Post-Game Talk: Keefe Throws Game, Leafs Lose 4-1

[AvroArrow]

Can you imagine having a team that has the makeup to win but loses in the first round again due to coaching issues. These are Coaching issues that many people have brought up consistently since the mtl series.

No question if there is no conference final Shanahan and Keefe should be on the street.

Agreed. My comment was for the people asking for Keefe to be fired 2 weeks before the playoffs start lol they think we're going to find a replacement who has a working system and will have the team playoff ready in that time frame ?

 

[Maple Leaf]

Brilliant, lets fire the coach 2 weeks before playoffs start.

ya

But the leafs don't have the guts to do what is necessary

 

[notdoneyet]

Um, what are you talking about? Since Samsonov was recalled from the AHL he's played the best he has in a maple leafs jersey and he hasn't been the problem at all. The defence is what is going to sink this team, not the goaltending.

Here are his numbers
21-6-7. Tied for 17th
3.06 good for 40th best
.892 good for 45th best

These are not numbers you can win a cup with

His biggest problem is consistency
He will make 3 highlight reel saves
And then let in 3 easy saves he should make

We win because during the regular season we out score our deficiencies but in the playoffs the refs let them play a different brand of hockey

 

[notDatsyuk]

Ya pretty pathetic. I used to bring it every night playing beer league hockey. These guys making big bucks and great at disappearing. Accountability my ass.

The same in beer leagues as in the NHL - it's the guys with the least talent who play the hardest every game.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Scary that people put any legitimacy into those numbers. There isn't a person alive who watched that game and would say Nylander was the 2nd best forward.

Yeah - scary that there are a lot of posters who put blind faith (a great band) in those kinds of numbers, and do virtually nothing but quote them as proof of whatever they want to believe. I prefer the eye test myself, but I also see a few posters whose 'eye test' seems to have no bearing on what happened in the game. Everyone has their blind spots I guess.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

since 2019

matthews 1 goal against every 29 minutes
marner 1 goal against every 28.2 minutes

point 29.9( but with the best goalies of the world behind him)
mackinnon 1 goal every 25.7 game
bergeron 1 goal every23.3 min
barkov 1 goal every 19.8 min
mcdavid 1 goal every 15.6 min
nylander 1 goal every 15.7 min

We can talk about marner/matthews who didn't produce enough offensively but no body can talk about their defensive game or number or turnover they create or those part of the game.

i mean two of those years we played Columbus and Montreal. Shutting the likes of danault and Dubois isn’t exactly an achievement.

They’ve been good defensively, but they turn pucks over in crucial moments, think tampa game 6 OT, Montreal game 7, florida game 2.

 

[TMLife17]

Caroline Cameron is insufferable. I agree with you though on Botterill, she should stick to commentating on the womans game.

How dare you! Caroline Cameron is the goat! Put some respect on the name

 

[wingman75]

i mean two of those years we played Columbus and Montreal. Shutting the likes of danault and Dubois isn’t exactly an achievement.

They’ve been good defensively, but they turn pucks over in crucial moments, think tampa game 6 OT, Montreal game 7, florida game 2.

You can even look at last night for a more recent blunder. McCabe with the pinch in the neutral zone with no forward even close to being able to cover for him. 2-on-1, goal against. I think that might have been the 3rd goal for Tampa?

Holmberg was in the neutral zone, but on the other side of McCabe and not in a coverage position. Bad read. It's not just McCabe, it seems every player has one at one time or another in crucial moments. That stuff vs the Habs was just complete incompetence by those players.

 

[hfman]

Whole team took the night off

Must be great to be paid millions to play a game and then take the night off whenever you feel like it

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Keefe really needs to seperate Tavares and Nylander.

Knies-Holmberg/Domi-Nylander
McMann-Tavares-Robertson

 

[Lightsol]

Consistently putting together lines base on paycheques vs how player talents fit.

It's not even that. I swear to God he decides lines via dartboard...

 

[thusk]

i mean two of those years we played Columbus and Montreal. Shutting the likes of danault and Dubois isn’t exactly an achievement.

