Post-Game Talk: Leafs snap their losing streak 3:1 vs Ana

[Daisy Jane]

Blind loyalty maybe

Polak can't skate anymore, he's horrendously slow playing on a team that loves to push the pace and needs it's D to move the puck quickly and efficiently, basically everything Polak can't do

If playing on this team is merit based (it isn't) Polak would be sitting in the press box like his performances deserve

i get that you hate him and everything. but at least be fair in the fact that a good part of the problem is that he barely had a camp and everyone has what? 11+ games and he had like 3. I'm not saying had he had a full camp and the same amount of games he'd be fleet of foot and an amazing player but honestly a tiny bit of leeway needs to be deployed sometimes.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Meh - if the Leafs can bring the effort/pressure they did last night, having Polak in the line up won't sink them. If they're sitting back and turning the puck over, that could be a problem.

 

[Advanced stats]

Leivo is a dime a dozen player.

That's simply not true.

40-50 point potential with great work ethic is not "dime a dozen"

 

[Warden of the North]

The screaming lady is in the radio highlight pack

 

[SprDaVE]

I'm fine with a rotation of players. I think with back to back games it's ok to bring in fresh legs, even if it's Polak.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I'm fine with a rotation of players. I think with back to back games it's ok to bring in fresh legs, even if it's Polak.

Good point!

 

[Morgs]

Shocking Freddy isn't a bad goalie. Absolutely shocking.

I really liked that game for a couple reasons:

1. Hainsey and Rielly continued their dominance against top-lines.
2. Matthews & Kadri lines had "bad" games, and we still came away with the win. Finally some depth
3. Very impressed by Marleau as the C.
4. November Freddy is back.

 

[GoonieFace]

That's simply not true.

40-50 point potential with great work ethic is not "dime a dozen"

Potential, that's all it is. He has not proven a thing as of yet. Great work ethic? Can you absolutely confirm this. Every team has a couple of Leivo's that are routinely healthy scratches, I wish people would stop hyping this guy to be something he will most likely never be.

 

[GoonieFace]

I'm fine with a rotation of players. I think with back to back games it's ok to bring in fresh legs, even if it's Polak.

This is true, there is nothing wrong with swapping guys in and out, especially on D in back to back games.

 

[Trapper]

Potential, that's all it is. He has not proven a thing as of yet. Great work ethic? Can you absolutely confirm this. Every team has a couple of Leivo's that are routinely healthy scratches, I wish people would stop hyping this guy to be something he will most likely never be.

I think most people would like to see what he can be. We can't see it scratched for 50 games.
Maybe he excels, maybe he busts or maybe it's somewhere in the middle. Maybe he does enough to make himself valuable in a trade scenario that helps us.
The team protected him in the expansion draft. They didn't protect Leipsic, they didn't protect Rychel. They must have based their decision on something.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

Yeah, Leivo looked pretty ordinary. I think it's good to toss him out there to keep regular roster guys honest, and maybe draw in to provide rest during long stretches or back-to-backs, but I didn't see a guy taking an offensive wing role away from anyone.

Solid depth piece.

 

[Pi]

I can’t believe Polak is playing today. I guess he’s coming out for Carrick who played well last night and hasn’t played in a while so should be fresh.

 

[I Believe]

Always happier at work after a Leaf win

 

[Rogie]

As I said before the Ducks game, good for Babcock switching up JVR/Bozak - and I asked that he keep them separated for at least 5 games. Second game in, and I'd say they are on the right track.

Dmen rotating in and out, and Leivo/Moore/Kapanen switches can have some effect for sure, but, I think it's the JVR/Bozak separation experiment that is front and center and is going to have the biggest effect on the team going forward. Matty or Kadri will a good game bad game, but, they're a level of consistency there that we can be confident about.

Look at it like this - the 'pair' system that I think Babcock still prefers to work around.

Pair:
#1 Matty/Hyman /(Willie)(you might even say that the line is no longer pair dependent since they are one of the best lines in the league)
#2 Kadri/Komarov (this is still in tact)
#3 Marleau/JVR (new pair)
#4 Bozak/Marner or perhaps Bozak/Martin (??) (and Marner moves around to one of the other pairs)

The pairs are a centerman and a winger.
So, could Marleau/JVR be the start of a new pair?

 

[Walshy7]

I think this is how we need to use Bozak for a while.

And Marner, who really isn't that great defensively either its great he tries hard but you can see his defensive IQ is not close to his offensive IQ (which is totally fine) he chases players too much takes himself and subsequently every other leaf out of position in the D zone. So id keep Marner/Bozak a pair and try to give them 100% offensive zone starts (not always possible obviously). Matthews line had 30% offensive zone starts also.

So we are really going out of our way to shelter bozak now, if he needs it that bad its time to move on. Teams looking for Bozak type C's all the time, potential to score and may ignore his deficiencies.

 

[Walshy7]

Bit of a off game for the big line (Matthews)- probably their most underwhelming game this season.

That said, it also hangs a lot on usage and playing a good team.

For reference, Bozak has a ZS of 100% today. Insanely sheltered. Babcock was having none of it.

Matthews, Hyman, Willy- 25 ZS%

Kadri- 11 ZS%

I dislike that our best scoring line is being forced to start 75% in the D zone. Bozak has to go. We need Matthews line closer to 50-50 starts (60-40 maybe) we need our best 2 scorers more time in the ozone

 

[Drytoast]

Shocking Freddy isn't a bad goalie. Absolutely shocking.

I really liked that game for a couple reasons:

1. Hainsey and Rielly continued their dominance against top-lines.
2. Matthews & Kadri lines had "bad" games, and we still came away with the win. Finally some depth
3. Very impressed by Marleau as the C.
4. November Freddy is back.

Matthews line didn't have a "bad game" that line killed it defensively yet again, and Matthews and Nylander hit the post.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Freddy is steadily getting back to where he needs to be, and that's encouraging.

 

[Morgs]

Matthews line didn't have a "bad game" that line killed it defensively yet again, and Matthews and Nylander hit the post.

They lost the shot share battle, and got hemmed in their own end quite a bit.

They still got good chances, but for their standards it was a "bad" game. How much of that is due to his and Kadri's zone starts? Probably a lot.

 

[Drytoast]

They lost the shot share battle, and got hemmed in their own end quite a bit.

They still got good chances, but for their standards it was a "bad" game. How much of that is due to his and Kadri's zone starts? Probably a lot.

Fair enough.

But watching Matthews play defense is a thing of beauty. I literally have zero stresses when he's on.

 

[Raging Bull]

Good win. Would have been disappointing to not come away with the W against Anaheim with their depth right now.

 

[Morgs]

Fair enough.

But watching Matthews play defense is a thing of beauty. I literally have zero stresses when he's on.

Agreed.

 

[Drytoast]

Good win. Would have been disappointing to not come away with the W against Anaheim with their depth right now.

Not too mention we are in for a very tough LA game tonight.

 

[Erndog]

I was on a bus this morning and heard on the radio how Komarov scored an important goal last night. That's all they said; important. Who here thought that empty netter was important?

Have you not watched this team the past 2 seasons?

 

[Rogie]

Two games in a row Freddy has been great - I said he was bad a while back, and holding back the team, but, he's looking good now.