Post-Game Talk: FREDDY IS BACK! Leafs win 4-0

[Gallagbi]

They don`t. After Keefe took over and they won a few games, I read an article that said the playoffs are guaranteed and that the Leafs would challenge for the presidents trophy. It`s the media, just consider it all to be clickbait and don`t expect much insight is my advice.

I`m also among the people who thinks OT and shootouts are gimmicks and don`t mean squat and therefore, pointing out that they`ve only won one game out of the last 10 in regulation is a perfectly legitimate observation.

I'd be very interested to know which article that is.

Agreed on the OT/SO, but aren't we a better team if those two are thrown out? Feels like our extra time record is garbage

 

[Merrrlin]

My favourite Leaf is Zach Hyman for a reason, because he demonstrates game in and game out and shift in and shift that will beats skill and that whey you work hard you get rewarded.

He has 26 points in his last 26 games (PPG) and while not as talented as many of his teammates he does all those things above you mentioned that need to happen for a team to have success.

More of his teammates should be emulating him as their role model, than him trying to emulate them as that is what it will take for the team to be successful.

I actually think Tavares is the same way. Other than Hyman, no one works as hard for pucks than John. He's so robotic even in his gameplay, just relentless. He relies more on his stick but he has no problem gumming it up in the corners either.

Hyman, Tavares, Muzzin, Kerfoot - those are some players that have the right work ethic each night.

 

[Al14]

I decided not to watch last night and stress myself out. I spent the night with my family, turns out they are pretty good people.

I did the exact same thing. Was actually really surprised at the final score.

Maybe we should skip watching on Saturday too.

 

[666]

Where's that Pens fan who came into our last PGT and tried to mansplain why the Pens beat us? And where's the Leafs "fans" who agreed with him?

 

[Al14]

Alexa, play Lady Gaga

Alexa, please strangle Lady Gaga!

 

[egd27]

I guess what I was asking was did they dominate them because the Pens were bad or did the Pens play well but the Leafs were that much better?
(Was it a reversal of Tuesday?)

Tuesday the Pens wanted it more and got the W.......Thursday the Leafs wanted it more and got the W.

I wouldn't say the Pens were bad, but the Leafs were the hungrier team.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Great game boys. Well done 60 minute EFFORT.
You could see last night our 2 real leaders are MUZZY and KAPPY.
They don't have letters but they led our TEAM.
Muzzy is not likely to be able to elevate like last night every game but it was needed last night and he DID it. That bodes well for the playoffs.
Kappy was a fireplug all night. He did his thing nice breakaway snipe and he played like a miserable guy. Dropping a guy with a right cross is not something I knew he had in his toolbag but clearly he has got it. Hard and fast just like Wendy threw them. Knock a guy out before he knew what hit him.
Also impressed with Kerfoot at centre. He played with some grit last night which helps his game I think.
Overall everyone bought in to compete and it showed.
We bring that on saturday night and it will be another easy win too.
In fact if we play like that we beat Tampa and Florida too.
What I am looking forward to seeing is playing like that against da Bruins and Caps. That will be the ultimate test if we can contend for a Cup.

 

[egd27]

Where's that Pens fan who came into our last PGT and tried to mansplain why the Pens beat us? And where's the Leafs "fans" who agreed with him?

Are you referring to the guy that claimed the Pens outworked the Leafs on Tuesday night by winning board battles and getting to pucks first?

 

[Trapper]

Where's that Pens fan who came into our last PGT and tried to mansplain why the Pens beat us? And where's the Leafs "fans" who agreed with him?

I don’t know who or where that person is but I believe the gist of the post was we got outworked, out forechecked, beat on the walls, beat down low and stopped in the middle.
Hard to argue with that.
If you don’t play like last night, talent or no, you are pretenders.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I'd be very interested to know which article that is.

Agreed on the OT/SO, but aren't we a better team if those two are thrown out? Feels like our extra time record is garbage

It was a while ago so I don`t remember where I read it, sorry.

I`m not sure what our extra time record is, I just know shootouts are incredibly stupid and annoy the hell out of me.

Great game boys. Well done 60 minute EFFORT.

...

Overall everyone bought in to compete and it showed.
We bring that on saturday night and it will be another easy win too.
In fact if we play like that we beat Tampa and Florida too.
What I am looking forward to seeing is playing like that against da Bruins and Caps. That will be the ultimate test if we can contend for a Cup.

