Post-Game Talk: 2023 NHL Playoffs - Round 1: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

[DaBolts]

Today sucks. Everything tastes bitter. They had best get their sh together today and come out smoking hot the next three games or this is over quickly.

 

[The Gongshow]

The likely hood of this team winning 3/4 is not good considering our goalies GA and S%

Vasy most likely let's in 4 or 5 next game for the L and then the boys come out unmotivated for Game 5 and lose the series. Hard for them to feel good after Game 3. They played their hearts out and Vasy cost them the game. They played one of their best games all year, this one stings ans I think the boys lose faith in their goalie.

Remember how awful they would play with backups in net because they basically knew and L was coming

 

[StammerHammer]

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

That'll teach him. The NHL is so bush.

 

[LightningStrikes]

That'll teach him. The NHL is so bush.

Seriously. These fines are a joke. FC Bayern has recently fined Mané for 350,000€ because he slapped a fellow player. Obviously it’s a team internal fine but that’s a sum that hurts, not $3k.

 

[Stammertime91]

I feel like there's too much character in this team to lose game 4. Toronto as a group hasn't been in situations like this. Of course they know what it means but playing through it is different. With that said, if the game is remotely close I have no confidence Vasy keeps it together right now. The team maybe should have scored another goal or two but the entire series is hinging on Vasy.

I just can't get over how dire that winner was. A literal floater unscreened went in like nothing. Big props to the defense for doing their best (minus Cole's gaffe). Perbix and Raddysh have proved me wrong. Raddysh has costed us a couple goals in three games but looks to be gaining confidence each game. Excited to see him stay with us. A mobile RD is something we typically let go and need.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

I feel like there's too much character in this team to lose game 4. Toronto as a group hasn't been in situations like this. Of course they know what it means but playing through it is different. With that said, if the game is remotely close I have no confidence Vasy keeps it together right now. The team maybe should have scored another goal or two but the entire series is hinging on Vasy.

I just can't get over how dire that winner was. A literal floater unscreened went in like nothing. Big props to the defense for doing their best (minus Cole's gaffe). Perbix and Raddysh have proved me wrong. Raddysh has costed us a couple goals in three games but looks to be gaining confidence each game. Excited to see him stay with us. A mobile RD is something we typically let go and need.

Next steps for Perbix and Raddysh are to bulk up. Raddysh in particular got pushed around last night. They both looked really poised last night and I'm happy with how they looked on both sides of the ice.

 

[Stammertime91]

Next steps for Perbix and Raddysh are to bulk up. Raddysh in particular got pushed around last night. They both looked really poised last night and I'm happy with how they looked on both sides of the ice.

Yeah for sure. I like that Raddysh looks to shoot instead of deferring to his partner every time. Perbix still reminds me of Stralman. Hard to believe he's a rookie.

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Stammertime91]

It's funny how they'll view this interaction as Keefe not crying, as he's done 3 post games now, and Cooper as crying when he's responding to what Shelden Kuck is saying.

Hilarious.

 

[Hoek]

I feel like there's too much character in this team to lose game 4. Toronto as a group hasn't been in situations like this. Of course they know what it means but playing through it is different.

They literally were in this situation last year.

 

[Stammertime91]

They literally were in this situation last year.

I mean from the must win perspective. And that, no, they don't know what it takes cause they never get it done. That's my point. Maybe I should have clarified...

 

[RDTBay4]

Stamkos choked. Had the game on his stick, dead center at the hash marks. Hit their goalie directly in the face.

He's a shell of himself. He shouldn't be on the first line. Hagel needs to be with Point and Kuch, it would also spread our defensive forwards out.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Stamkos choked. Had the game on his stick, dead center at the hash marks. Hit their goalie directly in the face.

He's a shell of himself. He shouldn't be on the first line. Hagel needs to be with Point and Kuch, it would also spread our defensive forwards out.

It not like this is something new. Last playoffs were probably the only time he pulled his weight in his whole career.

 

[The Gongshow]

Sadly it's turned into a what if series.

What if Vassy knew how to play goalie
What if Cernak wasn't hurt
What if Tampa doesn't choke away back-to-back multi goal leads and is up 3-1.

That said the collapses this team has now had, they don't deserve the win.

This Leafs team is what Tampanused to be. I know it's fun to think about them and the curse, but this team isn't winning 3 straight with the poor goalie play. A long offseason will hopefully reset the team

 

[Cigar City]

Stamkos choked. Had the game on his stick, dead center at the hash marks. Hit their goalie directly in the face.

He's a shell of himself. He shouldn't be on the first line. Hagel needs to be with Point and Kuch, it would also spread our defensive forwards out.

This is true.

