GDT: 12/13/18 - 7:30PM EDT - Toronto vs Tampa Bay

[Flat Ronnie]

No because just like I pointed out to you, regular season dominance has proven nothing come the playoffs. What would be concerning is if they looked like this in most games and won (they don't.)

We can't look like this most nights because most teams aren't on our level - Toronto is. Yes we've improved but we all that we were much improved last year after Boston.

Either way, you can be concerned or not, but you cant argue that a playoff competitor controlled us last night the way we've seen this team go down in previous years. It is my opinion it is concerning, but it is fact what happened last night.

 

[Werewolf]

Vasi made 2 great saves ... we missed 2 open nets. They had shots ring off the bar ... we had shots ring off the bar. We played with the lead and turtled plus they had 6 power plays. I don't care about shot counts in a sample size of 1. They had a full healthy lineup ... we still need Stralman and Joseph back.

Alls good man ... nobody's hair should be on fire, the pitchforks should be stowed away in the closet, the sky is clear and not falling. Alls good in the hood ... this team is the best one we've seen thusfar.

Leafs can get their shot count up from non-dangerous areas all day long, don't care. They like their xGF/60 or whatever expected goal stat they want using metrics BUT ... final score TB 4 Leafs 1. Not that it matters much as I said before the game.

 

[God King Fudge]

We played like clowns in the first - I'll give you that. But they beat us handily the rest of the game. And in a very similar fashion as when teams figure out how to shut us down in the playoffs.

None of that is the least bit concerning to you considering our history?

Do you really think that'd be the game script for 4 out of 7 games? Tampa was sloppy. They haven't played a game that bad in weeks.

I felt the same way (check the post history. Was all over the main GDT talking about how bad Tampa played) but when you step back and break it down, it wasn't that bad.

Vasy had to be relied on more than he should, but the stupid penalties kept Tampa from being able to really keep any momentum building. You take a penalty, the other team sieges you and they build momentum that carries on beyond the PP. When you finally start to get your feet back and tilt the ice, you take another penalty and it repeats.

It wasn't a great game, but it's pretty ridiculous to take one performance when you've won 9 of 10 and 8 in a row and act like it says anything.

Let them string together 5-6 of those games and I'll have some concern.

 

[Werewolf]

We can't look like this most nights because most teams aren't on our level - Toronto is. Yes we've improved but we all that we were much improved last year after Boston.

Either way, you can be concerned or not, but you cant argue that a playoff competitor controlled us last night the way we've seen this team go down in previous years. It is my opinion it is concerning, but it is fact what happened last night.

Toronto is not on our level ... its like expecting every game against the AVS to end up 7 - 1. One game does not matter man and quit hanging on to shot totals. Boston ran up the score on Toronto not long ago ... and we killed Boston. There is no correlation. You can't say oh look at Washington and Pittsburgh did to us ... they beat everyone and won the cup. And we took them to 7 and lead in the series after 5. This is not the same team ... history doesn't mean anything its different teams.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Haha, we played like ass and they still got handled.

 

[The Macho King]

Vasi made 2 great saves ... we missed 2 open nets. They had shots ring off the bar ... we had shots ring off the bar. We played with the lead and turtled plus they had 6 power plays. I don't care about shot counts in a sample size of 1. They had a full healthy lineup ... we still need Stralman and Joseph back.

Alls good man ... nobody's hair should be on fire, the pitchforks should be stowed away in the closet, the sky is clear and not falling. Alls good in the hood ... this team is the best one we've seen thusfar.

Leafs can get their shot count up from non-dangerous areas all day long, don't care. They like their xGF/60 or whatever expected goal stat they want using metrics BUT ... final score TB 4 Leafs 1. Not that it matters much as I said before the game.

For the record (and I hate this stat but since it helps my preferred narrative I have no issue with being a hypocrite), 5v5 xG was 1.67 for the Leafs, 1.16 for the Bolts.

 

[BeingTheThunder]

I think the Cernak kid is going to be pretty good.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

What if Cooper told the team to play like ass to get Vasy back in full game shape?

 

[DFC]

Do you really think that'd be the game script for 4 out of 7 games? Tampa was sloppy. They haven't played a game that bad in weeks.

I felt the same way (check the post history. Was all over the main GDT talking about how bad Tampa played) but when you step back and break it down, it wasn't that bad.

Vasy had to be relied on more than he should, but the stupid penalties kept Tampa from being able to really keep any momentum building. You take a penalty, the other team sieges you and they build momentum that carries on beyond the PP. When you finally start to get your feet back and tilt the ice, you take another penalty and it repeats.

It wasn't a great game, but it's pretty ridiculous to take one performance when you've won 9 of 10 and 8 in a row and act like it says anything.

Let them string together 5-6 of those games and I'll have some concern.

We were sloppy, sure, but I do think that's partly because they made us play sloppy... aside from that Kuch giveaway.

I think what it comes down to is the Leafs wanted this game badly, and we wanted it, but it wasn't going to validate us as contenders the same as it would have for them. So they took it to us a little bit and we won by 3 goals.

And the way we won this game is pretty much exactly the way the Leafs have been winning a lot of recent games. They get outplayed and then score opportunistic goals.

They're a very good team, but there are a lot of good teams in this league. There are two or three teams in the East I'd take over them in a 7 game series, Boston first and foremost. They're kind of in the situation we used to be in with Boston--until you beat them, you haven't beaten them.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

I think effort was one thing last night, but the congestion in the neutral zone reminded me a lot of our first playoff series vs Detroit. At this point, Cooper and Babcock are extremely familiar with each other, but the story is different now because of the weaponry Babcock has. We had some creative zone entries on those last two goals, as well as the Miller chance, so that gives me hope that Cooper has figured out to attack the zone with speedy entries rather than dump and chase.

