Post-Game Talk: Clutch Hutch Shuts Down Scorned Islanders | Leaf Win 3-0

[Lilou]

This is what you do against a degenerate team. Bide your time and you will get some. Isles offense is trash. They desperately need Tavares!

 

[Semantics]

A brilliant little before and after snapshot of the game. Before, this poster is heckling Leafs fans who are just providing useful info for their GDT, telling them they’re making excuses. Then afterward lauding his coach for making excuses so he seems “confident” about his sinking team.

I definitely had a good laugh at how offended they got just from Cor stating which goalie was starting.

 

[Sweet Leaf]

Whenever he’s been moved up he’s been forced to move over to the left side, which he isn’t comfortable playing.

Kappanen never looking good on the first 2 lines isn’t even true anyway. During Nylander’s holdout, kappy played up and was dominant with Matthews for a 15 game stretch before Matty got hurt.

To your point, he played right wing during that stretch.

 

[LeafChief]

"The Leafs don't scare me one bit."

The fact that your favourite team has zero offensive ability should scare you quite a bit.

 

[unitedstars87]

Lock your wives and daughters away Brooons.

We're only 6 points behind and closing fast!

 

[mix1home]

Don’t look now, but we’re now just 6 points behind Boston.

That and Bs are playing like crap recently.

 

[ACC1224]

I said it was a mistake to start Hutch. I'm happy to be wrong.

Thought the same initially, figured Monday would be better.
Made sense once I thought about it as it gave Andersen a longer stretch of rest.

 

[AvroArrow]

Hutchinson looks like a completely different player under Keefe. Amazing how big of an impact a coach can have on a players confidence. No complaints about Hutch in his last 4ish games now. Maybe we have our backup goaltender after all ?

 

[Tall Morty]

Hutchinson looks like a completely different player under Keefe. Amazing how big of an impact a coach can have on a players confidence. No complaints about Hutch in his last 4ish games now. Maybe we have our backup goaltender after all ?

Rebound control still leaves a lot to be desired, but I can’t complain about the results, and I’m glad he didn’t get Enrothed. Let’s hope the first half of the season was the anomaly and not these past few games (which, if you take into account his entire body of work, appears to be the case.)

 

[mix1home]

My dream has always been Marner to Matthews.
It turned into a nightmare under Babcock but now....
The Dream lives!!!

No look pass, no look swipe, top shelf. That was Jedi-ish...

 

[nuck]

Hutchinson looks like a completely different player under Keefe. Amazing how big of an impact a coach can have on a players confidence. No complaints about Hutch in his last 4ish games now. Maybe we have our backup goaltender after all ?

Yes it must be Keefe that made him suddenly capable of stopping a puck. Maybe the evil Babs drove his head into the ground for not playing better or maybe he is a career .907 who has clawed his way out of the toilet back to .896. It was sort of predicable although long overdue. Still a micro sample but since there is some signs of life and they are in cap hell he will get more chances. This would solve a huge problem because Freddy needs to be rested. As bad as his year has been he is 3-5 now and its the win losses that matter for a backup. This shutout has to be huge for his confidence.

 

[mix1home]

I wonder who leads the league in Hymans.

Hey, hey, easy... no one outHymans Zach Hyman.

 

[Riellyfan04]

I was one of those guys who thought a coach doesnt really effect a players play, boy was i wrong lol. Keefe has turned literally every player on the team play awesome. Well minus Rielly.

 

[robertmac43]

Hopefully we can get some more starts like this from Hutch down the stretch to keep Freddie as fresh as possible!

 

[mix1home]

Looking at the standings, it's clear Leafs needs to work on losing better.

I heard in interview somewhere that it is firmly in coaching plans for 2030-2031 season.

 

[AvroArrow]

Yes it must be Keefe that made him suddenly capable of stopping a puck. Maybe the evil Babs drove his head into the ground for not playing better or maybe he is a career .907 who has clawed his way out of the toilet back to .896. It was sort of predicable although long overdue. Still a micro sample but since there is some signs of life and they are in cap hell he will get more chances. This would solve a huge problem because Freddy needs to be rested. As bad as his year has been he is 3-5 now and its the win losses that matter for a backup. This shutout has to be huge for his confidence.

Exactly what i meant when talking about the difference a coach can make. Imagine one guy talking shit, calling you out and constantly putting you down. VS whatever the perception of Keefe is, which seems to be trust and a healthy relationship with his players. It's like working for a POS boss vs a respectful one, has a big impact on how you perform at work.

