Are the 2017/2018 Leafs legitimate contenders for the Cup?

[zeke]

Haha, there's something about sample size in there eh

but they always bring their A-game!

 

[nsleaf]

Jekyll & Hydey's Record vs. Always A-Gaming True PowerHouses: 5-2-0

Careful Zeke, a certain poster on here will scoff at your sample size and provide one of these. Pretty sure you know who that is.

 

[7even]

but they always bring their A-game!

It was most, not always.

 

[zeke]

It was most, not always.

lucky leafs didn't get their A-games, eh?

 

[7even]

lucky leafs didn't get their A-games, eh?

Lol. What's the discussion that we're having here, Toronto is a top 3 team in the league?

I'm as diehard a fan as anyone but I don't think there's anything disparaging about conceding that we're not quite a Tampa, Boston, or Nashville. Especially for a team that is barely removed from a dead last season and has as much youth and as many prospects as we do.

 

[rent free]

Jekyll & Hydey's Record vs. Always A-Gaming True PowerHouses: 5-2-0

winnipeg had their backup goalie in net, the pens weren't the pens when we faced them, vegas killed us in our last meeting, same with boston. tampa out played us yet again.

 

[thewave]

I had that exact discussion on the Leafs board not long ago. Actually worse, as this poster was adamant that we had zero chance to even win a series, since upsets are rare.


Going up against a team firing on all cylinders while having an off night, and still come out with a 6-3 win could just as well be argued as a sign of a contender. The sign of a contender is not to never have off nights.

These aren't off nights though(they do this in stretches). I think they are just showing their lack of discipline and lack of maturity as a group. Babcock himself specifically speaks to this in his post games on more than one occasion. I am simply agreeing with him on this and that's all. I don't see a contender here yet but it's very very close and that's not saying they can't win, anything is possible.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I had that exact discussion on the Leafs board not long ago. Actually worse, as this poster was adamant that we had zero chance to even win a series, since upsets are rare.

well I don't know who you're talking about and I'm not asking you to out them personally, but sometimes you get people pretending to be Leafs fans on here to talk shit about the team and antagonize

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

we have the best line in the league at 5v5. we have a top 5-10 goalie. all of our defensemen except you-know-who have a positive gf%. we have a top 10 PK. we have arguably the best collection of forwards in the league. all we're missing is our PP playing up to its potential I'd say, but we definitely look like a contender to me

 

[rent free]

we have the best line in the league at 5v5. we have a top 5-10 goalie. all of our defensemen except you-know-who have a positive gf%. we have a top 10 PK. we have arguably the best collection of forwards in the league. all we're missing is our PP playing up to its potential I'd say, but we definitely look like a contender to me

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

can't believe we're sitting tied for 5th in the league even though you claim we never have a chance to win any of our games

 

[rent free]

can't believe we're sitting tied for 5th in the league even though you claim we never have a chance to win any of our games

can't believe you think we have the best top line 5v5...

 

[zeke]

Lol. What's the discussion that we're having here, Toronto is a top 3 team in the league?

I'm as diehard a fan as anyone but I don't think there's anything disparaging about conceding that we're not quite a Tampa, Boston, or Nashville. Especially for a team that is barely removed from a dead last season and has as much youth and as many prospects as we do.

I like that we've whittled the list of teams that outclass the leafs down to only 3 now.

I'm feeling like that list'll get some more whittling done on down the homestretch. Especially give that a team like bolts is now barely over .500 in 2018 so far, as their insane goaltending and top-line productions has come down to a more reasonable level.

 

[thewave]

we have the best line in the league at 5v5. we have a top 5-10 goalie. all of our defensemen except you-know-who have a positive gf%. we have a top 10 PK. we have arguably the best collection of forwards in the league. all we're missing is our PP playing up to its potential I'd say, but we definitely look like a contender to me

We have the best goaltender in all of the NHL right now. If we are a contender it's because of Frederik Andersen of Denmark.

 

[rent free]

We have the best goaltender in all of the NHL right now. If we are a contender it's because of Frederik Andersen of Denmark.

 

[thewave]

It's not even close, as of this minute he is the best and I will go further and say he is the best player on the Leafs this year.

Add - I don't know what to think about how you see hockey when you see this guy bailing out this team time after time, getting shelled, we are riding him and not the other way around. Stats don't tell all the story here.

 

[7even]

I like that we've whittled the list of teams that outclass the leafs down to only 3 now.

I'm feeling like that list'll get some more whittling done on down the homestretch. Especially give that a team like bolts is now barely over .500 in 2018 so far, as their insane goaltending and top-line productions has come down to a more reasonable level.

Outclass is the right word. We're in that mire of teams 4-9 who can all outplay each other on any given night.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

can't believe you think we have the best top line 5v5...

boston might be tied. can't really find a line that's clearly better though

 

[rent free]

boston might be tied. can't really find a line that's clearly better though

boston isn't tied at all. their 1st line is better than ours. its not debatable. our top line may be top 2, maybe. there are so many good top lines out there but boston's is #1 for sure

 

[Sypher04]

I think calling it wrong is just as bad as stating it is best as fact. They could certainly be argued as best depending on which metrics you used to assess it, value most.

Corsica | Line Stats

For example, rank it by goals plus minus. At 5-on-5, Hyman-Matthews-Nylander is ranked #1. With 46 games together, they are 35 goals for to 14 goals against. +21

 

[zeke]

Outclass is the right word. We're in that mire of teams 4-9 who can all outplay each other on any given night.

and apparently able to outplay the top-3 on any given night, too.

 

[rent free]

Outclass is the right word. We're in that mire of teams 4-9 who can all outplay each other on any given night.

lol no. the leafs get outplayed against almost every team.

 

[zeke]

It's not even close, as of this minute he is the best and I will go further and say he is the best player on the Leafs this year.

Add - I don't know what to think about how you see hockey when you see this guy bailing out this team time after time, getting shelled, we are riding him and not the other way around. Stats don't tell all the story here.

All the teams ahead of us, aside from Vegas, have had better goaltending.

Hell, we do just as well with McElhinney in net.

 

[rent free]

I think calling it wrong is just as bad as stating it is best as fact. They could certainly be argued as best depending on which metrics you used to assess it, value most.

Corsica | Line Stats

For example, rank it by goals plus minus. At 5-on-5, Hyman-Matthews-Nylander is ranked #1. With 46 games together, they are 35 goals for to 14 goals against. +21

i look at their all around game.

 

[zeke]

All Situations High-Danger Chances For Percentage

4.TOR 53.90%
5.TBL 53.85%
12.PIT 50.61%
13.BOS 50.09%
26.NSH 46.96%

All Situations Scoring Chances For Percentage

2.TBL 53.59%
3.BOS 53.54%
8.TOR 51.89%
11.PIT 51.46%
22.NSH 48.41%