Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose 3-2

[Lightsol]

I guess it would depend on when you consider the start date of their rebuilds?
Did Chicago start with kane or Keith?
Did Pittsburgh start with Crosby?
If we take an objective look I think we would see that all teams are trying to reach the promised land and there are various routes to get there, but all of them took time.

A lot of people seem to have forgotten that Pittsburgh finished bottom 5 for 3 years before they got Crosby. Where do you think they got Malkin and Fleury (the third high pick was Ryan Whitney, who was okay, but not the game changer you expect from a top 5 pick)? Not to mention Crosby's rookie year they AGAIN got to pick top 5.

 

[MyBudJT]

Guess this doesn't count as saying "Leafs gave up more scoring chances"

again, you’re misquoting me... ...

I’m not using it as a justification for saying expected goals are a poor stat. I’m done here, you’re not evening trying to Be honest, now...

 

[18leafsfan18]

again, you’re misquoting me... ...

I’m not using it as a justification for saying expected goals are a poor stat. I’m done here, you’re not evening trying to Be honest, now...

You said the exact words "Leafs gave up more scoring chances" I've replied it 2x. Get a grip man.

You throw out that the stats I posted are BS.

The stats show that leafs had more scoring chances.

Why would I use your one sided BS opinion vs actual stats ?

You replied to me. Then in the same conversation said Leafs gave up more chances.

 

[Lightsol]

We should build a team that can play this playoff hockey. It just might work

That was the theory behind the final team Cliff Fletcher built for Pat Burns and Pat Quinn's entire tenure here. What'd we win in both cases?

The former team, despite being "built for the playoffs", couldn't even GET to the playoffs...

 

[ICBM]

Starting Andy in this game was pointless. You have hot goalie in Campbell, ride him until he cools off. Let Andy start easy home game later and go from there.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

He's been much better than "slightly above average starter", he's been well above average and among the elite goalies of the league, this year not so much. He's been injured and overworked.

Oh FFS. Here's Andersen's sv% ranking amongst goalies playing 40+ games (and of course they're worse if you lower the GP threshold to 30ish, which could be a starter on teams that had to use 3 goalies for a significant length of time):
2018-19: 10th (.918)
2017-18: 11th (.918)
2016-17: 11th (.918)

Most of those years there were 2-3 starters less than 0.001 behind him. Ranking 10-12 in a 30-31 team league is not elite. He's better than average but voting him as an MVP or Vezina candidate is a bad joke. Nobody is saying he's a bad starter but it is completely accurate to call him slightly above average and he's also paid like it if you look at goalie salaries.

 

[stickty111]

 

[Legendary]

Excuses, excuses. That’s all the talking heads are doing now on the leafs behalf.

 

[Shanwhatplan]

So you pick the Stanley Cup winner from 2 years ago and the two teams in the Finals last year ?

Pretty obvious those teams will be good.

Tampa was the worst team in the playoffs last year by a significant margin, and they play a similar style to the Leafs.

What did you say the year before Washington won the cup ?

2017 - Pitt Vs Nashville - Both Skilled Teams
2016 - Pitt Vs San Jose - Both Skilled Teams
2015 - Chicago Vs Tampa Bay - Both Skilled Teams

The whole "this type of team can't compete for a cup" is BS. Just that the recent cup winners (Only the last 2) didn't play this style.

They aren't a perfect team, and they are still building.

All valid points.
I guess my main concern is the way Dubas and Shanahan have built this team. Everyone and their dog knows we need help on defence, mainly the right side. Maybe we can address it before or at the trade deadline, but only if at least one of the following- Rielly, Ceci, or Johnsson are out the rest of the season, and we can use that extra money on an upgrade or two. But that’s only possible because one or more of our players got injured.
Now if we were fully healthy, I believe we could win at least one round. However, as I previously stated, the defence needs to be addressed, but probably won’t happen until the summer. Only then, I believe, will we be able to truly be Cup contenders.
Dubas is going to have to pull a monkey out of his ass before I have any faith in him!

 

[ShaneFalco]

Excuses, excuses. That’s all the talking heads are doing now on the leafs behalf.

Aren’t you fun

 

[All Mod Cons]

Really, you can't?

I'll give you a hint: A Bruins player's "good veteran playoff move" is a Leaf's player's 5 and a game.

Aah man. Everyone's against us aren't they?

