Pre-Game Talk: Bruins @ Leafs, time to sweep those Bears!

[Pi]

Might as well get this started...this is probably the biggest game of the year. While it isn't do or die for the playoffs, it might be do or die to get 3rd place in the Atlantic.

If we win in regulation, we keep a game in hand and are just one point behind them. If we lose..., nah let's not think about that, we will win!

It's going to take a team effort to shut down Marchand, that pest has turned into a legit superstar. Expecting Nylander to have a huge game. He's been on fire for us.

Go Leafs Go!

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[A1LeafNation]

We skate faster than Boston, we win. We skate at the same speed as Boston, they win.

 

[Pi]

We skate faster than Boston, we win. We skate at the same speed as Boston, they win.

Yeah, we really need to come out strong. Rask hasn't been good and it's time to capitalize.

 

[Liminality]

I know it's been said every game for the last couple of weeks but....
this game is a must win game.

 

[A1LeafNation]

 

[WilliamNylander]

If there was ever a time to stack a line this might be it

Boston is a one line team but that one line is quite dominant. I don't see any of our lines matching up right now unless we load one up.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Cassidy has made them a dump team.

Dump and forecheck, or throw it out when its in their zone.
I'm still surprised their playing this well.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Where was Nylander in game 7, he is a Bruins killer.

 

[Pi]

If there was ever a time to stack a line this might be it

Boston is a one line team but that one line is quite dominant. I don't see any of our lines matching up right now unless we load one up.

Babcock won't do that. If there was one thing I wish he learned from Q, that would be it. Stacking your best players for a couple of shifts when you are doing well isn't a bad thing.

He will stick to his predefined lines all game long. Only change he ever makes is switching Brown and Nylander.

If we loaded up and went:

JvR-Matthews-Nylander
Brown-Kadri-Marner

We would be much better. I'd rather have two elite lines than three good lines.

Even our third line would be above average with so many combinations available.

I don't think there was more than 20 seconds in 3v3 that one of Kane, Toews or Keith weren't on the ice for. Your grinders don't win you games, they just make sure you don't lose. Guys like Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Kadri etc win you games if you give them a chance.

 

[Ulysses31]

Lol

 

[saffronleaf]

most important game of the season so far. go leafs go!

 

[Pi]

Andersen against the Bruins: 7-0-0 1.85 GAA .944 SV and only 13 goals allowed.


Time to go for lucky #8.

 

[Daisy Jane]

the reason why Babcock won't stack his lnes is that we're not deep enough to compensate. so sure - you can stack it. then we're very limited on the rest of them.

 

[Gallagbi]

the reason why Babcock won't stack his lnes is that we're not deep enough to compensate. so sure - you can stack it. then we're very limited on the rest of them.

We're built on depth so it doesn't make sense to load up 1 line. I love Matthews, Marner and Nylander/Kadri but do you think they would be the best line in hockey? Because that's exactly what the Bruins top line is.

If not, you've just weakened 2-3 lines to lose a matchup.

Or you can hope Kadri's line holds on and exploit the remaining matchups.

 

[Pi]

the reason why Babcock won't stack his lnes is that we're not deep enough to compensate. so sure - you can stack it. then we're very limited on the rest of them.

Seriously? We have six guys headed for 50+ points. There are teams out there that stack their one and only good line. We would still have two great lines.

 

[Not My Tempo]

Babcock won't do that. If there was one thing I wish he learned from Q, that would be it. Stacking your best players for a couple of shifts when you are doing well isn't a bad thing.

He will stick to his predefined lines all game long. Only change he ever makes is switching Brown and Nylander.

If we loaded up and went:

JvR-Matthews-Nylander
Brown-Kadri-Marner

We would be much better. I'd rather have two elite lines than three good lines.

Even our third line would be above average with so many combinations available.

I don't think there was more than 20 seconds in 3v3 that one of Kane, Toews or Keith weren't on the ice for. Your grinders don't win you games, they just make sure you don't lose. Guys like Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Kadri etc win you games if you give them a chance.

I think he will once Matthews defensive game evolves. Hawks can load up their lines because Kane and Panarin need a defensive center to cover for them. Well it just so happens that the Hawks most offensive center also happens to be a top 3 defensive center in league.

 

[Hurt]

Odds that the lines don't change at all?

 

[Gallagbi]

Odds that the lines don't change at all?

99.9% not sure why they would change

 

[Hurt]

99.9% not sure why they would change

Because our offense has been anemic the last three weeks or so, minus the TB game? Even in that game, we were getting goals from unlikely sources.

 

[Advanced stats]

If there was ever a time to stack a line this might be it

Boston is a one line team but that one line is quite dominant. I don't see any of our lines matching up right now unless we load one up.

Doesn't depth counteract one line teams though?

I'm totally in favor of creating a shutdown line to match up with the marchand line, but after that, shouldn't we spread out our star power against their 2/3rd line?

 

[Pi]

Because our offense has been anemic the last three weeks or so, minus the TB game? Even in that game, we were getting goals from unlikely sources.

I think Babcock's thinking is that his lines have gotten us this far so he might as well keep them together. I think it's wrong, we need a shakeup. Goals are drying up and it might be worth switching it up.

Refs are in playoff mode already, very few calls are actually called so it negates any advantage we have on the PP over other teams.

 

[Gallagbi]

Because our offense has been anemic the last three weeks or so, minus the TB game? Even in that game, we were getting goals from unlikely sources.

Matthews line had a ton of chances, Kadri's line shut down the twins which is their job and the 4th line was solid. I didn't think the Marner line was that noticeable in regulation, but you don't have a ton of options for movement there.

Not much reason to change it up.

 

[WilliamNylander]

Odds that the lines don't change at all?

I'm guessing the only change we see is Nylander back with Kadri and Brown with Matthews, then try and matchup Kadri vs Bergeron/Marchand/Pastrnak.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Seriously? We have six guys headed for 50+ points. There are teams out there that stack their one and only good line. We would still have two great lines.

yeah we do. because the wealth is spread out, and those guys generate opportunities for everyone else. if you stacked the line up, do we still have six for 50+ points? are we defensively deep enough to compensate for that? (these are legitimate questions, so i mean, if we are, then you know, i'll ask that question myself). but it's not like Babcock is adverse to not stacking up lines when he needs to because he'd put Z + Datsyuk together when needed.

so because of that, i'm leaning on my theory that it's due to depth reasons for the most part. this isn't beating the "babcock is right, don't question him" drum. but the reason why we give a lot of teams fits most nights (not so much right now) is because we can snipe you from any line. (the only team that has a bigger threat than that is New York because they have four lines. Pittsburgh/Washington excluded coz they are PIT/WSH).

i just think when we get other options and they're stronger defensively, we'll see more "unleash the hounds" from Babcock

 

[crump]

For totally selfish reasons I want to see Nylander, Matthews, Marner together this season just once. Have they ever been put together? Maybe if we are behind a few goals it would be interesting to see how they work out. I like having three scoring lines though, I think Babs admitted he took too long to mix up his defense pairings, maybe he will try some new things up front but that has not worked well in the past, we were shellacked the only game he tried it and they looked horrible. That was a while ago so who knows.

As for the game. Classic 4 pointer. Win in regulation and we have 1 point separating us, lose and we are 5 down. Boston has a tough end to the schedule, but this is probably the only chance we have to catch up to them. They have been sitting a while after getting blasted by the oilers, so we might catch them napping. Hopefully the Bruins keep dumping it in so Andersen can send some breakaway passes past their slow D. A good trouncing and the Bruins are going to be in a bad place I think. Pretty fragile right now.