Pre-Game Talk: Maple Leafs @ Islanders | Tomorrow at 7pm

Status
Not open for further replies.

MattySnipes

Registered User
Jan 26, 2018
12,457
12,447
'Mecca' of Hockey
Good chance for the Leafs to audition for Tavares, to show him how competitive the Leafs are in hopes he likes what he sees should he become a UFA this summer.

Isles are my Brother's favourite team so its always a fun family rivalry when these 2 teams meet.
Ya think your bro would switch sides if JT came over?
 

Daisy Jane

everything is gonna be okay!
Jul 2, 2009
70,212
9,189
Well, i think at this point you put people in uncomfortable situations rather than comfortable ones to see how they react and to help them improve. Are they able to overcome the situation, etc.

I don't mind it, and I think it is a part of the Babcock way of always challenging his players. I think we are at a point in the season where the win doesn't matter as much as having the players ready for the playoffs.

agreed. learn how to play in all situations. we'll be better for it
 

ShaneFalco

Registered User
Jul 15, 2012
21,414
15,770
London, On
I can't say that I am overly excited about Komarov's return on Saturday. I know it's inevitable, but I'm not a fan of his this season. Thankfully he'll be gone after this season, or at least I hope so.
I can see giving him the first game or two, but he isn’t effective I doubt there’s a change
 

ToneDog

56 years and counting. #FireTheShanaClan!
Jun 11, 2017
23,349
21,364
Richmond Hill, ON
more like opportunistic goals. He barely generated anything. Almost anything he touched went in.

Luck has a big impact on hockey.

Matthews line generated way more chances + matthews hit the post

The guy just came back from an injury and I am not comparing him to Matty. The key was his emotion and desire to win. It is a good sign for the Sabres IMO.
 

Zizzzzy

Registered User
Dec 6, 2017
2,005
1,484
Am I wrong to say Johnsson has just been...okay?

I don't feel like he's run away with a spot. Much like Kap, he's probably going to have to yoyo a bit until we move some vets.

Maybe.... but that 4th line has been so good the past few games and it wasn't all Kap
 

Hockey Crazy

Registered User
Dec 30, 2008
2,942
2,071
I'm not saying th
We don’t need points from our 4th line.

Johnsson-Plekanec-Kapanen have been excellent at maintaining possession and keeping the puck out of our net and in the opposing zone. While that hasn’t translated into the offense we’d like, it will eventually.

Komarov gets SHELLED at 5v5. He has the worst CF% and xGF% among our forwards by quite a bit.

Komarov is a warrior, and a solid PK guy, but Johnsson on the 4th line gives us a better chance to win.
at I disagree that Komarov is not our best option, but throwing CF and xGF without context is misleading. Komarov likely gets the very toughest minutes on the whole team so it's all relative. This is why Kadri is a better player for us on the road... no line matching. I'd be curious to see how Komarov fares in road games
 

Peiskos

Registered User
Jan 4, 2018
3,665
3,614
I think Eichel would look a lot better had we drafted him. Marner is fantastic but I don't think there is GM in the league who would take Marner over Eichel is cost isn't a factor. That's not a slight on Marner either, just centers like Eichel are very hard to come by.

Of course, its just like how not one GM in the league would take Laine over Matthews. Legitimate #1 centres are hard to come by and will always be more valuable than wingers, took Leafs nearly 10 years to replace Sundin.
 

Cor

I am a bot
Jun 24, 2012
69,648
35,246
AEF
I'm not saying th

at I disagree that Komarov is not our best option, but throwing CF and xGF without context is misleading. Komarov likely gets the very toughest minutes on the whole team so it's all relative. This is why Kadri is a better player for us on the road... no line matching. I'd be curious to see how Komarov fares in road games

For CF%, Kadri and Marleau hover around 49%. Komarov is at 45%

xGF% is a lot closer, but Komarov is still 1-1.5% lower than the other two.
 

IBeL34f

Lilly-grin
Jun 3, 2010
8,226
2,649
Toronto
Maybe.... but that 4th line has been so good the past few games and it wasn't all Kap
I think Johnsson's been making things really interesting for Babcock, and I think Babs has been loving it. He's playing Johnsson on the 4th line, but giving him lots of opportunities to shine (playing with Matthews and Nylander when Hyman was in the box last night / playing on the PP with Matthews and Nylander) and I've thought he's been a revelation on the 4th line - They've been dominating at times, and a huge part of that is the speed and tenacity of both Johnsson and Kapanen, they're absolute puck-hounds. If the real Plekanec shows up at some point, or if we keep them together with a better Center next year (Nylander, perhaps?) they could be really interesting as they develop.

While I won't be surprised if we see Leo back in, I also wouldn't be surprised if Johnsson's already stolen that spot with his efforts so far.
 

Martin Skoula

Registered User
Oct 18, 2017
11,639
16,315
The only one I'd want to see Komarov replace is Plekanec. And even then it would be on a rotational basis.
 

Liferleafer

TSN Scrum Lurker
Feb 9, 2011
39,848
13,005
Just gonna put this here....
20180329_222329.png
 

FlareKnight

Registered User
Jun 26, 2006
19,822
1,707
Alberta
It's a strange time. Honestly the most important thing is staying healthy and playing well. You don't want to be sliding into the post-season.

But this will be a game where we don't have to in any way look behind us. Not that we really needed to. Florida wasn't much of a legitimate threat the past few weeks. Just a potential one.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->