It was one game, there is literally no reason whatsoever to get carried away here. TB has been playing at close to a .900 pace for almost two months now, now that`s something maybe worth chirping about.

Please stop talking about easy wins. Winning is never easy. If it was easy then we`d have won a lot more games this season but we haven`t. There is parity in this league and if you want to be an elite team, you have to bring the effort on a consistent basis.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Tuesday the Pens wanted it more and got the W.......Thursday the Leafs wanted it more and got the W.

I wouldn't say the Pens were bad, but the Leafs were the hungrier team.

Yeah, this win was much more us being good then Pens being bad.

In numbers, we got beat when they played at 100% and we played at 50%.

We were really humiliated out there, and used that to up our game.

Last night I thought we played at about 105% and Pens at 85%. When we do that we beat them.

 

[LeafGrief]

They've gotta realize that that was game one of one thousand playing the right way. There will be another stinker or two before the year is done, it's inevitable, but they need to play hockey like that every game that they wear the Maple Leaf uniform. It's not a magical high, or a game of a lifetime. That needs to be what they strive for every single night. Find an identity in knowing that if they work their buns off, they're almost unbeatable. They worked their butts off and were fantastic defensively. They worked their butts off and generated a ton of extra time and space for their offense. They worked their butts off and they should be proud of themselves and satisfied. But complacency has been their downfall and what has held them back. That work ethic must become their new normal. Build on this, one game at a time until that identity is unshakable.

They've got the players to be a powerhouse. The will and ability is within them. This team can contend or they can pretend and the choice is in their hands. The GM can only do so much and the coach can only do so much. Don't let this be a high point of the season, let it be the beginning of a decade.

 

[Trapper]

My favourite Leaf is Zach Hyman for a reason, because he demonstrates game in and game out and shift in and shift that will beats skill and that whey you work hard you get rewarded.

He has 26 points in his last 26 games (PPG) and while not as talented as many of his teammates he does all those things above you mentioned that need to happen for a team to have success.

More of his teammates should be emulating him as their role model, than him trying to emulate them as that is what it will take for the team to be successful.

If you look at Pittsburgh it starts at the top (Crosby) and works it’s way down.
That’s how it needs to be.
People want us to acquire a player who has those traits but it’s no good if only that player is competing hoping it works it’s way up.

 

[Jack Flask]

Great game, just one game though so doesn't really change anything. We all knew there is a lot of talent here so no news there. We'll see which team shows up Tomorrow, then Tuesday, then against FLA and then the rest of the season. Any team can play a great game, to win the cup though you need play at a high level for 2 months and we're still light years away from being able to say yeah, this team can do it. It's a start though, let's see how long they can keep it going. The play of Andersen is the biggest thing, if he's turned the corner and comes back that's huge. We'll see ...

Good points but I do think this game does mold the way the will approach their final run.
Imagine if it was a lopsided loss..it was anything but. A loss would have really sunk these guys.
These are mostly young guys that have to play over the edge a bit now with the fervour they showed they are capable of.
The last month of nhl hockey for fans has suddenly become a blast to watch because its heating up as the tight race to post season is at the forefront.
This game showed what they can do. Kapy fights, scores a beaut, Muzzy calls out the team, he delivers, Keefe runs a battle practice and it all pays off.
They now know what the magic ingredient is, its compete, just add it in consistently and with their talent and compete they will prevail. Go Leafs!

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Yeah, this win was much more us being good then Pens being bad.

In numbers, we got beat when they played at 100% and we played at 50%.

We were really humiliated out there, and used that to up our game.

Last night I thought we played at about 105% and Pens at 85%. When we do that we beat them.

I don't care about any of that. When both teams go 100% it was clear to me we will beat them out in playoffs. The Pens crushed us on some penalties. Our PP and PK has sucked recently. I would move Muzzy slapper in there for a while. It will change how teams defend us. Throw them off for a bit. Put Hyman in front of net. Keep Marner and Matty on the wings. and let Tavares take the faceoffs. maybe throw Willy out there every third time too to replace Tavares just for a different look.

 

[RoyalCitySlicker]

I did the exact same thing. Was actually really surprised at the final score.

Maybe we should skip watching on Saturday too.

