Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose in a Shootout 4-3

[frog]

yup

he shuts our offense down pretty consistently

Isnt that ok, since we have a team stacked with offense? A defensive minded player is valuable no?

 

[firstemperor]

so?
it's his 2nd year in the NHL. which is the best league in the world. it's a significant step up. he got smacked with a lot of things this year, and we seriously can't give him say another 25-30 games next year without saying "he's a bust, we should dump him, etc?"

Premature for a guy who had a good start to the year...came back from a broken foot to a team that's suddenly playing higher-stakes game and playing at a far more frantic pace. It's the same thing when Gardiner did his Bad/Good Gardiner act to start the year.

Don't think he's been that bad either, he had a poor performance tonight....the expectations on him are a bit skewed. For some reason, guys like Carrick and Borgman get a pass, despite playing a lot worst under pressure...

I thought the games Carrick was in recently, he was noticeably worst than Polak as well...which is saying something. Don't know, I guess everyone sees it differently, just think it's reactionary to a bad game and everyone needs to calm down.

 

[stickty111]

I think he'll bounce back. It's just so obvious his speed isn't there at the moment, leading to him throwing the puck away a lot more than he should since he can't skate it out as fast as he usually could.
Hoping he'll be okay by the playoffs. We'll need him.

Hey Zaitsev isnt amazing even at his best but its kind of embarassing people just want to trade him for anything when its clear he isnt 100%

 

[KIWILEAFFAN]

Leafs hit the post 4 times. Dribbled a Puck across the goal line and both Bozak and Willy missed open nets.

Yet the stats sat they only had 5 HD chances?


Leafs should/could have easily won that game. Was an awesome game to watch.
This team is legit and a lot better than some give them credit.

Some so called negative fans need to find a quiet spot and treat themselves to a damn good uppercut.

 

[Cor]

how did thomas plekanec look? didn't watch saw somebody said he took bad penalties. Consensus or nonsense?

Couple bad penalties. Made some good defensive plays.

Overall, not an ideal debut

 

[Gallagbi]

everyone else?
yes they pulled out of it, but Z missed a good chunk of months.

The big concern with Z is many of these issues were present last year.

He's a brutal partner, rarely making himself an outlet and regularly throwing grenades to Gardiner/Rielly. Watch how often Gardiner (and previously Rielly) have to adjust to what should be a simple pass because he never puts it on their forehand. He's also terrible for dumping the puck off to his partner when they have no time or space to make a play.

He has a spot, he's exactly what we want Polak to be, but that spot's on the bottom pair carrying big PK minutes where his decision making is limited.

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

it's funny that people actually believe this

its funny that people just look at points, and factor that into defensive play

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

its funny that people just look at points, and factor that into defensive play

literally nobody does this but whatever helps you feel better

 

[DavePoulin4PM]

Dermott and Holl are better at killing penalties than Polak is at 5v5. that's just reality

Lol yeah.. Holl who has played 2 career games is a better dman than Polak. There's a reason why no team has taken Holl seriously and why he will be playing in Europe in 2 years. It's because he is a scrub.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Isnt that ok, since we have a team stacked with offense? A defensive minded player is valuable no?

The thing is, hockey is dynamic. You can't play only defense or offense. By not having the ability to move the puck, maintain pressure or pretty much anything offensively, Komarov contributes to making sure we play defense all the time. He's reaching a level where it doesn't actually matter how good he is defensively, his overall impact is detrimental.

He's still very important on the PK, so he needs to be in the lineup still.

 

[Carltons Cup]

Someone needs to start a Go Fund Me page so we can all contribute and buy Polak a one-way first class ticket to Robidas island.

 

[Daisy Jane]

The big concern with Z is many of these issues were present last year.

He's a brutal partner, rarely making himself an outlet and regularly throwing grenades to Gardiner/Rielly. Watch how often Gardiner (and previously Rielly) have to adjust to what should be a simple pass because he never puts it on their forehand. He's also terrible for dumping the puck off to his partner when they have no time or space to make a play.

He has a spot, he's exactly what we want Polak to be, but that spot's on the bottom pair carrying big PK minutes where his decision making is limited.

okay. that is fair.
however. my hope is he'll be better with a little bit more time to iron things out. like i'm not saying he's perfect - i'm just thinking he probably just needs some time to iron things out etc, and that takes a while i bet. if it continues next year, then for sure we've got an issue but i just feel we should be a touch patient, that's all.

 

[ECanuck]

Not our best game but like the trend.
Good or bad, we are always hanging around there. Ready to take the win.

 

[Drytoast]

Dermott and Holl are better at killing penalties than Polak is at 5v5. that's just reality

Guess you have amnesia but Holl didn't have a great game and made some rookie mistakes his last game out.

