TSN: Craig Button says the Leafs should rather want to play Tampa and not Boston in the playoffs

[A1LeafNation]

Boston is a weird team. They terrify me when I watch them, they terrify me when I analyze them. But then I go look at our games against them, and I really like our odds. Really can't make up my mind there.

We are their kryptonite

 

[The CyNick]

Why in the hell do we have a 82 game regular season which decides who makes the playoffs then not use it to seed the teams properly?

Yes we should be playing the #5 seed Penguins as the #4 seed not the #3 seed Bruins in the first round

The whole you've got to beat the best thing is a bull**** argument, you may as well pick names out of a hat and scrap the who regular season once the playoffs roll around then

I thought you were a you're a got to play the best guy so why do you want seeding for #1-#16 all of the sudden?

We actually do use the 82 game schedule to decide who makes it (half the league is eliminated) and it determines seedings. I don't know what youre confused about there. Maybe drinking? Don't know.

You don't seem to like the fact that the Leafs could have a really hard first round matchup, but that's just the nature of having a tough division. No difference than having a tough conference. Sometimes one conference is tougher than the other. Oh well. Deal with it. Man up. Play the games.

You should try reading more carefully. 1-16 is not my preference, my preference is the system we have. Well actually, I don't like the wild card system. I wish it was just 1-4 in each division makes the playoffs and you play through your division.

 

[Muston Atthews]

I’d rather play Tampa

 

[Drytoast]

I disagree with that premise.

But we are the underdogs either way

 

[IWD]

I like the current format, but I'd be ok going to division leaders with 6 wild card spots.

 

[Clark4Ever]

In any event, we will be considered the underdog, which bodes well for us.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Why in the hell do we have a 82 game regular season which decides who makes the playoffs then not use it to seed the teams properly?

Yes we should be playing the #5 seed Penguins as the #4 seed not the #3 seed Bruins in the first round

The whole you've got to beat the best thing is a bull**** argument, you may as well pick names out of a hat and scrap the who regular season once the playoffs roll around then

I thought you were a you're a got to play the best guy so why do you want seeding for #1-#16 all of the sudden?

but why does it matter.
we either play the 2x defending champions. (woo. what a prize)
or we play a team that's very good right now.

regardless of how you want to do the seeding, due to parity, it's a tough row to hoe, like you are making it sound like the old southeast division exists and we're missing a cakewalk.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Boston is a weird team. They terrify me when I watch them, they terrify me when I analyze them. But then I go look at our games against them, and I really like our odds. Really can't make up my mind there.

This is exactly how I feel about them

 

[Liminality]

I think it's fairly even going by the games they've had against each other.

Nov 10th 3-2(OT) Come from behind win with a late goal in the 3rd to tie it. CF% was 51.58% at EV but the HDCF was in favor of Boston with 17 compared to our 12 in all situations.
Nov 11th 4-1 win, Definitely made the most of our opportunities this game. CF% was 41.58 at EV and HDCF was again in Boston's favor, 15 to 6 this time.
Feb 3rd 4-1 loss CF% was 39.51% but Boston really made their opportunities count this time. Toronto had the better HDCF this game with 12 to their 3.
Feb 24th 4-3 win, this was the no goalie interference call game but the Leafs still deserved the win. CF% was 60.78% at EV and HDCF was in favor of Toronto with 16 to Boston's 12.

Or if you don't want to look at those stats. We're 3-1 against them this season which is what really matters.

 

[Kiwi]

We actually do use the 82 game schedule to decide who makes it (half the league is eliminated) and it determines seedings. I don't know what youre confused about there. Maybe drinking? Don't know.

You don't seem to like the fact that the Leafs could have a really hard first round matchup, but that's just the nature of having a tough division. No difference than having a tough conference. Sometimes one conference is tougher than the other. Oh well. Deal with it. Man up. Play the games.

You should try reading more carefully. 1-16 is not my preference, my preference is the system we have. Well actually, I don't like the wild card system. I wish it was just 1-4 in each division makes the playoffs and you play through your division.

