Pre-Game Talk: Bruins @ Leafs - Saturday HNIC

[Nineteen67]

Boston gets blown out this game. Speed kills.

Trouble is, like most good teams, Boston has just as much or more speed than the Leafs. And, their speed can also handle the puck.

 

[Al14]

David Clarkson was also a hometown boy

And Dubas traded to get him back!

 

[Suntouchable13]

It's still really early, if you think about it. Daylight savings time hasn't ended yet, leaves have not fallen yet, the NBA season has not started. We have to take a deep breath and relax. There is still so much hockey ahead of us.

 

[Ciao]

The leafs are not a hard working team

They’re going to have to be or they won’t be around long.

The kids on the big contracts all know they will be around whether or not they work hard until the next contract year rolls around.

It's like when one of my professors once announced that he was "worried" -- or, at least, as worried as a professor with tenure could ever be!

These guys will get as worried as a 22 year old on a $60-million guaranteed contract can get.

 

[Thread The Needle]

they may show up tonight, but it would be really good if they show up Tomorrow.

Hopefully they don't show up tonight. You know they struggle in 2nd games of back-to-backs

 

[TimeZone]

Trouble is, like most good teams, Boston has just as much or more speed than the Leafs. And, their speed can also handle the puck.

They definitely don't. Speed was our biggest advantage over them the last two years in the playoffs. Their back end in particular is pretty mediocre speed wise.

 

[Ciao]

You shouldn't hate to say it. Our 10M+ club should be expected to be dominant every night and noticeable each and every shift. The team's fortunes fall on their shoulders. Their contracts are the reason why they will be sharing the ice tomorrow with 8 near league minimum teammates. Surely a group of 8 players making less than 60% of either Matthews or Marner can't be expected to have huge impacts on the team.

I dunno.

Sometimes you don't keep running once you've caught the bus.

What if the high rollers don't roll? Does anything bad happen to them?

 

[Cobra777]

Anyone else getting tired of all this "sky is falling" junk?
It's October 18th, Stop spazzing out.

But anyways...

Hoping for the good version of the team to show up tonight, they should be rested.

Go Leafs Go!

what sky is falling? Its a huge concern from last year, teams know that if they fore check our D and puck carriers with tenacity and bang our skill players around physically that it throws our skill on a heap and we can be had. Last season most of that was covered up when Freddie was unbeatable and super sharp in many of regular season games until the play offs began where he came down a bit to normal instead of super hot. Game 7's Fred does not have a good stat. Everyone can say what they want but I saw over 20 vids of Ryan Reaves from Vegas, he can play hockey, delivers crushing hits, and God help you if you drop the gloves against him. We have absolutely 0 grit or push back to get by teams who take runs at our good players, a player like Reaves would have our skill guys playing much taller in the saddle. I can pretty much guarantee that a player like him would give soooo much courage to the rest. But Dubas and many think the pp is the answer, sorry seen 3 seasons of 0 grit and its a failed experiment. players like a Reaves, Wilson etc can score, play, and add some terribly needed physicality. Even a big D like Big Buf(I know he is unavailable) would push this team to a next level, I know these players are not available but I am pointing out what we severely need, softness just won't get it done.

 

[IPS]

f*** the old ghost from Toronto Dallas Eakins is gettin' er done in Anaheim so far... Better than Babcock so far.

 

[Blowfish]

They definitely don't. Speed was our biggest advantage over them the last two years in the playoffs. Their back end in particular is pretty mediocre speed wise.

Other than Chara and possibly Krejci who do you consider slow? The Boston D is probably one of the most mobile quick D in the league and the bruins do have players that can't flat out fly from Kuraly Nordstrom Debrusk Kuhlman etc...Pasta/Marchand are no slouches...The leafs may have the lead on the speed department but it's not by much.

Including a Chara in the turtle mix is simply silly. The dude is still a #1 D man in the league and don't think there's a leaf fan out there that wouldn't want a Chara stud on their team.

 

[NastyKnies]

Andersen needs a big game tonight, Bostons goal tending has been lights out. Rask has .946 save percentage and Halak with .951 this will be a goalie battle.

