Post-Game Talk: Boston 4, Leafs 3... Proud of This Team

[Just Rude]

If Phaneuf gets all of Horton, they are scraping him off the ice and we are talking about it a la Kapanen for the next decade. He pinched, tried to make a big hit and it cost us. Phaneuf is the least of our worries.

I am a Reimer fan and love what the kid has done, but your goalie needs to make that stop in OT. Just a bad goal. Rask kept his team in it (with a little help from the iron) and we got beat on a ****** goal. Them's the breaks.

Series isn't over, but the odds are slim to none. That was a killer last night.

 

[Havoq]

While Phaneuf had his mistakes yesterday, he has still been an essential if not the main component of this defenses core. Everyone makes their mistakes and if he lands that hit, we aren't talking about this right now.

Our entire defense needs to be revamped - my blood pressure skyrockets every time our D is controlling the puck in our zone. Positioning could use some serious work too. Reimer has been above and beyond what we could ask for in this current situation.

At the end of the day, we are a young team with little to no playoff experience playing against a team that has had our number for the last few years. Extremely proud of this team regardless the outcome of this series.

 

[Pilky01]

Just want to repost my thoughts. Everything after the Phanuef bit I edited in after my original post, and by then the thread had moved on two pages.

Is weird. It's almost like something happened to make everyone realize what I have said for a long time about Phanuef.

He has a very low IQ. Hockey and otherwise.

The team played really well (for the most part), and considering how young the squad is, this experience is invaluable. Anybody hoping for more than a competitive first round series (especially when we drew the Bruins) was dreaming in thechnicolour.

Top 3 - Grabovski, Kessel, Gardiner
Bottom 3 - O'Byrne, Phanuef, Kadri

I believe Kadri will improve, and there is no reason ROB or Phanuef need to be here long term. A couple of veteran additions to the blue line this off season, combined with the growth of the squad internally, could make this team a consistent playoff team for several years.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Deserved a better fate but not enough difference makers on this team, Grabo played well, yes I call it like it is, but he has zero results this series. I was scared everytime he was on the ice in OT, because the puck always seems to find the back of our net when he is on the ice. -5 now, with only 1 assist this playoff for 5.5, hopefully he has played himself into a trade possibility.

Need more size at Center, Boston's C's are bigger and better than ours. This is the most glaring area we need to address, not more flash, but more substance down the middle.

On the bright side we have 3 wingers that are game breakers/difference makers, in Lupul. Kessel, and JVR.

It's not over, maybe we can get a 6th game back here, but this was a tough loss. Still when you can't finish, you get this type of result.

 

[RomanianLeafs]

proud of the team..bruins we're the worst opponents righr now for this young team, i was afraid of meeting them right from the moment we knew we made the playoffs..respect to them..this is a good lesson for us

 

[NiL8r87]

I had about ten times that (I boated from Grimsby to Toronto to watch the game) and I'm not even mad.

There's a lot to like about this team. Unfortunately the dumbass plays from ****tards like Phanewf truly overshadow all the little heroic actions and hard fought hockey from this Maple Leafs team.

Mark Fraser blocks a puck with his face? Don't worry, Captain Dion will make sure that heroic display of selflessness is completely erased and forgotten.

Fraser made a pretty horrific pass that led to getting clocked in the face.

 

[Sundinisagod]

Well series is pretty much over. No chance we win 3 in a row. Good learning experience for the kids.

It ain't over...

Leafs in 7

 

[Rob Brown]

Was at the game last night, atmosphere was great especially in OT. Thought we really deserved better from that OT, should have won for sure.

I wasn't overly optimistic about this series to begin with, and obviously now even less so. I hope we can make a game of it Friday and maybe again on Sunday. Either way, this is a great learning experience for the boys.

 

[Leaftors]

Deserved a better fate but not enough difference makers on this team, Grabo played well, yes I call it like it is, but he has zero results this series. I was scared everytime he was on the ice in OT, because the puck always seems to find the back of our net when he is on the ice. -5 now, with only 1 assist this playoff for 5.5, hopefully he has played himself into a trade possibility.

Need more size at Center, Boston's C's are bigger and better than ours. This is the most glaring area we need to address, not more flash, but more substance down the middle.

On the bright side we have 3 wingers that are game breakers/difference makers, in Lupul. Kessel, and JVR.

It's not over, maybe we can get a 6th game back here, but this was a tough loss. Still when you can't finish, you get this type of result.

no boston center is over 6'1, and over 200 lbs.

boston just has big wingers (lucic, jags, horton, etc.)