They’ve been good defensively, but they turn pucks over in crucial moments, think tampa game 6 OT, Montreal game 7, florida game 2.

even by removing mtl and columbus game, marner still higher than anyone except point and matthews still between bergeron and mackinnon.

and sure when youre playing like 24 minutes / night... y ou will finish to make mistake

 

[Lightsol]

Scary that people put any legitimacy into those numbers. There isn't a person alive who watched that game and would say Nylander was the 2nd best forward.

It could easily be argued he was the WORST forward last night. Did he generate a single decent chance? Even REAVES generated a few chances...

 

[BertCorbeau]

Last night felt like how the playoffs will go

 

[BertCorbeau]

You can even look at last night for a more recent blunder. McCabe with the pinch in the neutral zone with no forward even close to being able to cover for him. 2-on-1, goal against. I think that might have been the 3rd goal for Tampa?

Holmberg was in the neutral zone, but on the other side of McCabe and not in a coverage position. Bad read. It's not just McCabe, it seems every player has one at one time or another in crucial moments. That stuff vs the Habs was just complete incompetence by those players.

I think a Leaf forward went for a change .. McCabe looked confused as to where the coverage went.

 

[Lightsol]

You can even look at last night for a more recent blunder. McCabe with the pinch in the neutral zone with no forward even close to being able to cover for him. 2-on-1, goal against. I think that might have been the 3rd goal for Tampa?

Keefe tells the entire defense to always be ready to pinch to maintain support. It's one of the things he likes to do that really annoys me. There are D-men who should never be pinching.

I said to my old man that if Keefe were coaching the '95 Devils, he'd be demanding Ken Danekyo pinch.

 

[Ports]

I don't really know what iCF and iFF really mean, so I'm gonna have to go off eyetest and counting stats

Nylander took alot of hits yea, but you can't just give up because of that. Nylander is dangerous for his speed, something that he didn't use at all this game, If he's gonna be dangerous he has to skate.

As for how well he played away from JT, we can't really run another line with how keefe does things. I'm all for moving JT to 3C, but then you don't have a 2C, especially with how domi fits with matthews. I really want to try marner and nylander together, but we don't have a center or even a winger who can keep up. Holmberg/Kampf won't work, maybe Jarnkrok when he comes back, you also would have 2 solid defensive players on that line, but there's no point since Keefe isn't interested in running 16-88 together without 91/34 being there.

Moreover, JT being bad can only give Nylander so much leeway, he has 12 in his last 15. That's not good enough at 7 million, let alone 11.5 million. Pastrnak out here with coyle and marchand putting up 115 points so that excuse only goes so far.

The pp is also awful because nylander and matthews are making terrible plays too. Matthews isn't getting the puck from nylander in dangerous areas as much, and matthews isn't able to dictate his style on the pp due to his lack of passing. Marner coming back should help with that, but alot of the pp woes is because those two are not playing up to their abilites, not just JT.

Leafs are not a great passing team statistically or via the eye test. They have a couple of elite shooters in Matthews and Nylander that should be getting it setup on a tee for them. Looking at the PP’s of Tampa, Edmonton, Boston the puck moves much quicker and they’re better at zone entries. Other teams are really pressuring the Leafs puck handlers on the PP and they’ve taken away the cross seam passes. Not having a bomb from the point is also an issue because it takes away an option when the other players are covered. Is it personnel or coaching that’s hurting them? Hard to say but they better figure it out soon.

 

[wingman75]

Keefe tells the entire defense to always be ready to pinch to maintain support. It's one of the things he likes to do that really annoys me. There are D-men who should never be pinching.

I said to my old man that if Keefe were coaching the '95 Devils, he'd be demanding Ken Danekyo pinch.

Sure, and I am sure in the same breath he is saying to the wingers, the D are on pinch notice, be ready to cover. Read the play.

You have to have both happening for that to work. So, who is that really on? The D for making the wrong read? The forwards for making the wrong read? Or the coach for the game plan that the players are unable to grasp?

