Speculation: 2018 Playoffs will be _________'s coming out party/will be _______'s fall out of favour with fans

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

Nylander hopefully takes his end of season form into the playoffs and I think he will.

I think Gardiner will fall out of favour with his usual silly errors - just this time it’s the play offs.

 

[Knies iT]

Aside from a couple games in round 2, Dermott was a monster in the AHL playoffs last season; completely stepped up and demanded more ice-time with his game. Plays so emotional and high-tempo. Expect him to take over.

Also, expect Kapanen to do Kapanen things when the games matter most. Hopefully he can prove his worth over Brown in the top 9 because that JVR line is just too bland and non-threatening off the rush.

 

[TootooTrain]

There's always a portion of the fan base who is quick to defend him regardless of his play.

Hopefully both sides come around and simply accept that he's a solid goaltender. I know he will have bad stretches as do alot of tendys. I just respect his skill level and entire body of work. One part that you can't get away from is the constant fan commentary game to game. If he performs well he's a legend. If he performs poorly, he's swiss cheese. It is the internet after all.

For the OP, I'll say Kapanen and Dermott. They are depth guys with talent. Could very well score/assist on a couple big goals.

 

[Damisoph]

Freddy Andersen's February save % over 10 games is .884 heading into the playoffs.

Frederik Andersen

lol what is this?

Rask had a .896 in October, a .901 in November and is .901 for two games in April.

Vasilevskiy was a .883 in March with a GAA over 4.

Aside from Rinne who has been pretty consistently spectacular all year, every goalie goes through down times. We just have to hope that Freddy gets back to form.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

I'll tell you when the first round is over.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

lol what is this?

Rask had a .896 in October, a .901 in November and is .901 for two games in April.

Vasilevskiy was a .883 in March with a GAA over 4.

Aside from Rinne who has been pretty consistently spectacular all year, every goalie goes through down times. We just have to hope that Freddy gets back to form.

Great to rely on "hope".

 

[Damisoph]

Great to rely on "hope".

what is the alternative then? Play McElhinney? My point is, every goalie goes through down times, Freddy has recovered before and will recover again. But doom and gloom is better yes?

 

[56 Years No Cup]

what is the alternative then? Play McElhinney? My point is, every goalie goes through down times, Freddy has recovered before and will recover again. But doom and gloom is better yes?

Check my post history re: Freddie. It's not doom and gloom. When he plays bad, I criticize, when he plays well, I praise.

However he is wildly inconsistent. If he can't smooth out those bumps he may need to be replaced.

You don't win in the playoffs giving up one (or more) bad goals per game. It is what it is.

 

[Damisoph]

Check my post history re: Freddie. It's not doom and gloom. When he plays bad, I criticize, when he plays well, I praise.

However he is wildly inconsistent. If he can't smooth out those bumps he may need to be replaced.

You don't win in the playoffs giving up one (or more) bad goals per game. It is what it is.

Sorry, I was more referring to this thread re: doom and gloom.

I don't think I'd call Freddy wildly inconsistent...when he goes bad it's usually for a couple weeks at a time, but is not that often. I'm very comfortable having Freddy as the starter

 

[ImpartialNHLfan]

Nylander hopefully takes his end of season form into the playoffs and I think he will.

I think Gardiner will fall out of favour with his usual silly errors - just this time it’s the play offs.

Gardiner becomes a Norris caliber dman in the playoffs.

 

[Cor]

I’ll say that some poster is going to question Matthews at some point

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Gardiner.

Something happens to him and he turns into a beast in the playoffs. A deep run could earn him a lot of respect around the league.

Dermott is a good call too. Kind of like Parayko in 2016.

I have a feeling Hainsey/Marleau might become a cause for concern.

 

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

Gardiner becomes a Norris caliber dman in the playoffs.

How many times has he been to the play offs?

 

[Moncherry]

How many times has he been to the play offs?

As someone who thinks Gardiner is one of the most overrated players on the team, in the admittedly few playoff appearances he's had, his play has been drastically superior to how he usually performs.

 

[rent free]

I’ll say that some poster is going to question Matthews at some point

unless he isn't perfect why shouldn't they?

 

[Cor]

unless he isn't perfect why shouldn't they?

I don’t mean “Aw Matthews turned it over”

I mean “Can we win with Matthews” or something like that

 

[rent free]

I don’t mean “Aw Matthews turned it over”

I mean “Can we win with Matthews” or something like that

then still yes. there's always someone who's gonna complain

 

[Clark4Ever]

Marner wasn't 100% in the playoffs last year. I think he will step up this time around.

I hope I'm wrong and he rewards Babs' loyalty, but I think Komarov will continue to be our worst all around forward in the playoffs.

 

[cannucky]

You want a real Anderson stat ? goals scored on low quality chances , he gives up more garbage goals than any other starter in the playoffs /league really ,thats what would make him a scapegoat giving up garbage goals at bad times . I'm not saying he will I'm just saying that"s how it could happen . As for who steps up well I like Mitch and Naz for that , I look for them to be joined at the hip for the next few years , it would be nice to develop a playmaking forechecker to go with them .

 

[Pookie]

Fun read

 

[MapleLeafs9]

So it basically ended up being:

Marner, Plekanec coming out parties

Matthews, Andersen, JvR out of favour

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Kapanen or Dermott will look great


Andersen might fall out of favour

Kapanen and Dermott were good but not great. I was definitely right about Andersen though

 

[Pookie]

Kapanen and Dermott were good but not great. I was definitely right about Andersen though

I don’t think he’s that far off the mark. If they lose the series, the goalie is always a good place to look for a scapegoat.

And I backed you up on this one

Outshot 244-196. A .896 vs a .899 over a small sample size. Matthews held to one goal. Our 2C gets suspended. Leaky D.

And the goalie is the focal point as to why we lost?