GDT: 1/17/19 - 7:30PM EDT - Toronto vs Tampa Bay

[LightningStrikes]

Seems like ages since Miller or Gourde have scored. Gourde especially considering his start this year.

#nodepth

Related:

TOI among forwards this game:
Kucherov 25+
Point 24+
Stamkos 23+
Palat 19+
Cirelli 16+
Killorn 15+
Gourde 15+
Erne 11+
Miller 10+
Paquette 9+
(Johnson 9+)
Callahan 7+

 

[LightningStrikes]

We really need to do something about the third line. Feel like they're always stuck in their own zone nowadays.

*caugh* Joseph should not have sat out *caugh*

 

[dechire]

[MOD] without having watched the game all I can say is: on to the next one.

 

[ccman68]

Shots were 31-38, lets not act like Andersen put on a display for the generations here, standard goalie display tonight. Tampa got saved by their goalie when you beat us 4-1 while getting brutally outshot 50-19. Goalies are apart of the team.

Also Tampa has allowed more goals against AND shots against so far than TO.

TBL : 137 GA, 1,547 SA.
TOR : 130 GA and 1,494 SA.

So the raw numbers don't really paint the picture you're trying to produce here. Not trying to provoke you or anything just think these numbers do have meaning.

Here are some raw numbers for you. Seems like you guys generate a lot of shots but also give up a lot of them. Too bad.

 

[LightningStrikes]

^ OT but interesting to see how mediocre top teams like Nashville or Winnipeg are in this regard. Also, look at the Caps! San Jose is scary though, although SR sure is not everything (see Carolina).

 

[Divine]

Did your broadcast have a better angle of what the puck hit on that empty net goal? They had nothing on our's.

Yeah, it hit the glass.

 

[The Macho King]

Yeah, it hit the glass.

It looked like it bounced off of the top of it, which if I recall is still in play.

 

[Rschmitz]

Said it hit the out of play stanchion or curved glass in the players bench area. They zoomed in on it afterwards but the live action replay it was difficult to see where it hit. Nothing looked convincing enough to understand why Heddy or Stamkos gave up on the play.

Anyways, yeah Cernak was a beast tonight, again. Physical force who eliminated every potential scoring threat near him and makes the correct play. Does some good things offensively, but hopefully the coaches and players can continue to teach him up, he has the physical tools.

Sergachev-Stralman was super solid, keep that pairing together.

 

[Divine]

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Shots were 31-38, lets not act like Andersen put on a display for the generations here, standard goalie display tonight. Tampa got saved by their goalie when you beat us 4-1 while getting brutally outshot 50-19. Goalies are apart of the team.

Also Tampa has allowed more goals against AND shots against so far than TO.

TBL : 137 GA, 1,547 SA.
TOR : 130 GA and 1,494 SA.

So the raw numbers don't really paint the picture you're trying to produce here. Not trying to provoke you or anything just think these numbers do have meaning.

I like how you re-wrote the shots from last game just enough to bump Toronto into the 50s and Tampa Bay into the teens.

You didn’t need to do it to validate the point, but you did it anyways.

 

[Liferleafer]

You just won the game. If we are scary good, what are you guys?

In that game? Lucky Andersen was in God mode.....

 

[Cmac66]

I like how you re-wrote the shots from last game just enough to bump Toronto into the 50s and Tampa Bay into the teens.

You didn’t need to do it to validate the point, but you did it anyways.

I find it so hilarious that they are more concerned about who has more shots than the overall standing. 14 points in front and will still be 10 if they win there games in hand

 

[BeingTheThunder]

Shots were 31-38, lets not act like Andersen put on a display for the generations here, standard goalie display tonight. Tampa got saved by their goalie when you beat us 4-1 while getting brutally outshot 50-19. Goalies are apart of the team.

Also Tampa has allowed more goals against AND shots against so far than TO.

TBL : 137 GA, 1,547 SA.
TOR : 130 GA and 1,494 SA.

