Post-Game Talk: Leafs play poorly and lose 6-1 and JT takes the heat

[JT AM da real deal]

"I know he has given up 3 goals tonight but sparks has done his job tonight" --> Ray Ferraro, halfway through the 2nd period, milliseconds before Sparks gives up a fourth goal. What a clown most of these commentators are.

If you read it for the words said yes you are right. But hockey people often talk like this when what they are really saying is "this one is not on the goalie". The team was flat except for Hyman.

 

[Leaftors]

@The Winter Soldier is in the Isles PGT referring to Tavares as Traitor.

He said in June that Tavares should go to Montreal and he’d love to see that team add a player like Tavares.

tagged him and everything i love it

 

[mapleleafs34]

Yes. Sometimes you get a big save, sometimes you need to save your goaltender. Welcome to hockey. Andersen has had plenty of crap games over the years.

Putting this on the goaltender is not a good opinion to have when your hockey team could only muster 1 goal for.

Exactly. Against the Oilers Freddy saved the players in the 1st period. And they rewarded him with a dominant 2nd and 3rd period. Can't say the same for Sparks. He ain't saving anything

 

[Scintillating10]

Islander fans must have taken Tavares leaving personal. To treat a former star like that. I couldn't believe it

 

[Coaches Coroner]

I had a bad feeling after the Isles scored their first goal. Sparks stormed off to the corner looking pissed and rattled. I'd waive him and bring up Hutchinson.

 

[Leaftors]

Exactly. Against the Oilers Freddy saved the players in the 1st period. And they rewarded him with a dominant 2nd and 3rd period. Can't say the same for Sparks. He ain't saving anything

sparks made some really good saves. Sparks didn't have a great game but you can't say that putting freddy in the game wins us it. We still lose, likely by one or two less but the problems had in this game are far passed the goaltender.

 

[lorwood]

Just something to point out that Barry Trotz seems to have mastered

Tired vs. Rested
• The Isles are 4-0-0 when both teams played the night before.
• The Isles are 6-0-1 when they are rested, and their opponents are not.
• The Isles are 5-0-1 when their opponents are rested, and the Isles are not.
• The Isles are 22-19-5 when both teams are rested.

As far as why Barry Trotz is so successful.

The Isles allowed the most goals in the NHL last season. Only once in NHL history has a team allowed the most goals in one season and the fewest in the next; the Ottawa Senators did so in 1917-18 and 1918-19. Here's where the Isles are this season:
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (Including SO goals)
The Jennings Trophy is awarded based on goals allowed including shootout goals.
1. ISLES 150
2. Boston 161
3. Dallas 166 (not including game in LA on Thursday)
Fewest Goals Allowed This Season (excluding SO goals)
1. ISLES 145
2. Boston 158
3. Dallas 166 (not including game in LA on Thursday)

So you see the Islanders coach seems to know something.

To quote the great Donnie Shulzhoffer

"This is hockey, okay? It's not rocket surgery. If you don't play this game with a lot of heart and a big bag of knuckles, you don't got dinky-doo."​

 

[notDatsyuk]

Isles have the best 4th line in the NHL, and its not just our Leafs but a lot of teams have no answer for them and that is why it part the NYI sit at the top of their Division.

Exactly. Their bottom six shut down our top six quite effectively. And scored three goals!

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Well ... I think it is VERY unlikely Babcock gets fired in any scenario.
A first round exit this year, will not be placed on his shoulders.
I think this team could win a few rounds or get entirely shut out in 4 games, with the latter more likely than the former.

But 2 first round exits will at least bring up the idea the Leafs need a new coach.
Especially because our window is only 5 seasons + this one.

In all likelihood, our D will be the soft spot, and Dump and Chase (Classic Playoff) hockey will do us in. Our D won't handle the pressure.

Keys to Leaf's success in the post season.
1) Andersen
2) Andersen
3) Andersen
4) Special Teams
5) Andersen

The only wildcard for me is "Start of the season" Matthews returns for the playoffs. Matthews lack of physicality now hopefully is a strategy to prevent injuries and he goes Beast Mode in the post season when a goal here and there determines the fate of the team.

I also think the players dont really care about the playoffs. Fans do. Sure teams wanna win. But, only 2 teams ive seen take less money to try to stack their team: Boston and Tampa Bay. Matthews and Nylander sure grabbed what they could. And actions speak louder than words.
To me hockey is a team game and balance is key. Babcock is a balanced lines coach and Dubas is a Star-focused GM. The idea that Matthews makes more than McJesus when you factor in term is quite disappointing to me.

I make a move in offseason this year or next if our D is destroyed this post season. Likely hockey trade Nylander for D. Babcock putting Nylander on the 4th line again last night shows what he thinks.

If the leafs can’t win a playoff series (largely due to lack of defensive depth) while Matthews and Marner make less than 2 million between them, why do our chances increase when they make far more than $20 million between them?

 

[supermann_98]

Sparks started the season well, but his last couple starts have been very disappointing.

Not that last night was even close to his fault.

However it’s clear we should be looking for a new backup on July 1.

Hopefully our backup comes earlier than that. When is Ian Scott freed up from his WHL team?

 

[Mess]

Not as famous as Lamoriello doing the same. That was the Devil's blueprint with Jacques Lemaire.

The Islanders are showing you can still win with a stifling, trapping, physical system that is predicated on waiting for the other team to make mistakes. Pat Burns would love the islanders.

Isles are the perfect example of GM and Coach walking in lockstep together on ideology and strategy for success. Likely why Lou Lam brought in Trotz as they're two peas from the same pod.