Why don't you both skip the rest of the season.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

no end to end rushes by holl and team d suddenly elite.

negativity aside leafs have become pretty elite at limiting shots lately. even in games they get lit up. i still see a massive win streak incoming.

If they play with the heart an will they had last night, absolutely. If not, well, you know.

 

[Gary Nylund]

They've gotta realize that that was game one of one thousand playing the right way. There will be another stinker or two before the year is done, it's inevitable, but they need to play hockey like that every game that they wear the Maple Leaf uniform. It's not a magical high, or a game of a lifetime. That needs to be what they strive for every single night. Find an identity in knowing that if they work their buns off, they're almost unbeatable. They worked their butts off and were fantastic defensively. They worked their butts off and generated a ton of extra time and space for their offense. They worked their butts off and they should be proud of themselves and satisfied. But complacency has been their downfall and what has held them back. That work ethic must become their new normal. Build on this, one game at a time until that identity is unshakable.

They've got the players to be a powerhouse. The will and ability is within them. This team can contend or they can pretend and the choice is in their hands. The GM can only do so much and the coach can only do so much. Don't let this be a high point of the season, let it be the beginning of a decade.

Great post! Especially this phrase hit home - That work ethic must become their new normal.

I`ve been waiting for that to happen since the Gilmour days. If it happens, I`ll be thrilled that those days have arrived after close to 3 decades of waiting. If it doesn`t happen, we`ll .... I guess I`m used to disappointment by now so I`ll live with it, FML and so on.

Bottom line is that this was one great game, emphasis on one and if they go back to playing the way they`ve been playing it`ll mean absolutely nothing. If they like the taste of playing well and winning, we`ll that`s another story.

These guys have all the talent in the world, do they want to put in the effort required to achieve something with it or not is the question. We`ll see.

 

[Trapper]

If they play with the heart an will they had last night, absolutely. If not, well, you know.

It was skill grinding. Blue collar.
And for some strange reason, everyone’s skill didn’t vanish.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Good points but I do think this game does mold the way the will approach their final run.
Imagine if it was a lopsided loss..it was anything but. A loss would have really sunk these guys.
These are mostly young guys that have to play over the edge a bit now with the fervour they showed they are capable of.
The last month of nhl hockey for fans has suddenly become a blast to watch because its heating up as the tight race to post season is at the forefront.
This game showed what they can do. Kapy fights, scores a beaut, Muzzy calls out the team, he delivers, Keefe runs a battle practice and it all pays off.

I`m sure there are millions of people who have felt the same way many, many times over the years. I admire your optimism but I`m going to be a bit more cautious with my optimism at this point in time.

They now know what the magic ingredient is, its compete, just add it in consistently and with their talent and compete they will prevail. Go Leafs!

They`re all professionals and very well paid ones at that. If they didn`t know before that compete is required then they`re among the dumbest professionals in NHL history. I don`t think they`re that dumb, probably just lazy is my guess. Hopefully they`ll snap out of it now, do that and all will be forgiven.

 

[egd27]

They now know what the magic ingredient is, its compete, just add it in consistently and with their talent and compete they will prevail. Go Leafs!

Happy for the effort and win, but "they now know what the magic ingredient is" ? How could players that have made to the NHL not know that until now?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Win the next 3 and I'll be all aboard the hype train again. Wait and see until then.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Happy for the effort and win, but "they now know what the magic ingredient is" ? How could players that have made to the NHL not know that until now?

The only question is when guys figure it out. No one knows. Why did Kappy come out and play like his life depended on it? If you can figure that one out every night you would be rich.

 

[666]

Are you referring to the guy that claimed the Pens outworked the Leafs on Tuesday night by winning board battles and getting to pucks first?

That's the guy. Not that he was totally wrong but his tone was so condescending. Not surprising he hasn't posted anywhere since last night. We had an ok game where we were right with them until we let in 3 PP goals and then the next game played better. The media and half the nuts around here think we went through some massive transformation. Bipolar Nation needs to take their meds.

 

[Metroid]

Had the same problem when I was in Birmingham Alabama, actually asked one of the workers where they kepp their real beer lol....they instantly asked if I was Canadian lol

Hahahahahah nice
I know that states are amazing with the craft beers , just disappointed that the walmarts (well that one ) had terrible selection.
Oh well. Just an overnight stay. On way to Florida.
Tampa game better be as good of not better than this one