 

[MyBudJT]

And that Clifford fight did not make a difference. The Leafs started playing better once they started to make smarter plays, and regressed again as soon as they stopped doing that. If a fight was what they needed to start doing that, then they may just very well be the most dense players in the league. Energy was not the problem, decision- making was. The amount of times they overpassed or tried to force things, or were just casually making plays that they thought was going to work was appalling, but it wasn't like they were not working or skating hard out there.

Matthews, Tavares and the rest of the players disagree.

 

[CelticDruid]

Clifford got the Leafs rolling again with that fight, you would have to be blind not to notice the sudden surge in adrenalin on the bench and in the stands.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Matthews, Tavares and the rest of the players disagree.

Clifford got the Leafs rolling again with that fight, you would have to be blind not to notice the sudden surge in adrenalin on the bench and in the stands.

So they need a fight to know when to make smart decisions now? Or to play well? Fighting for their playoff lives was not enough of an incentive to put together a better overall effort?

That deeply concerns me, and questions whether this team has the IQ to get anywhere.

 

[Lightsol]

Aah man. Everyone's against us aren't they?

Unless you're 100% f***ing blind, there's no doubt that the NHL calls games against certain teams very differently than other ones. Did you f***ing watch the last two series against Boston? You know, the ones where Boston had anywhere from a 5-1 to 3-1 power play advantage despite the Leafs being a "soft team"?
Last year, the Leafs were the least penalized team in the league. Boston was top 5. But in the playoffs...
Wanna explain how one of the most penalized teams in the league enjoyed a 2-1 power play advantage over the least penalized team in the league?
And that's not even getting into the fact that the NHL has not suspended a player for any infraction committed against the Leafs since 2013... When our President was running the Department of Player Safety...

 

[All Mod Cons]

Unless you're 100% ****ing blind, there's no doubt that the NHL calls games against certain teams very differently than other ones. Did you ****ing watch the last two series against Boston? You know, the ones where Boston had anywhere from a 5-1 to 3-1 power play advantage despite the Leafs being a "soft team"?
Last year, the Leafs were the least penalized team in the league. Boston was top 5. But in the playoffs...
Wanna explain how one of the most penalized teams in the league enjoyed a 2-1 power play advantage over the least penalized team in the league?
And that's not even getting into the fact that the NHL has not suspended a player for any infraction committed against the Leafs since 2013... When our President was running the Department of Player Safety...

We'll never win then. It'll just prove to be a pointless excercise.

That's why we need more toughness. Go down swinging (literally).

 

[CelticDruid]

So they need a fight to know when to make smart decisions now? Or to play well? Fighting for their playoff lives was not enough of an incentive to put together a better overall effort?

That deeply concerns me, and questions whether this team has the IQ to get anywhere.

We just need a few more players that can actually lay a few hits on the fore check, we are just to one dimensional at both ends of the rink.

 

[18leafsfan18]

All valid points.
I guess my main concern is the way Dubas and Shanahan have built this team. Everyone and their dog knows we need help on defence, mainly the right side. Maybe we can address it before or at the trade deadline, but only if at least one of the following- Rielly, Ceci, or Johnsson are out the rest of the season, and we can use that extra money on an upgrade or two. But that’s only possible because one or more of our players got injured.
Now if we were fully healthy, I believe we could win at least one round. However, as I previously stated, the defence needs to be addressed, but probably won’t happen until the summer. Only then, I believe, will we be able to truly be Cup contenders.
Dubas is going to have to pull a monkey out of his ass before I have any faith in him!

Did you see Muzzin coming ?

Campbell and Clifford ?

Why be so sure he won't do anything ?

 

[Legendary]

We have a president who was literally the physical embodiment of "playoff hockey" yet he doesn't want any sort of thing built in the team he's president of?

I think they see something we don't.

Ya, a gullible fan base

 

[JT AM da real deal]

It's not about what gets called, it's about what doesn't get called. Marner was getting hooked and slashed all night and the refs didn't do ****. That effectively takes away Marner's extra little bit of space that he needs to work his magic.

Just like the series against the Bruins, they regularly pull this **** to shut down our star players (especially Chara) and the refs put the whistle away.

We are saying same thing. The real issues are the beating Mitch took without the puck. and Willy too. It is the OFF CAMERA stuff which is totally missed in every case. It is the execution of the trap. It is not about the guy with the puck it is trapping the 2/3 other guys without the puck.