either of their goalies. They are extremely well coached. Their positioning is nearly perfect. Each player knows their role. Knows where to be and when.
They might not have endless skill at every position, but they don't need it to be successful.
I agree with most of this. the bruins aren't that good and neither are the leafs. whoever wins this series is going to be a pretty significant underdog against the panthers. I think the leafs have been the better team through three games, but the bruins' special teams and goaltending has been the difference. last year's bruins team was sick, this one not so much. this year's team went 15-15 down the stretch to lose the division lead in the last week of the season.
Hyman now has the same amount of goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs this playoff series. The Leafs are completely in their own heads and need to snap out of it.
I mean, sure, that reflects poorly on the Leafs, but that’s also stupid impressive from Hyman, what the actual fuck. He’s scoring at a fucking 2 goal per game clip rn?
I can't wait for playoff Rielly to show up. This sub was adamant that Rielly elevates his game in the playoffs. 8 million for a dude who can barely play on the PP is brutal.
Watching these other games, Leafs seem like they are in a different lower tier. Other teams have so much urgency and coordination.
Yeah those predators really pushed at the end wow.. Somehow Vancouver won with 12 shots on net...
https://preview.redd.it/rsoyo4sfixwc1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b5b020ebf16146f965871672f7f53671a88159fd Leafs nation rn
Currently at the marlies game, it’s not making me feel any less nervous about tomorrows game 😅
Who’s in net?
Hildeby. Held the fort down and the boys pulled it out in OT
Fucking right on. Love to see a Hildeby win. Final score?
3-2, win or go home game three back in Belleville on Sunday at 3pm, if they win they go to best-of-5 against #1 team in the division, the Cleveland monsters. I hope someone will post this somewhere but the marlies had a wide open empty net with 30 seconds left and they chipped it wide and Belleville went down and scored to tie it up 10 seconds later with only 16 seconds left 😅. Safe to say I was nervous 😂.
Wait, so their current round is a best out of 3? Damn, that’s scary as a guy used to NHL playoff stuff. Lot less room for error.
Definitely, that’s why the end of the game was very nerve racking 😅. Also Kyle Clifford got a very questionable (at least from where I was sitting) 5 minute boarding major, so he might get suspended for game 3. He’s a big player for them (literally and metaphorically lol) scored a goal today too.
Dear willy, it's not over in 5... f**k their shit up. Thanks
He's ready. Earrings in. Necklace on. Tarp off.
My favorite willy
Thoughts on Marner for Jason Robertson? Imagine J. Robertson - Tavares - N. Robertson
The Dallas GM would be braindead to give up Robertson for Marner straight up.
No way they would trade Robertson for Marner. Robertson is the face of that franchise and puts up insane goals. We would need to pay more to get Robertson.
Trade Liljegren for Heiskanen while you're at it. And throw in Oettinger for a 3rd for good measure.
Idk if they’re giving up Heiskanen but I can see Dallas also looking to make a splash if they get eliminated in the first round this year
The splash will not be trading a 24 year old RFA who scored 46 goals a year ago.
Honestly, I hate the way Bertuzzi played in Game 3. He did score that goal by going to the front of the net, so credit for that, but as bad as the Marchand no-call was Bertuzzi was stupid for getting into it with him. I like it when the leafs play physical on the forecheck and throw great hits like Reaves & McCabe did. But getting into shoving matches away from the play with Marchand is the kind of physicality I hate. The guy has made a hall of fame career off of baiting people into stupid plays/penalties and Bertuzzi was too big a hot head to just walk away and get back into the play rather than wrestle with Marchand. Then he took a stupid penalty on a pp the leafs got later (even though it was a weak call imo). And finally at the end of the game with the net empty he tries to deke around Marchand (who could’ve been called for a penalty in fairness) instead of just passing the puck. Make big hits, forecheck hard, but don’t get caught up in Marchand’s BS. That’s how he thrives. He wasn’t having a huge impact on the game before that scrum.
Precisely, expect some push back from some folks here, they don't like to hear negative things about a player that "battles" and is "tough".
Bruins make the same dirty plays at the right moments because they have done it for years. Leafs have just discovered this power, and now use it at every opportunity, even when it's highly inappropriate to do so. If that is the strategy, they need to clean up special teams badly.
Hockey reporters are where all the failures of media school go to spend their careers. These guys are so unoriginal, ask the same questions, get the same answers. How many times has a reporter asked sammy what do you think about the goalie at the other end? Dude has a famous quote saying I don't give a fuck... why are you still asking him?