I'm sure an intelligent fellow like you knows that the #4 should be playing the #5, not #3 vs #4 in the 1st round, so try not to be a **** head with the drinking stuff if possible

Is it beyond your understanding that teams should be seeded on there 82 game regular season performance? It decides who makes the playoffs but because the league wants "rivalries" they **** with the seedings to get the matchups they would prefer

The "man up" argument is completely moronic, the regular season should count for something and if it doesn't you may as well pull names out of a hat, no other league i follow has this stupid #2 plays #3 in division setup during a conference playoff

It should be
#1 plays #8
#2 plays #7
#3 plays #6
#4 plays #5
Based on regular season standings, the Penguins aren't exactly an easy beat but that's who we should play

 

[Kiwi]

but why does it matter.
we either play the 2x defending champions. (woo. what a prize)
or we play a team that's very good right now.

regardless of how you want to do the seeding, due to parity, it's a tough row to hoe, like you are making it sound like the old southeast division exists and we're missing a cakewalk.

It's not about easy or hard it's about the regular season meaning something

It's cute we use the regular season to decide who makes the playoffs and then throw that out when the teams are seeded

Make sense to you? The regular season should mean something, we play 82 games but that's not good enough the league should decide

 

[Gabriel426]

Pretty sure every team in the East would not like to face the Leafs in the first round.
Why would they? We have a goalie who can steal a series. A very mobile Defense. 4 lines that got speed and can score. A coach who is great at line matching.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Losing to the Bruins in the playoffs would be devastating. They’re fans are already annoying and cocky enough to begin with. Another playoff series defeat to them would be a majorly tough pill to swallow.

On the other hand, beating them in the post season would be extremely satisfying, and would be another example of how this Leafs team is different from years past.

Man I absolutely loathe Boston as a sports city. Spoiled rotten over the past decade and a half.

 

[Zybalto]

Toronto/Tampa for me as both would be tough but Tampa would be a far more exciting series as our teams match up better for end to end hockey.

 

[Daisy Jane]

It's not about easy or hard it's about the regular season meaning something

It's cute we use the regular season to decide who makes the playoffs and then throw that out when the teams are seeded

Make sense to you? The regular season should mean something, we play 82 games but that's not good enough the league should decide

and they do?
i'm sorry, i'm not being obtuse, i swear. But I'm truly am confused on why you are

the seeding is

Best in the conference meets the 2nd WC (1 v 8)
2nd best (Division winner), meets the 1st WC (2-7)
then 2-3 is basically your new 3-6, 4-5. which basically, unless you were the SE division, was always the the most even series anyway.

no matter how you slice it (1-16 no ranking, back to 1-8, etc - you're facing a HARD matchup).

the regular season means you get to play for the championship.if you're 1st etc, you get home ice. if you win the PT you get home ice throughout the playoffs. like what more do you want? Byes? (because that would piss me off). winning the cup is hard.. you called it BS, but i mean, it's not like many teams now a days have a clear path to win.

 

[member 147413]

I may be in the minority, but I don’t care who we play. I think we can compete with any team in the league.

 

[1specter]

Beating Boston would be more satisfying but losing to them would also be a lot worse.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Losing to the Bruins in the playoffs would be devastating. They’re fans are already annoying and cocky enough to begin with. Another playoff series defeat to them would be a majorly tough pill to swallow.

On the other hand, beating them in the post season would be extremely satisfying, and would be another example of how this Leafs team is different from years past.

Man I absolutely loathe Boston as a sports city. Spoiled rotten over the past decade and a half.

Everything you said is why I want the Leafs to defeat the Bruins should they play them in the playoffs.

 

[Macallan18]

Craig Button. Right up there with Mike Milbury as a gm.
Yeah, he really understands hockey.

 

[Kiwi]

and they do?
i'm sorry, i'm not being obtuse, i swear. But I'm truly am confused on why you are

the seeding is

Best in the conference meets the 2nd WC (1 v 8)
2nd best (Division winner), meets the 1st WC (2-7)
then 2-3 is basically your new 3-6, 4-5. which basically, unless you were the SE division, was always the the most even series anyway.

no matter how you slice it (1-16 no ranking, back to 1-8, etc - you're facing a HARD matchup).

the regular season means you get to play for the championship.if you're 1st etc, you get home ice. if you win the PT you get home ice throughout the playoffs. like what more do you want? Byes? (because that would piss me off). winning the cup is hard.. you called it BS, but i mean, it's not like many teams now a days have a clear path to win.

