Pre-Game Talk: Tampa @ Toronto - Game 2 - Thursday

[fahad203]

I really like those practice lines, kind of what I wanted even with Bunting in the lineup. Maybe Lily in for Holl/Schenn. Not sure what the best move in d would be. I didn’t think either Holl or Schenn were good last night.
Hope next game has more 5 on 5 play as I’d like to see more out of Matthews and Marner. Would also REALLY like to see the luck bounce our way for once.

Culprit really should be GIo. He was absolutely done last night
He has been for a while

He gets a pass because he's a home kid took a discount

 

[Mess]

If we see a repeat of last night, then you might see Woll for game 3. Maybe he can be our Cam Ward.

If the Leafs turn to Joseph Woll it would be dripping with irony.

Can you imagine after Dubas goes through his revolving door of failed goaltenders since being appointed GM of ..

Garret Sparks, Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kasimir Kaskisuo, David Rittich, Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren, Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov etc

That he then turns in desperation to Lou Lam's drafted goalie Joseph Woll, whom he took in round #3 after taking Matthews in round #1 to try and save the Leafs season and his own job?

Priceless !!!!

 

[Gallagbi]

If the Leafs turn to Joseph Woll it would be dripping with irony.

Can you imagine after Dubas goes through his revolving door of failed goaltenders since being appointed GM of ..

Garret Sparks, Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kasimir Kaskisuo, David Rittich, Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren, Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov etc

That he then turns in desperation to Lou Lam's drafted goalie Joseph Woll, whom he took in round #3 after taking Matthews in round #1 to try and save the Leafs season and his own job?

View attachment 691844

Priceless !!!!

Weird take.

 

[1specter]

I really like those practice lines, kind of what I wanted even with Bunting in the lineup. Maybe Lily in for Holl/Schenn. Not sure what the best move in d would be. I didn’t think either Holl or Schenn were good last night.
Hope next game has more 5 on 5 play as I’d like to see more out of Matthews and Marner. Would also REALLY like to see the luck bounce our way for once.

Schenn was a +1, wasn't on the ice for any goals against, and overall won his share of minutes, finishing with the top possession and expected goals numbers of the d-men. He didn't have to PK so obviously that makes him look better but still, he played well and wasn't a negative presence. Took one penalty that was a pure BS call.

 

[Pinkcat]

If the Leafs turn to Joseph Woll it would be dripping with irony.

Can you imagine after Dubas goes through his revolving door of failed goaltenders since being appointed GM of ..

Garret Sparks, Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kasimir Kaskisuo, David Rittich, Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren, Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov etc

That he then turns in desperation to Lou Lam's drafted goalie Joseph Woll, whom he took in round #3 after taking Matthews in round #1 to try and save the Leafs season and his own job?

View attachment 691844

Priceless !!!!

I am trying to understand your motivation for this post in the pre-game thread which is being viewed by actual fans of the Leafs.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

If the Leafs turn to Joseph Woll it would be dripping with irony.

Can you imagine after Dubas goes through his revolving door of failed goaltenders since being appointed GM of ..

Garret Sparks, Michael Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kasimir Kaskisuo, David Rittich, Petr Mrazek, Erik Kallgren, Matt Murray, Ilya Samsonov etc

That he then turns in desperation to Lou Lam's drafted goalie Joseph Woll, whom he took in round #3 after taking Matthews in round #1 to try and save the Leafs season and his own job?

View attachment 691844

Priceless !!!!

Seriously are you even a Leaf fan?

 

[IPS]

I really like those practice lines, kind of what I wanted even with Bunting in the lineup. Maybe Lily in for Holl/Schenn. Not sure what the best move in d would be. I didn’t think either Holl or Schenn were good last night.
Hope next game has more 5 on 5 play as I’d like to see more out of Matthews and Marner. Would also REALLY like to see the luck bounce our way for once.

Lilly replacing the guy was on the ice for 6 GA seems like the logical move.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Weird take.

That is Mess for you.

Seriously are you even a Leaf fan?

Let me answer this for you. No.

 

[IPS]

Seriously are you even a Leaf fan?

He's a fan of his own opinions that pertain to the Leafs - does that count?