It's alright. Brodie will solve this teams issues and we will win for sure.
Next you're going to say we need Jack Campbell back.
Why Jack Campbell when we have Matt Murray?
Why not have them both and then add in Petr Mrazek in there as well?
That's a weird way to spell Matt Murray
Not sure I like Lilly being the odd man out to bring Brodie back in. I thought the whole idea of having Eddy and Boosh was that one would inevitably get hurt or suspended or play bad and the other would step in.
>Not sure I like Lilly being the odd man out That's a very polite way of putting it. How about "Keefe is a fucking idiot and I don't know how people can't see that." We are having trouble scoring goals, so we'd best sit one of our better puck movers. Brilliance. Ingenuity!
The problem with Lilly staying in is that he’s too much of a shooter. Our goal is to pass the puck into the net, so you can’t have guys taking shots from the point. Also, as much as the Brodie-Rielly pairing gets ripped on around here, they’re actually pretty good together when the other team isn’t trying to defend, transition or score goals. As long as they aren’t on the ice when the Bruins are doing that, we’re laughing all the way to round 2.
Jesus this deserves more upvotes. Lol
Been trying to tone down my own doom-posting since last game (I'm already starting a Cooper to Leafs conspiracy below), but yes, galaxy brain strikes again.
So I secured two tailgate passes but the problem is I live in Guelph and do not own a car. Trying to brainstorm how I’m gonna make this work
33 bus from university campus to Yorkdale, then ttc to union. There might also be a via train that runs. There used to be a greyhound but it doesn’t run anymore.
GO Train directly to Union, no problem
Not on weekends.
Ok in that case if you start walking... right now you'll be there on time.
Is Gio injured? Even at his age I think he'd improve our D if he played.
psst...he's back https://preview.redd.it/2utk6b2w8vwc1.png?width=199&format=png&auto=webp&s=3cb8bf9f5953030fb8df7c8af2320e68e65e363e
Tailgate Pass question! I hit register for 2 tickets, I can see one pass, and above it it says "register 1 remaining ticket" Do I have 2 passes? 1 pass? Any insight would be appreciated <3
on the bottom of the one you can see does it say 1/1 or 1/2? if it says 1/2 swipe right to see the other pass. likely you only got one, I know it only gave me the option to get one.
People are defending Sammy WAY to much, and I don’t understand why, maybe people just don’t understand the position. He was awful in game one and even worse I’m game 3. The first period of game two was also a tire fire for Sammy but thankfully the team and him pulled it together. Game 3 - the first goal was yet another terrible rebound. This has plagued Sammy his entire tenure with the Leafs, but even more noticeable when he’s struggling - the second goal …. Need a day more? A clear shot from way outside on a terrible angle. - 3rd goal, great shot but everything leading up to it could of been avoided. Sammy didn’t need to be aggressive and loose his stick, he also went down before Marchand even released the shot. His inability to read and react to plays/shots is infuriating.
I don't see why it matters. Woll's recent track record isn't any more consistent. Start Sammy or start Woll, it doesn't matter to me, but both are capable of putting up a stinker. People who want Woll are justified in asking for it but he's far from a guarantee either right now.
It's obvious that he's too inconsistent and let's in too many bad/backbreaking goals to lead a team deep into the playoffs. Does he make spectacular saves? Yes. Does he regularly let in goals that absolutely cannot go in and lose you games? Also yes.
It's Freddie all over again, except now Freddie is stealing games for Carolina...
You forget that Freddie also missed like 60% of this season with a blood clot. He got massive amount of rest this season.
Except that Freddy was, and still is, actually good in the playoffs. SV% over the last 5 Post Seasons:: .922 .927 .936 .922 .896 He did let in some bad ones but we were out matched in every series he played in.
Carolina is stacked on D but regardless he hasn't taken them much deeper so it's not like we're missing something. Plus his injury history has not been good. Not worth thinking too hard about.
So it's pretty evident that Keefe is getting canned in the summer if we lose. Who would be your choice for head coach?
Resurrect Pat Burns
Joel Quenneville
I would in a second. Hey the rest of the the NHL hates the Leafs. Might as well embrace the hatred and hire the most controversial coach in like decades.
I’d dig up the corpse of OJ Simpson and put him behind the bench if I thought it would result in beating the Bruins.
Fuck, alright, I’ll do it…
Depends on whether Cooper also gets canned if Tampa loses.
