Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 4-2

[Larcos_Unal]

Maybe not on the road.But we are heading home now OUCH!

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I'm still amazed at how big he looks in the net yet still looks so mobile.

Another thing that has impressed me is his timely/clutch saves. Something we haven't gotten a lot in the past 7 years.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself with the goaltending, but it really looks like we've brought two upgrades in comparison to last year.

Now hopefully they can be hot and healthy when it counts.

A couple of things that stood out about Murray when he was at his best in Pittsburgh were his ability to not let a bad goal against affect him the rest of the game; he'd just shrug it off and focus on the remainder of the game like it never happened. And his ability to be a brick wall after a loss. In the 2016 playoff run, I believe Murray was 6-0 with around a .940 save percentage in games right after a loss.

Not sure how much playing in Ottawa has damaged his psyche, but at his best his hallmark was being ice cold.

 

[meefer]

FWIW thanks to all who've been engaged in discussion over the last 2/3 pages, and not 'he's crap'/'you're wrong' or 'this team sucks'/'no it doesn't'. It's quite refreshing.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

The way Justin Holl is playing lately should really be making people reconsider the habit this fanbase has going back generations of eating our defensemen alive. It is like it ingrained in the DNA we have to be irrationally shitting on one defensemen at all times.

I am absolutely gobsmacked at how well Holl has played on this road trip. I think he just decided that since the team is missing their top 3 defenceman that he should start to concentrate and focus more on his defensive responsibilities. Doing that has allowed him to make less mistakes and make the easy plays. Let’s hope this is sustainable once Rielly and Brodie come back.

 

[Notsince67]

Pretty sure I heard a comment last night that the leafs are undefeated when Marner Mathews and Nylander scores on the same night. If Mathews can stay in the fold of high production and the rest of the big boys (including Tavares) can stay at a high production clip, there will be a lot of anguish in the rest of the league.

 

[leafsfan5]

A couple of things that stood out about Murray when he was at his best in Pittsburgh were his ability to not let a bad goal against affect him the rest of the game; he'd just shrug it off and focus on the remainder of the game like it never happened. And his ability to be a brick wall after a loss. In the 2016 playoff run, I believe Murray was 6-0 with around a .940 save percentage in games right after a loss.

Not sure how much playing in Ottawa has damaged his psyche, but at his best his hallmark was being ice cold.

He's back to looking like that, it feels like nothing throws him off his game

Best example was against New Jersey a week ago. 3 goals called against, fans are going crazy, New Jersey gets 1 to cut it down to 2-1 with 5 minutes left. The Devils were pressuring hard but he was super calm and held the line

Hopefully he keeps this up!

 

[Zacman]

Everyone, give this post some love. This dude (/dudette) has only 37 posts over more than a decade, and decided to log in at like 1:00 AM to defend a good player.

Post more, @Zacman. You rock.

May have been influenced by a few gins.

Appreciate the analysis by most and all the replies have been spot on.

 

[Kelly]

A couple of things that stood out about Murray when he was at his best in Pittsburgh were his ability to not let a bad goal against affect him the rest of the game; he'd just shrug it off and focus on the remainder of the game like it never happened. And his ability to be a brick wall after a loss. In the 2016 playoff run, I believe Murray was 6-0 with around a .940 save percentage in games right after a loss.

Not sure how much playing in Ottawa has damaged his psyche, but at his best his hallmark was being ice cold.

It's honestly surprising he's isn't in a straight jacket.

 

[Mr_Fun]

With all the injuries right now, without Holl playing as well as he has been, this team is lurking deep in the trenches of Crapsville.

 

[WestCoastLeafs]

We let in an early goal against and then went on to score 4 goals...

For a moment I felt like a Croatian

Too soon

 

[notDatsyuk]

Like you, my last was in '67. Played until my early 20s, then the knees got taken away, and here I thought I was invincible. Don't know where my cards went it was so long ago. Cheers.

Same here. I was lucky enough to see us win four Cups, and I got to play (mainly goal) with many former, one current, and one future (at the time) NHL players.

I have a bottle of 25 year old scotch that I bought in 1992 (do the math) that I will either open when we win it again, or bequeath it to my sons to do the same.

At 70, I'm happy to still play; in an over-45 league, and pickup with a bunch of my son's friends.

Cheers to all us oldies! Hope our dreams, especially of a Cup, come true.

(Sorry - a bit maudlin tonight. Today I was at a funeral of a friend who passed suddenly at 77.)

 

[notDatsyuk]

Does he shoot more playing with JT? Seems like he does.

If you give the puck to JT, he seems to either shoot (and frequently score, especially on the PP) or give it away.

Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who works so hard to get the puck just to throw it away the next second.

I can see the logic of not giving him the puck unless he's in scoring position.

 

[1specter]

And as per usual teams in the division have 2-3 games in hand on the Leafs already

For some weird reason the Bruins always seem to have a bunch of games in hand on everyone in the first half of the season.

 

[notDatsyuk]

While Italian guy us off, there is a point to be made here. Reilly is very good but not great. He plays far too many minutes. We are seeing what positional hockey can do for a team, something Reilly is very bad at. He can skate, pass, carry the puck and even block some shots BUT he also does not recover well.
He may be the Leafs best dman, but not by the large margin many think he is. IMHO.

When everyone's healthy, I would have no problem with keeping Sandin and Lilly together as a second pairing and balancing out the ice time.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The way Justin Holl is playing lately should really be making people reconsider the habit this fanbase has going back generations of eating our defensemen alive. It is like it ingrained in the DNA we have to be irrationally shitting on one defensemen at all times.

Not necessarily 'all times '.

Frequently we take a break from irrationality shitting on our D to irrationality shit on our forwards, or goalies, or coaches, or GM, or ....

 

[Dekes For Days]

Frequently we take a break from irrationality shitting on our D to irrationality shit on our forwards, or goalies, or coaches, or GM, or ....

We sure do...

If you give the puck to JT, he seems to either shoot (and frequently score, especially on the PP) or give it away.
Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who works so hard to get the puck just to throw it away the next second.
I can see the logic of not giving him the puck unless he's in scoring position.

 

[ACC1224]

Not necessarily 'all times '.

Frequently we take a break from irrationality shitting on our D to irrationality shit on our forwards, or goalies, or coaches, or GM, or ....

What makes it irrational?

 

[Sypher04]

When everyone's healthy, I would have no problem with keeping Sandin and Lilly together as a second pairing and balancing out the ice time.

Fully agree. They’ve proven they are ready to take on larger roles and be trusted with more responsibility and we’ll be better for extending the opportunity and letting them gain valuable experience when we inevitably need both in the playoffs.

 

[notDatsyuk]

What makes it irrational?

When it isn't rationed out equally?

 

[ACC1224]

When it isn't rationed out equally?

Shouldn't answer a question with a question, just say you "don't know".

 

[notDatsyuk]

Shouldn't answer a question with a question, just say you "don't know".

Sorry - just having a bit of fun. Didn't realize you were seriously asking.