You seed it like every other league with a playoff format in the world, or a major championship like Tennis

If you have an 8 team conference format
#1 -#8
#2-#7
#3-#6
#4-#5
And the better regular season teams get home ice

The idea is that the better regular season teams play each other in the later rounds of the playoffs and not bounce each other early

There's a reason why Nadal and Federer don't play each other in the first couple of rounds at the US open

By your reasoning once the playoff teams are decided we may as well just draw names out of a hat like 82 regular season games no longer count for anything

You can't artificially create rivalries by manipulating the playoff draw, let it happen organically

 

[firstemperor]

Boston is a weird team. They terrify me when I watch them, they terrify me when I analyze them. But then I go look at our games against them, and I really like our odds. Really can't make up my mind there.

Pretty much the same way I feel...

When I watch the Bruins as a outside fan, they look like the best team in the NHL. 4 lines that work hard, skate fast, play disciplined at a high-speed. Chara is still a beast, doesn't matter if he's a bit slow, his stick and length is just unfair to work around in his own end.

When we play them, I think we have a good shot. It's tough for me to rationalize.

I think we are the underdogs against both, but I still see Tampa as a bigger threat in the playoffs- despite how they are faring right now. Their defense looks vulnerable at times...but Gourde, Point scare me. The ultimate pessimist in me doesn't think our 2nd/3rd lines can match their pace and tenacity. The difference with our team, and Boston/Tampa is they run 4 lines that are guns-blazing all game long. We run somewhere between 2.5-3.5, I don't think Kadri's line and Bozak's line, most nights, can match their intensity, pace/speed. Just my opinion.... I still think we have a solid chance either way though.

 

[Stephen]

Toronto/Tampa for me as both would be tough but Tampa would be a far more exciting series as our teams match up better for end to end hockey.

A victory over Tampa, hypothetically, would be better than a win over Boston as the team would probably be less banged up playing the Lightning.

That said, if we play Boston, we need to take a page out of the Quinn playbook and make sure to match Marchand's physicality against him early and often. It would be completely unacceptable for a 5'9" rat to accidentally on purpose injure any of our key players. The guy is a menace and needs to be dealt with.

 

[Daisy Jane]

You seed it like every other league with a playoff format in the world, or a major championship like Tennis

If you have an 8 team conference format
#1 -#8
#2-#7
#3-#6
#4-#5
And the better regular season teams get home ice

The idea is that the better regular season teams play each other in the later rounds of the playoffs and not bounce each other early

There's a reason why Nadal and Federer don't play each other in the first couple of rounds at the US open

By your reasoning once the playoff teams are decided we may as well just draw names out of a hat like 82 regular season games no longer count for anything

You can't artificially create rivalries by manipulating the playoff draw, let it happen organically

but you are missing the point that in any other format - they are playing good team anyway and can bounce out anyway. there are no weak teams anymore.

I don't even see how it's artificially manipulated. you can have good series and not have a hate on, or you can have one and it will. "organically" like you mean... playing each other?.

like it really reads to me that you are upset that we don't get to play the Penguins in the first round vs. Tampa or Boston. like. let's stop and take a think on that one. If we play Boston. it would be difficult. if we play Tampa, it would be difficult. if we play Pittsburgh it would be difficult. regardless of the seeding, it would be difficult. Why because people want parity and salary caps.

the good teams do get home ice.

 

[LeafsNation75]

I don't even see how it's artificially manipulated. you can have good series and not have a hate on, or you can have one and it will. "organically" like you mean... playing each other?.

The Leafs and Islanders 2002 playoff series is an example where both teams just started to hate each other during each game, because that turned into a blood bath.

 

[Daisy Jane]

The Leafs and Islanders 2002 playoff series is an example where both teams just started to hate each other during each game, because that turned into a blood bath.

my thought exactly.
like there is a fan-history with Boston (playing them would be amazing)
the last game you could see seeds of not liking each other v. Tampa (also. I want to be the team that eliminates Tampa so badly) so that would be a good series.
if Montreal would get it's crap together-it finally gives us a Leafs v. Habs series though one of them would screw it up.


how it is now - makes it better for television and i think ignoring that is silly.
but thinking it would be better in the old way isn't right because um, hello, Pittsburgh isn't a slouch.