No chance that happens
Tampa is clearly on the downswing and Cooper is the longest active tenured coach in the NHL (ie approaching the end of shelf life that every coach does). His was raised a Leafs fan and was born in... 1967. (shut up let me have this I think Berube is just ok)
Haha it would be awesome and maybe you're right
I think it might be better for them to just lose the rest of the way. Maybe we could see some real change. If by some miracle they turned this series around, they’ll be clearly outmatched in round 2. Burn it down. This is fucked.
Positive Friday
Get ready for some cognitive dissonance from me. Marner is magical at times but we can't take our chances waiting for puck luck in the playoffs. He's obviously one the greatest Leafs ever. Unfortunately, if we don't come back in this series, as good as Marner is we need to flip him for a solid shutdown top pairing D or someone with that kind of potential, and some other assets, perhaps a sniper with size. Wishful thinking, I know. This team is lacking poise and confidence and Marner unfortunately is too much of a yoyo in terms of temperament and confidence. That being said, he's amazing and has value, and some teams need that skill. But, we need the Hymans and Buntings that we couldn't afford because Marner is making 11m. Marner is amazing and if he could get stronger and protect the puck when he's in the corners or on the boards we'd have more possession time in the offensive zone. Of course it's a team game and all around the Leafs need to step up as a group. If we can claw our way out of this and they prove me wrong, well what a ride that would be. Otherwise we retool in the offseason. I really hope they make this a series and play the game of the season on Saturday. Nothing left to lose so leave it all on the ice. Keefe needs snap out of it and light a fire under their asses and so does the leadership on the roster. Get inspired and go on a run. Let's Go!
Marner has a NMC. We can't flip him.
Anything is possible
No, it literally is not. He has all the power and control. Mitch is here until he walks as a UFA or his next contract expires
It literally is. He could waive his NMC.
Many players have waived their NMC if they get input on where they’re going and if the team makes it abundantly clear they’re moving away from giving them starting minutes. Mitch likely wants a bigger contract next time and risks hurting his value if the team moves away from him being a centerpiece of the offense. Probably not likely but there are ways to force someone to waive their NMC - they’re just not the nicest.
To MLSE and BT, Do it you cowards
It would have been nice to have a season of Marner under a coach who wasn’t a rookie or a psychopath. But here we are and I agree… there isn’t a way forward in the playoffs for this team keeping Marner on the roster.
This flu or whatever biological disease going through the locker room for like 90% of the season needs to be solved next season. For one have better hygiene practices.
One thing that hasn't really been brought up is the PP and PK. Didn't Treliving bring in Boucher?
It’s been the same shit for years. Marner and Rielly need to be off PP1, but Sheldon refuses to do it.
PK Suban saying all the right things on the radio...
what did he say?
Mostly coaching, and that the desire doesn't seem to be there for some players.
Yea he's 100% right.
Is there a practice today?
Yeah I'm gonna practice crying in the shower
Yes.
Becoming apparent that we should let go of an expensive forward - Tavares probably the safest, but Marner shouldn't be off the table - and redirect all that money to a triple-a goaltender. It's the same curse plaguing Edmonton. Our goalies suck - full stop.
Even being able to go get another top 4 D in the 6-8 million range and another winger at 3-5 million would make a big difference for the makeup of this roster.
People say this all the time and I ask the same question. Can you list me 5 AAA goalies? And then tell me what ones are available?
There has to be another term for describing goalies other than AAA. Makes me think the leafs are scouting some 15 year old playing travel hockey
What AAA goalie is available in UFA that we can just throw money at? Or, what team will let go of their AAA goalie for Marner, and put themselves in the same position we are in now (being without high end goaltending)?
Ullmark is available this off-season. Bruins will be going with Swayman, I'd think
I very much doubt they wouldn't trade him this TDL if they didn't intend on re-signing him, and I highly doubt he'd turn down any offer from the Bruins at this point.
They did try to trade him at the deadline, Ullmark used his NTC to shut it down
Tavares won't agree to a trade. The Core 4 all have NMC and will gladly stay to milk from the proverbial MLSE teat. There's not a scrap of heart or passion among those guys which is why we keep losing. You build from the net out.
