Post-Game Talk: Buffalo. What else is new?

[PromisedLand]

Big win for Buffalo.

it is a good strategic move to make sure Dahlin ends up in the western conference

 

[Antropovsky]

Big win for Buffalo.

The way Eichel was celebrating you would've thought he was scoring game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff goals.

 

[A1LeafNation]

A thinking person might reasonably believe that these two statements don't follow one from the other.

Prior to Saturdays game. Leafs had 8 games left, Boston had 9 games left, and Leafs needed 8 points more to catch Boston.

Something like this would have had to happen...
Leafs would have to go 6-2 = 12 points
Boston would have to go 2-7= 4 points

How is that even remotely realistic?

 

[tokyoite]

players get paid to lose ?

 

[Rob Brown]

The way Eichel was celebrating you would've thought he was scoring game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff goals.

He was pretty clearly trying to piss the Leafs players off.

 

[Superstar]

It is one game, and Johnson literally stood on his head, despite us driving play most the game. Sometimes it happens.

We also missed 26 shots on net...way too many misses.

 

[Superstar]

Anyone else feel like we still feel super soft?

Like I don't know if it's something you learn, but I was watching the Jets game yesterday and what stood out to me was two guys in particular: Schiefele and Wheeler.
Those guys play HEAVY and FAST. They always won puck battles, always drove the net, felt like every move they made had a purpose, good/hard straight line hockey. You see it in Malkin/Crosby and Bergeron/Marchand every game.

I feel like sometimes Matthews and Nylander can play that game, but nowhere near often enough. In a game like today that kind of straighline hockey would've been better in my opinion than the cutesy no look passes they were trying to do.

Schiefele and Wheeler are men...they are 25 and 31 years old respectively...Matthews and Nylander are still boys...wait until they get their man strength in a few years. Malkin, Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand are also men...they are older and much stronger compared to Matthews and Nylander.

 

[djdev]

in reality outside of the fact i hate buffalo..who cares? we played well. its hard when u play teams with nothing to lose when you have nothing really to gain..especially in your own division.

 

[Liminality]

Schiefele and Wheeler are men...they are 25 and 31 years old respectively...Matthews and Nylander are still boys...wait until they get their man strength in a few years. Malkin, Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand are also men...they are older and much stronger compared to Matthews and Nylander.

Yeah, thinking about how good Matthews is going to be in his prime always puts a smile on my face.

 

[member 262271]

Why is Andersen playing against Detroit and Buffalo this late in the season when our position is a lock?

Is Babcock really this stupid?

The ideology in the league seems to be your starter is healthy? Not a back to back? Then he starts. Perhaps something to do with you don't want your starter getting cold and it being your doing. I believe in resting Freddy but I can also see the other side of it.

 

[The Best Leafs Ever]

Ugly win against DET but pretty loss against BUF, uff!

 

[A1LeafNation]

The ideology in the league seems to be your starter is healthy? Not a back to back? Then he starts. Perhaps something to do with you don't want your starter getting cold and it being your doing. I believe in resting Freddy but I can also see the other side of it.

If 30 coaches are wrong, they are all wrong. I think sports science will tell you there is a correlation between fatigue and losing.

 

[Menzinger]

The ideology in the league seems to be your starter is healthy? Not a back to back? Then he starts. Perhaps something to do with you don't want your starter getting cold and it being your doing. I believe in resting Freddy but I can also see the other side of it.

What’s strange is that the Leafs clearly don’t like to over-use their skaters, and have pretty balanced icetime as a result, yet Andersen gets start after start.

Imo they run the risk of really grinding him down if they keep this up over the next few seasons.

 

[hfman]

what's that I'm hearing?

We lost to Buffalo...


...AGAIN!!??





and whats worse.. we still have to play them one more time... so chalk that one up as an automatic loss as well.



THE BUFFALONIAN CURSE IS ALIVE AND WELL

 

[ITM]

Prior to Saturdays game. Leafs had 8 games left, Boston had 9 games left, and Leafs needed 8 points more to catch Boston.

Something like this would have had to happen...
Leafs would have to go 6-2 = 12 points
Boston would have to go 2-7= 4 points

How is that even remotely realistic?

In each of the posts I've quoted of yours, I'm not sure what you're asking/arguing, but I'll give it a whirl...

