Post-Game Talk: Leafs fall again.

[Stephen]

1 goal support for Sparks.

Sure, he's been crap. But the complete lack of goal support for him makes it appear worse than it is.

Sparks is only a (terrible) backup, so obviously he's not at the centre of the Leafs problems, but if you had to play in front of that, I think you're half expecting a 5-1 loss anyway.

 

[FlareKnight]

I got to admit that I really don't care about this one. Put in a real goaltender and we're going into OT if not getting a shutout. Sparks being Sparks was the only reason they were in this.

This was a game I couldn't care about and the team didn't seem to either. They are in and really their chance to finish higher than third long passed by. Guys are getting rested.

Sure if we do this in Boston then I'll lose my mind. You can count on that. But this just didn't matter. All that we got from this game is that Sparks is really bad.

 

[I Believe]

 

[theTTC]

Funny seeing Jordan Staal lose his **** over getting kicked out of a neutral zone FO in a 3-1 game with less than a minute to go whilst playing for Carolina no less. If only we could see that level of bat **** crazy from some Leafs.

The Staals have owned the Leafs for years, we always back down from their refuse-to-lose intimidation.

 

[Al14]

Give a damn meter on empty again tonight.

Yeah, screw the kids in the arena that might be there for their first Leaf game. Screw the patrons who pay thousands of dollars for seasons tickets. Just screw every Leaf fan everywhere.

 

[93gilmour93]

blaming Sparks? So we're built to win 1-0 games?

It would be 1-1 going to overtime if Sparks didn't let in 2 goals from behind the net

 

[Sniper99]

I can't wait until the regular season is over.

Oh yeah? Any magic in that crystal ball?

 

[LeafSadist]

Sparks might be Trevor Kidd level bad.

Don Beaupre. Enroth.

 

[Cleetus]

I liked Tavares, Marner, and Reilly, Matthews did not have it tonight, and well Nylander was turning pucks over like it was a lost art.

 

[PromisedLand]

Can anyone imagine the reaction if Dubas picked a 35 year old 4th liner over an AHL star?

I love how now it’s so different for goalies

Goal is "the most important position" as the goalie is on the ice for full 60 mins and cannot be hidden

#Context

it is important when posting things; espcially since the play of that so called "35 year old goalie" has put canes in the playoff position

 

[Cleetus]

Don Beaupre. Enroth.

what about Red light Racicot?

 

[Stephen]

It’s baffling the differences at 6 on 5 vs 5 on 6.

When our goalie is pulled, we struggle to set up in the opponents zone.

When the opponents goalie is, it’s a shooting gallery.

Has to be a coaching thing...probably a mixture of our over reliance on the stretch pass and requiring our wingers to collapse in our zone.

If you’re not fearing being up a goal late in a playoff game, you haven’t been paying attention. We’re a ticking time bomb.

The other issue that the "skill" people will fail to understand is the Leafs are so one dimensional that they can't employ a very good dump and chase Plan B when the opposition stands up at the blueline sand starts calling Red Rover.

If we had some actual power on the wings and guys who enjoy the physical play you could at least dump it in and overwhelm in the pursuit, but when you have a bunch of guys drop passing their way to nowhere there's nowhere to go.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

I was actually kind of impressed with some of the situations Babcock used Rosen in. Didn’t try to shelter him too much.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I liked Tavares, Marner, and Reilly, Matthews did not have it tonight, and well Nylander was turning pucks over like it was a lost art.

He better have a good playoffs. If we lose the series and he is brutal again, he will get ran out of town quick.

 

[Stephen]

The Staals have owned the Leafs for years, we always back down from their refuse-to-lose intimidation.

The Staal's aren't what I'd call intimidating from a normal NHL standard, but where's that compete level on the Leafs?

 

[Pi]

1 goal support for Sparks.

Sure, he's been crap. But the complete lack of goal support for him makes it appear worse than it is.

They had their chances but Sparks let in an awful awful goal that should never go in. That has to be deflating.

 

[NoTouchIcing]

Can anyone imagine the reaction if Dubas picked a 35 year old 4th liner over an AHL star?

I love how now it’s so different for goalies

It's a backup goalie. Neither would displace Andersen, so it needs to be the best player available.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Oh yeah? Any magic in that crystal ball?

... what? It's not like I made a prediction. I just want the playoffs to start. We know who we're playing and where. These last two games could not be anymore meaningless for us.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

The other issue that the "skill" people will fail to understand is the Leafs are so one dimensional that they can't employ a very good dump and chase Plan B when the opposition stands up at the blueline sand starts calling Red Rover.

If we had some actual power on the wings and guys who enjoy the physical play you could at least dump it in and overwhelm in the pursuit, but when you have a bunch of guys drop passing their way to nowhere there's nowhere to go.

I think it would also help get the play from the boards and into better scoring areas. They don’t do enough to disrupt goalies. That’s why they keep running into backups who are all somehow “stealing games”

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Goal is "the most important position" as the goalie is on the ice for full 60 mins and cannot be hidden

#Context

it is important when posting things; espcially since the play of that so called "35 year old goalie" has put canes in the playoff position

You mean the team had nothing to do with it? Because based on the way the Leafs have been playing in front of Sparks, McElhinney would not be doing better than the .500 record Sparks had been sporting most of this year.

 

[Legion34]

Goal is "the most important position" as the goalie is on the ice for full 60 mins and cannot be hidden

#Context

it is important when posting things; espcially since the play of that so called "35 year old goalie" has put canes in the playoff position

We are developing players. This is the rebuild everyone wanted.

One part of it isn’t working out....

It’s the back up goalie. Of all things our fourth overall could have busted.

Everyone wanted it. They got the best version of it in a decade. Now they cry about a back up goalie.

 

[Pi]

Funny seeing Jordan Staal lose his **** over getting kicked out of a neutral zone FO in a 3-1 game with less than a minute to go whilst playing for Carolina no less. If only we could see that level of bat **** crazy from some Leafs.

Just because someone doesn’t show emotion doesn’t mean they don’t care. Different ways to play the same game.

 

[deletethis]

blaming Sparks? So we're built to win 1-0 games?

Well, it was a 1-1 game other than the stinkers so yes the team might have won this game with an average performance in goal.

 

[Cynical]

There is something seriously wrong with this team. How does a team with this many offensive weapons not know how to score? How is the powerplay this bad? Why is the team getting worse the more they play?

What exactly do the coaches do? Nothing has changed since they started struggling in December except a line change for about a period or so, here and there.

 

[PromisedLand]

If we're being honest, if you lose a game because your backup goalie didn't have a 35 shot shutout, the blame doesn't lie solely on the backup

Garret Sparks Stats and News

29 Shost against on average per game; sparks sucks and dubas sucks; blame babcock all you want but babcock isn't going to save the goal from the back of the net what kind of coaching is required there?

#context it isn't too hard

 

[Sniper99]

... what? It's not like I made a prediction. I just want the playoffs to start. We know who we're playing and where. These last two games could not be anymore meaningless for us.

Delete. My mistake