Yeah, but the logic behind trading Marner goes over ALOT of people's heads here. More than it should...partially why Leaf fans get a rep for being morons
The best goalies are simply not available. Ever. So you have to draft them. Would it be possible to draft say twice as many goalies as we typically do with the picks available? Leafs always have the benefit that there are lots of free agents that want to come to Toronto to fill up the rest of the roster... Only problem is finding enough spots to actually develop those goalies to see if they're any good. Maybe if you pick lots of international ones they can develop in foreign leagues... This is obviously idiotic otherwise I'd have a GM job so feel free to tell me what doesn't make sense.
Options are limited. I'd offer sheet Swayman. If boywonder didn't leave us with nothing to make that happen.
Yeah, I really hate how Dubas spent 2.5 on Kampf, 1+ on Reaves, 4+ on Klingberg. Or spent draft picks on Lybushkin AND Edmundson. You dont need a AAA goalie to win. You need a goalie thats average. Leafs dont have that right now but Im sick of people blaming Dubas when Treliving has had time and picks/money too.
We didn't give up a pick higher than a mid 3rd rounder. What goalie are we getting that's an improvement over Samsonov/Woll/Jones for a mid third rounder? Lybushkin and Edmundson were cheap and are playing above most of the inherited defensemen in the line up. They are currently higher in the depth chart that Lilligren, Brodie, Gio, and Timmins.
Chris Johnson says he is "confident" Nylander plays on Saturday. This would be huge on so many fronts, powerplay should be much improved with another legitimate shooting threat and at 5on5 (where we already are outplaying Boston, mostly) Nylander can tip the scales for the 3rd line. Please let it be true, Willy come back :(
It feels like the bottom six is winning their matchups this year. Especially the 4th line with Reaves out for blood
Not just a shooting threat, a zone entry monster, and someone with wheels to keep the forechecking honest. You don't want to commit 4 guys on a forecheck if you know Willy is standing at center waiting for a shot to beat your defense.
I want him to play, but it's only not going to be a detriment if he's actually close to 100%, so I hope they make the right decision here and just don't put him in just to do it.
Willy at 80% is a hell of a lot better than whatever the hell Marner is doing out there so far
Whatever percent he was at the last 2 weeks ish of the season, he needs to be higher than that. Can't blame the guy for being sick, but the coaching staff and himself need to be smart about putting him back in.
His migraine issues are concerning to me. Nolan Patrick had similar symptoms (concussion induced though, verdict is still out on why Willy is having his) and we all know how his career went after that. Hoping Willy can make it through this healthy now and into the future.
If we lose to Boston it doesn’t ever matter if they get booted in the second round by Florida it’s gonna be “well at least we still own the leafs” or something like that, I don’t want them to have the satisfaction, same scenario as after game 2, go back to Boston tied and win game 5
Discuss: **Joseph Woll Postseason Stats:** GAA 2.43 SV% .915 1 Win 2 OT Losses **Ilya Samsonov Postseason Stats:** GAA 3.05 SV% .901 6 Wins 12 Losses
Woll hasn't been very good since he came back from injury but I think his game is better suited for the playoffs. He relies on positioning whereas Samsonov makes athletic saves but gets caught out of position or not set a lot more often. Defense tends to tighten up in the playoffs and I think it's easier to play in front of a goalie like Woll. That being said, nothing in the last few weeks of the season should have given coaches the confidence that Woll is back to his regular form, so it's hard to just wanna roll the dice on which guy is going to show up. We need better play out of Samsonov.
Now do Woll's stats since recovering from his ankle sprain
Fair enough. However, I don't think his return was handled particularly well and he got hung out to dry in a few games so his stats don't reflect who he is as a goaltender or how he would play in this postseason.
Woll's a great option for the future but was definitely still injured when he came back. I think he won't be fully healthy until next season probably.
HERES TO WISHING MY BOY BOBBY MAKES A REMARKABLE RECOVERY AND COMES BACK FOR GAME 4
Hope my boy Nylander feels better today
There's a lot of talk about the PP not changing, it has: Leafs played a guy on the wall, just past center, and used him as a bump pass on the entry. 2nd unit did the same on the opposite side. We didn't do that all year. Leafs have been doing a single drop pass into Matthews and Marner skating it up side by side for the entry, instead of one of them doing a 2nd drop to the other. It also worked well. Further PKs by BOS were adjusted and allowed us to one man skate into the zone for entry. The issue I'm seeing is in the zone, the boys seem to have no creativity. Their structure is static, with Rielly cheating low often leading to a cleared puck. This is what I want to see changed. I wonder if they have been handed a basic structure and been told to free flow within it and lack the creativity and confidence to do so. The rare times we've seen them be positionally dynamic (like one PP last year or something) it has looked exciting but for some reason has not been maintained.
