⭐2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Discussion Thread⭐

[Warden of the North]

We are facing Boston in the playoffs and we are currently 1-3

That's the only thing that matters right now

Good thing you werent around for the Battle of Ontario

 

[LeafsNation75]

Good thing you werent around for the Battle of Ontario

Remember during the 2001 season Toronto lost all 5 regular season games to Ottawa and went onto sweep them 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

 

[Warden of the North]

Remember during the 2001 season Toronto lost all 5 regular season games to Ottawa and went onto sweep them 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Vividly. It was glorious

 

[Buds17]

We are facing Boston in the playoffs and we are currently 1-3

That's the only thing that matters right now

So, it'll be last regular season and playoffs in reverse then?

 

[Gabriel426]

So, it'll be last regular season and playoffs in reverse then?

Yeah, pretty much since we were like 4-1 against them last regular season.

 

[Buds17]

Yeah, pretty much since we were like 4-1 against them last regular season.

If the regular season could always reveal how things would play out, there'd be no need for playoffs. It'll be a fresh start for the Leafs this time around if the first round opponent does end up being Boston again. Still a ways away at this point though.

 

[Stephen]

Even if Toronto plays Boston again, we have to stop talking about Boston. They're not a complete team and they likely aren't any more of a cup favorite than we are. They match up well against us, have that veteran presence they use against us and have this seemingly intimidating history against us, but to really do anything in the playoffs, Toronto has to "punch through the target" as it were. Don't let this above average team get into your head! Play to your strengths, look to steamroll them and move on.

 

[ToneDog]

Even if Toronto plays Boston again, we have to stop talking about Boston. They're not a complete team and they likely aren't any more of a cup favorite than we are. They match up well against us, have that veteran presence they use against us and have this seemingly intimidating history against us, but to really do anything in the playoffs, Toronto has to "punch through the target" as it were. Don't let this above average team get into your head! Play to your strengths, look to steamroll them and move on.

The Bruins are a better version of the AVs. Yes they are beatable if the Leafs don't take too many penalties and don't make too many bonehead plays. We also need to wait to see what our D looks like at the TDL.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Vividly. It was glorious

I remember like it was yesterday.

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[1specter]

Even if Toronto plays Boston again, we have to stop talking about Boston. They're not a complete team and they likely aren't any more of a cup favorite than we are. They match up well against us, have that veteran presence they use against us and have this seemingly intimidating history against us, but to really do anything in the playoffs, Toronto has to "punch through the target" as it were. Don't let this above average team get into your head! Play to your strengths, look to steamroll them and move on.

Boston isn't getting the cup with one line. Even if they beat us again, Tampa still steamrolls them.

 

[Duffman955]

Good thing you werent around for the Battle of Ontario

This team doesn't have a Roberts, Tucker or Domi.

Those guys made a huge difference in the playoffs

Boston is the one with those elements

 

[ACC1224]

Any predictions on when the Leafs make their first move? All Star break?

 

[Trapper]

Even if Toronto plays Boston again, we have to stop talking about Boston. They're not a complete team and they likely aren't any more of a cup favorite than we are. They match up well against us, have that veteran presence they use against us and have this seemingly intimidating history against us, but to really do anything in the playoffs, Toronto has to "punch through the target" as it were. Don't let this above average team get into your head! Play to your strengths, look to steamroll them and move on.

They don't have to be a Cup favorite. They just have to beat your team to bring it all to an end. It doesn't really matter to us what they do after.
The playoffs are a bunch of little sample sizes mixed in one great sample size.
If you want to win 4 rounds/possible 28 games, you have to be able to play various styles. Boston ends because their style doesn't match up against the next opponent who has their style plus another.

 

[zeke]

This team doesn't have a Roberts, Tucker or Domi.

Those guys made a huge difference in the playoffs

Boston is the one with those elements

Domi cost us the NJ series with his idiocy. That's about the biggest difference he made in the playoffs.

Tucker was an absolute playoff choker.


Roberts was awesome, though. But that awsomenes was because he somehow turned himself into a PPG player every playoffs. It was because of his scoring.


Leafs All-Playoffs-PPG Team During those years (more than 5gms played)

Roberts .80 (50gms) - Sundin .89 (64gms) - Bohonos 1.00 (9gms)
Thomas .68 (40gms) - Nieuwendyk .67 (9gms) - Berezin .68 (40gms)
Green .50 (24gms) - Perreault .52 (29gms) - Mogilny .62 (39gms)
Sullivan .46 (13gms) - Mccauley .43 (35gms) - Tucker .36 (58gms)

Hoglund .35 (49gms) - Francis .33 (12gms) - Clark .33 (6gms)
Nolan .29 (7gms) - Corson .28 (32gms) - Johnson .29 (17gms)
Valk .27 (45gms) - Reichel .22 (37gms) - D.King .25 (16gms)
Kristich .25 (12gms) - Antropov .18 (28gms) - Kilger .23 (13gms)

Poni .17 (23gms) - Korolev .17 (24gms) - Domi .18 (73gms)
K.King .11 (18gms) - Adams .16 (19gms) - Healey .09 (22gms)
Fitzgerald .06 (17gms) - Mair .10 (10gms) - Renberg .08 (12gms)
Modin .00 (8gms) - Warriner .00 (9gms)



and don't make the mistake of thinking that tucker or domi were helpful defensively, either.