On the flipside, it was another unbelievable save by Samsonov at a moment they desperately needed it. We haven't gotten any of those.

 

[RDTBay4]

Cernak knocked out with cheap shot. No more McDonagh. No more Palat.

Playoff Trashilevskiy back in full effect.

There was a reason why we went out and built a godlike dcore. Vasievleskiy's success is entirely based on his positioning. You have to keep the net front clear/covered and block shots from the point.

It's becoming quite apparent that JBB was handed a gem of a team and mortgaged the future with aggressive trades to win now. It's pretty much what he said at the time. It definitely worked, 2 cups. No one can ever take that away from us.

That said...

This is most likely the start of the not so fun part. Pretty much no picks for 2 years, no first pick for 4. No one is coming to save us. This is our team for the next several years.

Jeannot has been more than underwhelming and Lifetime contract Nick "Plug" Paul has been a ghost this year. Our 3rd line sounds good in theory, but it just doesn't work. Eyssimont didn't cost too much and I like his potential over keeping Vladdy. Arguably, it would be improved if he was healthy and put in instead of Jeannot. Who knows?

What kills me is that these moves did nothing to address our teams most glaring weakness, defensive depth, in fact it made it worse! We got rid of a young depth dman and almost an entire draft class for a poor man's Pat Maroon, and that's a compliment. I'm not sure if they were hoping to find an answer for Palat's loss, but whatever they were looking for...it wasn't found.

Aside from Hagel, it's easy to argue that all his moves over the last 2 seasons have been a catastrophe. Hagel has been the best player on the ice for some time now. We must sign him long term at all costs.

I'll never understand how depth Dmen were being traded all over at the deadline for peanuts and we couldn't make something happen. I get cap space and all, but teams seemed to be bending over backwards to unload players, retaining salary, 3rd parties, and barely anything was dealt in return.

I mean shit, if you were going to get a forward, how about getting someone who can win a face-off? I just don't see how the trades we made improved our team.

The McDonagh trade was a cap move, but damn the return on him was pathetic. Then JBB resigns the players before they step foot in the ice with the team. When that trade went down and Palat walked, I knew it wasn't going to be close to the same. Irreplaceable players. Consistent, reliable, hard working, fundamental guys. Leaders.

I hope this rant is something we'll look back on and laugh at next week or month, but damn. It's not like we didn't know defensive breakdowns and meltdowns weren't a problem all year.

The only game that matters is the game in front of them. Hopefully the 2 day break gives us time to make adjustments defensively and Vasilevskiy wakes up.

Just win.

 

[Evilhomer]

I think Tampa is just going through what every winning team eventually goes through - just like Chicago and Pittsburgh of recent years. Eventually, all of the winning takes a toll on the players and the cap takes a toll on which players a team can keep. I am sure that Tampa will remain very competitive for the next few years until some of the big contracts start to run out, but at some point it's time for teams like the Leafs and Devils to move up the ranks.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

The likely hood of this team winning 3/4 is not good considering our goalies GA and S%

Vasy most likely let's in 4 or 5 next game for the L and then the boys come out unmotivated for Game 5 and lose the series. Hard for them to feel good after Game 3. They played their hearts out and Vasy cost them the game. They played one of their best games all year, this one stings ans I think the boys lose faith in their goalie.

Remember how awful they would play with backups in net because they basically knew and L was coming

I don't know how anyone looks at 2/3 goals and says they played their hearts out, they def didn't

Also calling Jeannot a "poor mans Maroon" is just silly, Patty can barely take a shift these days

 

[Stammertime91]

Did Coop tip his hat for Vasy last night?

 

[StammerHammer]

Did Coop tip his hat for Vasy last night?

Surprisingly he said we have to keep those shots out of the back of the net. He blamed Vasy without blaming Vasy.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Surprisingly he said we have to keep those shots out of the back of the net. He blamed Vasy without blaming Vasy.

Ain’t wrong though. #lawyered

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Outl4w]

Why hasn't coop sent a call up or 4th liner to board a star leaf forward legally because the precedent has been set it is legal.

 

[Stammertime91]

Wild that with literally any other goalie we might be tied at 2 or up 3-1. Can't recall a starting goalie shitting the bed this monumental innthe last few years. Two games of nothingburgers result in OTL. Obviously some blame goes to the players for listening to coop but he gets blame on this too. Such a stupid ass tactic to employ with half a period left when your goalie is a sieve. Should have stood them up and instead we let them bring the game to us.

Kind of like fool me once... to think they win game 5. We could be up 4-0 with 5mins to go in the 3rd and I'd have no confidence in Vasy to not let in 4 consecutive floaters. Feelsbadman.

 

[Felonious Python]