 

[TMLAM34]

Basically a must win game. Let’s hope they don’t disappoint yet again.

 

[BTP]

How you do not change the defense at all? Wtf is this shit

It was 1 game. And most goals against were on the PP. They've been good all year. Give them a chance to rebound.

 

[TMLegend]

I'd be shocked if they don't win. They tend to have their best games after having an absolute stinker before.

 

[1specter]

It was 1 game. And most goals against were on the PP. They've been good all year. Give them a chance to rebound.

It's one game yet the lines have been completely rearranged (I'm aware Bunting being out is a factor but Keefe's changed the complete structure rather than just filling the empty spot) up front.

The D has been good, and that's been with 67 games of Liljegren. If he doesn't draw in after a bad loss, then when does he? He is better than injury fodder.

 

[BTP]

Positives:

- We played like absolute horse shit, still got 3 by Vasi.
- Powerplay got 2 goals, thats a good sign.
- Bunting isn't here to take stupid penalties.
- After a beatdown we typically bounce back and go on a good streak.

Lets see what we got. GLG

 

[1specter]

If they drop this one with Tampa missing all these guys this team should be exiled from the city permanently in a Game of Thrones style walk of shame.

 

[BayStBullies]

Happy we're moving to 3 scoring lines with a 34/91/90 all in the middle. Makes us much more difficult to line match.

Has there been any updates on Hedman/Cernak?

No one has to line match against the Leafs. Keefe will just screw himself.

 

[Dekes For Days]

If they drop this one with Tampa missing all these guys this team should be exiled from the city permanently in a Game of Thrones style walk of shame.

I don't think Cole is injured, and I bet Cernak is back for next game. They're just doing the ol' leave him out of practice so Bunting gets a bigger suspension ploy.

 

[Mess]

Tavares-RoR-Nylander worked pretty well, so of course they're broken up. The defense was a mess, so of course they're going with the same. It's not like Tampa was relying on an inexperienced defense group all game and handled the Leafs comfortably

Even in a game where most of the goals against came on the PP the Tavares --ROR -- Nylander line still managed to come out of the night a -2 +/-

That is why they're being broken up, because ROR attempting to shield JT defensively didn't work.

PS. Both ROR and Willy's goals came on the PP and not 5v5.

 

[1specter]

If 11/7 is Keefe's master plan we are truly f***ed.

 

[LeafSteel]

I cannot understand this insistence with putting Matthews and Marner, while keeping Tavares and Nylander.

Both pairings are trying to force a circle into a square.

Matthews and Marner get too cutesy putesy together everytime they play 5 on 5, and it makes them entirely predictable. Over-passing, turnovers, soft, and easy to defend. There is no damn room in playoff hockey for any of that crap. They render each other useless. Our season turned partly when Keefe finally broke them up.

Tavares and Nylander just don't work together. They don't compliment each others play and strengths. I see them run into each other as much as I see them do anything that looks threatening on offence. Nylander always ups his game and is a better fit with Matthews, and Tavares with Marner just plain works.

Again, until the cows come home:

Nylander-Matthews-Jarnkrok = these guys just fit together. Jarnkrok scores with Matthews, and Matthews and Nylander give each other space. This is a well balanced line with players who have proven to play well together and be effective on both sides of the ice. Simply put, both Jarnkrok and Nylander raise their games with Matthews.

Knies-Tavares-Marner = Knies and Tavares drive possession, keep it in Tampa's zone, move it around, and give Marner space to find sweet spots to snipe or make All World passes. They will feast on easier matchups that our depth should present, provided Keefe figures out how to match lines.

Bunting/Kerfoot-O'Rielly-Acciari = shut down line that is miserable to play against, that takes the body, and is more than capable of putting up points. If/when Bunting comes back, O'Rielly is the guy he needs to emulate. If he can't figure it out, Kerfoot's effort and hustle will suffice.

ZAR-Kampf-Lafferty = they had a good thing going at the end of the season. It's on Keefe to ensure that they are matched up properly. You simply can't have them up against Tampa's top 2 lines.

We have the players, but it's on the coach to put things together, and sadly we are counting on Keefe to do 2 things that he hasn't shown any capability to do yet:
1 - put the right roster together on the ice
2 - line match that let's us dictate how we are going to play, as opposed to trying to keep up what Tampa is doing instead.