 

[Duffman955]

Domi cost us the NJ series with his idiocy. That's about the biggest difference he made in the playoffs.

Tucker was an absolute playoff choker.


Roberts was awesome, though. But that awsomenes was because he somehow turned himself into a PPG player every playoffs. It was because of his scoring.


Leafs All-Playoffs-PPG Team During those years (more than 5gms played)

Roberts .80 (50gms) - Sundin .89 (64gms) - Bohonos 1.00 (9gms)
Thomas .68 (40gms) - Nieuwendyk .67 (9gms) - Berezin .68 (40gms)
Green .50 (24gms) - Perreault .52 (29gms) - Mogilny .62 (39gms)
Sullivan .46 (13gms) - Mccauley .43 (35gms) - Tucker .36 (58gms)

Hoglund .35 (49gms) - Francis .33 (12gms) - Clark .33 (6gms)
Nolan .29 (7gms) - Corson .28 (32gms) - Johnson .29 (17gms)
Valk .27 (45gms) - Reichel .22 (37gms) - D.King .25 (16gms)
Kristich .25 (12gms) - Antropov .18 (28gms) - Kilger .23 (13gms)

Poni .17 (23gms) - Korolev .17 (24gms) - Domi .18 (73gms)
K.King .11 (18gms) - Adams .16 (19gms) - Healey .09 (22gms)
Fitzgerald .06 (17gms) - Mair .10 (10gms) - Renberg .08 (12gms)
Modin .00 (8gms) - Warriner .00 (9gms)



and don't make the mistake of thinking that tucker or domi were helpful defensively, either.

If goals and assists meant everything, then we would have destroyed Boston last year with superior scoring depth.

Obviously stats dont tell the whole story. I dont know how you can watch hockey for all these years and not understand that.

Even the sens team from the early 2000s was far superior in the scoring department, but the leafs stil smashed them.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

If goals and assists meant everything, then we would have destroyed Boston last year with superior scoring depth.

Obviously stats dont tell the whole story. I dont know how you can watch hockey for all these years and not understand that.

Even the sens team from the early 2000s was far superior in the scoring department, but the leafs stil smashed them.

what do you mean? Boston had 28 goals, Leafs had 20

 

[zeke]

If goals and assists meant everything, then we would have destroyed Boston last year with superior scoring depth.

Obviously stats dont tell the whole story. I dont know how you can watch hockey for all these years and not understand that.

Even the sens team from the early 2000s was far superior in the scoring department, but the leafs stil smashed them.

Boston scored 7 fewer goals than the Leafs last year, and gave up 18 fewer. They had a better goal differential, because they had a better combination of offense and defense, which made them the better team. Boston had the 2nd best goal differential in the league, the Leafs had the 6th best. And then, as expected, they beat the leafs in the playoffs, because they were the better team. But the margin was very small, and it took a comeback in the 3rd period of game 7 for them to win, with home ice advantage.

There is no "toughness" argument needed to understand what happened last year.

This year, it seems to have flipped. The leafs are the team that is 3rd in goal differential, while the Bruins are only 11th. Albeit the Bruins have had more injuries so they're probably better than that. Still, though, if those numbers held, you'd expect that the Leafs would win the series against Boston this year, because they would be the better team.

 

[Duffman955]

Boston scored 7 fewer goals than the Leafs last year, and gave up 18 fewer. They had a better goal differential, because they had a better combination of offense and defense, which made them the better team. Boston had the 2nd best goal differential in the league, the Leafs had the 6th best. And then, as expected, they beat the leafs in the playoffs, because they were the better team. But the margin was very small, and it took a comeback in the 3rd period of game 7 for them to win, with home ice advantage.

There is no "toughness" argument needed to understand what happened last year.

This year, it seems to have flipped. The leafs are the team that is 3rd in goal differential, while the Bruins are only 11th. Albeit the Bruins have had more injuries so they're probably better than that. Still, though, if those numbers held, you'd expect that the Leafs would win the series against Boston this year, because they would be the better team.

Yet the leafs are 1-3 against the Bruins.

Last year, the Capitals had a +20 goal differential and they beat Tampa who had a +60 goal differential.

 

[zeke]

Yet the leafs are 1-3 against the Bruins.

and last year the leafs were 3-1 against the Bruins.

Last year, the Capitals had a +20 goal differential and they beat Tampa who had a +60 goal differential.

Now that there is what we call an upset. Clearly the lightning are playoff chokers.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Domi cost us the NJ series with his idiocy. That's about the biggest difference he made in the playoffs.

The Leafs were up 3-2 in that series and lost Games 6 & 7. Plus the Domi elbow happened in Game 4 which they won to tie the series 2-2 and went onto win Game 5 to take the 3-2 lead. So I don't think he was the reason for why they lost that series.

 

[FraumBallard]

and last year the leafs were 3-1 against the Bruins.



Now that there is what we call an upset. Clearly the lightning are playoff chokers.

 

[FraumBallard]

Clearly you might want to WATCH the game instead of being fixated on numbers. You number guys are incredibly annoying.

 

[Warden of the North]

Sabres, Habs and Bruins all lost

Side note: Florida is crushing Nashville right now

 

[ACC1224]

Not a fan at all of the 'Bye Week'.