Do we intimidate anyone?

[Hotel Mario]

Toronto is undoubtedly skilled, but opposing coaches in the playoffs can exploit vulnerabilities. Lots of pressure on Gards and Zaitsev, powerplay easy to figure out. A team such as Boston will take liberties against the Leafs, knowing the powerplay can be neutralized

 

[Brown Dog]

With our talent, all we should have to do to win is not get outworked.

 

[RLF]

Correct, they have already begun to address this by adding Muzzin.
Need at least a similar type forward and they'll be good to go.

Yea, haven't figured out how to some - Muzzin can be a great add to our team, but he is also the type of player that they say the game is passing by (Physical, not overly quick or highly skilled).

 

[ZippityDooDa]

We Are Leafs Nation and everyone thinks we're idiot fools

Stupid analytics! Stupid Dubas! Good Canadian hockey is tough hockey and penalty minutes are seen as a positive, Leafs Nation : thinking deranged.

Sure: Those Europeans and Yankees know how to skate, make plays, be aware of their surroundings, but Canadian players are trying to figure out how to score form the penalty box, and you dare call good Canadian Kids useless tools?

We are Leafs Nation troglodytes! We will not go extinct! Do you really think that stupid Bettman and his stupid law degree and all of his idiot accountants, lawyers, and MBA types in the league office can put their mind toward avoiding being on the wrong end of a Post Concussion Syndrome lawsuit? Well, if you can see that, then there is no helping you, because the game from this Good Canadian Kid's eye remains unchanged!

I purposely skip your posts because of the italics. You're not a sports columnist lmao.

Leafs barely intimidate with their offense anymore since it's been so bi-polar for months. Get Kadri and Matthews back on the saddle, maybe that changes but we're arguably one of the easiest teams to push around. It's obvious we're easy to play against and be taken advantage of in terms of physicality.

We hardly maintain an offensive threat and are much more in the realm of high-converting opportunists. Hell, the rare times we manage to shell-shock the opposing teams we somehow end up losing. Definitely haven't been running on all cylinders for a while but when we are, it's a beautiful sight.

We need a few more energy, sandpaper and semi-skilled warriors for the playoffs which is painfully obvious. Moore and Marchment would be nice if another trade sends brown+ packing. Muzzin filled a big hole but a bit more patchwork is required.

 

[ACC1224]

Yea, haven't figured out how to some - Muzzin can be a great add to our team, but he is also the type of player that they say the game is passing by (Physical, not overly quick or highly skilled).

This can be a very strange place at times.
Perhaps the fear of Matt Martins return has broken a few brains.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

I think that with 2 evenly matched teams, the one that outworks the other wins

Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard

Working hard isn't our core's forte

 

[HamiltonNHL]

A team such as Boston will take liberties against the Leafs, knowing the powerplay can be neutralized

we will be in trouble if our PP is weak. Two things are keys for us to have a chance:

(1) Andersen has to be lights out

(2) We need to be the best PP in the post season

 

[ZippityDooDa]

christ

 

[as Pure as Evil]

when we skate and have the puck moving we scare everyone its just this team can be Jekyll and hyde but we are young and consistency comes in time. everyone is expecting this team to be playing like they all are grizzled vets but in reality its a bunch of kids(getting high priced I know) but they have just started getting used to the league. when the core is 25 + sure ill start wondering but when you look at the curve of reilly and kadri both hadn't really hit till they were about 24-25 somewhere in the last few years the expectations of teenagers and kids that our barely adults have went through the roof

 

[Bluelines]

They could have called it spearing. IIRC didn't he jab him with the blade of his stick?

it was the tip of the blade and it was more of a push of the stick... totally innocent...

 

[Bluelines]

christ

Yes my son?

 

[ORRFForever]

Working hard isn't our core's forte

The team's fine. We are doing great this year.

I just worry about the playoffs - I don't want to be out after round 1.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

The team's fine. We are doing great this year.

I just worry about the playoffs - I don't want to be out after round 1.

In the parity era, anything goes.

 

[ORRFForever]

In the parity era, anything goes.

I'm think our lack of toughness will come back to haunt us.