Putting 3 lines let's us exploit our superior depth and makes it harder to defend against us. Instead, we have these decisions made that ultimately cost us the game before it even starts.

So incredibly frustrating and to be honest, if we are eliminated and Keefe is still the coach, I just don't think I can care about this Team like I have for the past 50 years. It's maddening.

Anyways, bring on Game 2, smarten the phuck up, and shove it down Tampa's throat!!!

GO LEAFS GO!!!

 

[Buds17]

I can understand the rationale of making any personnel/lineup change coming off of any loss in a playoff series. However, we'll ultimately need many of the mainstays to fare better, while also having the PK be on the ice for a shorter duration in comparison to last night's tilt.

 

[leafsfan5]

If we legitimately lose this series with Tampa having Hedman/Cernak both compromised I quit

 

[LeafSteel]

Culprit really should be GIo. He was absolutely done last night
He has been for a while

He gets a pass because he's a home kid took a discount

I've been saying this for a while. We should not be counting on a 39 year old Giordano for anything past this season.

Part of the reason why I was dumbfounded by trading Sandin, as he could have been our 3LHD, but that does still leave us Brodie who can play LHD if we ever get a true Top 4RHD.

Just a bad game for everyone, from top to bottom. Hopefully they shake it off and play the way they can in Game 2.

 

[ACC1224]

I cannot understand this insistence with putting Matthews and Marner, while keeping Tavares and Nylander.

Both pairings are trying to force a circle into a square.

Matthews and Marner get too cutesy putesy together everytime they play 5 on 5, and it makes them entirely predictable. Over-passing, turnovers, soft, and easy to defend. There is no damn room in playoff hockey for any of that crap. They render each other useless. Our season turned partly when Keefe finally broke them up.

Tavares and Nylander just don't work together. They don't compliment each others play and strengths. I see them run into each other as much as I see them do anything that looks threatening on offence. Nylander always ups his game and is a better fit with Matthews, and Tavares with Marner just plain works.

Again, until the cows come home:

Nylander-Matthews-Jarnkrok = these guys just fit together. Jarnkrok scores with Matthews, and Matthews and Nylander give each other space. This is a well balanced line with players who have proven to play well together and be effective on both sides of the ice. Simply put, both Jarnkrok and Nylander raise their games with Matthews.

Knies-Tavares-Marner = Knies and Tavares drive possession, keep it in Tampa's zone, move it around, and give Marner space to find sweet spots to snipe or make All World passes. They will feast on easier matchups that our depth should present, provided Keefe figures out how to match lines.

Bunting/Kerfoot-O'Rielly-Acciari = shut down line that is miserable to play against, that takes the body, and is more than capable of putting up points. If/when Bunting comes back, O'Rielly is the guy he needs to emulate. If he can't figure it out, Kerfoot's effort and hustle will suffice.

ZAR-Kampf-Lafferty = they had a good thing going at the end of the season. It's on Keefe to ensure that they are matched up properly. You simply can't have them up against Tampa's top 2 lines.

We have the players, but it's on the coach to put things together, and sadly we are counting on Keefe to do 2 things that he hasn't shown any capability to do yet:
1 - put the right roster together on the ice
2 - line match that let's us dictate how we are going to play, as opposed to trying to keep up what Tampa is doing instead.

Putting 3 lines let's us exploit our superior depth and makes it harder to defend against us. Instead, we have these decisions made that ultimately cost us the game before it even starts.

So incredibly frustrating and to be honest, if we are eliminated and Keefe is still the coach, I just don't think I can care about this Team like I have for the past 50 years. It's maddening.

Anyways, bring on Game 2, smarten the phuck up, and shove it down Tampa's throat!!!

GO LEAFS GO!!!

IMO, there is zero chance Keefe survives if they lose this series.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

I don't think Cole is injured, and I bet Cernak is back for next game. They're just doing the ol' leave him out of practice so Bunting gets a bigger suspension ploy.

Cernak was hurt BEFORE Bunting skulled him, and couldn't skate off under his own power. Knowing what we know now about head injuries. I would be shocked if he played Thursday.