So the raw numbers don't really paint the picture you're trying to produce here. Not trying to provoke you or anything just think these numbers do have meaning.

Are you considering the fact that the Lightning have played two more games than Toronto to account for the disparity?? Not to mention that Louie Domingue, our pedestrian backup goalie, started 20 games and has given up 60 goals and Edward Pasquale, our AHL goalie had one start and gave up 5 of those goals? And that Anton Stralman, one of our most dependable D-men missed 18 games and Victor Hedman missed several games as well?

I say all of that to impress upon you that those stats mean very little. Only stat that really means anything is Toronto is currently 14 points behind the Lightning, with two games in hand. But enjoy the victory, it was a fun game to watch.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Toronto is a good team. They needed a win and got one. We are ahead by so much it really didn't matter. I still liked our hustle. It would be a really fun series if they got together in the playoffs. Lots of back and forth and I'm sure it would be fun to get into it with their fans. I like our chances vs them but they could beat us. I think the Leafs, Caps, and Pens have the best chance to beat us. Bruins I don't think they have the depth. But they could beat Toronto again I think. Should be another fun playoffs.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Are you taking into account the fact that the Lightning have played two more games than Toronto to account for the disparity??

Exactly. GA/GP Toronto leads by 0.02 (Leafs at 2.83 over Tampa's 2.85). GF/GP Toronto gets crushed (Tampa at 4.02 over Leafs' 3.59).
It's a lot easier to let in a softy when you take the foot off the gas when you're already leading 4-1 or 5-2 in the 3rd like we mostly do.

Also, Domingue and Pasquale were in net for 21 of our 48 games due to Vasi's injury. GAA comparison: Vas 2.48, Dom 2.99, Pas 4.62 thinkingface.jpg

 

[BeingTheThunder]

Exactly. GA/GP Toronto leads by 0.02 (Leafs at 2.83 over Tampa's 2.85). GF/GP Toronto gets crushed (Tampa at 4.02 over Leafs' 3.59).
It's a lot easier to let in a softy when you take the foot off the gas when you're already leading 4-1 in the 3rd like we mostly do.

Also, Domingue and Pasquale were in net for 21 of our 48 games due to Vasi's injury. GAA comparison: Vas 2.48, Dom 2.99, Pas 4.62 thinkingface.jpg

Perfect example, we gave up 7 goals in two separate games to Philadelphia after we had a 4 goal lead in one and a 3 goal lead in another.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Toronto is a good team. They needed a win and got one. We are ahead by so much it really didn't matter. I still liked our hustle. It would be a really fun series if they got together in the playoffs. Lots of back and forth and I'm sure it would be fun to get into it with their fans. I like our chances vs them but they could beat us. I think the Leafs, Caps, and Pens have the best chance to beat us. Bruins I don't think they have the depth. But they could beat Toronto again I think. Should be another fun playoffs.

Leaf fan here, all this is spot on IMO. I really hope we play you guys in round 2, for one thing it would be an incredibly entertaining series to watch but more importantly, it would mean that we finally got out of the 1st round.

Seriously though, you're 100% correct, we certainly would have a good chance to beat you guys but you'd still be the solid favourites, you have an amazing team and have the playoff experience as well which is huge. And as much as I hate to say it, while I think we'd have a solid chance of beating you, Boston has just as good a chance of beating us so we have to get past them first. I'm really hoping that we finish 2nd and someone else somehow passes Boston, that's the dream.

Good luck the rest of the way. Let's hope both teams are healthy when the playoffs start and may the best team win!

 

[God King Fudge]

Well certainly an opinion you are entitled to hold, but Sparks is 6-2-1 this season and he has essentially identical stats to Domingue.

Sparks, 3.01 GAA, .905 SV%

Domingue, 2.99 GAA, .905 SV%

You will again have to forgive me if I don't buy into these stats meaning anything. Sparks has played 10 games, Domingue has played 20. Sparks has had the following number of days rest between his starts: 8 between games 1 & 2, 26 between games 2 & 3, 6 between games 3 & 4, 8 between 4 & 5, 12 between 5 & 6, 2 between 6 & 7, and 14 between 7 & 8 and then had 5 days rest before going B2B on 12-28 and 12-29.

