Series Talk: Toronto vs Boston - Round #1 - PGDT

[Dekes For Days]

He did none of that. The easiest play would have to rub him out not crush just play the man.

Well, he clearly did some of that. You even said he did some of that. I don't know his positioning because you are describing a singular event that means nothing from a random game, but he at the very least pushed the player back behind his net and allowed the team to change. You said that the puck is passed past Brown after that, which means the Minny player is still behind him, which means it is at most a 4 on 4 towards our zone, with fresh players out.

Maybe if they just dump it in and all 5 players go off at the same time, the puck is scooped up and zinged down the ice for a quick breakaway. Maybe Brown goes for the hit, the defenseman gets by him, and now they have a 5 on 4 with Brown behind the play playing catch up at the end of a shift. Maybe they pass it back to try and keep control, and the opposing forwards press during the change and get a great chance.

Hockey is fluid. There isn't one and only one correct answer to a situation. Hitting is not always the right answer, especially for a team with our specific strengths, in meaningless games.

It’s not random. It was a major discussion all season and came to a head in the “stick check” conversation on HNIC. It’s pretty much their DNA.

It's random because you're attributing a whole bunch of stuff to that action that you have no proof or evidence of. You're just making a bunch of assumptions about what he was trying to do and what he accomplished, and you're attributing the negative outcome to specifically that action when that is not at all clear.

Whether or not we do it is irrelevant. You're coming to conclusions about it based on your own assumptions, and apparently some conversation at some point on HNIC.

 

[thewave]

OK so Leafs need to play shinny

Boston is going to try to run the Leafs into the boards, clog the middle, skate at and not with the Leafs, alternate between 5 hole and top of shoulder on Freddy and for all of this Leafs need to be ready

The three ingredients of the Leafs are speed, speed and speed. they need to get going- short passes out of the zone and skate, they need to practice breakout plays. They need to generate breakaways and 2 on 1's, as cycling game not really their thing when Boston is just going to crosscheck them and take the puck. Maybe put a flack-jacket on our young stars, given that Boston will try to cause them injury? As I see it, that's the skinny

But the Leafs need to do their skill thing- they are not a grinding team, they are a 4 line Ultra Light Pale Imitation Soviet Red Army Team meets Harlem Globetrotters on Ice kind of team and the Leafs need to be emotionally calm and steady.

They aren't even small. You're right though, the bolded for sure. The key will be taking away time and space IMHO and that will require them to use their body somewhat. Our team is actually bigger, just reluctant.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Well, he clearly did some of that. You even said he did some of that. I don't know his positioning because you are describing a singular event that means nothing from a random game, but he at the very least pushed the player back behind his net and allowed the team to change. You said that the puck is passed past Brown after that, which means the Minny player is still behind him, which means it is at most a 4 on 4 towards our zone, with fresh players out.

Maybe if they just dump it in and all 5 players go off at the same time, the puck is scooped up and zinged down the ice for a quick breakaway. Maybe Brown goes for the hit, the defenseman gets by him, and now they have a 5 on 4 with Brown behind the play playing catch up at the end of a shift. Maybe they pass it back to try and keep control, and the opposing forwards press during the change and get a great chance.

This was pretty much exactly what I was thinking. I don't think the downside is that bad, he could probably hold up his guy enough to not be behind, and a line change should still be possible given that he'd be covering the #5 guy. However, everyone changing at the same time is generally a really bad idea for just the reasons you mentioned.

One of my pet peeves with NA hockey is how willing teams are to just hand over possession. Dump-ins with half-assed attempts to win the puck back being one example. Manage the puck. I think one of the reasons why Nylander always seem to push shot metrics is because he likes to circle back and give people time to change, so that the next line can actually attack with the puck rather than work to get it back first. You rarely see the forward circling back pressured so much that it's a real risk of dangerous turnovers at that point, not with both d-men to back him up.

 

[AreBe]

but we gotta get physical and adjust to them LMAO

Backes isnt even gonna start game 1.

We better be the shinny playing faster team

If we don't win the Stanley Cup at least we didn't trade a bunch of Euros to still not win the Stanley cup. Always remember the stupidity of All In realizing that then your future is done.

Note that Bettman will not set up the NHL for bankruptcy through Post Concussion Syndrome litigation - as Cox wrote in a feel- good story in support of a thinking person's hockey:

This is not the narrative some wish to hear, those who yearn for the days when teams carried two enforcers and worry themselves into a tizzy over the absence of “emotion” in the game. There’s only an absence of emotion in the NHL game today if you believe it can only be expressed through penalties, fights and chasing down any opposing player who dares bodycheck one of your teammates.
We hear this stuff endlessly and it’s just not true. Sadly, we’re going to hear more of it in the coming weeks.

Why the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is as good as it gets | The Star thankfully, Rock'em sock'em is just some Good Canadian Kid's dream

Don't despair, this is always next year and the Leafs have a very good core of players that were wisely not traded away - Can you believe it? - and are grabbing that Windows 95 office suite and using it, are not trading 90x for 80x, are paying players for what they will be tomorrow and not for what they were yesterday, and are building the team for tomorrow's and not yesterday's NHL. We're in 1600's Venice- this is the rise of the Renascence and the rise of the Age of Reason in Leafs management, Honesty - so what- so what if we lose this year? Whit the age of reason upon us, the next few years should be fun!