I don't believe Babcock has an eye on Boston as much as he has an eye on readying his club for the playoffs. Thus far, Freddie Andersen has started 62 games this season. NHL number starting goalies typically start between 60 and 70 games a season. With six or seven games left, Babcock has his starter well within the typical range of games started for a starting NHL goalie.

What Toronto can control is their on-ice play. What Toronto can't control is Boston's. What Toronto can control is how they approach each player's ice-time as the playoffs approach. What Toronto can't control is how other teams (positively or negatively) allocate ice-time for their respective teams. For example, Tampa started Louis Domingue against the Yotes and the Bolts lost. One would think, starting your backup on the Tampa Bay Lightning when playing the Arizona Coyotes should equate to an automatic win. Apparently...it doesn't. Now is that a demonstration of poor player management or good player management? Could it be, within the greater context of trying to remain focused on the playoffs, an aspect of NHL clubs that the closer they get to the playoffs, the lesser lights of any particular season up their game in order to redeem what's been lost? I think so. It happens all the time.

But the crux of the matter is that neither Jon Cooper nor Mike Babcock are incompetent, stupid NHL head coaches. They are mindful of their respective teams' needs as equally as they are each of their player's needs.

So the thought that Babcock started Andersen with a calculated mindset of catching Boston doesn't seem to overlay naturally if we consider a number of other necessary elements i.e. NHL competition writ large. What does seem consistent is a team, like Toronto or Tampa, focusing on working out team kinks and preserving the game shape that the season of hard work has yielded in order to be playoff tempo ready when it swings around against whatever team they have to play against.

That's what seems realistic to me.

 

[meefer]

What’s strange is that the Leafs clearly don’t like to over-use their skaters, and have pretty balanced icetime as a result, yet Andersen gets start after start.

Imo they run the risk of really grinding him down if they keep this up over the next few seasons.

I think with injury, McIhinney's starts and days off with the schedule, Freddy's had something like 17 days off in the last month. He should be well rested.

 

[Ulysses31]

Kapenen and AJ showing they can carry a line. Leafs really dont need to sign anyone this but obviously they will with all that cap space lying around. maybe one big named forward on a big money 1 year contract.

 

[Torontonian]

A Classic Buffalo Sabers game, not really upset Freddy should have saved the 3rd one, but for the most part they were all over Buffalo lol . We have to tighten up abit for the playoffs, some of the chances Buffalo had would have prob went in if it was a good team.

 

[Apotheosis]

On the bright side, Marner has 65 points and Matthews is PPG since his return.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

The way Eichel was celebrating you would've thought he was scoring game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff goals.

Might as well pretend, 'cause he'll never actually know what it feels like.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

Kapenen and AJ showing they can carry a line. Leafs really dont need to sign anyone this but obviously they will with all that cap space lying around. maybe one big named forward on a big money 1 year contract.

I can't see it. Maybe Jumbo Joe to take over for Bozak, but if anything, I see them pursuing Carlson if he hits FA.

If our defense is:

Rielly Carlson
Gardiner Zaitsev
Dermott Hainsey

We're going to do MAJOR damage, with the depth and scoring we have up front.

 

[Boutette]

Kapenen and AJ showing they can carry a line. Leafs really dont need to sign anyone this but obviously they will with all that cap space lying around. maybe one big named forward on a big money 1 year contract.

There's not as much cap space as people think when you factor in the $5 mil in bonuses that will carry over, the $6mil to be paid to Nylander and avoiding tapping Horton's $5mil in LTIR so that the $4mil in bonuses don't carry over to the year that that the team will have to spend $30+mil extending the likes of Matthews, Marner, Kapanen, Gardiner and Borgman. In order to maintain any flexibility next year the most the team should probably do to be responsible is resign Bozak to maintain our 3rd line depth center and do a Hainsey like signing to shore up our D.

 

[PuckMagi]

Should be this:

Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander
Marleau - Kadri - Marner
JVR - Bozak - Kapanen
Hyman - Plekanec - Brown/Komarov

 

[ANDI P IS CUTE]

why not start mac? zaitsev sucks, 7 years sheesh.

 

[6ix]

We’re done in the playoffs if we get the Andersen of the last month. It’s tough to score 4 goals in a playoff game, and that’s what we’ll need since this guy lets in 3 a game.