Pre-Game Talk: Sharks @ Toronto January 4th

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Suntouchable13

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Dec 20, 2003
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we've been playing pretty far below our potential as a team for a while now, and we started piling up losses. this would be a good game to turn things around

I think the next 2 games are games that they have to win. Fans have been defending them saying how hard their schedule has been in December. Well, it's getting a tad easier now. Have to show something. What will be the next excuse if they don't start winning now?
 

Daisy Jane

everything is gonna be okay!
Jul 2, 2009
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I think the next 2 games are games that they have to win. Fans have been defending them saying how hard their schedule has been in December. Well, it's getting a tad easier now. Have to show something. What will be the next excuse if they don't start winning now?

why would there be an excuse?
 

MJ65

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Jul 12, 2009
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We need to start winning and go on some kind of winning streak (4 -5 games) or at least a point in next 5 - 6 games
 

Suntouchable13

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Dec 20, 2003
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why would there be an excuse?

What do you mean? People have been saying how tough the schedule has been as an excuse for their struggles last 10 games or so. If they don't start winning, what will people say? I think this is still a young team that has lots of room to grow. Don't think they are a great team yet. Possibly needs to get better vets as well.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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I think the next 2 games are games that they have to win. Fans have been defending them saying how hard their schedule has been in December. Well, it's getting a tad easier now. Have to show something. What will be the next excuse if they don't start winning now?
Agreed. We played our way down to a 96 point pace. It's inexcusable if we let that get worse
 

FlareKnight

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Jun 26, 2006
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I'm just hoping they can bring a good effort and get a win. Need to keep banking the points no matter who it is against.
 

IPS

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Agreed. We played our way down to a 96 point pace. It's inexcusable if we let that get worse
Roster-wise this team is far better than last year. Especially with Rielly finally breaking out. Yet here we are on about the same pace half way through the season :shakehead
 

rent free

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Apr 6, 2015
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they wont win. its false opiomism. we haven't beaten this team in 7 years and have lost 10 straight and 14 of last 15 vs these guys.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Roster-wise this team is far better than last year. Especially with Rielly finally breaking out. Yet here we are on about the same pace half way through the season :shakehead
Definitely. Not only the vastly improved roster but our start to the season was miles better. We don't compete like last year and it's obvious we should be better than where we are

We were like 2-7 in our 9 games in October last year, and 7-2 in our first 9 games in October this year. How we ended up at the same place honestly mystifies me. I don't even want to think about where we'd be if we didn't get Godlike goaltending for that long stretch
 
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Daisy Jane

everything is gonna be okay!
Jul 2, 2009
70,212
9,189
What do you mean? People have been saying how tough the schedule has been as an excuse for their struggles last 10 games or so. If they don't start winning, what will people say? I think this is still a young team that has lots of room to grow. Don't think they are a great team yet. Possibly needs to get better vets as well.

no.
why would there be an excuse if they lose the next two games? they would have lost them.

that's fine that it's still a a young team that have lots of room to grow,, but they are also really good and had a tough patch. I personally don't think citing said reasons for the tough patch as an excuse, but if they lost the next two games, why would there be one?
 
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Thread The Needle

I have no strong feelings one way or the other.
Nov 28, 2016
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we've been playing pretty far below our potential as a team for a while now, and we started piling up losses. this would be a good game to turn things around
Agreed, the team has looked out of sync pretty much the entire season. We can only ever seem to get half the players going at a time and play half a game at a time.
 

Blanche Blanche

Torontoooooo
Dec 2, 2017
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I'm just hoping they can bring a good effort and get a win. Need to keep banking the points no matter who it is against.

After playing well vs TB, they better find SJ to be a walk in the damn park.

No more snoozing and coming from behind. We need to score first and fast
 

ToneDog

56 years and counting. #FireTheShanaClan!
Jun 11, 2017
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Definitely. Not only the vastly improved roster but our start to the season was miles better. We don't compete like last year and it's obvious we should be better than where we are

We were like 2-7 in our 9 games in October last year, and 7-2 in our first 9 games in October this year. How we ended up at the same place honestly mystifies me. I don't even want to think about where we'd be if we didn't get Godlike goaltending for that long stretch

Injuries and lack of goals from Bozzie, Mitch, Nylander, and Leo are reasons.
 

BertCorbeau

F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
Jan 6, 2012
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Definitely. Not only the vastly improved roster but our start to the season was miles better. We don't compete like last year and it's obvious we should be better than where we are

We were like 2-7 in our 9 games in October last year, and 7-2 in our first 9 games in October this year. How we ended up at the same place honestly mystifies me. I don't even want to think about where we'd be if we didn't get Godlike goaltending for that long stretch

It's not mystifying at all .. The team was playing shoddy defense (plus bad goaltending) while scoring at an unsustainable rate. In trying to adjust their defensive play they lost their best scorer for a bit and the offense dried up with two of the major catalysts that are young players (Marner/Nylander) struggling.

If you think this team is in the top-tier category of the league you need to get your expectations in check. The Leafs were a bubble team that squeaked in with career years from Bozak and Kadri with unprecedented contributions from the rookies. It's unreasonable to ask all of those players to repeat their performances. Plus there is disregard for decline in other players level of play.