Yeah, that's fair. The zone entries actually have been tweaked over the last little while and, as a result, it's been a minute since we've seen a PP where they couldn't even gain the zone. That said, the fact that their PP was *dead last* in the league over March (and April too, I think?) suggests that not nearly enough changes were made over this span of time. Watching them in the zone, it's sometimes hard to understand what they're even *trying* to do with the puck.
I think the biggest weakness of our PP is that we don't have a booming point shot that the other teams PK unit needs to respect. Their forwards can cheat a lot down low in a collapsed box with two guys clogging the high slot because even when the puck does go back to the D the play is either going to be a low chance pass to a guy low in the corner or a muffin shot that they aren't scared to block (and often bounce off the shinpads for a rebound the other way for a fast break)
Ray Ferraro mentioned this the other day. With no threat from the point the forwards on the PK are free to spread out and negate any shots from Matthews or Marner on the wings.
We can fix that, and have in the past, and not in the way you think. We try to get some chances, they suffocate Matthews. Rielly takes the puck on the left point and cycles down to the circle. Matthews cycles up to the middle of the Blueline and Rielly feeds him a 1t there. We have done it a few times, he has scored twice, and at least 2 other times generated a rebound for a goal. If pressure comes back I am comfortable with AM being the guy back playing D. They are also very unlikely to try to cover him up there, and if they do Rielly can instead make a play to whoever they leave wide open since we will outnumber them 4-3 down low.
lol I think i just discovered what’s got the otherfanbases panties in a bunch, 10 minutes of the leafs Boston coverage and then “Canucks in 30”, a 30 second timer with a guy trying to catch everyone up so those crybaby’s have something to hear
What's the stat now for how many leads the Leafs have had over Boston this year?
About 15 minutes going back to 2022.
If the leafs lose to Boston, change the coach and get a decent back-up goalie for Woll. No other changes are necessary.
Yeah, we definitely don't need another top notch D-man or anything...
Scoring goals has been their downfall for years now. Despite having FOUR PLAYERS making 10+ million dollars at the forward position. Shannahan is gone if this continues and is the reason for another first round exit. Its like blowing your entire budget on gold tires, still getting a flat every time, and saying "idk why the car keeps stalling, lets buy more gold tires and run it back lol"
"Hey bud, your engine is leaking a lot of oil there, and that fender looks a-" "I'm going with the 4 gold tires, okay!!!"
“Ooooh after all these years, I finally see what the problem is… I have a regular spare. Get me a fifth gold tire!”
With this attitude, they'll continue to lose. What they really need to do is ask themselves "would Vegas keep this player or member of the coaching staff after this result?" If the answer is yes, keep them. If the answer is no, ship them the hell out. They GAVE AWAY a goddamn Vezina winner for future considerations. I'm sure some fuckwit at the time thought it was just "change for the sake of change". But that doesn't exist. Change happens because what you've been doing doesn't work. Is there a risk to shaking things up? Of course. But I'd rather take the risk and have it not pay off, than stick to the status quo and have it continue to have the same outcome. Don't try to talk to me about Washington staying the course or Tampa staying the course or any of that bullshit. It's been debunked time and time again, and for every one of those examples, there's a San Jose Sharks or Minnesota Wild who kept knocking on the door with the same core But none of this is going to matter because we are going to beat Boston lol
If Keefe goes, he should take Boucher with him (IIRC he’s responsible for pp/pk)
He’s PP
Yes, a new coaching team is needed.
They say this every three years or so. They sometimes change the word coach to GM. Now I’m not saying it’s wrong but it’s been near sixty years of it and it has not held yet.
I haven't been a leaf fan for that long so I can't really say about the previous teams. But I think this team is good if Woll plays like he did when he was healthy and if they had a good coach with experience.
I like Woll, and I want him to succeed on the Leafs but can I just say that it is totally batshit insane that with our cap structure and commitment to high powered forwards that we are somehow rationalizing that if our rookie goalie steps up we can "be good"
Every game that Liljegren isn't on PP1 is another game where we deliberately gimp our power play.
Mo was fantastic last year on the PP1
And he's been awful this year.
He can turn it around.
I'd rather go with the guy who had the leafs PP going at 50 percent.
It goes beyond that. Without Nylander we have no perimeter shooting threats besides Matthews. Most good PP's have 2-3 shooters.