Starting with his start on 11-13 and ending with his last game of the run on 12-10, Domingue had no more than 3 days rest at any point. That includes a stretch of 10 games where he started every other night from 11-13 to 12-03, had 3 days rest until 12-06 and then played 2 more games in the next 4 days.

I will say that I don't know if Sparks was hurt at all (although a quick look reveals he did have some issues, but not until around the start of January, after Vasy was back).

I will say again, Toronto is a wildcard team without Andersen. No SA or GA stats , or comparisons to a backup who had an appropriate backup workload in Sparks vs Domingue having a bonafide #1 starter workload are going to make me believe otherwise.

That again is not anything to be ashamed of. The team is good. They are propped up by their goalie in a big way, though.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I will say again, Toronto is a wildcard team without Andersen. No SA or GA stats , or comparisons to a backup who had an appropriate backup workload in Sparks vs Domingue having a bonafide #1 starter workload are going to make me believe otherwise.

That again is not anything to be ashamed of. The team is good. They are propped up by their goalie in a big way, though.

Meh, Vasilevsky's SV% is better than Andersens', TB team SV% is 7th overall at .911, the Leafs are 5th overall at .914, not exactly a world of difference there. We'd be worse without quality goal-tending, so would TB.

 

[God King Fudge]

Meh, Vasilevsky's SV% is better than Andersens', TB team SV% is 7th overall at .911, the Leafs are 5th overall at .914, not exactly a world of difference there. We'd be worse without quality goal-tending, so would TB.

Ok Toronto fan, thank you for coming to our boards to debate us.

My arguement (again) is that Tampa still likely wins their division without Vas. Toronto moves to the wildcard without Andersen.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Ok Toronto fan, thank you for coming to our boards to debate us.

My arguement (again) is that Tampa still likely wins their division without Vas. Toronto moves to the wildcard without Andersen.

Well, again that depends on who takes their place but whatever, considering the standings as they are today, you're probably right. I don't make a habit of visiting other teams boards so I'll go back to where I belong now. Good on you guys for being civil, at least compared to Boston fans, my gawd are those guys ever terrible. We'll see you guys again in March, and hopefully again in April. Good luck!

 

[GoBuds14]

Toronto Maple Andersen's. The guy is that whole team right now.

Interesting comment considering Vasilevsky's performance against the Leafs a month ago. Watch more Leafs games, they are much, much more than Andersen. That being said, Tampa is clearly the most complete team in the league. Anything can happen in the playoffs though this isn't the NBA

 

[7even]

I liked the job Cernak did on Matthews all night. Cernak had a great game, IMO.

Credit to the Leafs. They won. But I think there was a lot to like about our individual performances, particularly Hedman, but also Cernak and Stamkos. If this version of Stammer shows up in the playoffs, we're gonna be a handful.

I was really impressed with Cernak. In today's league it's harder than ever to use your size both effectively (in the sense that you're actually separating pucks from bodies and not just riding a guy into the boards after he already gets a pass off) and consistently. Thought Cernak did both last night. Broke up some cycles, cleared the net well, and had some strong passes.

 

[CupsOverCash]

One thing Ill say in relation to these two teams facing off is its going to be a different game now than it will in the playoffs. It wont be as open as it was last night, at least we wont be. We will clamp down defensively and it wont be as easy for them to get zone time. However the Leafs are that talented up front to where they can get zone time. A reason why I think they can beat us. However, I dont see their D being able to clamp down as well as we do. With that said, they could go get a top D at the deadline and be a little better at that and I think they will. Should be interesting to see what happens at the deadline.

 

[Steazy Doo]

Toronto is a good team with or without Andersen. Let's not be naive, they're the best in the conference besides us. No shame in losing to them in a hard fought game.