If teams use their best defensive pairing to shut down Tavares / Marner and Matthews disappears because he is hit, we could be out early/often.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

I'm think our lack of toughness will come back to haunt us.

If teams use their best defensive pairing to shut down Tavares / Marner and Matthews disappears because he is hit, we could be out early/often.

We don't play well during tight games. The trap gets us. Playoff hockey is tight. Stretch pass success certainly doesn't go up in the playoffs.

Our team seems built for regular season success. Grinding out 4 wins vs equally matched teams is not our forte so far. Hope that changes.

At the beginning of the season, Matthews could will a goal in. Then he got injured by Trouba. Not sure what to make of him.

 

[ORRFForever]

We don't play well during tight games. The trap gets us. Playoff hockey is tight. Stretch pass success certainly doesn't go up in the playoffs.

Our team seems built for regular season success. Grinding out 4 wins vs equally matched teams is not our forte so far. Hope that changes.

At the beginning of the season, Matthews could will a goal in. Then he got injured by Trouba. Not sure what to make of him.

This team reminds me of all the Washington Capital teams that played great during the season and then got bounced early from the playoffs - last year being the exception, once they got tough.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

This team reminds me of all the Washington Capital teams that played great during the season and then got bounced early from the playoffs - last year being the exception, once they got tough.

A clear exception is Marner.

2 seconds left on the clock, a huge slapper from the point.

Nylander turns his head to avoid getting hit (like normal people) and Marner sticks his face in front of it because his head can get to the puck faster than his legs.

MitchForEight

 

[ORRFForever]

A clear exception is Marner.

2 seconds left on the clock, a huge slapper from the point.

Nylander turns his head to avoid getting hit (like normal people) and Marner sticks his face in front of it because his head can get to the puck faster than his legs.

MitchForEight

Marner amazes me in 3 ways :

* His ability to control the play.
* The way the puck follows him around.
* His ability, even as a little guy, to take a hit.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

His ability, even as a little guy, to take a hit.

I'm not going to lie, his first two years was scary.

 

[ORRFForever]

I'm not going to lie, his first two years was scary.

Me, too. He reminds me of Kane and Gaudreau - for some reason, maybe because they are small in stature, they are hard to hit.

 

[ACC1224]

Me, too. He reminds me of Kane and Gaudreau - for some reason, maybe because they are small in stature, they are hard to hit.

He's been targeted his whole life, so he knows how to get out of the way from solid contact.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

If you are playing hard and fast you are constantly on the opponent and "finishing" your check can cause them to start moving the puck quicker and making mistakes. It also removes them as an option to immediately get the puck back. "Fly by's" have zero effect.

This is so simple. I don't know why the no contact hockey guys don't get this. My bet would be that they watch the games on spreadsheets.

 

[Pookie]

No. You think they won because of grit and how they were the biggest team. Ovi, Kuz, Holtby, Carlson all played their best everv in the playoffs. It took them years to do that and after many failures.

No. I think their talent outworked the talent of the opponent.

I think they played a hard game and played it with confidence.

That’s grit.

It’s not played on a spreadsheet so I understand that recent hockey fans won’t necessarily understand.

 

[Pookie]

Matthews and Nylander are prime suspects #1. I really love both of their skill but man if I had a dollar for every time I said to myself, STOP ON THE PUCK! I'd have a small fortune. I can remember the Quinn days and him berating his players for not stopping on the puck and just doing a Ole with their sticks, that was a cardinal sin on his team.

You don't have to come away every time with the puck but at least physically engage the puck carrier. Slow them down, make them rethink their pass, make them pass quicker, give your team a second or two to get into good defensive positioning. I can't complain much as our team is top 5 in a lot of team categories but ugggh...fly bye's miff me.

Guess who has as many hits as Kadri did in the 2018 playoffs?

Yep. Mr Matthews.

JVR had more.

 

[newfy]

As what you just wrote is misleading, as I never said that. Who said every other team? I said 18 of the past 20 SC Winners have played a fairly heavy game. If you think they didn't or we play a fairly heavy game, then I would say we see things very differently.

Which are the 2 youre saying didnt play a heavy game in the last 20 years? I think every winner played decently heavyand at the very least had a good balance of grit, much moreso than the Leafs