Something to look out for vs Toronto and Washington.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Edit: delete

 

[BowDownToVasilevskiy]

What if Cooper told the team to play like ass to get Vasy back in full game shape?

Look into it

 

[Master P]

With the way some people are reacting to the game you'd think are biggest challenge is going to be playing Arizona again. You know since they beat us 7-1. Am I doing this right?

 

[Master P]

We can't look like this most nights because most teams aren't on our level - Toronto is. Yes we've improved but we all that we were much improved last year after Boston.

Either way, you can be concerned or not, but you cant argue that a playoff competitor controlled us last night the way we've seen this team go down in previous years. It is my opinion it is concerning, but it is fact what happened last night.

Dude, it was one game in the middle of December............... Tampa clearly treated it like such while Toronto wanted to use it as a measuring stick. Tampa is the number 1 team in the NHL, every team is going to be amped up to play hard so they can see where they stand. You can't expect Tampa to match that intensity every night for an entire season. I'm not worried about last night because I know for a fact that this wasn't the Tampa Bay Lightning on their game.

I think people let the media get to them too much. The media was hyping this thing up as if it were a do or die game to determine who wins the regular season or something. It was absurd.

 

[T REX]

We played our C game...Toronto played like it was a cup final and lost 4-1. I think that bodes well for us. If both teams play their A games we are clearly the better team. I have no doubts.

 

[Steazy Doo]

If people think there is no way we could lose to the leafs in the playoffs, they would be wrong. I have no doubt it would be a close series.

 

[The Macho King]

If people think there is no way we could lose to the leafs in the playoffs, they would be wrong. I have no doubt it would be a close series.

I mean, I plan on shit talking a LOT on the main boards if we end up playing them, but yeah they're a super talented team, and if the right players get hot, they're capable of beating anyone in a 7 game series. I would think - as it stands today - we should be favored, but it wouldn't be a cake walk by any stretch.

Won't stop me from saying "Lightning in 3" in the series thread though.

 

[CupsOverCash]

If people think there is no way we could lose to the leafs in the playoffs, they would be wrong. I have no doubt it would be a close series.

Dont think there are too many fans that think it will be a cake walk. But there have been fans on their board who think we would be an easier opponent than the Bruins. Which makes no sense to me at all. But I feel that if the Bruins were in our shoes that they would be saying, Id rather play the Bruins than TB. Would make around the same amount of sense as it does now. Not very much.

 

[DFC]

Dont think there are too many fans that think it will be a cake walk. But there have been fans on their board who think we would be an easier opponent than the Bruins. Which makes no sense to me at all. But I feel that if the Bruins were in our shoes that they would be saying, Id rather play the Bruins than TB. Would make around the same amount of sense as it does now. Not very much.

They're afraid of the Bruins right now because Boston beat them up last weekend, and Toronto media went crazy with the narrative that the Leafs aren't tough enough to beat Boston.

 

[CupsOverCash]

They're afraid of the Bruins right now because Boston beat them up last weekend, and Toronto media went crazy with the narrative that the Leafs aren't tough enough to beat Boston.

Yea but TB dominated Boston. Yea I'd like to play a team that dominated a team that I'm scared to play?

 

[DFC]

Yea but TB dominated Boston. Yea I'd like to play a team that dominated a team that I'm scared to play?

Sometimes, yeah. They think they can match us with firepower, but can't match up to Boston physically.

I'd probably favor the Leafs slightly over a healthy Bruins team in the playoffs right now. But dealing with the Bergeron line is no joke, and they'll have to figure that out.

 

[The Macho King]

Sometimes, yeah. They think they can match us with firepower, but can't match up to Boston physically.

I'd probably favor the Leafs slightly over a healthy Bruins team in the playoffs right now. But dealing with the Bergeron line is no joke, and they'll have to figure that out.

What year is it? How is Boston hard to match physically nowadays?

 

[God King Fudge]

What year is it? How is Boston hard to match physically nowadays?

The Leafs are silk sheets soft and those two teams always turn it up against each other. Boston is hard to match physically for the Leafs.

They're terrified of playing Boston.

 

[Sky04]

Sometimes, yeah. They think they can match us with firepower, but can't match up to Boston physically.

I'd probably favor the Leafs slightly over a healthy Bruins team in the playoffs right now. But dealing with the Bergeron line is no joke, and they'll have to figure that out.

The Bergeron line messed with Matthews/Nylander last year between Marchand's antics and Bergeron's gritty play they didn't have an answer. They have this perception that we're as "soft" as they are when in reality we physically dominated New Jersey and matched Boston enough to allow our skilled game to take over. Tampa has the ability to ramp it up when they need to, the leafs don't - we have just as much if not more skill while not even close to the same weaknesses. Biggest gripe on this team in recent years and been defense and coaching both of which have taken tremendous steps forward.

 

[DFC]

What year is it? How is Boston hard to match physically nowadays?

The narrative is that the Bruins beat them by physically dominating. I sort of watched that one out of the corner of my eye while watching TB's game on a different screen, so I only checked in for goals. But that's when you started seeing threads pop up about Toronto adding "toughness" etc. It's all over their media right now. Like, questions about whether they should add a tough winger (Simmonds) or a top-4 D.