Keefe's idea is to be aggressive all over the ice. I feel they have drastically backed off from that aggressiveness for two seasons now. It essentially coincides with the Leafs improved defensive numbers. I just don't think we have the highest IQ players to be honest.

 

[Ports]

That was a big win for Tampa, moves them within 4 points of us. Imagine we get bounced from the top 3 into a wild card spot heading into the playoffs. Either way, facing Florida or Rangers I think we’re screwed…

Rangers are three points up on the Bruins for first place in the conference so the first wild card team will likely play the first place team in the Atlantic division, currently the Bruins. In that case the second wild card team plays the Rangers. The Leafs will likely play Florida or the Bruins. Pick your poison.

 

[wingman75]

Last night felt like how the playoffs will go

Sadly I had the exact same thought as I was watching the third.

I think a Leaf forward went for a change .. McCabe looked confused as to where the coverage went.

Ah, maybe... If a forward was in position to cover a pinch and changed instead I would be livid. I'll have to watch that play again. Would not surprise me in the least though.

 

[rumman]

Yeah - scary that there are a lot of posters who put blind faith (a great band) in those kinds of numbers, and do virtually nothing but quote them as proof of whatever they want to believe. I prefer the eye test myself, but I also see a few posters whose 'eye test' seems to have no bearing on what happened in the game. Everyone has their blind spots I guess.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

even by removing mtl and columbus game, marner still higher than anyone except point and matthews still between bergeron and mackinnon.

and sure when youre playing like 24 minutes / night... y ou will finish to make mistake

the mistakes made are deadly, some are on the goaltenders moreso than the players (game 7 mtl) but still they seem to put themselves in bad situtations at critical times.

Keefe needs to not run these guys into the ground, especially marner. He plays him like a high end 1D. He also needs to find a way to deploy them that also keeps their offence game going, even at the expense of a bit of defence. Unfortunately, I don't think Keefe will change anything

 

[LaPlante94]

You can even look at last night for a more recent blunder. McCabe with the pinch in the neutral zone with no forward even close to being able to cover for him. 2-on-1, goal against. I think that might have been the 3rd goal for Tampa?

Holmberg was in the neutral zone, but on the other side of McCabe and not in a coverage position. Bad read. It's not just McCabe, it seems every player has one at one time or another in crucial moments. That stuff vs the Habs was just complete incompetence by those players.

I'd say pretty much everyone on the team is thinking mainly about offence so they cheat on breakouts which can put our D in bad spots when breaking it out, especially when we have had like 5-6 lefties playing D for us a lot. D will always pinch and no forward will cover because they only think offence. It's crazy because I thought we always targeted high IQ players but they all seem to make dumb reads when it comes to breakouts and when to pinch or when to cover for the D. Everything always seems to come down to coaching systems because after all these years I can't see it being these so called high IQ players doing dumb things so much, especially in crucial moments.

 

[Ports]

Jennifer Boyissheshrill is the reason the Mute button is such a great thing.

Unwatchable and irrelevant.

They should put Mike Milbury on the panel with her for a night. His facial expressions and responses to her would be hilarious.

 

[thusk]

the mistakes made are deadly, some are on the goaltenders moreso than the players (game 7 mtl) but still they seem to put themselves in bad situtations at critical times.

Keefe needs to not run these guys into the ground, especially marner. He plays him like a high end 1D. He also needs to find a way to deploy them that also keeps their offence game going, even at the expense of a bit of defence. Unfortunately, I don't think Keefe will change anything

no body helping more the D than marner. he always the first guy to backcheck and thr last one to leave leafs zone... and a lot of time it was marner who starting leafs transition unstead of leafs d

so yes when you playing a lot of time in tough situation, you have more chance to make mistake but at the end if you cant truat marner and matthews defensively, sorry you cant trust absolutly nobody in this team. marner and matthews are by far the 2 best foward defensive side of the puck by a miles and 2 of best NHL player in that part of the game in the entire NHL.