 

[Dekes For Days]

OMG. One team was spitting blood and teeth, punishing themselves and their opponents all year long and got screwed by a ref. This team is busy trying to be lazy with stretch passes and is busy stick checking(lol) and doing flyby passes on plays.

Lol. That is not at all an accurate representation of either team.

It seems like you're remembering the playoffs of one team in their best year through rose coloured glasses, while comparing it to the regular season of a team in the 1st year of their window through a blindfold.

Also ignores how the league has changed over the past couple decades.

 

[Eye of Ra]

why not bring up borgman. he can bring some needed physcality.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

why not bring up borgman. he can bring some needed physcality.

They used their last spot on Hutch. Only can call up now in case of emergency which would be NHL approved emergency.

 

[Suntouchable13]

He subtracted Komarov, Polak, JVR and Martin

Yea, so? None of them are difference makers. All of them are mediocre players. Good riddance.

 

[stickty111]

 

[Duffman955]

Yea, so? None of them are difference makers. All of them are mediocre players. Good riddance.

A 36 goal scorer is not a difference maker. Good to know you talk more out your ass

 

[Menzinger]

I expect the usual suspects around here to completely ignore this

 

[Mess]

Not a lot people on sports stations are giving the Leafs much chance..

Watched the TSN playoff pool and they stocked up on Bruins players and nobody took JT or Auston or Marner.

Vegas oddsmakers have TB #1 and Boston #2 as the best Stanley Cup odds.

 

[stickty111]

I expect the usual suspects around here to completely ignore this

They won't like it because its true.

 

[Nineteen67]

but we gotta get physical and adjust to them LMAO

Backes isnt even gonna start game 1.

Backes is just too slow.

 

[Suntouchable13]

A 36 goal scorer is not a difference maker. Good to know you talk more out your ass

At 7M he would be a liability for us at the moment. There is a thing called "salary cap".

 

[Babcocks Marner]

It's going to be a close.
I think the hotter goalie wins the series.

 

[Nithoniniel]

It's going to be a close.
I think the hotter goalie wins the series.

The advantage the Bruins have is that if Rask doesn't cut it, they can change to a better goalie in Halak. If Andersen struggles, we're screwed.

 

[Nineteen67]

Well, he clearly did some of that. You even said he did some of that. I don't know his positioning because you are describing a singular event that means nothing from a random game, but he at the very least pushed the player back behind his net and allowed the team to change. You said that the puck is passed past Brown after that, which means the Minny player is still behind him, which means it is at most a 4 on 4 towards our zone, with fresh players out.

Maybe if they just dump it in and all 5 players go off at the same time, the puck is scooped up and zinged down the ice for a quick breakaway. Maybe Brown goes for the hit, the defenseman gets by him, and now they have a 5 on 4 with Brown behind the play playing catch up at the end of a shift. Maybe they pass it back to try and keep control, and the opposing forwards press during the change and get a great chance.

Hockey is fluid. There isn't one and only one correct answer to a situation. Hitting is not always the right answer, especially for a team with our specific strengths, in meaningless games.


It's random because you're attributing a whole bunch of stuff to that action that you have no proof or evidence of. You're just making a bunch of assumptions about what he was trying to do and what he accomplished, and you're attributing the negative outcome to specifically that action when that is not at all clear.

Whether or not we do it is irrelevant. You're coming to conclusions about it based on your own assumptions, and apparently some conversation at some point on HNIC.

Did you watch any of the season?

 

[Gary Nylund]

Not a lot people on sports stations are giving the Leafs much chance..

Watched the TSN playoff pool and they stocked up on Bruins players and nobody took JT or Auston or Marner.

Vegas oddsmakers have TB #1 and Boston #2 as the best Stanley Cup odds.

Are those the same guys that had TB #1 and the Leafs #2 at the start of the season? I guess they think we got worse by trading for Muzzin, oh well.

The advantage the Bruins have is that if Rask doesn't cut it, they can change to a better goalie in Halak. If Andersen struggles, we're screwed.

So true.

 

[Babcocks Marner]

The advantage the Bruins have is that if Rask doesn't cut it, they can change to a better goalie in Halak. If Andersen struggles, we're screwed.

Yea, pretty much. He is a streaky tender, here's to hoping he gets hot

 

[Martin Skoula]

He subtracted Komarov, Polak, JVR and Martin

How exactly is letting FAs walk subtracting them? We could not afford them, nor is there any guarantee that they wanted to come back at a fair price. Martin was the only subtraction and he was in the pressbox already as it was.

 

[Mess]

Backes is just too slow.

Leafs rely of speed to try and gain an advantage, so it makes sense that the opposition game plan will be to plan for it and also disrupt it.

Leafs don't have any physical players so someone like Backes isn't really needed at this point, but they might prefer to dress someone like Chris Wagner who is younger, faster but also a big hitter top 12 in the NHL with 247 hits on the season that will be dishing out the physical component in his place.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Did you watch any of the season?

Yep. Every minute of every Leaf game, and a bunch of other games too.

Nice response.

 

[thewave]

Did you watch any of the season?

That's what I am curious about. I have family that's seen cups in the 50s and 60s who don't miss a game telling me they flip back and forth because it's been so bad. Hockey guys, real deal hockey guys lol.

I don't knowwww

 

[thewave]

Yep. Every minute of every Leaf game, and a bunch of other games too.

Nice response.

Oh so you are playing PUBG while you watch the game. Cool