 

[likecheese]

Yes it must be Keefe that made him suddenly capable of stopping a puck. Maybe the evil Babs drove his head into the ground for not playing better or maybe he is a career .907 who has clawed his way out of the toilet back to .896. It was sort of predicable although long overdue. Still a micro sample but since there is some signs of life and they are in cap hell he will get more chances. This would solve a huge problem because Freddy needs to be rested. As bad as his year has been he is 3-5 now and its the win losses that matter for a backup. This shutout has to be huge for his confidence.

On the one hand, you say Babcock has no role in how he plays. Then on the other hand, you say how important Hutch's confidence is. Totally contradictory.
If you have a goalie who is in need of confidence and you insist on only playing him in the most difficult situations, then maybe that coach is an idiot.

 

[dimi78]

On the one hand, you say Babcock has no role in how he plays. Then on the other hand, you say how important Hutch's confidence is. Totally contradictory.
If you have a goalie who is in need of confidence and you insist on only playing him in the most difficult situations, then maybe that coach is an idiot.

Confidence and may I add true confidence not this participation award, bless your bleeding heart type that society is pushing on us is an individual trait that is earned. It's not coached. You earn it by not quitting when facing adversity.

Babcock gave Hutch plenty of opportunity to earn his keep... He had a good game last night but lets not act like Hutch has been all that much improved under Keefe with all the games he's played. He wasn't all that good vs NJ and he was horrible in the game vs Buffalo.

Good for Hutch last night but he's not out of the woods just yet IMO. He doesn't respond well to adversity gets rattled after he gives up goal. I'm still looking to trade for a backup from now until the trade deadline if I was Dubus.

 

[Nylander88]

Hope Hutch can keep this rolling. We desperately need more starts out of a backup. Great game by him. Keefe obviously from time with the Marlies knew Hutch was the better NHL option. When we hired Keefe Kaskisou was up with the big club and they switched it back. Really nice when the coach knows whats in the pipeline as well as Keefe currently does

 

[ShaneFalco]

He needed to get a W and get his confidence back. He’s playing well now
I’m sure they’re still looking but now don’t have to be desperate

 

[frizzer1]

I was one of those guys who thought a coach doesnt really effect a players play, boy was i wrong lol. Keefe has turned literally every player on the team play awesome. Well minus Rielly.

Obviously Keefe is a doing all the right things.
But I think it's more accurate to say that the players would no longer play for Babcock and that's what we were seeing.
The talent was always there.

 

[Nylander88]

He needed to get a W and get his confidence back. He’s playing well now
I’m sure they’re still looking but now don’t have to be desperate

I agree. I think they still have feelers out

 

[likecheese]

Confidence and may I add true confidence not this participation award, bless your bleeding heart type that society is pushing on us is an individual trait that is earned. It's not coached. You earn it by not quitting when facing adversity.

Babcock gave Hutch plenty of opportunity to earn his keep... He had a good game last night but lets not act like Hutch has been all that much improved under Keefe with all the games he's played. He wasn't all that good vs NJ and he was horrible in the game vs Buffalo.

Good for Hutch last night but he's not out of the woods just yet IMO. He doesn't respond well to adversity gets rattled after he gives up goal. I'm still looking to trade for a backup from now until the trade deadline if I was Dubus.

It's funny that you think anybody is saying that Hutchinson doesn't have to earn his keep. Every time he starts, his career is on the line and everybody knows it.
He's the goalie equivalent of a 4th line forward or a 3rd pairing dman. Hopefully, he's good enough to give you 15-20 games in a season but who knows? So how does it help to take this average player and continuously put him in a situation where the team is playing against the better team on a b-b, is tired, is defensively inept and your average-level goalie is getting pummelled every time he plays? Maybe give him easier starts until he gets his confidence up then progress him a little. In summary, Babcock is an idiot.

 

[1specter]

Yes it must be Keefe that made him suddenly capable of stopping a puck. Maybe the evil Babs drove his head into the ground for not playing better or maybe he is a career .907 who has clawed his way out of the toilet back to .896. It was sort of predicable although long overdue. Still a micro sample but since there is some signs of life and they are in cap hell he will get more chances. This would solve a huge problem because Freddy needs to be rested. As bad as his year has been he is 3-5 now and its the win losses that matter for a backup. This shutout has to be huge for his confidence.

It's a combination of things. The team in front of him is playing better, which is huge because he was often left to dry.

The other factor is he's not just getting the sloppy seconds now and put in a position to fail, as Keefe will choose his matchup on the b2b based on what is better for him rather than just giving him the second game by default like Babcock did.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

cool fact: Leafs have gone 5 games without giving up a 3rd period goal