On top of that the only major additions were Marleau and Hainsey. They are helpful additions but not "put your team over the top and into the elite category" additions. Marleau has help maintain the Leafs elite offensive status despite Marner/Nylander's slumps, and Hainsey has helped the d-core a fair bit.

The end result is a team that should be a bit better than last year and therefore not have to rely on the second last game of the season to clinch a playoff spot. And that is where they are at. They're not contenders yet.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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It's not mystifying at all .. The team was playing shoddy defense (plus bad goaltending) while scoring at an unsustainable rate. In trying to adjust their defensive play they lost their best scorer for a bit and the offense dried up with two of the major catalysts that are young players (Marner/Nylander) struggling.

If you think this team is in the top-tier category of the league you need to get your expectations in check. The Leafs were a bubble team that squeaked in with career years from Bozak and Kadri with unprecedented contributions from the rookies. It's unreasonable to ask all of those players to repeat their performances. Plus there is disregard for decline in other players level of play.

On top of that the only major additions were Marleau and Hainsey. They are helpful additions but not "put your team over the top and into the elite category" additions. Marleau has help maintain the Leafs elite offensive status despite Marner/Nylander's slumps, and Hainsey has helped the d-core a fair bit.

The end result is a team that should be a bit better than last year and therefore not have to rely on the second last game of the season to clinch a playoff spot. And that is where they are at. They're not contenders yet.
I don't buy this at all. Bozak and Kadri technically had career years, but it's not like it was very far away from their regular performances. It was unprecedented rookie contributions because teams don't usually add rookies like Matthews + Nylander + Marner + Brown all at the same time. We absolutely have the talent to be farther ahead than where we currently are
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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Injuries and lack of goals from Bozzie, Mitch, Nylander, and Leo are reasons.
Gardiner, Bozak, Komarov all fell off in a big way. Matthews, Kadri, Marner, Nylander, JVR, Andersen, Rielly, Hyman, and Brown are all about as good or better. Plus we added Marleau, Hainsey, and Borgman. We should easily be ahead
 

BertCorbeau

F*ck cancer - RIP Fugu and Buffaloed
Jan 6, 2012
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Simcoe County
I don't buy this at all. Bozak and Kadri technically had career years, but it's not like it was very far away from their regular performances. It was unprecedented rookie contributions because teams don't usually add rookies like Matthews + Nylander + Marner + Brown all at the same time. We absolutely have the talent to be farther ahead than where we currently are

Except that development of young players isn't linear. The team is on the same pace despite the fact that Marner and Nylander were struggling more than they were last year, at a similar time no less, and more recently Brown has been struggling.

If Marner and Nylander had been rolling like they had been last year throughout this season, the Leafs would easily be in a better spot.
 

ToneDog

56 years and counting. #FireTheShanaClan!
Jun 11, 2017
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I don't buy this at all. Bozak and Kadri technically had career years, but it's not like it was very far away from their regular performances. It was unprecedented rookie contributions because teams don't usually add rookies like Matthews + Nylander + Marner + Brown all at the same time. We absolutely have the talent to be farther ahead than where we currently are

We do yet we are not. This team is a middle of the road team without Matthews (apologies to Mitch and Willie but they are not difference makers yet) and he has missed 10 games. I gotta think that has something to do with it.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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Except that development of young players isn't linear. The team is on the same pace despite the fact that Marner and Nylander were struggling more than they were last year, at a similar time no less, and more recently Brown has been struggling.

If Marner and Nylander had been rolling like they had been last year throughout this season, the Leafs would easily be in a better spot.
Marner and Nylander have been pretty much the same as last year at this point tbh. Matthews has been way better
And yeah development isn't linear, but it should be. If Babcock didn't jerk them around the lineup and give them fewer minutes than Komarov and Hyman, who's to say where they'd be?
 

Kiwi

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Mar 5, 2016
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Injuries and lack of goals from Bozzie, Mitch, Nylander, and Leo are reasons.

Gardiner playing like a moron isn't exactly helping matters

Polak getting regular minutes, Carrick regressing and Marincin being sub replacement level quality don't exactly help either
 

Coachcorner

Senor Martinez
Sep 28, 2017
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Damn brah, this gon be a tough one. A real tough cookie for surely. Imagine what kind of thangs papa Marleau might do in this one? :clap: That classy act.

We need special teams real strong on this one, then we might beat these suckas hard.
 
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Not sure what to expect from this team on any given night - but if it's anything like the Tampa game they'll have a chance to win.
 

ECanuck

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Jan 7, 2010
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Man we are stuck in a rut. Right now I would remind the boys about making the playoffs. Having to win some games you know what I mean? Time to walk the tough road again. Last year they were lions towards the end of the season. They'll be alright.
Majingilane-three.jpg
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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Gardiner playing like a moron isn't exactly helping matters

Polak getting regular minutes, Carrick regressing and Marincin being sub replacement level quality don't exactly help either
by now you have to wonder if Gardiner is playing like a moron, or if he actually is way too limited mentally to be an effective player going forward
 
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