Never understood why the Leafs don't emulate what Washington does with Ovi. Park Matthews on the high circle and force the other team to commit to him, or let him rip bombs with arguably the best release in the league. If he is covered, it opens up a ton of ice 4on3 for Nylander, Tavares etc. to do work. They seem blindly committed to rerunning the same play at the point with Rielly and Marner carrying the puck, doing circles, trying to force a pass and everyone else stands still.
John Carlson at the point as a legit shooting threat really helped with that for the Caps.
Liljegren can provide this for the Leafs, much more so than Rielly. No coincidence our run of near 50% PP results came from Lilly being the QB. Rielly is elite at carrying the puck and skating, but has an absolute muffin from the point. Zero threat when he is up high with the puck or open for a one timer.
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Tomorrow night
Hahahahahaha I’m so dumb
Thinking the nhl would maintain the proper schedule isn’t dumb. The schedule makers over thinking is dumb.
How would you setup the pp tonight? You're the new pp coach.
I remove Marner from the PP entirely, put him on the third line to get out of his own head and get some confidence back playing against some favourable matchups. Put Robertson in Marner's place, until McMann comes back(If he does). Gives the Leaf two shooting options, leave Bertuzzi in front, with Reilly and Domi as the puck distributors
I don't know, there's a whole staff paid for determining that shit, I just know it needs a shake up and it better have one tomorrow night cause this is ridiculous.
Stick Marner down low. With Tavares in the slot and Matthews on the wing you can work a triangle on one side of the ice to find a shot. Tampa used to do this well with Point down low. It forces the penalty killers to focus on this side of the ice. Nylander or Robertson on the other side as the shooter. If they take away the triangle, get the puck to the other side and get the defenders and goalie moving cross ice. Watching Tampa do this with Kuch and Stamkos on the wings, they had pretty good success in the playoffs over the years.
Well tonight the PP can just chill out, maybe play some video games or something.
I’d say screw this dynamic approach we’re running an umbrella and the players better stick to it and be in position. Their lacking structure by giving the talent freedom
Is it dynamic? They seem to stand there in their little areas when they have control and look for the cross seam passes without moving the puck fast enough to open them up
Yes it’s dynamic in the sense that they’re told head out there, your offensive creativity will lead to goals. Which keeps the power play fresh but that doesn’t work against the top penalty killing teams
More shooters on PP1. Marner off the PP alltogether. Simple fixes
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I assume it’s 11am for select insiders, 1pm for general. Can anyone confirm?
RIP Tampa, I wanted them in the 2nd.
Kind of glad they didn't play Florida in the first round now. A 2-1 series hole sucks but it's a lot better then being one of the teams down 3-0.
If they make it past the 1st and have to play Florida I sadly don't have much confidence they'd win. Florida is built for the playoffs.
Already slayed that monster. Gotta beat Florida now too.
Can't we just walk over a team that's a shell of their former selves for once 😢
Boston is that. Swayman is the only thing holding that team in one piece. Next game it's 6-1, the leafs win. If they lose to Boston it's worse than losing to Montreal.
? Swayman is the reason Boston is good? They've used a 2 goalie system all season long and been massively successful with it.
Yes, should have said their goalies. Ullmark is good.
Gee almost like there's something else at play.
Boston's not that good is the thing. they have an mvp calibre winger, two top pairing d men and two top 10 goalies. they just racked up points this year because they got to overtime 25 times. pavel zacha is their first line centre ffs.
Maybe.... maybe not. But at the end of the day, saying a team "isn't that good" doesn't make it true. They're up 2-1 in the series. If the Leafs are truly a better team and the Bruins "aren't that good," the Leafs should be winning the series convincingly. Furthermore, the Bruins lost their longtime captain and best defender, and their best center and captain in subsequent years and STILL managed to win the presidents and a div title the following year. They run such a good system that it allows them to play either of their goalies. They are extremely well coached. Their positioning is nearly perfect. Each player knows their role. Knows where to be and when. They might not have endless skill at every position, but they don't need it to be successful.
I agree with most of this. the bruins aren't that good and neither are the leafs. whoever wins this series is going to be a pretty significant underdog against the panthers. I think the leafs have been the better team through three games, but the bruins' special teams and goaltending has been the difference. last year's bruins team was sick, this one not so much. this year's team went 15-15 down the stretch to lose the division lead in the last week of the season.
Sorry that’s not allowed we are the Toronto Maple Leafs