 

[Hustlr]

Other than Chara and possibly Krejci who do you consider slow? The Boston D is probably one of the most mobile quick D in the league and the bruins do have players that can't flat out fly from Kuraly Nordstrom Debrusk Kuhlman etc...Pasta/Marchand are no slouches...The leafs may have the lead on the speed department but it's not by much.

Including a Chara in the turtle mix is simply silly. The dude is still a #1 D man in the league and don't think there's a leaf fan out there that wouldn't want a Chara stud on their team.

Naw, Boston’s D is not mobile imo. Krug is their best, then McAvoy and then it’s their 3rd pairing. Half their top 4 are below average.

Rielly and Barrie are much more mobile than those two. Muzzin and Ceci are much quicker than Chara and Carlo. Our 3rd pairing mobility is going to be ridiculous once Sandy and Lilly are ready to get 15mins/night

 

[Blowfish]

Naw, Boston’s D is not mobile imo. Krug is their best, then McAvoy and then it’s their 3rd pairing. Half their top 4 are below average.

McAvoy, Carlo, Gryzlick, Clifton, Krug...are extremely mobile and physical and a big reason for their success.

 

[Hustlr]

McAvoy, Carlo, Gryzlick, Clifton, Krug...are extremely mobile and physical.

We’ll have agree to disagree. Mobile or physical, sure.

Grizz and Krug are not physical. Carlo is not mobile. Clifton is average.

 

[deletethis]

I dunno.

Sometimes you don't keep running once you've caught the bus.

What if the high rollers don't roll? Does anything bad happen to them?

Well, first they get rewarded with a new coach. Then a new GM. Then another new coach. Then a new president. Then free agency.

 

[Nineteen67]

They definitely don't. Speed was our biggest advantage over them the last two years in the playoffs. Their back end in particular is pretty mediocre speed wise.

People are getting sucked into the speed narrative looking for a silver lining.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

People are getting sucked into the speed narrative looking for a silver lining.

How in the hell is us being faster then them a narrative? We are literally faster then them. We lost to them because they execute their game and have been able to dictate the way the games we play against them are played....basically they have been able to neutralize the advantage in speed that we have when it matters.

 

[Nineteen67]

How in the hell is us being faster then them a narrative? We are literally faster then them. We lost to them because they execute their game and have been able to dictate the way the games we play against them are played....basically they have been able to neutralize the advantage in speed that we have when it matters.

We hear they are faster than everyone but most teams seem to keep up with them without any issue and get to lose pucks just quick or quicker.

Teams treat playing the Leafs as a no contact scrimmage game so people have come up with something to justify the Leafs lack of determination.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Not expecting much good to come from tonight.

 

[YearsintheWilderness]

A game between a team that would never have allowed the Marner punk-drama to play out, and one that did it allow it to play out. The Bruins have always had a real team culture, where TEAM really is more important than the individual players.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

We hear they are faster than everyone but most teams seem to keep up with them without any issue and get to lose pucks just quick or quicker.

Teams treat playing the Leafs as a no contact scrimmage game so people have come up with something to justify the Leafs lack of determination.

But you are talking about something entirely different then the speed of the team. Our team is faster then Boston. The fact that we don't play with the hunger and determination that a Boston does. Or that we let other teams dictate how we are going to play games is the actual problem. We let teams slow us down. Look at a team like Colorado, they simply won't let any team slow them down. That is the problem.

 

[egd27]

Anyone else getting tired of all this "sky is falling" junk?
It's October 18th, Stop spazzing out.

But anyways...

Hoping for the good version of the team to show up tonight, they should be rested.

Go Leafs Go!

Wouldn't be HFBoards - Leafs Edition without the angst.

Panic sets in around here if the are down a goal at any point in a game.

It's actually an interesting observation on the human condition

 

[Atomos2]

gotta stay out of the box that Boston PP is lethal.

Won’t happen. Those Boston players are world class Olympic divers.

 

[robertmac43]

Going to be in tough tonight. Please start on time, I cannot handle playing from behind all the time early. It's so frustrating!

 

[Atomos2]

5-0 or 4-0 Bruins. Doubt leafs even get a goal on Halak. 20 shots max. Hate to say it....