 

[Stats01]

If Phaneuf gets all of Horton, they are scraping him off the ice and we are talking about it a la Kapanen for the next decade. He pinched, tried to make a big hit and it cost us. Phaneuf is the least of our worries.

I am a Reimer fan and love what the kid has done, but your goalie needs to make that stop in OT. Just a bad goal. Rask kept his team in it (with a little help from the iron) and we got beat on a ****** goal. Them's the breaks.

Series isn't over, but the odds are slim to none. That was a killer last night.

Reminded me so much of Roenick's OT goal that eliminated us, once again a D-man pinching in during OT it causes an odd man rush and it's in the net, season over. Why can't we just play the overtime period without trying to do too much...very frustrating.

 

[Pilky01]

Fraser made a pretty horrific pass that led to getting clocked in the face.

Fraser, Phanuef and O'Byrne were all pretty terrible. You could sense their panic anytime they got the puck in the defensive zone.

Franson, Gardiner and Gunarsson were all pretty good IMO.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

no boston center is over 6'1, and over 200 lbs.

boston just has big wingers (lucic, jags, horton, etc.)

They play big, and they are more substance than ours this series.

 

[thewave]

You never cease to amaze me.

You honestly think we are going forward with the Reims Scrivens tandem when they already tried to employ the services of Kipp? Really? 4 goals a night in the Playoffs? We have more explosive offense then Boston, weaker defense and tending, Belfour would not have let that in and we would have won that game period.

 

[Budsfan]

We have a good young team and I'm Happy about the way they have played.

In the off season we need to make some adjustments but we have a very decent core to build on.

 

[7even]

Ryan O'Byrne is approaching Andy Wozniewski levels of awfulness.

When you go out and spend asserts to bolster your lineup heading into the playoffs, I didn't know it was so that they could then actively lose playoff games for you.

 

[NiL8r87]

Fraser, Phanuef and O'Byrne were all pretty terrible. You could sense their panic anytime they got the puck in the defensive zone.

Franson, Gardiner and Gunarsson were all pretty good IMO.

I haven't been impressed with Fraser or O'Byrne at all in this series. Will be nice to see Liles who can actually move the puck but then again we're giving up more size on the blue line, definitely not a winning formula when the Lucic line has been owning us this whole series.

 

[moonbal]

People blaming Reimer is nuts. He's not Cujo or Eddie but he's the best we've had since.
Problem is our D. Phaenuf and O'Byrne were terribad.
On the other hand, I'm very optimistic about Gardiner. He will be what Phaneuf never was and never will be.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Phaneuf gambled, and we lost, but Gardiner played well last night gambled to, he was just luckier on his pinches.

I am not excusing Phaneuf, but had Reimer made the save, we could be still playing right now.

As per usual around here, the knee jerk reaction to blame one play, and missed the turning point of the game is inexplicable.

The Komarov phantom call was a terrible call by the refs, we couldn't kill the penalty off, the 2-2 goal with Grabo's man(Krejci) scored to tie it up, that was the killer moment. No way you should lose when you are up 2-0 in a game. That was on us, and we couldn't recover, even though we played admirably the rest of the way.

So while most focus on one play by Phaneuf, we truly lost the game, early in the 2nd period. One a bad call, and 2 Grabo didn't tie up his man.

 

[bobbyflex]

My heart hurts

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Despite the kick to the balls at the end, probably the most fun I've had watching a hockey game since, er, 2004. Quite obvious the team needs another top-pairing defenseman, and that's not even meant to be a shot at Dion, but my goodness if you're running out Fraser and O'Byrne (and your back-up options are JM Liles and Mike Kostka) you definitely need to add to the back-end. Bozak shouldn't be in the #1 centre hole but at least the Leafs have some nice options in the Top 6. Getting another defenseman in the offseason is going to be important. Gardiner was excellent last night, and Phaneuf's been quite good all season despite the poor showing last night. Both are keepers going forward, but beyond that the rest of the blueline is a pretty big question mark (although Franson is worth holding onto as well IMO, Gunnarsson too but they still need another top-tier dman back there).

 

[7even]

My heart hurts

Sums it up. Feel bad man

 

[Leafsfan83]

Still heartbroken over last nights loss.

 

[WolfgangAmadeusEller*]

lol

 

[bobbyflex]

Sums it up. Feel bad man

soooo.. how has the Phaneuf backlash been here over the past 12 hours. I'm guessing...not so good?

 

[Mess]

Thread is at its 1000 limit

/closed