Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 3-2 In OT

[hobarth]

TO is 12 Wins and 11 Loses since March 1, basically a .500 team, hardly the type stats that inspire confidence.

This is an annual trend where TO becomes average or less than average as the year moves along and the year is approaching playoff time.


Since March 1, the Leafs‘ power play ranks second-last in the league at 8.9 percent and the penalty kill ranks last at 70.8. In that time, the Leafs’ special teams have a minus-nine goal differential.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021...he-struggling-toronto-maple-leafs-power-play/

 

[SeaOfBlue]

TO is 12 Wins and 11 Loses since March 1, basically a .500 team, hardly the type stats that inspire confidence.

This is an annual trend where TO becomes average or less than average as the year moves along and the year is approaching playoff time.


Since March 1, the Leafs‘ power play ranks second-last in the league at 8.9 percent and the penalty kill ranks last at 70.8. In that time, the Leafs’ special teams have a minus-nine goal differential.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021...he-struggling-toronto-maple-leafs-power-play/

PK seems like it comes down to our goalie.

Between March 4th and March 19th (the Andersen stretch): 52.9% (dead last by far in that stretch)
Between March 20th and April 7th (the massive win streak): 94.4% (2nd in the league in that stretch)
Since April 10th (since Campbell has fallen back down to earth): 50% (tied for last in the league).

The Leafs are dead last in PK save percentage this year. All year. Andersen has a lot to do with that, but Campbell hasn't been very good his past 4 starts either. He was really good at all other points. Our PK, for the most part, has been consistently good all year. We'd have a top 10 PK if our goalie simply matched what everyone else was doing. We haven't received that consistently.

PP issues are well-documented. It has looked better in recent games, but that is something that clearly needs to get worked out. We still need some more movement out of the point guys, but I think with some bounces the PP is going to get back on track soon. Just need to keep guys off of the blueline as much as reasonably possible, except for Rielly and Muzzin of course.

 

[hobarth]

TO's record since March 1st, 12 wins and 11 loses, very reminiscent of how the year was ending last year before the Covid shutdown.

Foligno might/probably will help TO but like last year and previous years TO's offense sputters leading into and during the playoffs. In previous years TO's d was underwhelming and so therefore seemed Andersen but this year we have Andy, Soupy and Rittich and a much improved defensive record.

Unless Foligno is a PKing savant which appears to be what TO needs, TO might have been better served by adding to the offense at the TDL. Foligno's 7 goals and 9 assists don't scream I'm going to be any kind of offensive solution, his average TOI approximated 18 minutes. Over the last 3 years Foligno has had 33, 35 31 points, 50, 42 and 62 PIM and his best playoff 2 goals and 4 assists in 10 games.

In the 23 games since March 1st TO has exceeded 2 goals for, 11 times, how many of those exceeding 2 were empty netters, I don't know. I had been curious about how an exNHL goaltender was the right person to run a PP, for me it doesn't make sense.

Are Galy and Robertson the answer offensively, I guess we have to hope they are.

Was losing to the 'Nucks Zamboni bad, no, TO outplayed a team that was obviously out of shape but TO couldn't score. Why is it that TO has been making all of the goaltenders TO faces look like Vezina candidates?

One thing I'm pretty sure about 2 goals or less a game isn't going to win any team, any playoff series and playing .500 hockey for whatever reason down the stretch isn't an indication of future playoff success.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I am being honest when I say Campbell will be fine. Sure there's an element of hope and optimism. Why wouldn't there be? There's cause for it. What there isn't cause for is an alarmist reaction that compares this team with past versions that gave reason for the alarm bells.

You can't possibly know what Campbell will be, that's the simple truth.

There's nothing wrong with hope and optimism. There's also nothing wrong with comparing this team to past versions or comparing it to other teams. Watch, I'll do it right now:

You can look up the numbers yourself or come up with your own formula, my unscientific way of doing things is to look at PTS% and goal differential. That tells me that there are two teams in the top tier, COL and LVG. Then there's TB and CAR in the next tier, and then there's a bunch of teams including us. TB will add Kucherov for the playoffs who's an elite player so based on that, I would bump them up to the top tier.

So that's it, we're in the 3rd tier of teams who all have hope and optimism. You might think Campbell "will be fine" but the truth is he might be fine and he might not. The most likely result for us I'd say is to win one round, maybe two but going any further is a huge long shot. At this point we're probably more likely to lose the first round then to win 3 rounds but that's OK, the same can be said for most teams. I hope we win the cup, so do you. We'll see what happens.

 

[Mess]

Well lets focus on the next game now

/Closed