Series Talk: How do we beat Boston in round 1?

[OVO16]

Get Home Ice Advantage

 

[egd27]

OK we know our team now. It is set. Probability of facing Boston in round 1 is around 95.3% as per Sports Club Stats. So folks brace yourselves Leafs v Bruins III.

What is our optimal lineup for game 1?

How do we beat the Boston fore check and cycle game?

Score more goals than them in 4 of the 7 games.

/thread

 

[Whaleafs]

I expect Babcock to learn nothing from last year

 

[Gary Nylund]

We're playing boston in the first round? I didn't know we clinched a playoff spot already, or that the bruins did too, or that we're matched up against them.

Come on.

boston lives in some of your heads rent free.

LOL. Who said anything about anyone having clinched anything? The 95% probability that we'll face Boston sounds about right, if you don't want think about this then perhaps Boston is living in your head. It's happening. Don't be afraid and embrace the tension, this is what it's all about and it should be fun.

As far as how to beat them, it's the same formula as always - we need to outscore them and we need to do that in four separate games.

 

[Leaftors]

LOL. Who said anything about anyone having clinched anything? The 95% probability that we'll face Boston sounds about right, if you don't want think about this then perhaps Boston is living in your head. It's happening. Don't be afraid and embrace the tension, this is what it's all about and it should be fun.

As far as how to beat them, it's the same formula as always - we need to outscore them and we need to do that in four separate games.

Well the thread is titled "how to beat boston in round 1" that would mean we both would have to a: clinch the playoffs and b: be seated to face each other. I'm a realist, 95% isn't 100% which means that you can't sit there and tell me "it's happening" when in fact, anything can happen over the next 20 games. No, boston also doesn't live in my head and i think we can beat them in the first round simply by just making minor adjustments, but i think that about any team we face in the first round.

 

[WilliamNylander]

Hard match Muzzin Dermott against Bergeron

 

[djdev]

play our game and make them adapt to us. a big reason we lost last year because we tried to toe to toe and prove some weird point that we could play boston style in the first few games. when we played to our strengths we were the better team, and i think we are the better team by a bigger margin this year. just gotta believe it ourselves.

 

[Jozay]

Get a better series from Matthews, Nylander and Andersen

Contain the Bergeron line.

Thats about it.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Things different than last year:

Matthews, Marner and Nylander are one year more experienced.

Rielly now a #1D.

We now have two franchise centers with the addition of Tavares.

Not to mention all the other smaller changes like addition of Muzzin, emergence of Kapanen and Johnsson, etc.

Last year has very little to do with what happens this year. I put my money on Toronto over Boston.

 

[zeke]

Play our best talent as much as they play theirs, and we win.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

We play out game not theirs. Our top 6 needs to be better than theirs. We have better depth and whoever isn’t getting the Bergeron line and Chara needs to take advantage. Our fourth line should also run rings around theirs.

This is a very winnable series if we don’t try and play their game.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Well the thread is titled "how to beat boston in round 1" that would mean we both would have to a: clinch the playoffs and b: be seated to face each other. I'm a realist, 95% isn't 100% which means that you can't sit there and tell me "it's happening" when in fact, anything can happen over the next 20 games. No, boston also doesn't live in my head and i think we can beat them in the first round simply by just making minor adjustments, but i think that about any team we face in the first round.

If you understand that 95% isn't 100%, then why are you so angry? There are much, much less relevant subjects discussed on this board, we're 6 weeks away from the playoffs and like it or not, we're probably playing Boston. If you don't think that there are a ton of Leaf fans interested in discussing this they you're very far removed from reality. If you don't want to discus it then don't, it's that simple. Say goodbye and go enjoy life elsewhere, "problem" solved.

 

[lovemyleafs]

Leafs in 5 this year.

(if we have home ice)

 

[DanM]

Hope the Bruins have injuries lol

But seriously, we need to play perfect, or we lose without doubt.

I will say this, if we win, a huge load will come off their shoulders.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Hope the Bruins have injuries lol

But seriously, we need to play perfect, or we lose without doubt.

I will say this, if we win, a huge load will come off their shoulders.

Nah, we were nowhere close to perfect last year and still came pretty close to winning.

 

[DanM]

Nah, we were nowhere close to perfect last year and still came pretty close to winning.

Yeah, thats true I guess. I mean more from a mental standpoint as well. I think this team is still in our heads, but hopefully this finally ends.

That top line shreds our D, and that can be very scary.

 

[Trapper]

Don’t be afraid to think outside the line matching box.
If it takes a line of Matthews...Tavares...Marner to make it too much to handle, do it.

If you have to run Matthews,Tavares,Kadri or Matthews,Tavares,Nylander or Tavares,Nylander,Kadri sown the middle, do it.

 

[Kazparov]

Our core is very young and is a year more experienced since last season. Their core are ten years older (minus Pastrnak) and may be starting to lose a step. Also, we added Tavares.

All that considered (given we took it to 7 last year), i think we’d likely win a series against them this year.

That's the spirit! Honestly so many people are just conditioned to expect the worst

 

[Dog]

Play Tavares and Marner for 25 minutes or more. Play Muzzin for 30 minutes!

 

[Martin Skoula]

Stop turtling with a lead. We're not going to hold a 1 goal lead against Boston, stop trying. Make it a 4 goal lead, don't let them set up while patting yourself on the back for "keeping shots to the outside".

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Well we want to beat every team we meet sooo.... play angry, intense and demand buy in on every shift to out work any team when they have the puck.

Dogged determination and protect your paint relentlessly with discipline.

The scoring is there, the team work ethic consistency will determine our success.

Want it more!

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

Don't care who they play. To win a round would be awesome. Anything else is gravy.

I have personally thought this team is still not ready to win a cup and stand by that. Not their fault. Still need a few pieces imo.
Anything can happen tho and it wouldn't surprise me to see them in the conference or cup final. Some of our stars have quietly upped their game a bit lately.
They know they were 10 mins away from winning the series last year. I thought they did themselves proud to even get to that point after the start they had. If they face Boston again I don't think it goes past 6 in the Leafs favour.
If not. I see them really making some noise next year all going well during the draft and off season.
This is a friggen good team that will only get better no matter what happens in the next few months.

 

[DarkKnight]

It's a pick em series. Everyone on the TSN panel picked the Bruins yesterday. This idea that we should just roll over a top 5 team in the league, with tons of playoff experience, a divisional foe, otherwise a failure, simply isn't reality based.

We're in real tough, the hardest first round matchup and that's Bettman's NHL for you.

 

[markh100]

We're playing boston in the first round? I didn't know we clinched a playoff spot already, or that the bruins did too, or that we're matched up against them.

It's been a near mathematical certainty that the Leafs were going to play Boston in the first round since early January I posted the following on January 11th:

"There's half of a season left to play, and there is already 95% certainty that the Leafs will finish either 2nd or 3rd in their division."

The way the divisions are aligned, they will more than likely play Boston in the first round each of the next five seasons. The divisions in the NHL are really the dumbest thing they ever did...outside of replays on offside infractions that occurred dozens of seconds before a goal is scored.

 

[ECanuck]

I'm not sure but as soon as I figure it out we are going to beat Boston in the first round.

Things that will help:

Home ice advantage. The crowd in Boston is loud and referee sings to that rhythm. Think of the 5-6 penalties in a period.

They like to come in waves. It's important the guys on the bench understand this. Next guys up have to understand how to up their tempo and when.