But...his name wasn't Polak so you forgot about it. lol.

regardless, we have a top 5 PK and polak is responsible for that.

 

[Polaris1010]

I cant wait for all the fans ripping on Zaitsev to be "I believed in him all along" when he starts playing better.
Same thing happened with Andersen.

Leafs nation is a nightmare for players sadly.

Leafs fans complain too much.

The defense sucks! How can we prove it! Because we say so! Because we're in an emotional bender!

We can actually prove the Leafs defense don't suck.

Consecutive games against Boston then Tampa. How many goals did the Leafs allow in the 3rd period, tight games where the game was on the line?

Zero.

And the team scores once in each game, to get points. This is not a fluke. This has been going on all season. If the Leafs defense really was bad, this would not be happening all season long. 4th place in the league now. And all some can do is talk about male inadequacy.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Lol yeah.. Holl who has played 2 career games is a better dman than Polak. There's a reason why no team has taken Holl seriously and why he will be playing in Europe in 2 years. It's because he is a scrub.

If Polak's role gets bigger in the playoffs, then we will have a serious problem.

 

[frog]

The thing is, hockey is dynamic. You can't play only defense or offense. By not having the ability to move the puck, maintain pressure or pretty much anything offensively, Komarov contributes to making sure we play defense all the time. He's reaching a level where it doesn't actually matter how good he is defensively, his overall impact is detrimental.

He's still very important on the PK, so he needs to be in the lineup still.

Disagree, he cant score but can still skate, pass, cycle, forcheck etc. Playing a guy 30 seconds at a time each 4 shift cycle is not detrimental. We have 1 guy out of 12 that instead of score can prevent goals.. this is not a problem.

 

[leburn98]

Regarding that 5-3, if you are looking for someone to blame, this is your man:

 

[Liminality]

I think Cooper wants us to dress Martin next game.

 

[Community]

how did thomas plekanec look? didn't watch saw somebody said he took bad penalties. Consensus or nonsense?

I thought he looked good. Was in the right position, made some nice outlet plays from the defensive zone and was solid overall. Yes, he took 2 penalties which wasn't good. However, other than the penalties (which I would think was an anomaly for him to have 2 penalties in 1 night), I think he will be great for us the rest of the season and one of the top 4th line C's in the league (Also a good option to move up the line-up if needed).

Overall decent night in my opinion and I like his defensive positioning, playstyle, and overall skillset. Fits in nicely with what I think is the ideal 4th line C for Babcock. Reviews will be better for him when he doesn't take 2 penalties and we end up with the win.

 

[Polaris1010]

Steven Stamkos is also a guy you can neutralize by committee.

Stamkos has been shut down throughly by the Leafs defense this season.

Does he even have a point against Toronto even strength?

Who is usually match upped against him? Wasn't paying attention.

The goals Tampa had been scoring against Toronto all grinder type of goals where defending Leafs were not tough enough.

 

[Nithoniniel]

the expectations on him are a bit skewed.

Expectations are such a driving force when it comes to people's impressions. That's a big reason why people fall in love with rookies, but crap on the veterans. When Dermott spins off a forecheck and advances the puck with a deft outlet pass, there's half a page of people gushing over it. When Gardiner does it, people don't notice because it's just Gards being Gards.

In five years, I bet Nylander gets zero credit for his ability to seamlessly transition the puck. He'll be judged by what he does on top of that, because we'll start taking things for granted. We are actually almost there already.

 

[frizzer1]

Well I mean we have won 13 of 16 oh wait I forgot "thats in spite of Babcock"
!

Teams with talent win.
Teams without talent lose.
2 years ago they had little skill and finished dead last...no one blames Babcock for that.

You could have Gretzky and Lemieux, have a coach who keeps making stupid decisions, and still win every game..

 

[Al14]

I dont defend him. I just dont make dumb comments like saying "I dont get the hype" "he should be fired"
Well I mean we have won 13 of 16 oh wait I forgot "thats in spite of Babcock" because a bunch of people "I need to keep this young team from all blame" said so.
How do you defend your comment of Boucher leading us further in the players then Babcock? Come on!

Boucher was 1 goal away from the Stanley Cup final with the Sens last season! 1 goal!

Too bad we'll never get to see what Boucher might have done with the lineup Babcock has right now!

If I had a choice between Babcock and Boucher, I'd take Babcock 100% of the time, every time!

Now, having said that, it sure to hell doesn't mean I can't criticize some of the dumb decisions he makes with player personnel! And, based on some of the other posters displeasure with his thinking, I'm not alone.

So, yeah, come on!

 

[weems]

Steven Stamkos is also a guy you can neutralize by committee.

Outside of his PP abilities he really doesnt impress me that much for a star player.