NYI's lose their franchise player and #1C and get significantly better, speaks volumes to how success is being measured.. Isles fans chanting "We don't need you" are not wrong, because NYI management gave them that stage. Their system absorbs the loss of a star player.

Leafs have GM and Coach on different pages, and it shows you can have all the skill in the world, but without the will and hard work or as Babs calls them "gud pros" and why he would love a Zach Hyman type on every line.

Leafs GM believes Skill beats Will, while Leafs Coach preaches Will trumps Skill.

 

[BlueForever75]

Leafs were in it and played well the first 15 minutes of the game.

The short handed goal and the goal reversed was the turning point. The team gave up. And that is on coaching.

Why wasn't a timeout call after the 3-1 goal. As much as the players gave up, Babcock allowed the game to get out of hand.

 

[Sweet Leaf]

Isles are the perfect example of GM and Coach walking in lockstep together on ideology and strategy for success. Likely why Lou Lam brought in Trotz as they're two peas from the same pod.

NYI's lose their franchise player and #1C and get significantly better, speaks volumes to how success is being measured.. Isles fans chanting "We don't need you" are not wrong, because NYI management gave them that stage. Their system absorbs the loss of a star player.

Leafs have GM and Coach on different pages, and it shows you can have all the skill in the world, but without the will and hard work or as Babs calls them "gud pros" and why he would love a Zach Hyman type on every line.

Leafs GM believes Skill beats Will, while Leafs Coach preaches Will trumps Skill.

Yep.

We have seen it over and over again.

Lemaire takes over the Bob Berry Habs. Installs the trap. Habs become dominant and they end up winning Stanley Cup with that same system under Perron. Continued through Burns..who brings it to the Leafs and turns a terrible Leaf team into a Stanley cup contender. Peter Zezel was the 2nd line center.

Lemaire goes to NJ...wins cups...Burns goes there runs the same system...wins cup.

TheTrap - defence- physical play - disciplined hockey - goaltending----- yeah who knew it still works!!!

 

[Mess]

Superman's vulnerability is Kryptonite and Leafs Kryptonite is Physicality.

Leafs could really have used Kadri for his one, as he is one of few Leaf players that can play with an edge and still thrive.

 

[BlueForever75]

Superman's vulnerability is Kryptonite and Leafs Kryptonite is Physicality.

Leafs could really have used Kadri for his one, as he is one of few Leaf players that can play with an edge and still thrive.

When is Kadri expected back. No timeline has been given or has it.

 

[18leafsfan18]

If the leafs can’t win a playoff series (largely due to lack of defensive depth) while Matthews and Marner make less than 2 million between them, why do our chances increase when they make far more than $20 million between them?

Experience, a year older. Same reason every player gets better when they grow up. Until they hit their peak.

If the reason is only due to defensive depth then the leafs will get some in the off season.

 

[freewilly]

If you read it for the words said yes you are right. But hockey people often talk like this when what they are really saying is "this one is not on the goalie". The team was flat except for Hyman.

I understood what he was saying, but he was wrong. Sparks did get hung out to dry but he also looked brutal and didn't make any big saves when needed.

 

[ACC1224]

sparks made some really good saves. Sparks didn't have a great game but you can't say that putting freddy in the game wins us it. We still lose, likely by one or two less but the problems had in this game are far passed the goaltender.

Correct but he didn't help though.
You can point to a few instances in that game where the tide could have turned.

 

[sxvnert]

the turning point.

The turning point was putting Sparks in over Andersen.

 

[ottomaddox]

I'm glad I missed this game.

Next!

 

[ULF_55]

Watched 0-0 to 5-1

Brutal
Embarrassing
Slow
Brain dead
Inflexible
Rudderless

And the players weren't very good either.

Can't say this is a one or two off.

They're a good team, that about it.

 

[stuart5035]

20 out of 30 possible points in a short month where they played 15 games.

There's no importance to this game outside of the Tavares stuff.

Team is without 2 key defensemen, Kadri and Freddy.

Chalk it up and move on.

While I agree with your assessment (the game was an aberration- it was a frenzy, not a hockey game), I think a reality check is in order:
With a Montreal win, the cutoff will shrink to six points to just make the playoffs, and Carolina is playing like a house on fire, how can one discount the Penguins, Columbus is going all out, etc. There’s Calgary on the calendar Monday......., we are missing 3 key players for possibly a long time......
Let’s start by just making the playoffs before we start commenting about our playoff performance.

 

[Clark4Ever]

It was a deflating performance after the short handed goal, but many people are reading way too much into last night's result. It was the perfect storm for a bad result last night all things considered.

If we are healthy, we are a much better team than the Islanders. I would love to face them in the playoffs, Trotz or no Trotz.

I hope Tavares has last night's disgraceful display from that fan base etched in his memory to motivate him for the rematch in April. The best way to shut them up next time will be on the scoreboard.

 

[mapleleafs34]

sparks made some really good saves. Sparks didn't have a great game but you can't say that putting freddy in the game wins us it. We still lose, likely by one or two less but the problems had in this game are far passed the goaltender.

I agree.

All I was saying in my original post is that goalies like Freddy make big saves when you need them and shift momentum. And I was referring to the 3rd goal (shorthanded one) as a key point in the game. As soon as that goal went in, it was all downhill. Freddy makes those big saves and if he makes that stop and keeps it 2-1 the game could have been totally different.

 

[member 262271]

Anyone see that article on Leafs Nation on "Should the Leafs have signed Tavares?" I swear to god some fans of this team are dumb as bricks.